Reporter ISSAQUAH | SAMMAMISH
Friday, March 16, 2012
www.issaquahreporter.com
Rare salmon
The gym at Sunny Hills Elementary School was built as cheaply as possible, and now resembles something close to a portable building. April’s bond would replace it. From the left, Elizabeth Kaiser, Yasmeen Gallagher, Daniela Knutson, Stephan Daghofer. Below, Principal Sarah White. CELESTE
Fundraiser for nearly extinct Kokanee
GRACEY, Issaquah & Sammamish Reporter
CATCHING UP
Bond would rebuild Issaquah’s oldest schoolhouses BY CELESTE GRACEY
“I think people want good schools. That’s why people move to Issaquah.”
CGRACEY@ISSAQUAHREPORTER.COM
A
waterfall of rain pours down on Sunny Hills Elementary, slops over the gutters and splashes onto its outdoor walkways. Sidestepping one of many puddles, Principal Sarah White flips up her hood and heads for the 11 portables that make up much of her campus. The wooden structures have been a fixture at Sunny Hills for so long, they’re counted among the 31 permanent classrooms. Some have even seen remodels. They’re the biggest reason why White is hoping for a new school; the list of needs – including gutters that don’t behave like water fountains – continues to grow as the 1960s facility ages. A new school building, ticketed at $27 million, is among the top projects in the Issaquah School District’s hopes to pay for through its April bond. “We’re so excited,” White said. “The staff already talks about ‘When we get a new school building…’” The district is asking residents to pay $219 million over the next eight years. The bond would replace an expiring one with a lower
– Principal Mike DeLetis tax rate. For the past two decades, the district’s focus has been on keeping up with growth. Since 1991, the student population has almost doubled in size. “It was a tough challenge to keep buildings coming up fast enough,” said Steve Crawford, director of capital projects. While the district scrambled to find space for students to sit, thoughts of renovating older schools like Sunny Hills and Liberty High School were put on hold. April’s bond would rebuild ISD’s oldest
facilities. It also comes with perks such as $12 million for football stadiums at each high school.
Finishing Liberty Liberty High School Principal Mike DeLetis adjusts the fan in a new science lab. It sends a gentle whoosh through the room, and puts a smile in his eyes. As simple as it might seem, it’s a point of pride. Without a fan, the students can’t use SEE BOND, 13
The Issaquah Salmon Hatchery is hosting its first major fundraiser for saving the Kokanee Salmon. The fresh water fish, which looks much like a sockeye, is nearing extinction. However, it failed to make the federal government’s endangered species classification last year. The Coho Café plans to cater the event at 6 p.m., March 23 at the hatchery. “This possible extinction is literally happening right in our own backyard and if a community as educated and affluent as King County cannot turn this critical situation around, then I’m not sure there is hope,” said Heather VanDorn, catering manager at Coho Café. The hatchery began a program a couple years ago to spawn the fish in streams that run through Issaquah and Sammamish. The costly process requires staff to hall water from the streams to the hatchery, so the fish will learn the scent. Tickets to the event are $60 and available at the Coho Café or by phone at 425-391-4040.
Kokanee Salmon before being released into laughing Jacobs Creek. FILE PHOTO
GET OUR FREE MOBILE APP Receive local news on your mobile device today!