Covington/Maple Valley Reporter, November 21, 2014

Page 1

REPORTER

COVINGTON | MAPLE VALLEY | BLACK DIAMOND

NEWSLINE 425-432-1209

REGION | Wind storm drops trees and power lines around Puget Sound [page 6]

Making a Statement | Tahoma and Kentlake made noise during various state FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2014 competitions [12-13]

A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING

Superior Court dismisses YarrowBay’s civil claim

WEBSITE | Check the website for breaking news, sports and weather stories. maplevalleyreporter.com or covingtonreporter.com

Maple Valley nears end of city reserve funds

BY ERIC MANDEL emandel@covingtonreporter.com

BY REBECCA GOURLEY

King County Superior Court Judge Susan Amini dismissed a civil claim by developer YarrowBay over proposed mitigation fees for future government facilities in Black Diamond. The case was dismissed without prejudice, which means it can be refiled. Despite how it looks on its face, Megan Nelson, director of legal affairs for BLACK YarrowBay, said DIAMOND the firm is pleased with the outcome. “It was good for us because it confirmed our ability to file another appeal if and when the city adopts a government facilities fee,” she said. “The reason we appealed in the first place was the concern that if we didn’t appeal the plan adoption, we would be precluded from filing later.” The Kirkland developer claimed that the city’s plan contains “fundamental errors in analysis” and

rgourley@maplevalleyreporter.com

senior Laura State Swim Kentlake Williams won the 4A state Saturday Champion championship in the 200-yard individual medley at the King County Aquatics Center. She took third in the 100-yard breaststroke. Read the story on page 12. DENNIS BOX, The Reporter

[ more COURT page 10 ]

Covington Community Tree withstands wind BY ERIC MANDEL emandel@covingtonreporter.com

As the blustering winds decimated portions of the Puget Sound, Karla Slate sat at home nursing a broken foot. The Covington marketing and communications manager kept expecting another call about the tree that has never seemed to catch a break. “I’m at home, just saying,

‘please, I hope the tree is OK,’” she said. “Not again.” The Covington Community Tree, located in the Don Henning roundabout between Fred Meyer and Pier One Imports, survived the latest storm while others fell, though its luck hasn’t exactly been great of late. The city originally planted the symbolic spruce tree in 2012 in commemoration of the festive

Your Neighborhood Veterinarian

1163939

By 2018, City Manager David Johnston is predicting that Maple Valley will hit its twomonth reserve line if the current trends in decreased revenue stay the same. This means that the gap between the general fund and the reserves will be close to nothing. This grim forecast has MAPLE started a disVALLEY cussion within the City Council about how to better create a budget and what other revenue opportunities are out there. The new methodology Johnston is proposing for budget creation is referred to as “budgeting by priorities.” Johnston hopes this process, which involves heavy contributions and input from citizens, will better situate the city’s budget for years to come. [ more FUNDS page 9 ]

tree on Kent-Kangley Road that the fire department used to string lights on prior to the capital improvement project in that area, according to Ross Junkin, Covington maintenance supervisor. The tree is primarily used during two lighting events — Purple Light Nights in October and for Christmas — but may best be known for the attempted Scroogeesque caper in 2012, when police found that someone had attempted to cut down the tree on Christmas Eve. The city found the tree 3/4 way cut with a handsaw. “It didn’t fall but it was standing mortally wounded,” Junkin said. [ more TREE page 6 ]

(253) 631-8616

A Covington crew reinforces the Community Tree that was blown to the ground after the Oct. 25 windstorm. A new tree will be replanted in its place next year. Courtesy Photo Hours: Mon. Tue. Wed. Thur. and Fri.7am-7pm; Sat 8am-6pm; Sun: Closed

Covington Animal Hospital

27045 174th Pl. SE (behind Jiffy Lube, adjacent to WalMart) • www.vcacovington.com


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.