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Wednesday, December 10, 2014 | 75 cents
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City aquatic center receives King County matching grant
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Santa Run...
By Dennis Box Editor
Fire District 28 career firefighters and the Enumclaw Volunteer Firefighter Association announced the Santa Run will be from 6 to 9 p.m. today, Wednesday, through Saturday. • Today Santa Claus will be aboard the fire truck accompanied by firefighters between Watson and Semanski Street south of Roosevelt Avenue. • Thursday Santa will be between Semanski and 244th North to Highpoint. • Friday finds Santa between Semanski and Lafromboise streets between Roosevelt and McHugh avenues. • Saturday the fire truck will bring Santa to the downtown corridor up through the Chinook neighborhood. The Volunteer Firefighter Association extended a thank you to Fugate Ford for donating a Ford F-150 to help collect toys and food donations during the Santa Run.
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Holiday Cheer
Cole Street in Enumclaw was filled with the sights and sounds of Christmas Saturday during annual Holiday Parade. The Enumclaw High School marching band along with White River and Sumner entertained the crowd. Photos by Kevin Hanson
Carol Benson appointed Black Diamond mayor By Eric Mandel and Dennis Box Editor
Six days after Dave Gordon resigned as mayor, the Black Diamond City Council appointed Councilwoman and mayor pro tempore Carol Benson as his replacement. The council chose not to advertise or request any applications for the position from the public. “We had the public’s input,”
Benson said after her unanimous appointment. “We all got elected by 70 percent.” The council made quick work of their selection Dec. 1 in front of more than 40 residents in the City Council chambers. Benson opened the mayoral appointment discussion by saying there is a lot of “talent” on the current council and picking from that pool would be the most expeditious course of action. The other four council members voiced their
The Enumclaw aquatic center picked up $55,000 from a King County Youth Sports Facilities Grant program. The grant allows for upgrades to the pool and facility. According to release from King County Executive Dow Constantine’s office, the program evaluates projects based on community need. Across King County the program with matching agreements from the cities, schools and local community groups will add up to $6 million for community parks and recreation projects. “From upgrading the aquatic center in Enumclaw to providing access to kids of all abilities at a playground in Bellevue, these grants build stronger communities where young people can exercise, learn teamwork and just have fun,” Constantine said. According to the King County release, the program is funded and sustained through a one-fourth of 1 percent car-rental tax authorized by the Legislature in 1993. Funds can only be used for developing and constructing facilities, not for costs of maintenance or operations. The grants must be matched by the local community organizations and are administered by the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks. A total of $745,250 grants were awarded to King County communities and $12 million since the program was founded.
agreement for various reasons. Councilwoman Tamie Deady nominated Benson, saying she was “the best for Carol Benson the position” and fellow Councilwoman Janie Edelman said Benson’s financial and fiscal background would be an asset. There was no comment from the public on the matter at either public comment opportunities. Benson directed the city clerk to advertise for a new council member immediately. The council has 90 days to make that appointment or the King
County Council will make the selection. When asked after the meeting to explain the importance of the Dave Gordon quick appointment, Benson listed a myriad of city business items that she said must be handled. She said the 13 work items on the list include, most notably, re-opening the Black Diamond Community Center to the public, the general facilities plan and three moratoriums. Benson said she gets along with everyone on the council and that there will be less contention than there was with Gordon.