SEE INSIDE: Cascade Water Alliance to begin lowering Lake Tapps Nov. 1, Page 5 . . . . Turnout for second parks summit smaller than hoped for, Page 4 ....
Your hometown newspaper
Wednesday, October 3, 2012 | 75 cents
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Sumner looking for options on golf course
Future firefighters
Making the leap from the crib to the bed | Family Matters, 8
By Daniel Nash Staff Writer
W
hat to do with the Sumner Meadowlinks? It’s a question that’s winked in and out of city budget discussions in the past four years, came up on last year’s state audit, and has become a noisy boondoggle in the past two months. As Sumner’s municipal government prepares to set its 2013-2014 budget, the city faces repayment of more than $801,000 in Limited-Tax General Obligation bonds for the biennium, and nearly $6 million in total bond debt through 2019. That amount does not include interfund loan debt of $875,000 plus interest, for which the city must draft a repayment plan. “(The bond debt) is money the city has to pay,” City Administrator John Galle said. “We’re not anticipating revenue from the golf course to pay those.” Illustrating Galle’s point is the LTGO bond repayment for 2012: The city must make a $395,000 payment to bondhold-
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Weather
The clear skies are set to continue today, Wednesday, with highs in the mid-60s. But it will definitely feel like fall during the overnights, with lows in the upper-30s and low-40s this week. The pattern should repeat through the weekend.
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East Pierce Firefighters Heidi Rolfsness and Adam Lathrop help a pair of local kids spray out a pretend fire during the department’s 19th annual Open House celebration Saturday at the Public Safety Building in Bonney Lake. The day featured games for the kids and demonstrations for the whole family, including the ever-popular Jaws of Life, as well as the Northwest Disaster Search Dogs, the State Farm Insurance Distracted Driving Simulator and, of, course, balloons. Hose photo courtesy of East Pierce Fire and Rescue; Balloon photo by Daniel Nash.
See Meadowlinks, Page 10
Tehaleh finally ready for residents By Dennis Box Editor
After a couple of decades of stops and starts, Tehaleh, potentially the largest development in the state, is building and selling houses. Known as Cascadia prior to that company filing for bankruptcy
protection, Tehaleh has 14 homes ready to buy with a plan for about 350 in the first phase of development. The 4,218-acre development is located south of Bonney Lake on 198th Avenue East. Currently five homebuilders are constructing or planning
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homes in the community: Lennar, Shea Homes, Benjamin Ryan Communities, Quadrant Homes and Richmond American Homes. Shea is currently working on homes in 55-year-old plus community. Buyers can chose between the five builders, which means the
Tapps Island Golf Course
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homes are not all exactly the same. Tehaleh representatives stated there are more than seven miles of trails for walking, running and biking. In the first phase six parks are planned with some already completed.
See Tehaleh, Page 3