Reporter ISSAQUAH | SAMMAMISH
Friday, November 1, 2013
www.issaquahreporter.com
Rainier Trail a concern for neighbors
Sammamish residents concerned about the future of Eastside Fire and Rescue in their community filled Sammamish City Hall at Tuesday night’s special meeting.
BY LINDA BALL LBALL@ISSAQUAHREPORTER.COM
I
KELLY MONTGOMERY Issaquah & Sammamish Reporter
SAMMAMISH RESIDENTS MAKE THEIR VOICES LOUD AND CLEAR Overwhelmingly want to stay in EFR
BY LINDA BALL AND KELLY MONTGOMERY LBALL@ISSAQUAHREPORTER.COM KMONTGOMERY@ISSAQUAHREPORTER.COM
If the situation surrounding Eastside Fire and Rescue possibly being dropped by Sammamish could get any murkier, it has. The website saveourfiredept.org announced that the Eastside Fire Fighters have hired a Seattle attorney, SaNni M-K Lemonidis. A letter from her office was sent to Sammamish Mayor Tom Odell and the Sammamish City Council alleging they have violated Washington’s Open Public Meetings Act. Lemonidis wrote, “It appears the city council and technical advisory board have openly discussed fire service issues with a majority of the council using the email system. In addition, TAB has been meeting secretly to discuss City of Sammamish business related to the city’s fire service. These meetings should have been open to the public and subject to public comment requirements.” Lemonidis continues stating that the Eastside Fire Fighters are considering legal action. Standing up to speak against the Sammamish City Council last night, Lieutenant Dean deAlteriis of EFR said that if the allegations against the Sammamish City Council are in fact true, they have not only broken the law but they have lost the trust of the community. “You haven’t been seeking public input,” he said. “And I have a feeling this council will vote to make their own fire department despite it not being in the best interest of those you represent.” DeAlteriis said that everyone involved deserves better.
“We are here tonight to say it’s not okay,” he said. If the any of the partners in Eastside Fire and Rescue decide to go out on their own, it would cost them more money to open independent departments said Deputy Chief, Greg Tyron. The partners in EFR are Issaquah, Sammamish, District 10 (areas of unincorporated King County including Klahanie), North Bend and District 38, which includes areas of unincorporated King County around North Bend and Snoqualmie. EFR has nine stations staffed 24/7 spread out over 200 square miles. According to Tyron, it costs roughly $2.2 million annually to run each station Each station’s response area is that which is geographically closest to the station. Station 83 in Sammamish, also known as the Klahanie station, pays 60 percent of the $2.2 million because that is the percentage of assessed property in its response area. Sammamish claims to be the only partner in EFR that pays based solely on assessed property value, but Tyron says they all pay based on assessed valuation. What makes Sammamish different in relationship to station 83 is the call volume doesn’t match the assessed valuation funding model, because 50 percent of the calls made to station 83 are dispatched to Issaquah addresses such as Providence Point. “It’s the only station that doesn’t follow the assessed value/call volume model,” Tyron said. “It’s not unreasonable for Sammamish to question the funding model.” Fire districts outside of EFR typically spend $2.4 to $2.9 million to operate a station on an annual basis, but Tyron said being in EFR results in a 10 to 20 percent savings. Sammamish isn’t the only partner that has issues with EFR’s funding model. Issaquah has its own decisions to make. Station 78, which is 1/2 mile from Renton on SR 900, is
“You don’t cheap on safety.” -Sammamish resident speaking about staying in Eastside Fire and Rescue going to be relocated closer to Issaquah. As Renton has annexed, and moved further east, station 78 no longer pays for itself. The new station, which will be closer to Issaquah, scheduled to open in Sept. 2014, will add costs for Issaquah because more of Issaquah’s assessed valuation will be paying for it rather than District 10. Tyron said Issaquah pays about $5.3 million for its three stations now, but it would cost $6.6 to $7.2 million for Issaquah to have its own department. “If Issaquah and Sammamish can agree to 20plus years of working together we believe we can save this community tens of millions of dollars, but the two communities have to agree on a response model by moving stations over the long-term to better balance them out,” Tyron said. “But they must agree on a long-term joint operating vision.” If Sammamish pulls out of EFR one thing is for certain. Jobs will be lost – 36 fire fighters and up to five staff will be laid off. And Sammamish residents have made it clear that is not what they want. At the special study session in Sammamish Tuesday night, emotions were high as more than 100 SEE EFR, 6
t’s been well documented that the Issaquah Skate Park isn’t used for skating so much as it is for a place where drug deals go down, but the adjacent Rainier Trail, with small sheltered trails off the main, paved trail, has seen its share of trouble. At an Issaquah City Council meeting in September, several residents expressed their concern. Many are not comfortable walking the trail anymore. Christina Burney moved to old town Issaquah in 1991. She is one of the city’s walking ambassadors, and is concerned about the trail. “No action is a disservice to our community,” Burney said. She said getting rid of the skate park isn’t going to solve the problem. She’s seen drug deals go down on the trail. She said she has smelled funny odors, even fire, close to her home. “If I called IPD every time, I may as well have an open line,” she said. Judy Lally and Robert Clement who live nearby, helped with the spring clean-up along the trail this year. The litter they picked up included bits of aluminum foil, and coke cans with straws in the side — more than likely improvised drug paraphernalia. Walking the trail on a bright autumn day before school is out, it doesn’t look too terribly sketchy. Lally and Clement said the action ramps up when school is out, since the trail is right in the middle of Issaquah High School and Issaquah Middle School properties. Older kids hang out in the parking lot adjacent to the community center, possibly waiting for school kids to come to the trail. The city recently cut down a SEE RAINIER, 6