Notes for Winter SLSA Meeting
February 2, 2006

The meeting Convened at 7pm at the Library Resource Center on Newport Way.

In Attendance: Gary Thede (Chair, Sammamish Beach Club Rep), Deborah Parsons (Greenwood Point Rep), Wayne Eddy (Weatherwood Rep), Win Lewis (South Cove Co-Rep), Dan Albertson (Meadowbrook Point Rep), Debbie Smith (Sammamish Crown Rep), Melody Scherting (Sammamish View Rep), Mike Barnett (Timberlake Rep), David Bangs (SLSA Secretary, South Cove), Rod Putney (South Cove President), Joan Probala (South Cove)

Guest from Issaquah Police Department: Commander Chris Felstad

Issues Discussed:

·         SLSA Finance

·         SLSA Officer Election

·         Issaquah Open House for New Residents: March 1st

·         Issaquah Annexation Parade and Ribbon Cutting: March 4th

·         Volunteers Needed to Help With Event - Planning Meeting This Wednesday

·         Presentation by Issaquah Police Commander Chris Felsted

·         Neighborhood Issues To Consider Post Annexation

·         Blackberry Park Update

·         Issaquah School Elections - Please Vote

·        Issaquah Mardi Gras Mambo, Next Friday!  (Katrina Fundraiser)

SLSA Finance:

David reported that SLSA accepted $1065 in contributions last year, and spent $1055, leaving $10 in the bank.

Of 2005 contributions: $420 was from individuals wishing to help with annexation campaign. The rest was from HOAs. South Cove HOA did not contribute to make up for having paid SLSA room rental expenses prior years.

Of spending, $993 was used for Annexation advocacy communication.

For 2006, SLSA expects $888 in contributions from HOAs. $543 of this has been received already.

Contact David Bangs for detailed spreadsheets.

SLSA Officer Election:

Reps present unanimously elected the officers for this year:

Gary Thede:  Chair
Deborah Parsons: Vice-Chair
David Bangs: Secretary/Treasurer

Issaquah Open House for New Residents: March 1st
6:30 - 9:00pm at Pickering Barn.

A City Open House will be held at the Pickering Barn, adjacent to Costco, on March 1st.

This will have a trade show format.  The various city departments will have booths.  Come learn about Issaquah Services. Get your questions answered.  Show up anytime between 6:30pm and 9:00pm.

SLSA will publicize this event within the neighborhoods.

Issaquah Annexation Parade and Ribbon Cutting: March 4th

To celebrate Annexation, we will stage a parade and ribbon cutting in Meerwood Park.

Saturday Morning, March 4th, Approximately 10am.

Please Plan to Watch or Participate!

Details have not been finalized, but here are the preliminary details so far:

The parade route will likely start on 188th, then turn left into Lake West along the lake, then right on S.E. 44th way, and Left at 190th to end at Meerwood Park. 

The parade will have:  Issaquah High School Marching Band, Issaquah D.A.R.E. car, Police Motorcycle, Eastside Fire and Rescue Truck, cars with city people - followed by kids and dogs who add on along the way.  Mayor and City council will do ribbon cutting at Meerwood Park.

SLSA reps voted unanimously that some SLSA funds can be used for this event.  Other funds and in-kind contributions will be sought from area businesses and perhaps HOAs and involved individuals.  A detailed funding plan will be created by the committee.

Volunteers Needed to Help With Event - Planning Meeting This Wednesday

Those wishing to help with the parade and ribbon cutting, please try to attend this planning meeting.

If you've been looking for a fun volunteer experience, here's your chance :)

Planning meeting is  Wednesday February 8th, at 7pm.
Deborah Parson's House
4126 187th Ave. S.E.

Presentation by Issaquah Police Commander Chris Felstad

Issaquah Police Commander Chris Felstad provided a very interesting presentation.

