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THE 1 SSAQUAH PRESS
Thirty-five ceres per copy SERVING ISSAQUAH SINCE 1900 Vol. 84, No. 22 May30, 1984
Water sliding in the rain
About 250 youngsters dared the rain Saturday and spent the day at Lake Sammamish Waterworks Park. The park was
]ampacked during the good weather on Memorial Day, even with only seven of the 22 rides in operation. Youngsters still
were able to enjoy the white water ride, the Banzai Screamer and four large water slides. Photos by Mark Chappell.
town LID does not meet,its expectations, says report,
designs a plan and sells bonds
of the pro- to finance the construction.
Business These bonds retire through
Improvement an assessment against real
a dis- property in the improved
after a area and are paid as a fee
city staff added to property taxes.
,ID package The proposed LID is an
its stated image enhancement project
focused mainly on beautify-
ing Front Street with a
Revitiliza- pedestrian park, improved
theCham, parking lot, new street lights,
first pro- banners and landscaping.
COncept to the The plan, developed by Seat-
Februray and tie urban design group
to initiate Makers, calls for strengthen-
resolution, ing the area's retail and
commercial services by
is Used to raise attracting new visitors and
PUblic improve- shoppers to the downtown
are Started either area, promoting the down-
or a town as a center for com-
50 percent munity life and rein-
area's vigorating the historic
city then downtown. Makers estimates
construction cost at about
$610,000.
But the city staff, stating
that they are very supportive
of the efforts and whose opi-
nions should not be con-
strued as opposition, said the
proposal did not fully ad-
dress all the possible prob-
lems the LID would affect.
The staff reported possible
problems with public safety,
traffic circulation, land use
and repair and maintenance.
The police department ex-
pressed concern for parking
in the downtown area. Traf-
fic congestion was another
main problem. Added traffic
will greatly affect the public
safety at the Dogwood
Street-Rainier Boulevard--
Front Street intersection dur-
ing peak hours, the report
says. The report states that
the LID should address the
r meeting attracts
r 150 property owners
crowded
Community
to
ml
the East
water-
of hands,
those atten-
and half
b sewers cam-
dOWn East
Parkway
ltely In-
toSE43rd
Was Presented
organiza-,
ners
a Utility
District
in for-
to obtain
sent out
ago, and ac-
District 82
21 per-
lan-
the peti-
at the
is a
noticeable lack Qf support
from several areas, including
lnglewood Hills. If support
doesn't pick up, it would be
possible to withdraw these
areas from the proposed
district, he said, which would
result in increasing the
percentage from 21 to 28.4
percent. The boundaries of
the proposed ULID can be
decreased but not expanded
he explained.
The project would involve
construction of a sewer in-
terceptor and other facilities
in the East Lake Sammamish
Parkway corridor and a local
sewer system. A pressure
sewer rather than a gravity-
type system would be built to
decrease costs, said Spahr. A
base assessment of approx-
imately $500 to $600 would
be charged to all residents
whether or not they choose to
hook up to the sewer. The
assessment would be based
on the number of homes that
could be built on the Inn-
downer's lot under current
zoning regulations. For in-
stance, if three homes could
be built on a lot, the lan-
downer would pay three
times the base assessment.
The cost of actual sewer
hook-up would vary ac-
cording to the location,
topography and the number
of homes requesting service.
About 1,275 residences could
hook into the system. Cur-
rently the cost is estimated at
$2,000 to $5,000 per
developable lot. In addition,
landowners opting for sewer
service would be charged a
monthly Metro fee.
The project would be
financed by selling municipal
bonds at low interest rates,
said Spahr. Landowners
would then pay off the
amount over 15 years, with
the assessment based on the
interest rates at which the
bonds were sold.
The meeting May 23 was
informational only, but if the
required petitions are obtain-
ed, at least two public hear-
ings will be conducted so that
the opposition can present
their viewpoints.
