Reporter ISSAQUAH | SAMMAMISH
Friday, April 25, 2014
www.issaquahreporter.com
Issaquah Council approves Klahanie agreement BY LINDA BALL ISSAQUAH/SAMMAMISH REPORTER
Eloise Rouse models a cancer hat made by the group. Rouse, 97, is the oldest in the Needle Brigade. She swims, does her own housework and plays Bridge every day. LINDA BALL, ISSAQUAH REPORTER.
NEEDLE BRIGADE MARCHES ON BY LINDA BALL ISSAQUAH/SAMMAMISH REPORTER
Walking into Peggy Petty’s Issaquah basement on a Tuesday morning, you feel like you’ve entered a happy version of a sweat shop. Up to a dozen women might be there, cutting, stretching, sewing and ironing, creating soft, lovely quilts and other items for the less fortunate. They call themselves the Needle Brigade. Most of them met swimming at Julius Boehm Pool. Petty said they sort of inherited the project, but you can tell they love what they’re doing. These foot soldiers of fabric create quilts, nightgowns for children, little hats for premature babies, hats for cancer patients and tablecloths for the Elks club for their banquets and free senior dinner each Christmas. “If someone needs help, they call,” Petty said. The group is set up as a 501c3 nonprofit. Most of the fabric they use is donated, except for fleece, which they use to back some of the quilts. The women keep their eyes open for coupons from Joann Fabric, and they are always open for donations of sewing items or fabric. Nothing goes to waste. Any scraps of mate-
Elke Latt of the Needle Brigade shows the finished edge created by a serger. LINDA
BALL, ISSAQUAH/SAMMAMISH REPORTER.
rial they have leftover go to a lady in Centralia who makes pillows. Most of the quilts and baby items are for Eastside Baby Corner, but the preemie hats go to Children’s Hospital in Seattle and the cancer hats are for Overlake Hospital and Group Health. They also make wheelchair bags for Providence Marianwood in Issaquah. The personalities and stories of each of these women are unique and engaging. Eloise Rouse is the oldest one in the group — she’ll be 98 in August. She lives in her own apartment at Providence Point, does her own housework, swims and plays bridge every day. She jets around in her Smart Car which she loves. “I think a lot of it is attitude,” Rouse said. Rouse has four daughters, 15 grandchildren, 32 great grandchildren and six greatgreat grandchildren. And she keeps track of them all. Renate Bowerbank is the engineer in residence. Bowerbank is a retired vice-president of engineering who spent over 30 years as a top-level executive in high-tech. New to the group, she didn’t know how to sew, but she does know how to mend. With her business SEE BRIGADE, 10
As their neighbors did last week, the Issaquah City Council unanimously approved the interlocal agreement regarding the Klahanie Potential Annexation Area, at its April 21 meeting. This opens the door for Sammamish to amend its comprehensive plan to include the Klahanie PAA. Issaquah must take all necessary steps to amend its comp plan to remove Klahanie. As part of an agreement between the two cities about Klahanie, Sammamish agreed to support Issaquah’s effort to get an Urban Center designation from the Puget Sound Regional Council. Also, Sammamish has agreed not to impose or accept any retail sales tax credit from the state and will take immediate steps to fund improvements to Issaquah-Fall City Road if it annexes the Klahanie PAA. Sammamish will place $3 million in a separate transportation account for the road within one year of annexation of the Klahanie PAA. Finally, Sammamish will reimburse Issaquah $30,000 for full use of it annexation study done by Tom Nesbitt, of Nesbitt Planning and Management, Inc. “This is a major milestone for Klahanie,” said Issaquah City Councilmember Tola Marts. The council agreed that support from Sammamish for the CIP is powerful as are improvements to Issaquah-Fall City Road.