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LOCAL | Toddler in critical but stable condition at Harborview [page 15]

Conks Trump Tahoma | The Kentwood Conquerors beat the Tahoma Bears 4-1. [9]FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015

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COVINGTON | MAPLE VALLEY | BLACK DIAMONDREPORTER

Sophomores from Tahoma High School, Brandon Tappero, left, Colter Cusimano and Bri Aldridge, work to build a water funnel off Elk Ridge Trail to prevent future backups from heavy rain. The trio are part of an 80-student class called Outdoor Academy that studies environmental science, language arts and health and fi tness. More on this story on page 10. REBECCA GOURLEY, The Reporter

Building Environmental

Stewards

BY REBECCA GOURLEY

Reporter

Th e Maple Valley Planning Commission is in the middle of discussing and revising the city’s comprehensive plan. Required by the state’s Growth Management Act, the plan includes a set of policies that outlines the future land use and the overall look and feel of the community.

Th e Planning Commission updates the comprehensive plan about every seven years with their recommenda-tions, but the City Council has the fi nal say in whether those changes are adopted. Changes can also be made to the comprehensive plan on an annual basis.

One of the changes proposed in this year’s plan update is to rezone about six parcels of land on the north end of town from its current designation of service commercial to a mix of medium and high density residential.

Th e land in question – approxi-mately 35 acres – was purchased in conjunction with a lot more land in the late ‘60s by Lois

Rezone proposed for Brandt property

BY REBECCA GOURLEY

Reporter

Maple Valley council members Layne Barnes and Noel Gerken have announced they will not be running for another term this year.

Both of their terms end at the end of this year.

Barnes said his reasons for not extending his 16-year stint on the coun-cil included providing the council with an opportunity for an “infusion of fresh ideas.”

Gerken wrote in his letter that he wants to let a “new voice” be heard on the council.

Gerken was fi rst appointed to the council in April 2003, then ran for the seat and won. Prior to that, he served on the Economic Development and Legacy Site committees for the city.

Barnes also serves on a host of committees, including the audit

Two council members will not seek re-election

Kent School District board selects superintendent

[ more GROWTH page 15 ]

WEBSITE | Check the website for breaking news, sports and weather stories.maplevalleyreporter.com or covingtonreporter.com

[ more RE-ELECTION page 15 ]

Layne Barnes

Noel Gerken

MAPLEVALLEY

BY DENNIS BOX

Editor

Th e Kent School District Board of Directors chose Calvin Watts as the of the superinten-

dent of the Kent School District to replace Ed Vargas at the March 25 board meeting.

His starting date for the 2015-16 school year is still in negotia-tions.

Watts was chosen over David Moyer. Th e board narrowed the search to Moyer and Watts following a national search for a superintendent.

In a release from the district board President Debbie Straus

said, “We are pleased to an-nounce the hir-ing of Dr. Watts. We were very fortunate to have an outstanding group apply for the position from around the country and our two fi nalists possessed many fi ne qualities. It was a very diffi cult decision, but we feel Dr. Watt’s background and vision are the best match for our district at this particular point in time and look forward to many years of continued progress with his leadership.”

Vargas announced he was

resigning as superintendent in October 2014 to accept a position as executive vice president for the national nonprofi t AVID, Advancement

Via Individual Determination, that focuses on college and career readiness for underserved students in school districts across the United States.

Watts has most recently been assistant superintendent in Gwinnett County Public Schools, Suwanee, Ga.

Th e district enrollment

is 174,500 students, 15,600 certifi cated and classifi ed staff members and a budget of $1.7 billion.

Watts has served in Seattle Public Schools, Atlanta Public Schools, Carrollton City Schools in Georgia and Th e Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Watts holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Howard University, and received his teaching certifi cation at West-ern Washington University. His master’s degree in educational administration and supervision is from University of West Geor-gia, and he earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Argosy University in Atlanta.

Calvin WattsThe board of directors selects Calvin Watts over David Moyer

Ed Vargas

When my neighbor’s son started driving to school, she asked me if I still got up and made my daughters’ breakfast and lunches. I said, “I never got up and made their breakfast or lunch. However, I do get up and see them off .”

“Th at’s what I’m talking about,” she said. “Now that they’re driving, do you still get up with them.”

Well, yeah, I still get up with my kids even though they are driving. My oldest was always up early enough to eat a hearty breakfast when she was in high school. Th e year she started college, her schedule was such that she only had aft ernoon/evening classes, so it was like she wasn’t even living here in the mornings. Now she’s in a four-year college up in Redmond and she’s totally on her own.

My youngest started driving to school at the end of the last school year, which was her sophomore year. Th ey like to drive to school rather than take a bus because it gives them another half hour to sleep. I like them driving to school because it means I don’t have to get up and put clothes on to take them to the bus (I have nightmares about getting stuck in the middle of nowhere with my pajamas and slippers on). Th eir bus stop was a

few miles away because they weren’t/aren’t going to their assigned school.

