A6 • Wednesday, June 26, 2013 The Issaquah Press

A6

By Peter Clarkpclark@isspress.com

After a June 17 public hearing, the Park Bond Cit-izens Advisory Committee decided June 20 on four items to recommend to the Park Board to include in a possible voter approved parks bond.

The June 17 public meeting at Pickering Barn was called to establish a better understanding of the public’s view of desired citywide improvements. About 90 people showed up to discuss specific pas-sions for the city’s recre-ational landscape. Rep-resentatives from Little League, football, soccer and lacrosse teams all spoke about extra value that could come from a new park bond.

On June 20, the Park

Bond Citizens Advisory Committee held a meet-ing to discuss what was learned from the public input. Through laying out the main points and pre-senting what each member on the 17-person commit-tee found most important, they were able to come up with a cohesive list of recommendations.

“What we’re asked to do is to give a list of items that we think should be funded, and recommend them to the park board,” Park Board Chairwoman Danielle Githens said.

City staff members made presentations for including Julius Boehm Pool repairs and Tibbetts Valley Park improvements in the bond. City officials and citizens have repeatedly brought up concern for the pool’s upkeep. The Issaquah

Swim Team even showed up to raise awareness for its use at the public meet-ing.

“So many cities are having this exact same issue,” Parks and Recre-

ation Director Anne McGill said. “They have these 1970’s pools and thinking, ‘Gosh, what do we do with them?’”

Lighting and drainage improvements for Tibbetts

Valley Park had also previ-ously been presented to the City Council and it was again brought up before the committee.

“Pool repairs and field improvements, that seems like a no brainer,” commit-tee member Erica Maniez said.

The committee heavily discussed two other issues: the city’s continued acquisi-tion of additional open space to build a “green necklace” of parks around Issaquah and supplying more funds to the under construction Confluence Park.

After the committee members spoke for their personal recommendation preferences, they voted on a list of 10 items that had been part of the discus-sion.

Repairs to the pool, addi-tional funding for Conflu-

ence Park, city acquisition of open space and athletic field improvements were the four items that the committee decided to bring to the Park Board meeting scheduled for June 24.

Githens said that the City Council had asked for moving the existing skate park to be considered by the advisory committee. In results from a city tele-phone survey, she said that few people listed the skate park as a possibility for the bond. The skate park received no votes in the committee’s consideration.

“The skate park has not showed up at all as a pri-ority,” Githens said. “The city wants to move it due to the unsavory behavior that occurs there. About half of us think that a skate park will detract from the bond passing.”

Park meetings set recommendations for park bond

BY PETER CLARK

Margaret Macleod (left), former city park planner, sat with Anne McGill, Parks & Recreation director, on one of the new additions to the recently named Confluence Park.

Issaquah Swedish to expand infant facilities

On July 8, Swedish/Is-saquah will open its new Level II Nursery, which will provide specialized treat-ment to babies born up to 34 weeks early. Previ-ously, doctors transferred premature newborns born at Swedish/Issaquah to hospitals with more facili-ties, such as Swedish/First Hill in Seattle.

Construction will con-tinue on the nursery after the opening, expanding the facility from the initial eight rooms to 15 rooms by 2014.

“We have a responsibility to care for patients of all ages, and we take this re-sponsibility very seriously,” Wendy Colgan, R.N., man-ager of Women and Infants and Pediatrics at Swedish/Issaquah, said in a press release. “We’re dedicated to caring for these young-est, most fragile patients.”

The same group of nurses and physicians who staff Swedish’s Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Swed-ish/First Hill and special-care nurseries at the Ballard and Edmonds campuses will staff the new nursery. This dedicated team will be prepared to care for premature newborns with specialized needs, including feeding support, intravenous therapy and supplemental oxygen.

Patients will also have access to Swedish’s Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit on the First Hill cam-pus in Seattle for babies who are born extremely premature.

State hosts discussion of tree removal plan

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Com-mission invites the public to attend an informational meeting regarding a plan to remove diseased trees at Squak Mountain State Park.

The meeting is from 6-8 p.m. July 2 at the King County Library System Ser-vice Center, 960 Newport Way N.W.

