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SOFTBALL | Lake Washington defeats Juanita for the KingCo title, both advance to districts [3]
7 Hills | Annual charity bike ride to take Komen|The Reporter’s annual Pink Pages benefit the Race for the Cure [special section] FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015 place on Memorial Day, May 25 [7]
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Kloba faces three challengers, Asher faces Morgan for City Council Councilman Toby Nixon to run unopposed BY MATT PHELPS mphelps@kirklandreporter.com
T
he 2015 Kirkland City Council races will feature seven candidates for council but just one primary, according to the King County Elections website. Councilwoman Shelley Kloba, who currently holds position 2, will face three
challengers during the Aug. 4 primary - William (Bill) Henkens, Jory Hamilton and Jason Chinchilla. Kloba was appointed to a vacated seat in 2013 and was then elected by voters later that same year. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Kinesiology (1990) and graduated from the Seattle
Massage School with Honors (1996). She is currently employed at The Donaldson Clinic Physical Therapy. The Councilwoman said that she is excited to have three challengers for her seat. “I think it energizes voters to have choices on their ballot and I look forward to increased voter
turnout,” Kloba said. “I happily anticipate a robust discussion of the issues that affect our community.” Kloba has worked with the council on the Cross Kirkland Corridor and the Aquatic Recreation Community Center (ARC). She continues to advocate for a livable community by supporting
the redevelopment of Totem Lake and Parkplace to create economic opportunities and bring the things people need closer to where they live, according to her campaign. She said she wants a budget for Kirkland that aligns spending with community priorities. She has testified in Olympia on behalf of the city on revenue and public safety matters. Kloba also touts her work
on environmental issues, combating domestic violence, alleviating hunger and creating affordable housing. “I have worked locally, regionally, and nationally on behalf of the residents of Kirkland,” said Kloba, who chairs the Public Works, Parks, and Human Services committee, and serves on the City/School District Coordinating Committee. Kloba’s campaign website [ more COUNCIL page 6 ]
Kirkland, Bellevue Councils discuss possible joint aquatics facility
From Russia with love..
Timing not right on ARC, leaders not ruling out future cooperation BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
of dance From left, Anya Jones of Mercer Island, Melisa Guilliams of Kirkland, Brooke Elander of Kirkland and Sara Anglin of Kirkland work on their ballet technique in St. Petersburg, right. CONTRIBUTED, Rex Tranter
International Ballet Academy students from Kirkland visit St. Petersburg BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
Kirkland-based International Ballet Academy’s (IBA) participation in the International Dance Open Ballet Festival in St. Petersburg showed that regardless of world politics, dancers know how to stay
en pointe. IBA students first went to the festival in 2004, in an effort to expose the dancers to not just a different culture but one in which ballet has a long and rich history, according to artistic director Vera Altunina. A native of St. Petersburg, she said
the trip, the seventh one they’ve taken, helps provide a broad education in ballet she seeks to provide for the dancers, as they get to learn from artistically and technically advanced
performers. This year, however, there were concerns by some, she said, due to the recently growing tensions between the Russian and [ more RUSSIA page 2 ]
A joint meeting between the Kirkland and Bellevue City Councils conveyed their mutual hope for a possible partnership on regional community facilities. However, such a partnership is unlikely in regard to Kirkland’s plans for the Aquatic Recreational Community (ARC) Center and its consideration of a metropolitan park district (MPD) to fund it due to significant differences in planning and site preferences, a problem it has faced with other neighboring cities. At the same time, Bellevue Mayor Claudia Balducci and other councilmembers expressed interest in cooperating in the future in some way as they look to meet the growing needs of the Eastside communities. Bellevue is one of several neighboring cities Kirkland has reached out to, in addition to local organizations, in the hopes of a partnership not just for the ARC but future community facilities as well that might be
funded through an MPD. The Lake Washington School District originally planned to be a significant partner with the city on the ARC, according to City Manager Kurt Triplett, but its financial involvement came to an end when their $755 million bond measure failed last year. Like Kirkland and other cities on the Eastside, Bellevue is also looking at a new multi-use aquatic facility approximately the same size as Kirkland’s ARC, to replace the six-lane Odle Pool located at 601 143rd Ave NE. The pool was built in 1971 and expanded in 1997. Bellevue completed a feasibility study for a new aquatic center to replace the pool in 2009, though estimates for the cost range widely, depending on the size and scope of the facility, from as little as $19 million to as much as $114 million. As with the city of Redmond, which Kirkland also looked into having a partnership for a facility, Bellevue is still in a very early planning stage for a [ more FACILITY page 3 ]