ISSAQUAH | SAMMAMISH
Friday, October 14, 2011
www.issaquahreporter.com
Evans Creek Preserve to open Oct. 22 Land largest volunteer effort in history of Sammamish
Fred Butler rides a light-rail train in Seattle. As deputy chasir of Sound Transit and a member of the Issaquah City Council, Butler is convinced that light rail will come to the city within 30 years. CELESTE GRACEY, Issaquah/Sammamish Reporter
Motivational Seeker Fred Butler uses style, persuasion to make sure Issaquah is on track for light rail in the future BY CELESTE GRACEY CGRACEY@ISSAQUAHREPORTER.COM
As the light-rail train swiftly speeds to a hum, Fred Butler steadies himself with a hanging strap. He leans over with a generous smile to interview a man headed to the airport. As the train halts at the Mount Baker stop, Butler hops off, scans his transit card and moseys over to the ticket officers for another chat. Butler is convinced such a train could roll into Issaquah in 30 years, but his focus is greater than just the city. “It’s planning for the future,” he said. “It’s a recognition that the population in the region is going to double in the next 20 or 30 years, and we need to prepare.” Butler is a vice chair at Sound Transit
and also a member of the Issaquah City Council. While cities with developed urban cores, like Redmond and Kirkland, are vying for the next expansion, Issaquah, too, has managed to throw its hat into the debate. The city’s strongest case is its plan for downtown, which hasn’t even been completed. The plan would create the density a major train system demands. However, the attention of Sound Transit took more than a promise to grow. It took Butler. “He’s always motivated, and he knows how to motivate people,” said Rosemarie Butler, his wife. By calling attention to Issaquah’s potential, he convinced Sound Transit to agree to a multimillion dollar light rail study for
the city in 2005. The study is scheduled to finish in 2017, and its results would drive Sound Transit’s decision on what to include in a third expansion.
THE RAIL AHEAD Depending almost solely on sidewalks and public transit to account for future traffic, the Central Issaquah Plan is symbiotic with mass transit, such as light rail. If the plan fails to create an urban center, light rail won’t come to Issaquah, said Mayor Ava Frisinger said. “I don’t think there would be a financial justification for it.” On the other side, if the city’s plan is completed without mass transit like light SEE FRED BUTLER, 3
Thanks to the biggest volunteer effort in city history, the 180-acre Evans Creek Preserve will open to the public on Oct. 22. The grand opening is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon. Following a 10 a.m. ribbon cutting, residents will be free to wander through the woodlands, meadows and gently rolling hills that give this wilderness park its special character. “We had over 50 volunteer work parties come in and help build our new trail system here,” said Jessi Richardson, parks director. “They gave us approximately 6,000 volunteer hours in total.” Richardson said the volunteers hours were spent on construction of trails and restoration efforts. Volunteer groups included the Washington Trails Association, Starbucks, Symetra, Siemens, the Church of Volunteers gave approxiJesus Christ mately 6,000 hours of time of Latter Day to complete the reserve. Saints and several community groups and individuals. The preserve, attached to but just outside the northern city limits, is accessible from State Route 202. For the grand opening, residents are encouraged to park at Louisa May Alcott Elementary, 4213 228th Ave. NE, and ride a shuttle bus to the preserve. After that, residents should use the regular parking lot by going to the intersection of State Route 202 and 224th Avenue NE and then heading south about 500 feet on 224th. There will be entertainment and refreshments at the event. For more information on Evans Creek Preserve and the grand opening details, go to the city website (http://www. ci.sammamish.wa.us) and click through departments, parks and rec, projects, and Evans Creek Preserve.