The purpose of the meeting is to provide information about the tree treatment plan for Squak Mountain State Park, including removal of trees with laminated root rot disease. State Parks plans to sell any timber that is not usable by the park.

Earlier this year, park staff noticed a gradual but growing pattern of dying trees around the day-use parking area in the park. Tree pathogens, in par-ticular, laminated root rot, were identified in day-use area trees and the adja-cent forest, resulting in the emergency closure of the park’s day-use facilities.

Laminated root rot can cause trees to fall with little or no warning, posing a significant risk to visi-tors, staff, neighbors and facilities.

The treatment plan encompasses an area of ap-proximately 12 acres around the day-use parking area, along the county roadway and adjacent to neighbor-ing residences. Due to safety concerns for park visitors, the park’s day-use area will remain closed until treat-ment is completed. Other ar-eas of the park are not slated for treatment, and they remain open to the public.

Those who want to see treatment plan details can request them via e-mail by writing parks.steward-ship@parks.wa.gov.

Squak Mountain State Park is a 1,700-acre day-use park that offers hiking and interpretive activities as well as views of the Is-saquah Valley.

Burn moratorium sets guidelines for summer fires

Although a wet spring season seems to negate a need for a burn mora-torium this year, warm weather will be returning, and Eastside Fire & Rescue announced in a press release that an authorized seasonal burn moratorium will be used as an ap-propriate precautionary measure in reducing fire danger. The annual burn moratorium began June 15 and will run until Sept. 30.

EFR has set guidelines for proper burning. Land clear burning has been permanently banned with-in King County. Residential burning, burning of leaves and yard waste, is subject to the burn ban.

Outdoor cooking or rec-reational burning requires a no-fee burn permit that can be obtained online at www.eastsidefire-rescue.org. A recreational fire is the same as a cooking fire, but without food. Cook-ing and recreational fires are not subject to the burn ban, but must be contained in a barbecue pit, fire ring or other appliance, such as portable fireplace units.

Propane, natural gas and charcoal fires do not require a burn permit. Cooking and recreational fires may not be larger than three feet in diameter and two feet in height.

Help protect your home against wildfires by building a defensible space around your home. Find tips at www.firewise.org or www.eastsidefire-rescue.org.

TravelCenters of America offers vets free meals

TravelCenters of America invites veterans, active duty and reservist military to celebrate Independence Day by eating free, with proof of service, at any TA and Petro Stopping Centers full-service restaurants July 4.

The nearest TA center is at 46600 S.E. North Bend Way, North Bend.

This year, the company is asking its guests to sup-port the National Mili-tary Family Association’s Operation Purple Program, which provides services to families in the different phases of military life — deployment, reintegration and coming together after an injury.

On July 4, any veteran, active duty or reserv-ist from the military can receive a complimentary meal of their choice (up to a $15 value) by simply showing proof of service to their server prior to order-ing their meal. Proof of ser-vice includes: U.S. Uniform Services ID card or retired ID card; current Leave and Earnings Statement; veterans organization card; photograph in uniform; DD214; or citation or com-mendation. Customers can make donations to Opera-tion Purple at participating TA and Petro locations.

NATIONAL MUSIC DAY GETS FLASHMOBBED

Above, Quincy Face, 4, of Issaquah, shakes a tambou-

rine during ‘Louie Louie.’ At right, Leon Kozlowski, 3, spreads his arms out and flies as Fred Hopkins and Friends play at Pedestrian

Park at Front Street and Sunset Way.

Above, Matt Hopper (left) on bass and David Knirk on sax play with Adam Hunter and Ben Morrow as their band Trip The Light performs for the sidewalk crowd at the Hailstone Feed Store.At left, the Train Depot makes an appropriate venue for Train Wreck the band during a series of evening events held at seven venues around downtown Issaquah to help the world celebrate International Music Day.

Martin Buckley and his son Hugo, 6, shake the beat to ‘Louie Louie’ on their maracas during the all-instrument flash mob.

PHOTOS BY GREG FARRAR

Emma Erhardt (left) and Bella Evans, both 8, play kazoos as Joe Huffman plays his guitar during an all-instrument flash mob performance of ‘Louie Louie’ on the City Hall steps June 21. The event was organized by musicians turning out throughout downtown to play sets of music in honor of International Music Day, a celebration around the world of the importance of music in people’s lives.

