Reporter ISSAQUAH | SAMMAMISH
Friday, May 16, 2014
www.issaquahreporter.com
Homeless discussions Planning commission presents their permit recommendation to City Council BY KELLY MONTGOMERY ISSAQUAH/SAMMAMISH REPORTER
An old brick oven is one remnant from the camping club on the newly acquired Squak Mountain property. LINDA BALL, Issaquah /Sammamish Reporter
SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE Squak Mountain supporters come out to view part of the new land acquisition
BY LINDA BALL ISSAQUAH/SAMMAMISH REPORTER
Outdoor enthusiasts, county officials, members of SaveSquak. com, representatives from the Trust for Public Lands and King County Parks officials gathered Saturday morning at the old lodge that was once part of the Issaquah Camping Club, to officially celebrate the acquisition of 226 acres into the King County Parks system. Kevin Brown with King County Parks said the actual planning effort will begin later this year to improve the trails — some of which have been there over 20 years — and to figure out how to fold it into the open park space for Cougar and Tiger Mountains. Deputy County Executive Fred Jarrett was at the celebration instead of executive Dow Constantine, because Constantine and his wife had just welcomed a new baby the day before. Jarrett said the acquisition was one of Constantine’s goals. “It’s about delivering value and adding to our public space,” Jarrett said. Jarrett said this was brought together in record time, noting that there was a great deal of interest in preserving the land
David Kappler, president of the Issaquah Trails Club speaks, while Kevin Brown with King County Parks looks on. LINDA BALL, Issaquah/ Sammamish Reporter.
due to concerns of flooding from potential clear-cutting and development and also disturbing fish habitat and wildlife. Jarrett thanked King County’s Parks staff for making it possible for “all to enjoy for eternity.” District 9 County Council member, Reagan Dunn, a key
driver behind the acquisition, could not be present due to another obligation. Larry Phillips, who represents District 4 on the county council, said Tibbetts and May Creeks are very important salmon habitats, which they have had great suc-
cess with. He said now they don’t have to worry about clear cuts filling up those streams. The Trust for Public Lands, a national non-profit, played a key role in the acquisition. Roger Hoesterey, senior vice president and division director west, oversees the TPL’s conservation programs in every state west of the Rockies, including Alaska and Hawaii. During his time at TPL, the states he directs have conserved over a half million acres of land. TPL put up the money to buy the property from landowner Kurt Erickson. King County has repaid TPL for about half of the property, with plans to pay off the rest before the end of the year. The purchase price was $5 million. Hoesterey thanked Erickson, who wasn’t there, saying that Erickson probably could have made more money if he’d logged and developed it. He said this property was a high priority. Hoesterey also thanked Save Squak. “They did all the hard work,” he said. “We need the rabblerousers.” The final speaker was Dave SEE SQUAK, 7
Homeless encampments will be allowed in Sammamish twice a year, if the city chooses to adopt the coding proposal presented by the planning commission at the council study session on May 13. Commissioner Frank Blau, who presented the recommended permit, said that the commission was in full agreement on most of the issues. Other conditions included that a stay be limited to three calendar months (with an additional five days to move on or off the site) rather than 90 days, and that the sponsoring agency submit a transportation/transit access plan with their permit application. Mayor Tom Vance said he’s not sure a plan is enough. “You can’t put the camp there and not have transportation,” he said. Blau said it’s hard to nail down what would be adequate as far as a transportation plan. For example, if the regulation states that a site must be within a half a mile of a grocery store or transit stop, that eliminates sites when residents may be completely willing to walk further for transportation or groceries. He said they didn’t want to create language that was burdensome or overregulatory. The code also deals with background checks, stating that a warrant check must be SEE HOMELESS, 6