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CROSS KIRKLAND | City selects contractor to start interim trail construction [3]
Music | Kamiakin holds final concert, honors FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2014 musicians [3]
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Masters | Swimmers bring home 11 gold medals from Nationals [12]
City assessing landslide-hazardous areas of Kirkland
Officials to hold meeting June 25 at Finn Hill Middle School BY TJ MATRINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
T
he city of Kirkland is currently assessing the risk of landslide hazardous areas. City Manager Kurt Triplett said although they are examining neighborhoods designated as landslide hazardous, the
risk is “nothing of the same magnitude” as the Oso landslide. “What we’re trying to assess is whether there is more to be done,” he said. After they are done they will present the city council with a set of recommendations for them to consider, he said, which is expected
to occur during the fall. Right now, Kirkland residents who want to find out if they live in a landslide-hazardous area can check with a city map. If they want to find out how high the risk is for an actual landslide on their property, they will have to do their own homework.
As the risk assessment is being made by the city, King County recently announced it is seeking federal funding to update its 24-year-old map of unincorporated areas considered landslide hazardous. Part of the update will include a risk assessment of those areas. Numerous Kirkland
neighborhoods were a part of unincorporated King County during the 1990s when the old map was drawn but those areas will now be left out. One of those neighborhoods is Goat Hill near Juanita Beach Park, which suffered a landslide in 2010, forcing nine people to evacuate their
homes. The Department of Transportation determined the landslide was caused by drainage issues and soil erosion. The city is also reaching out to residents to discuss ways in which they can reduce soil erosion and landslide risk on their property. A city-planned meeting scheduled for June 25 at Finn Hill Middle School is [ more SLIDE page 6 ]
Flatstick Pub owners hope for hole-in-one with new business Mini-golf course and Washington-only craft brews make for unique experience BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
Matilda Colon, 2, enjoys a cold beverage during the opening day of the Kirkland Wednesday Market at Marina Park. The 2014 season will be shorter than last year due to weather concerns. For the full story see page 6. TJ MARTINELL, Kirkland Reporter
Golf addiction leads to Kirkland man’s arrest BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
A 26-year-old Kirkland man was arrested June 4 after allegedly burglarizing a golf course shop in May and stealing 40-50 golf clubs as the result of a golf “addiction,” accord-
ing to Bremerton Police. Bremerton Police said that the man was arrested at his residence in Kirkland after a search warrant was served on his apartment as part of an investigation into the burglary of the Pro Shop at the Gold Mountain
Golf Course in Bremerton on May 26. More than $9,200 worth of golf equipment, including 4050 golf clubs, were stolen. The Reporter does not name suspects unless they have been charged with the crime. During the investiga-
tion, Bremerton detectives searched eBay and Craigslist for sales of stolen merchandise and claimed to have found 11 golf clubs matching several of the clubs taken during the burglary. Security camera footage and [ more GOLF page 2 ]
At the Flatstick Pub in downtown Kirkland, owner Sam Largent hopes to score a hole-in-one with a combination of Washington-only craft beer and an indoor minigolf course. The pub, located at 15 Lake Street, recently held its grand opening. The bar is the culmination of Largent’s desire to open a pub that can offer both local beers and unique entertainment, setting it apart from other pubs on the Eastside and even the greater Seattle area. Largent said he wasn’t comfortable quitting his job as an accountant for 15 years and sinking his life savings into the venture without a creative idea for the place. He was first inspired for the idea of a miniature golf course in a pub by Smash Putt!, a Portland-based golf course that was originally located in a warehouse in the SoDo area. It was only after Von Trapps, a German-style restaurant with bocce ball, opened
up in Capital Hill that he decided the unusual concept would work. He started looking for places on the Eastside that would allow him to build the golf course, though he said Kirkland was always his top choice. “It seemed like there was a big need for a really beer-focused place,” he said. “There are lots of great wine, cocktail restaurants, but not a lot of beer.” Largent said that adding this mini-golf offers a different environment than other sit-down pubs and gives patrons a social activity to do while enjoying their beer. “Everyone we talked to thought it was a great idea,” he said. Largent designed the nine-hole golf course with his brother and co-owner, Andy. They also had help from Sam Largent’s neighbor, a welder, who built the holes for them while they were obtaining the space for the pub. Although putt-putt is often thought of as a [ more PUB page 10 ]