By Christina Corrales-Toynewcastle@isspress.com

The St. Joseph Catholic Church and School sits in a majestic location, perched on a hill above the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, with an unob-structed view of Tiger Mountain.

The church grounds are no less impressive, complete with a peaceful waterfall decorated with copper salmon art pieces that pay homage to the fish at the heart of the city.

“I’m of firm belief that beauty in all the ways that it comes through in archi-tecture, art and creation, has a transcendent capac-ity,” Father Todd Strange said. “We experience God

through beauty.”A new element was

added to the expansive campus when the church dedicated its prayer gar-den for the unborn June 8.

Accessible, yet private, the small garden is sur-rounded by shrubbery on all sides except for the en-trance, which is accented by two rock pillars. Visi-tors can sit on one of four stone benches, as they admire the centerpiece of the garden, a statue of the Virgin Mary.

The garden was en-visioned as a place to pray for the cause of life, but specifically the most vulnerable, the unborn, Strange said. It’s the garden’s sheer beauty that initially attracts most visi-

tors, though.“There are a lot of

people for whom the cause of life is real important to them, and so they were really behind it on that

level,” he said. “Then, there are a lot of people who like it because it’s just a peaceful place to pray.”

A small patch of grass sits at the center of the garden, surrounded by gravel and gray brick. A stone plaque with an engraving of baby feet enclosed in a heart sits in the middle of the grass.

COMMUNITYSection

B WednesdayJune 26, 2013

THE ISSAQUAH PRESSTHE ISSAQUAH PRESSTHE ISSAQUAH PRESS

By Peter Clark pclark@isspress.com

A community will ben-efit from local high school senior Gunnar Conley choosing to bring a team together to improve the landscape of St. Michael’s and All Angels Episcopal Church to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.

Leading a group of class-mates, teammates and fel-low scouts, Conley oversaw the installation of a few new features for the recently renovated church. They put in a rock wall around the garden and bordered the new walkway with beams.

To earn the highest Scout rank, dedicated youths must create their own projects and deliver proposals to leaders. Con-ley knew exactly where he wanted to put his efforts.

“I wanted to do some-

thing with the church,” he said. “I talked to the landscape manager to see what needed to be done.”

After the recent renova-tion of the church, he said there were a few things left undone. Conley mentioned a meditation trail and other projects around the perimeter of the Second Avenue Southeast church, but he decided to focus on the garden and the walk-way because of the time and help available.

This was the third time a Scout had chosen to work with St. Michael’s as a part of their Eagle Scout project. Conley said that the previous volunteers have steered his desire to-ward helping the church.

“I kind of got inspira-tions from other Scouts,”

By Jane Garrison

June must be weed month. They are so big and lush, I feel like I’m living in the tropics. Maybe we need to institute “Weed of the Week.”

This week, my pick would be bindweed, that viney plant that twines and twists its way over shrubs and through hedges. Its flowers are pretty, like big white ice cream cones. You’ve seen it growing everywhere. Mine

isn’t blooming yet, but it’s really prolific.

Some people call it morning glory, but that name is too nice for this bad relative of that par-ticular plant. The reason bindweed is bad is because it smothers everything in its path, and you can’t get rid of it. It’s growing in my native garden.

I don’t use weed killers in my yard, but if I did, there would be no way I could apply it in such close

proximity to other plants. I tried dipping the newly cut ends in brush killer, but it only distorted the new growth for a brief time.

Brush killer is an accept-able poison to use if applied correctly, and works well on freshly cut maple and blackberry. It’s a tolerable solution when carefully applied to a specific weed with a small brush, impact-ing only the plant you want to remove — not the topsoil, groundwater or beneficial insects. But, it doesn’t seem to work on bindweed.

When I was weeding in

By Erin Hoffmannews@isspress.com

The Down Home Fourth of July and Heritage Cel-ebration, a long-standing Issaquah tradition, will be held again July 4, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Every year, the Issaquah Chamber of Commerce Festivals Office, the city and the Issaquah History Muse-ums come together to put on the event to celebrate America’s independence and Issaquah’s history.

