Valley Record SNOQUALMIE

Wednesday, October 16, 2013 n Daily updates at www.valleyrecord.com n 75 cents

Respect for the postman

School levies, bond, set for 2014

Amid days of change, Bjoern Greutzmacher keeps the mail coming as Snoqualmie’s newest postmaster

By Carol Ladwig

Mount Si boys golfers reach for solid play, consistency Page 11

School board candidates Busby, Spring sound off Page 2

Few of the numbers are final, but the dates for Snoqualmie Valley School District voters to decide on them are official. The full school board agreed Thursday, Oct. 10, to put two levy measures on the Feb. 11, 2014, ballot, and a capital facilities bond on the April 22, 2014, ballot. The levies, both four-year renewals of the district’s existing maintenance-and-operations and technology levies, would authorize the district to levy an estimated $18.2 million in 2015. While the technology levy remains fixed at $2.7 million annually, the other levy, renamed the educational programs and operations levy, will start at $15.5 million, and increase by $1 million each year. See BOND, 3

By Seth Truscott Editor

Seth Truscott/Staff Photo

Moving the mail is a 25-year career for Bjoern Gruetzmacher. The new Snoqualmie postmaster has seen change and learned much since starting as a teen clerk.

The respect is what surprises Bjoern Gruetzmacher. “As a supervisor, I could provide people with the same insight and information,” he said. “But a postmaster could say the same thing,” and people will more readily believe it. The venerable title of a small-city postmaster carries weight, and Gruetzmacher knows this firsthand. After months of temporary supervisor gigs, he has a home in Snoqualmie—his first postmaster’s job. A Kent resident, Gruetzmacher was chosen to replace former postmaster Bud Quinoveva 10 months ago, but he didn’t officially begin duties until May and spent much of the past year helping manage other offices on the Eastside. See POSTMASTER, 7

Night of the living teens

Index

Snoqualmie Ridge’s ‘Dark Trail’ is back with youngsters aiming to chill your blood—for a good cause

Letters 5 On The Scanner 6 8 Movie Times 13 Calendar 14 Obituaries Classifieds 15-18

By Seth Truscott Editor

Vol. 100, No. 21 Seth Truscott/Staff Photo

Snoqualmie’s Night on a Dark Trail participants work on their werewolf moves. Pictured are Rachel Lang, Kat Kangas, Leia Nedblack, Max Haverfield, Jacob Hoskins, Rebekah Lang, Brendan Richardson, Gillian Nedblake, Ericka Michaelson, Josh Bennett and Gunnar Martz. ‘Dark Trail’ returns October 18 and 19.

“Kat, give him your howl!” says Mark Hennig. So 12-year-old Kat Kangas lets loose with a 15-second, warbling cry. A would-be teenage werewolf, Kat should be pretty effective at grabbing attention this weekend in the third annual ‘Night on a Dark Trail’ benefit thriller. “Sometimes I go on Youtube and look up the sounds of wolves howling,” said Kat. She’s ready to scare somebody at the event. See DARK TRAIL, 12

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