I still get up with my youngest daughter. And some would even point out that I make breakfast for her. I don’t really; I kind of force her to eat something before she leaves the house. She’s not hungry when she gets up and would prefer not to eat anything, but as her mother, that’s not going to happen if I can help it. So over the years I’ve tried to fi nd simple things she will eat while she’s putting on her makeup.

For awhile breakfast was a piece of bread spread with Nutella hazelnut/chocolate spread. I let this go even if it was essentially a piece of bread with sugar on it, because it was at least something in her stomach. More recently she decided to back off sugar and started eating foods that were a bit healthier. Although, looking on the back of that instant oatmeal, I note that the sugar content is just as high. But still, it’s oats, the bread was a good, high-fi ber bread; I just take what I can get or rather get in her.

And if it requires I bring it to her, so be it. I don’t like the thought of her leaving the house without something in her stomach. Sometimes I’ll make some muffi ns or breakfast cookies during the day and she’ll eat those all week. Banana bread also subs in as breakfast.

So in addition to grabbing her lunch out of the fridge and fi lling a water bottle for her, I also grab her

choice of quick breakfast for the day. She sees the value of having some-thing in her stomach before she goes to school, so she acquiesces to my concern.

I am perhaps in denial about how much I do for my daughter in the mornings. But I have the feeling she wouldn’t eat, would forget her lunch and would be dehydrated if it wasn’t for my loyalty to my morning routine. But if you ask me, I’ll still tell you I get up with my daughter, but I don’t make her lunch or breakfast.

Th ere is also the sense, now that my youngest is a junior in high school and my oldest has essentially moved out, that this, sadly for me, won’t last forever. And that is why I still do it for her. Or should I say, “why I don’t”?

• • •

Gretchen Leigh is a stay-at-home mom who lives in Covington. She’s still not making breakfast for her daughter. You can also read more of her writing and her daily blog on her website livingwithgleigh.com or on Facebook at “Living with Gleigh.” Her column is available every week at maplevalleyreporter.com under the Lifestyles section.

April 3, 2015[2] www.covingtonreporter.com • www.maplevalleyreporter.com

Marti ReederREALTOR™, Broker, CRS206-391-0388

SPRING CLEANING?Clean house & move up into a new home taking advantage of this spring market!

Check out the Reporter’s website for local real estate insights on a weekly blog from this award-winner!

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EASTERS E R V I C E S

East er Services

Celebrate Easter with

25810 156th Ave. SE, Covington • (253) 630-0701

East er Services4/2 Holy Thursday Mass 7 pm

4/3 Good Friday Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion 7 pm

4/4 Holy Saturday Easter Vigil Mass 8 pm

4/5 Easter Sunday Masses 8 am, 10 am and noon1276212

St. John the Baptist Catholic ChurchGrowing in Faith through Stewardship

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FRIDAY, APRIL 3• Egg hunt starts at 11:30 a.m. at Greater Maple Valley Community

Center. The Easter Bunny will be there. Lunch will be served and is $3 for children under 10 and seniors, and $6 for adults to age 59. The community center recommends making a reservation by calling 425-432-1272.

SATURDAY, APRIL 4• Egg hunt starts at 10 a.m. at Lake Wilderness Park. Open to children

of walking age to fi fth grade. Sparky the Fire Dog and the Spring Bunny will be there. Special price eggs will be hidden in each age division. There will be face painting as well. Egg hunters and their parents can bring canned food to support the Maple Valley Food Bank.

• Egg hunt starts at 10:30 a.m. at Shadow Lake Elementary, organized by the Maple Valley Presbyterian Church.

• An indoor egg hunt will be part of the annual Easter breakfast and raffl e at the Black Diamond Community Center. Breakfast is served at 9 a.m., followed by the egg hunt and raffl e drawing. The cost for breakfast is $5 for adults and $3 for children 13 and younger. Raffl e tickets cost $1 for three. Reservations are recommended for groups. Call 360-886-1011 to reserve a table.

SUNDAY, APRIL 5• Underwater egg hunt starts at 1:30 p.m. and again at 3:30 p.m. at

the Covington Aquatic Center.

Community egg hunts Still not making breakfast for kids

Lake Wilderness Arboretum is home to a beautiful hydrangea garden, located next to the gazebo. It has grown to include representations of all types of hydrangeas.

Find older cultivars like the classic Nikko Blue and Annabelle, with fl owers that look like a mop head, to current cultivars like Purple Tiers and the Angel series. In the spring, leaves and buds begin to green, getting ready for long-lasting blooms that remain beautiful until late fall.

Find a hydrangea to fi t into any landscape design. The climbing

hydrangea can be 80’ tall. Insects or diseases won’t aff ect their large scented cream fl owers. Fall leaves turn yellow and the bark in winter is peeling and cinnamon colored, making this hydrangea beautiful for all four seasons.