These notes are from Melody Scherting:

I attended the South Lake Sammamish Association meeting tonight. Commander Felstad of the Issaquah Police Dept. presented information on our transition from King County police coverage to Issaquah coverage on March 1. He has been on the force in Issaquah for 24 years. I scribbled down notes as fast as I could and hope that they represent accurately most of what he had to say. I have his contact information if you have further questions. The Issaquah police also avail themselves to neighborhood meetings as well.

Things we will notice that are different after annexation:

1. Underage drinking parties--King County breaks up and disperses kids. Issaquah police gathers up the kids, calls parents and the kids must be picked up down at the station by parents. Zero tolerance for underage drinking parties and no, even though asked to do it, they will not "keep them overnight."

2.  Life/Safety police calls (e.g.. someone is breaking into your home while you are there) will be about a 3-4 minute response time.

3. Traffic problems--careful for what you ask for. Issaquah utilizes one motorcycle cop whose job is ONLY writing out citations for speeding. Often, a neighborhood calls the dept. to enforce the speed laws and then are surprised when their son, spouse or even themselves gets cited for speeding. The Issaquah police can hardly wait to begin patrolling our area so in Commander Felstad words, "Tape a note to your dash that reads:  Stay within the speed limit!"  Another area that has many speeders is the 192nd road and the Issy police will be patrolling it heavily. Fore warned is fore armed.

4. Burglar alarms--Issaquah ordinances allow three free false alarm calls per year, after that each false alarm costs $50. Make sure a neighbor has the code to turn off the alarm if you will be gone or out of town.

5. Fireworks--Safe and Sane fireworks are all that is allowed WHEN fire dept. is not prohibiting them altogether due to fire alerts.  If police are called, violators will have their fireworks confiscated and they WILL be cited (stiff fine involved.)

6. The Issaquah police are currently learning about our neighborhoods by driving through our streets during the evening and night. Several of the SLSA reps had seen them so we asked. King County is still handling our calls until annexation but if you see them, they are just becoming familiar with our area and to avoid confusion, are visiting at night.

7.  Problems on the lake--this is still being worked out but it is likely that Issaquah will contract with King County to provide us with police for problems out on the lake.  That is not for sure yet--details to follow. 

8.  Abandoned cars--South Cove and Sammamish Beach Club have an increase in this problem due to car theft elsewhere and then the cars being abandoned here. Issaquah police will be on the lookout for these. Also, if they receive a call on a likely car, they will tag it with a very sticky bright orange sticker that gives 24 hours notice to remove. In the 25th hour, the car will be towed.

9. Issaquah's police department is a member in "the small police department coalition" that includes 12 police depts. in 14 cities. What this does is provide top-notch training for the policemen within the coalition that an individual police force could not afford on their own. The commander gave, as examples; new officer training, training on how to drive in high-speed chases and (I think he said SWAT team training?) He said he has been able to benefit from training that he has never received before and he thinks it a wonderful thing. Anyway, the coalition is very innovative and a model for other depts.. across the country. They also share information.

10. I asked him what types of crimes were growing in the entire Issaquah area. He answered that first of all, personal safety was above average here. Not many robberies or violent crime. The biggest crimes are crimes of opportunity. If you have anything worth more than a nickel in your car, do not leave it in plain sight as smash and grabs or car thefts are common. Kids steal a car to drive into Kirkland and another to drive back! Burglaries are also on the increase. Aggressive solicitors are also a problem and some communities are trying to see if it is legal to post "No soliciting" signs at the entrances to their communities. He does not know if this is legal yet but the community above Albertson's is pursuing it. If a solicitor is aggressive, you can call the police and they will respond (after March 1)

11. If you call 911, your call will automatically go straight to Issaquah's own dispatch center. The 911 operator can be talking to you as well as relaying your information to officers in the field concurrently. Commander Felstad said that we not be used to hearing the "clicking" as the operator goes back and forth to different conversations but that the end result is faster response times.  Issaquah has its own 64 man jailhouse with 10 jailers. 