Herb Giibo, spokesperson
for Group S-5, stated that the
organization will soon be
contacting all landowners in-
volved to make sure they are
aware of the proposed
ULID.
increase in traffic volume
directly proportional to the
increases in traffic caused by
the improvement.
The proposed LID may
also conflict with the yet-to-
be-developed Downtown
Subarea Plan, according to
the report. Although Plan-
ning Director Dwight Hart-
man said the proposal does
not appear to be at odds with
the direction of the city's
subarea plan to be completed
until 1985, he was reluctant
to make a judgment about
the proposal adding, "it
might be advisable to com-
plete the broader vision
Subarea Plan before turning
too much of the area into an
old downtown with a new im-
age."
The Parks Department
stressed concern over the
maintenance of the street
banners, street lighting poles,
canopies, and trees. The
wooden light poles and sign
posts are a great target for
"four-wheeled vandals,"
according to the report.
In general, the staff report
says the proposal to revitalize
the downtown area does not
meet its goal. It states that
the trend over the past 20
years is for retail shoppers to
frequent a centralized shop-
ping area with a variety of
stores and easy parking, add-
ing that "if those things are
not present the shopper will
not consistently frequent the
area no matter how nice the
area may be aesthetically."
Downtown Improvement
Committee Chair Jean
Thomas disagreed with that
assessment.
"We are going to end up
with an LID no different
than a shopping center," she
said. "It would be the same
size but just not under one
ownership.
Thomas said she was very
upset after reading the staff
report, but after talking to ci-
ty administrators, thinks that
the problems can be "ironed
out."
"It is a starting point," she
said. "If you read the report
carefully, it is not as
negative. I don't think the
committee should put traffic
in the scope of the LID nor
do I think the city expects us
to."
Another committee
member, Dave Kingery, ex-
pressed anger over the staff
report saying the report is
"diametrically opposite of
the past views of the
members of the staff.
"We (the committee) did
look at the traffic problems,
but that is the city's problem
to solve," he said.
He said his anger has sub-
dued since he received a letter
from Mayor A.J. Culver
stating that the city is "op-
timistic that the council will
be able to work with you all
to develop a viable plan"
that is "sorely needed to
maintain the strength of the
downtown."
City Administrator Leon
Kos said he is aware the staff
report appears more negative
than optimistic.
"We were trying to pro-
vide information and not be
opposed to the LID," he
said. "We see a real need for
the downtown LID. The real
question is what things
should be added and how to
address the impact of the
LID.
"Maybe the bottom line is
people reacting more may be
an asset to get more interest
in the LID," Kos said. "I
hope that will happen, be-
cause 1 am for it."
The Downtown Revitaliza-
tion Committee will meet
with the council's community
and Intergovernmental Rela-
tions Committee within a
week and later with the whole
City Council at its July 18
meeting.
Issaquah man charged
with prostitution
by Dtmidl¢ Clarneux
David L. Vandeventer, 29
of Issaquah, was charged last
week with three counts of
prostitution involving two
male minors.
State charges were flied
with the King County Pro-
scouter by the Issaquah
Police Department, stating
that the suspect allegedly of-
fered money to the minors in
return for an act of sex.
Police began investigating
Vandeventer last March after
being contacted by one of the
victims. The investigation led
officers to other victims in
the community.
In addition to three counts
of prostitution, Vandeventer,
a long-time local resident and
past student of Issaquah
High, is also charged with
four counts of com-
municating with a minor for
immoral purposes, one count
of furnishing alcohol to a
minor and three counts of
simple assault. The 11
charges involve a total of
four minors ranging in age
from 15 to 18 years old. The
victims will be called upon to
testify in the case.
Vandeventer was subpoen-
ed late last week to appear
for arraignment before Court
Commissioner Jeanette A.
Voss on June 5 at the Issa-
quah District Court. At this
time he will enter his plea.
