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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015
Bastyr backs out of talks to take over seminary building BY MATT PHELPS
mphelps@bothell-reporter.com
B
astyr University officials have announced that they are backing out of talks to take over the seminary building in Saint Edward State Park and renovate the 84-yearold structure. Saint Edward State Park is located in
Kenmore on the boundary with Kirkland. “After careful consideration and months of due diligence, Bastyr University has decided not to move forward on acquiring access to Saint Edward State Park facilities,” said Bastyr University President Daniel K. Church, PhD, in a state-
ment. “Based on information developed during our meetings with Daniels Real Estate, the Washington State Parks Commission and city of Kenmore, we concluded that from an operational and financial standpoint working to renovate and occupy the buildings at the park were
not feasible for us at this time.” Kenmore Mayor David Baker said that the news was “pretty disappointing.” “I certainly understand,” Baker said. “It would have taken up a lot of their resources. We were looking forward to their possible involvement.”
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission spokesperson Virginia Painter agreed. “We were optimistic about the collaboration,” Painter said. “The Commission as a body has expressed an interest in a private/public partnership for the building.”
A public meeting scheduled for Feb. 4 on the future of the building was cancelled by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. Painter said that the Commission met on Jan. 28 for a regularly scheduled work session and the semi[ more SEMINARY page 5 ]
Later high school start times expected
Church honored with McMasters award
BY DEANNA ISAACS Disaacs@bothell-reporter.com
For years, local community members have been requesting the Northshore School District (NSD)to take action on new start times for high schoolers. Starting in 2015, the NSD will be taking a look at how to implement later start times for high school kids. NSD officials said they
would be looking at changing the start times between the 2015 school year and the 2017 school year during the Jan. 13 school board meeting; with a resolution passed on Jan. 27 to ensure later start times are implemented no later than 2017. “I’m pleased that all five of the board members seem to now realize there is overwhelming support from the community for healthy start times,” said Ken Smith
member of Parents Advocating Later Start (PALS) and co-founder and spokesperson for Northshore Citizens for Transparent School Finances (NCTSF). “This seems to be a change from prior meetings where three of the board members did not sense a community mandate or urgency to change.” The community support was shown through a [ more SCHOOL page 12 ]
State of Bothell revolves around growth BY DEANNA ISAACS disaacs@bothell-reporter.com
Bastyr University President Dr. Daniel Church has been honored with the annual McMasters Heritage Award from the Kenmore Heritage Society. Church has been the president of Bastyr for 10 years and will retire at the end of the year. For the full story see page 5. DEANNA ISAACS, Kenmore Reporter
As the nation starts the year out with a State of the Union address, so too does Bothell. City Manager Bob Stowe gave a State of the City address to business and community leaders on Jan. 14. The over arching theme for the city’s direction continues to be growth and redevelopment. The address was hosted by the Greater Bothell Chamber of Commerce at Country Village during its January luncheon. “I am honored to be here today to deliver my
eleventh State of the City address,” Stowe said. “I am humbled and grateful to be part of such an amazing city and to work alongside the incredible people who make this community special.” He started with an overview of the biennium budget, forecasted to be approximately $87.2 million for 2015 and 2016, coming from sales, property and utility taxes. “I invite you to get involved in this exploration process by reading further information on the city’s website, attending the planning committee meetings, and ultimately
– if the process leads to a ballot measure – voting,” Stowe said. “Your input is important in determining how care and protection will be provided for Bothell’s residents and businesses in years to come.” He also spoke of the improvements to Bothell’s downtown area, including the opening of the Six Oaks complex and, more recently, the opening of Amaro Bistro. Construction on Bothell’s new City Hall building is well underway, replacing the old building that was built in 1938 when the city’s population [ more BOTHELL page 3 ]
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