Reporter ISSAQUAH | SAMMAMISH
Friday, May 17, 2013
www.issaquahreporter.com
Ballot bound? Klahanie annexation study shows financial gain for Issaquah
From left, Megan, Jack and Bailey Callahan, came out to the Sammamish MOD Pizza Monday to raise money and create awareness for this weekend’s Relay For Life at Eastlake High School.
kevin endejan, Issaquah & Sammamish Reporter
BY linda ball lball@issaquahreporter.com
sibling unity
Callahans keep sister Maddy’s memory alive through Relay For Life BY kevin endejan kendejan@issaquahreporter.com
J
ack Callahan undoubtedly has a busy schedule. A member of Eastlake’s varsity soccer team, the senior is knee-deep preparing for final exams, graduation and his next step at the University of Washington.
But, just like the last three springs, nothing is standing in the way of the 18-year-old’s passion for Relay For Life. The eldest sibling of Maddy Callahan, an 8-year-old Sammamish girl who died in November 2009 after a year-long battle with acute myeloid leukemia, Jack has made it his annual mission to help fight cancer. “It’s become, in my eyes, one of the most important things I do,” he said. “For me, it’s something bigger than myself that I can help with. It’s become a way for me to help give back — a way for me to make a difference.” On Monday, Jack and his sisters, Bailey, 16, and Megan, 14, gathered at MOD Pizza in Sammamish to raise money and educate the community about Eastlake’s eighth annual
“For me, it’s something bigger than myself that I can help with.” Maddy Callahan
courtesy of the callahan family
Relay for Life. The event is scheduled to begin at noon, this Saturday, May 18 at the school’s track. “I just want to make it known how terrible this disease is and I love helping to make sure that other families don’t have to go through what I went through,” said Megan, an eighthgrader at Inglewood Middle School. Bailey, a junior at Eastlake, said she was very close to her little sister. She is excited to share Maddy’s story for the first time during a speech Saturday. “I have a countdown on my cell phone and I started it back in September — before the
- Jack Callahan
Annexing Klahanie and 12 surrounding neighborhoods would produce about $620,000 in net income for Issaquah, before taking into account start-up costs and a sales taxcredit from the state that the city of Issaquah will have to apply for. Issaquah would gain about $6.47 million annually from additional property tax, some sales tax, state-shared revenues, utility taxes and real estate excise tax. Cost to the city to service the new areas would be about $5.85 million. The results of a comprehensive study done for the city by Tom Nesbitt, of Nesbitt Planning and Management, Inc., along with independent consultant Cynthia Stewart, were revealed in the first public presentation May 8 at Issaquah City Hall. Nesbitt and Stewart have been receiving feedback for several months from a volunteer task force appointed by Mayor Ava Frisinger. The City Council will decide if it will put the issue before voters. The last time this annexation was proposed, in 2005, See annexation, 3
committee started, before anything, I had it when I figured out the date,” she said. “I’ve been counting down the days.” Team “Mighty Maddy” is comprised of five different sub teams of roughly 60 people. Bailey and Megan are each leading their own group, with Jack and his friends leading three more teams. MOD Pizza, which supported Monday’s fundraiser, has its own ties to the Callahan family. Company cofounder Ally Svenson, who has eight restaurants in the Seattle area, is See relay, 2
Going Pink Our newspaper is pink today to note the 20th anniversary of Susan G. Komen for the Cure in the Puget Sound area. On our inside pages you’ll find stories about cancer survivors and Komen volunteers. On June 2, thousands of people will gather at the Seattle Center to Race for the Cure. We hope to see you there.