12. Issaquah has one police Chief, a Deputy Chief, two commanders--operation and patrol. Cmr. Felstad is operations. They have one motorcycle cop, 4 detectives, one DARE/Community Svcs. officer, 4 sergeants and 32 police officers. At any one time, there are usually at least four officers on patrol. He was working on a plan today to divide up Issaquah into quadrants of area that each patrol officer would cover. He told us that 24 years ago, the Issaquah police dept. was called out 865 times. Last year, they were called over 16,000 times!

13. Issaquah does a very vigorous search for new policemen. Once hired, it takes about one year of training before an officer is allowed out on patrol alone. The force is bigger now than it ever has been.

14. The police, fire, mayor and other government entities will be available at an Information Open House for our benefit on March 1 at Pickering Barn from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. I encourage you to come out and meet the city workers who will handle many of our dealings with government.

Neighborhood Issues To Consider Post Annexation

We discussed neighborhood issues that reps would like SLSA to address. Due to time constraints, we just took suggestions and will prioritize them next time.  These issues were mentioned in the meeting or in emails:

·         Speed control devices - In case increased patrols aren't enough.

·         Removal of double-yellow line from 192nd Ave. S.E.

·         Condition of laydown area near Sammamish Beach Club Entrance.

·         Assessment and maintenance of all street drains. Many have not been maintained and may be failing.

·         Speed limits on West Lake Sammamish Parkway.

·         Improved Biking and Walking path on West Lake Sammamish Parkway.

·         Road maintenance issues. (Gary reports Issaquah will repair some roads this year.)

·         Single Bin Recycling Collection  (Available in Issaquah, but we have different contractor).

·         Access to Issaquah Government Channel 21. (This will probably by automatic).

·         More reasonable Critical Areas Ordinance on Lake Sammamish.  King County ordinance will still be in effect until Issaquah replaces it.

·         Some areas have insufficient street lights. (188th, Timberlake Lane)

Blackberry Park Update

This update was provided by Scott Dahlquist via email:

Blackberry is in winter hibernation, but that's not to say that nothing has happened. To date we have raised over $25K. We spend the first $10k we got from Starbucks to get it to it's current status. We have the remainder of the funds in an account currently and are working with a play set manufacturer on alternatives. The biggest challenge it that we still need to secure a permit from King County. Hopefully, by the time the weather warms up for a work party we'll have our ducks in a row. My hope is that by July 4th we'll have a play structure in place.

Issaquah School Elections - Please Vote

This information has been provided by Volunteers for Issaquah Schools

Voters will decide four ballot issues on February 7, 2006. Vote BOTH sides of the ballot!

The total cost in 2007-2010 for these proposed election items and all other local school finance obligations is projected at $3.97 per $1,000 of assessed valuation or 5 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation.  A $500,000 home will increase taxes by $25.

1.       Replacement Maintenance and Operations Levy – to The existing maintenance and operations levy will expire at the end of next year.  This levy provides 19% of the funding for the Issaquah School District’s Operating Budget.

2.       School Bus Levy – We need to replace old buses that are too expensive to maintain, and buy new buses to transport a growing student population.

3.       Capital Levy - Technology supports classroom learning, prepares our students for the global economy and makes our schools operate more efficiently.

4.       Capital bond  - The Eastside is one of the fastest growing areas in the state.  We need to add classroom space for additional students and replace aging buildings.

Who WOULDN'T want to attend Issaquah's premiere
Mardi Gras Mambo!!

A gala party to benefit Issaquah for Katrina Relief
to benefit Issaquah's Adopted City of Picayune, Mississippi.

Friday, Feb. 10 at Issaquah Community Center

7:30 pm - Music by the Catfish Quartet
8:30 pm - Music by Shelley and the Curves

For details, visit www.issaquah.kiwanis.org

Next SLSA Meeting:  Wednesday April 5th, 7pm

The next SLSA meeting will be Wednesday, April 5th, at the Library Resource Center on Newport Way. We will be discussing Neighborhood Priority Issues.

These meeting notes were compiled by David Bangs