Bridge debate
to be heard by city
Talk of building a bridge
over the east fork of Issa-
quah Creek in the northeast
quadrant of the city may be
the featured topic of the Six-
Year Comprehensive Street
Improvement Plan public
hearing slated for 8 p.m.,
June 4 at Community Hall.
Each year the city must up-
date its street improvement
plan for the following six
years in order to receive
federal aid or gas tax monies
for its improvements.
The street plan to be
discussed this year only listed
various arterial and collector
streets that needed improve-
ment until Councilor Don
Raybuck recommended at
last Monday's council
meeting that the hearing
should include discussion of
a bridge in the northeast sec-
tion of the city. The motion,
opposed by Councilors
Darlene McHenry and Dick
Mitchell, passed, and the
item will be included at the
public hearing.
Although not labeled as
such, talk of the bridge is
reminiscent of the talk of a
Third Avenue bridge two
years ago.
In May, 1982, the city's
Traffic Circulation and Plan-
ning Study was complete and
ready for adoption. One of
the items the study listed
under future projects was a
bridge over Issaquah Creek
at Third Avenue. Presently,
the road dead-ends at both
sides of the creek.
The study proposed the
bridge to provide another
connection to N.E. Gilman
Boulevard, enabling traffic
to by-pass the Front Street
and Sunset Way intersection.
The study reported that, ex-
cluding the potential connec-
tion via N.E. Creek Way, the
area north of East Sunset
Way is land-locked. It
reported that the total daily
demand from this area with
destinations to the north
through Front Street at that
time was 600 vehicles per
day. It also reported that the
impact to the neighborhood
on Third Avenue would have
been relatively severe when
contrasted with current levels
of traffic.
During the public hearing
before the adoption of the
traffic study, the Third
Avenue bridge was hotly
debated. While the city's
Utilities Committee chaired
by Councilor Mitchell recom-
mended no bridge be built,
others, including then
Chamber of Commerce
president Dave Kingery,
Police Chief Dag Garrison,
Fire Chief Tony Singleton
andd Mayor A.J. Culver all
supported a bridge.
One resident who opposed
the bridge said the council
should consider the "human
impact" on the residents in
that area who do not want
the bridge.
The council adopted the
traffic study with the excep-
tion of the Third Avenue
bridge plan.
City Administrator Leon
Kos said the council Monday
night did not decide whether
the bridge would be a project
or not, but simply an item to
be discussed at the hearing.
He also said the location of
the bridge was never discuss-
ed.
The streets to be discussed
for the six-year improvement
plan include: Wildwood
Boulevard from S.W. Clark
to Forest Drive (1984);
Gilman Boulevard from
Front Street N. to the
Renton-lssaquah Road (S.R.
900)(1984); Lake Sam-
mamish Road from 12th
Avenue N.W. to easterly city
limits (1985); Rainier
Boulevard from Gilman
Boulevard to Front Street N.
(1986); Wildwood Boulevard
from S.W. Forest to Moun-
tainside Drive (1986); W.
Sunset Way from Mr. Olym-
pus to Mr. Park Boulevard
(1987); 12th Avenue from
N.W. Gilman Boulevard to
Newport Way (1988);
Newport Way from SR 900
to westerly city limits (1989);
and S.E. 56th Street from
19th N.W. to westerly city
limits (I 990).
Streets included in the ci-
ty's funding applications to
the Urban Arterial Board of
the Federal Aid to Urban
Systems Program are: Front
Street N. from Dogwood
Street to Sunset Way; Front
Street N. from Gilman
Boulevard to Dogwood
Street; Front Street S. from
S.W. Clark to the southern
city limits; and E. Sunset
Way from Front Street to 3rd
Avenue N.E.
I
Historical Society honored for work on museum
Isuquah Historloal Society Chair Greg Spranger (right) and committee advisor Calen Daniel stand in front of Gilman
Town Hall with a plaque awarded to the group by the Association of King County Historical Organizations. The plaque
wae given in recognition of the group's efforts to refurbish the museum located at 165 S.E. Andrews.