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ELECTION | Black Diamond Position 4 questions and answers [3]
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Maple Valley City Council debate | Part 2 Position 6 | Dana Parnello and Cathy Hilde DENNIS BOX
next four years is revenue. To address this we need to foThis is the final cus on two things. installment of the First, it’s crucial newspaper debate for that we balance Maple Valley City the budget. City Council Position 6. Cathy Hilde Council has passed The candidates are deficit budgets year incumbent Dana after year using Parnello and chalthe reserves to pay lenger Cathy Hilde. down the shortfall. The candidates Starting immedianswered three quesately we will need tions prepared by to examine the The Reporter editobudget for necesrial staff. Dana Parnello sary changes that would cut waste Question 1 and bring the budDescribe what get in-line. you believe will be the No. 1 I have been outspoken problem (or problems) facabout this for the last three ing Maple Valley during the years. For instance, last next four years; also provide budget year I recommendyour solution. If it takes ed to City Council over money to solve problems, $100,000 in budget cuts. where will the money come Every dollar spent must from in the budget? be justified and we need to have discussions about how The No. 1 problem facing to live within our means. Maple Valley during the [ more POSITION 6 page 5 ]
Editor
Cathy Hilde
Position 3 | Les Burberry and Kathi Turner This is the final installment of the newspaper debate for Maple Valley City Council Position 3. The candidates are Kathi Turner and Les Burberry. The candidates answered three questions prepared by The Reporter editorial staff.
Les Burberry
Transportation is the biggest hurdle we have to overcome for our citizens. Every day we each spend enorKathi Turner mous amounts of time and fuel commuting. Changing the commute picture will add time for our families and dollars back in our Question 1 wallets. Describe what The first soluyou believe will be Les Burberry tion is to bring the No. 1 problem small and medium (or problems) facing sized employers Maple Valley during the into Maple Valley. This will next four years; also provide reduce the pressure on our your solution. If it takes roads going outside the city. money to solve problems, Employment here in Maple where will the money come [ more POSITION 3 page 10 ] from in the budget?
THE LONGEST TWO MINUTES Only two minutes passed from the time the initial faux 911 call was made to when the first two officers arrived on scene at Tahoma Junior High for an active shooter simulation Tuesday morning. Student actors with makeup pretended to be victims during the drill while a police officer, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, acted as an outraged parent. The suspect was taken down outside the library on the second floor by the first two responding officers. Officers from the Maple Valley and Covington police departments, King County Sheriff ’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service participated in the drill. REBECCA GOURLEY, The Reporter
Covington gets King County grant for skate park remodel BY REBECCA GOURLEY Reporter
The Covington skateboard park, Gerry Crick Skate Park, is getting a long-overdue face lift next year. The park, which was built in 2004, is Covington’s only skate park. Since initial construction, weather has caused the wood parts in the ramps to swell and warp. Over time, some aging pieces of the modular-style park have been removed, but never replaced, said Angie Feser, parks planner for the city of Covington. Last week, King County announced a $30,000 grant from the Youth Sport Facilities Grant program for the park’s upgrade. As part of the grant, the city needed a community partner. MultiCare agreed to the task and pitched in $1,000 toward the project. With an additional $60,000 from the city’s general fund, $21,500 from new development
park fees, and $7,500 in labor donations, the city is now able to replace all of the pieces at the park. Local skateboarders that frequent the park, including 17-year-old Kyle Williamson, will be asked to help the city’s parks department in designing the new park to match what they want. “That’s the best part of it, the funnest part,” Williamson said about the design process. Williamson, a senior who takes online classes, said even though he will be moving on to college next year, he’s still looking forward to the new park. “It will always be a hobby I have,” he said. “I know other people want it just as bad as I do.” Feser said the city has thought about doing a poured-in concrete park, but because half of [ more SKATE page 2 ]
Kyle Williamson, 17, frequents the Gerry Crick Skate Park in Covington “every nice day.” REBECCA GOURLEY, The Reporter