“There’s a lot of tradi-tion built around it,” Robin Kelley, director of festivals at the chamber, said in an interview. “The celebration has become a staple in the Issaquah community, with kids who grew up with the celebration growing up to volunteer with it.”

In the Down Home Fourth portion of the event,

families can expect live entertainment, inflatable bouncy houses, face paint-ing, slug races, hay hunts and the annual “Kids, Pets ‘N’ Pride Parade,” which will kick off the celebration at Rainier Boulevard North and Northwest Dogwood Street and end at Veterans Memorial Field.

“There are not a lot of bells and whistles,” Kelley added. “It’s a low-key event.”

The Independence Day festivities remain one of the only city-sponsored Fourth of July celebrations in the area. The city aims to keep the celebration free, and since the dip in the econo-my, attendance has gone up.

“We get to hear a lot of wonderful comments from parents because Issaquah continues this tradition

Celebrate city’s heritage, tradition on Independence Day

BY ERNEST LINNEMANN

Issaquah’s St. Joseph Catholic Church unveils its prayer garden for the unborn with a dedication ceremony June 8.

CONTRIBUTED

The bindwind is considered an invasive weed because it crowds out other native plants.

Master gardener’s cornerWith Jane Garrison

By Erin Hoffmannews@isspress.com

Dust off those cowboy boots and polish that saddle, because on June 29, the Issaquah Highlands Council is bringing the Wild West back to town.

From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Village Green Park and Blakely Hall will be the home of Highlands Day, the Issaquah Highlands’ annual street fair. As many as 4,000 cowboys and cowgirls from the greater Issaquah community are expected to come out for the Americana-themed event.

The fair will begin with a children’s parade, where kids can dress up and decorate their bikes, fol-lowed by a presentation of the flag by a local Cub Scout troop.

Admission is free, but families will have to buy tickets for some attrac-tions, such as a mechanical bull ride or a ride on the log roll. There will also be plenty of free activities, including a “field day,” complete with sack races, tug-of-war and pie-eating contests, which Christy Garrard, director of special event planning at the Highlands Council, said she hopes will give the event a “country-fair feel.”

“It was something I thought all families could relate to,” Garrard said about theme.

The Roof Top Dogs, a

local bluegrass band, will perform, and artEAST will host a farm animal-themed art exhibit inside Blakely Hall, where local artist Dorothy Bonneau will paint live.

Garrard, who has been in charge of planning Highlands Day for the past seven years, has been working since March to put together the street fair. More than 40 local spon-sors, including Safeway, Swedish/Issaquah and Re-gency Centers have helped raise the $20,000 needed to fund Highlands Day.

“The business commu-nity is extremely generous and they’re the reason we can hold these events,” Garrard said.

The event would also not be possible without the dedication of many volunteers, many of whom come back year after year to help.

“I think there’s a higher percentage of people who want to volunteer here than in any other commu-nity,” said Larry Norton, president of the Highlands Council board of trustees and a longtime volunteer. “They get invested in the activity and they’re proud of what they do.”

In past years, the event has been both well-attend-ed and well-received.

“The reaction is over-whelmingly positive,” Norton said. “It’s a demon-stration of the community coming together.”

Highlands Day brings Wild West back to Issaquah

GET HELP HEREMaster Gardening clinics

happen every Saturday at Squak Mountain Nursery and the Issaquah Farmers Market. Come and see us with your gardening questions. And remember, pictures help.

IF YOU GOSt. Joseph Catholic Church’s prayer garden for the unborn4220 Mountain Park Blvd. S.W.4The prayer garden is just past the church entrance on the right.

Scout serves church to earn Eagle rank

It’s come down to battling the weed of the week

CONTRIBUTED

Scout Gunnar Conley works on a beautifcation project at St. Michael’s and All Angels Episcopal Church to earn his Eagle rank.

TRANSCENDING SERENITYSt. Joseph Catholic Church unveils new prayer garden

See GARDEN, Page B3

See SCOUT, Page B3

See JULY 4, Page B6

BY RICK EDELMAN

The centerpiece of the garden is a statue of the Virgin Mary, carrying a lamb and baby Jesus.

See WEED, Page B3

B1