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FIRST OF ITS KIND | Toby Nixon becomes first annexation resident to challenge for council position [2]
30 years | Local pharmacy celebrates major FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011 anniversary serving Juanita [8]
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Barton building | Northwest U. names building for former mayor that brought city the ‘Hawks [5]
Neptune club can make anyone king of the lake Residents slap city, PSE with $2.7 million lawsuit
BY MEGAN MANAGAN mmanagan@kirklandreporter.com
As the rain clouds passed over Lake Washington on a Thursday afternoon, dropping bursts of showers across the shores, a J/22 sailboat skimmed the water. Undeterred by the weather, Anne Allberg and Sandy Miller glided in the surf on one of the Neptune Sailing Club’s four boats. As members of the club, the duo showed up to the Clubhouse – affectionately known as the Cave – picked their boat and signed out. “I think the niche they can provide, and to have access to these boats in our backyard is just great,” said Allberg, who just joined the club this year. For a one-time initiation fee and yearly dues, members have access year round to the boats in this club based at [ more NEPTUNE page 10 ]
Issues over Juanita substation heading to court BY CARRIE WOOD AND MATT PHELPS Kirkland Reporter
Philippe Lindheimer, left, and David Lombard of the Neptune Sailing Club take to a rainy and windy Lake Washington May 5. CHAD COLEMAN, Kirkland Reporter
First woman mayor of Kirkland dies Cooper called trailblazer, intimidating, champion for parks BY MATT PHELPS mphelps@kirklandreporter.com
Doris Munz Cooper was an outspoken member of the Kirkland community. From her days on the Houghton Community Council, to her election as the first female mayor of Kirkland, she always had an opinion. Cooper died on Friday, May 29 at the age of 85. “I was a great fan of Doris,” said Dave Russell, who served on the Kirkland City Council with Cooper for 10 years. “She was sometimes blunt but always on the mark. She always had the city’s welfare at heart.” Cooper was the only woman on the Kirkland City Council for 16 years. “She didn’t carry pepper
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spray, she carried two guns,” said Kirkland Mayor and friend Joan McBride. “The first time I met her I was scared out of my mind. She was such an imposing figure. But she was courageous beyond belief to be a gal in a man’s world.” She ran for mayor three times before being elected by her male peers in 1984. She
served as mayor until leaving the city government in 1990. Kirkland Heritage Society president Loita Hawkinson profiled Cooper in a newsletter story titled “Kirkland’s accidental leader in 2010.” Hawkinson quoted Cooper as saying, “Picking a city manager is harder than picking a husband and now that I’ve thought about it, the field is probably better.” But Cooper’s start in politics came by chance as a stay-at-home Houghton mother-of-five. “When the Houghton Mayor called and asked Doris to a meeting and possible position on the Board of Adjustments, Doris agreed to attend the meeting,” wrote Hawkinson. “She did not know the [ more COOPER page 2 ]
Discovering Peter Kirk’s new toy Tyler Johnson, 2, along with many other kids, discovered the new playground at Peter Kirk Park, which opened last week in downtown Kirkland. MATT PHELPS, Kirkland Reporter
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T
he dispute between nine homeowners, Puget Sound Energy and the City of Kirkland over the Juanita substation has turned from a battle of words into a lawsuit. The substation was built in 2009 and the homeowners filed suit against PSE for trespass and nuisance in King County Superior Court last September. The residents added the city in the multi-million dollar lawsuit in March. “The approval, construction and operation of the PSE substation has caused a catastrophic devaluation of our properties,” said the neighbor’s attorney, Paul Brain, in an e-mail to the Reporter. As a result, the homeowners are seeking damages for the property devaluation, which could add up to more than $2.7 million, said Brain. The issues with the substa[ more SUIT page 12 ]
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