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Track teams head to postseason — Page 9
Fashion show raises funds, awareness — Page 6
The IssaquahPress
Issaquah’s only locally owned newspaper
www.issaquahpress.com
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Federal legislators urge emergency funding for I-90 overpass Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined Rep. Dave Reichert (WA-8) in urging Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to grant Emergency Relief program funding to help Washington state cover the costs of repairs for the Interstate 90 overpass, according to a news release from Murray’s office. On March 13, a Recology CleanScapes garbage truck with
its lift in the air struck and damaged the overpass above Front Street. “The Front Street I-90 overpass is critical to in King County and to the State of Washington,” the members of Congress wrote. “As part of the I-90 corridor, it plays an important role in supporting international trade through the movement of goods across Washington and to our
ports, creating and sustaining hundreds of thousands of jobs in the state. “Furthermore, other states that export and import goods through the ports in the Pacific Northwest rely on this now damaged transportation infrastructure. Communities in King County and the entire state are also dependent upon a safe, functional, and intact I-90 corri-
dor for employment and recreation purposes. As the primary east-west transportation corridor in Washington state for goods and citizens, the connectivity and integrity of I-90 is vital to the entire state’s economy. “We urge you to grant the State of Washington’s request for ER funding for the Front Street I-90 overpass in its entirety as soon as possible to ensure our
constituents and all users have a safe, reliable, and uninterrupted access to this critical transportation link.” The overpass reopened a few hours after the accident but the right shoulder is closed until permanent repairs can be made. The state Department of Transportation has estimated the costs for repairs to be between $1.2 million and $1.5 million.
Local Mount Everest climber is safe after earthquake, avalanche
City of Issaquah
Scenes of the demolition early on of the old pool liner at the Julius Boehm Pool are arranged on a page in the city of Issaquah’s PowerPoint presentation of the ongoing renovation work.
TAKING SHAPE
Julius Boehm Pool renovation is on budget, behind schedule By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com
With a price tag of $5 million, the ongoing renovation of the city’s Julius Boehm Pool is on budget, but has fallen a few weeks behind. Asbestos removal is the cause of that delay, said Ric Patterson, division manager for the Issaquah Parks & Recreation Department. On April 20, Patterson offered the Issaquah City Council an update on the project to rebuild the pool, which was closed Nov. 26. Patterson said samples of the pool’s existing stained surface revealed the presence of asbestos that had to be specially removed. He also talked about structural components that had to be chiseled out by hand. All in all, the unexpected extra work slowed the project by five to six weeks. But by working with contractors to rearrange some work, Patterson said the overall project is now only about three
weeks behind. Patterson still estimates the pool will reopen late this summer. “The contractor is making really good progress,” he said. Among the many improvements undertaken, workers are attempting to replace the inner surface of the pool, which in photos Patterson showed to council had been stained a dingy, yellowish color. Patterson said the blemish was the result of iron oxide escaping the old, steel pipes that used to feed the pool. Not only will the surface of the pool be replaced, but also the metal pipes are to be removed in favor of rust-free plastic pipes. Besides work on the pool itself, perhaps the most significant effort is being put into the facility’s various pumps, heaters and other electrical systems. Computercontrolled, more efficient equipment should save the city about $71,000 in pool operating costs annually. “It’s very exciting to see the cost savings,” Councilwoman Mary Lou Pauly said. She said those numbers should be highlighted as the city wrestles with planning See POOL, Page 12
Klahanie resident Dennis Broadwell and his team of climbers from Issaquah-based Mountain Gurus are safe after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake Dennis Broadwell rocked Nepal and the Mount Everest area on April 25. A post on the group’s Facebook page later in the day confirmed that Broadwell, 43, and the rest of the team were OK. News reports on April 27 said the earthquake killed more than an estimated 4,000 people in and around the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu, and the death toll was expected to rise as search efforts continued. On Mount Everest, where Mountain Gurus climbers were in the midst of a two-month expedition, 18 people, including four Americans, were reported dead after an avalanche swept over the Base Camp at about 17,600
It’s likely that all teams stationed on the south side of Everest, where Broadwell and his team are, will call off their expeditions. — Sam Tyler Mountain Gurus
feet in elevation. Sam Tyler, of Mountain Gurus, said April 27 that he spoke to Broadwell shortly after the disaster. The team was at Base Camp when the avalanche occurred, although other teams were higher on the mountain at Camps 1 and 2, and were being lifted off the mountain via helicopter, Tyler said. It’s likely that all teams stationed on the south side of Everest, where Broadwell and his team are, will call off their See EVEREST, Page 12
Mountain Gurus
Klahanie resident Dennis Broadwell led a previous expedition to Mount Everest in 2011, coming within 2,000 vertical feet of the summit before turning around. Here, he’s back at the world’s tallest mountain again this spring.
Three residential projects bring nearly 650 homes to the Highlands By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com Three residential projects, all in the construction phase, could add up to nearly 650 new residences to the Issaquah Highlands. The projects are designated as official Urban Villages, according By Greg Farrar to Lucy Sloman, land development manager for the city. All The Discovery West apartments phase 3 construction of 209 multifamily units at Northeast Discovery Drive and Highlands Drive Northwest is reflected three projects are making use of the city’s standardized Urban April 10 in a stormwater settling pond.
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Village zoning. 4Issaquah Terrace, also known as Lakeside Terrace, will consist of 268 rental units in 12 garden-style buildings with additional rental townhouses along Lupine Street in the narrow throat of the project site. It is being developed by Polygon Northwest, and sits northeast of the Issaquah Highlands Park & Ride. 4The Brownstones development, also a Polygon project, is
rising southeast of the intersection of Northeast Ellis Drive and Highlands Drive Northeast. It will contain 176 condo/townhomes. 4Southwest of the Northeast Discovery Drive and Highlands Drive Northeast intersection, and being built by Devco, a local apartment builder, Discovery West will hold 200 or so apartments in two five-story buildings See HOMES, Page 12
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