The panicle hydrangea have round or cone shape white blooms that may color as they age. Paniculata hydran-geas are often referred to as “PG” or “PeeGee” hydrangeas. The arboretum has Limelight located on the gazebo trail and Pink Diamond. You can fi nd Purple Tiers on the meadow side of the collection.

See the hydrangeas at the arboretum

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Cub scouts from Pack 581 sent their cars down the track at Black Diamond Elementary Saturday during the Pinewood Derby races. DENNIS BOX, The Reporter

Pack 581

[3]April 3, 2015www.covingtonreporter.com • www.maplevalleyreporter.com

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All subjects in the police blotter are presumed in-nocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

LARCENY• On March 20 it was re-

ported that a wedding ring was taken from a home and found at a pawn shop.

• At 9:40 a.m. on March 26 unknown suspects entered the victim’s work truck and took a number of items.

• On March 26 officers responded to the report that an unknown subject stole the reporting party’s saw from his back porch.

• The reporting party told officers his wallet was taken from his pants pocket while he was shopping at Big Lots.

• On March 28 it was reported that an unknown subject entered the victim’s vehicle through an un-locked window and stole the stereo and an iPod.

CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE• On March 21 subjects

were seen smoking heroin in Lake Wilderness Park. About half an hour later, two other subjects were contacted for smoking marijuana at the park. One of the two also possessed closed and open cans of beer.

• On March 25 a 10 year old at Rock Creek Elemen-tary had marijuana on him while at school and was reportedly showing it to other students.

FAMILY DISTURBANCE• On March 23 it was

reported an ex-girlfriend was causing a disturbance at the reporting party’s resi-dence. The report stated she may have broken the front window.

• At 1:04 a.m. on March 29 officers responded to the report of a verbal fight between a boyfriend and girlfriend. The report stated he punched holes in a wall and he claimed she hit him with a frying pan. It also stated the boyfriend gave the officers a false statement in order to get deputies to kick his girlfriend out of the residence.

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

• At 2:40 a.m. on March 23, officers responded to an accident. The suspected driver who caused the acci-dent was driving under the influence and crashed into a parked vehicle.

THREATS• On March 23 it was

reported that a juvenile was threatened by another student’s mom at Glacier Park Elementary. The re-port states that threatening gestures were used toward the juvenile.

VANDALISM• On March 24 at 12:52

a.m. a driver intentionally drove on the sidewalk in order to drive along the grass of St. John the Baptist Church.

• A U.S. government van parked at the Post Office has it fuel filler hose cut on March 26. It is unknown if any fuel was taken from the vehicle.

NARCOTICS• The reporting party told

officers on March 24 that there has been a lot of traf-fic coming and going from a residence since the previ-ous people moved. They told officers that vehicles park out front and then leave shortly after arriving. The reporting party told officers they believe drug deals are being made.

BURGLARY• On March 24, unknown

subjects gained entry into a home and took items. According to the report, it

doesn’t appear force was used to gain entry.

• On March 25 the victim told officers while she was at a doctor appointment unknown subjects entered her home and took her wallet.

AUTO THEFT• On March 25 the

reporting party told officers his vehicle had been taken without permission. He told officers he last saw his ve-hicle outside his residence on March 24 at 8 p.m. and by the next morning it was missing.

ABANDONED VEHICLE• On March 26 officers

responded to the report that a vehicle had been parked in a neighborhood for a week now and no one near the parked car recog-nized it.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON• On March 28 officers

responded to the report that a male was acting er-

ratic by screaming at cars, waving his arms and chas-ing cars. The report states he was briefly detained and then released.

ASSAULT• On March 29 two hours

after officers responded to the report of a verbal argu-ment between a boyfriend and girlfriend, officers returned and arrested the boyfriend for fourth degree assault. The report stated the boyfriend threatened to hit her with a frying pan while holding her down by the throat.

NEIGHBOR DISPUTE• On March 29 officers

responded to the report of a dispute between neigh-bors regarding kids toys going over the fence. One resident told his neighbor that if dogs came into his yard he would poison them. Officers reported he became uncooperative and would not speak to them.

POLICE BBBBLLLLOOOOTTTTTTTTEEEERRRR

BY DENNIS BOX

Editor

A 35-year-old man from Maple Valley died in a head-on collision with a Metro bus at 4:12 a.m. on state Route 169 about 1 mile north of Maple Valley city limits.

The Washington State Patrol reported the man was driving a 1989 Honda Civic. The man was pro-nounced dead at the scene of the collision.

The Maple Valley man was driving southbound on SR169 and swerved into the northbound lane colliding with the bus south of Cedar Grove.

According to Trooper Chris Webb on the Wash-ington State Patrol Twitter site the 69-year-old man

driving the bus had only minor injuries.

The collision is under investigation.

The road was closed until about 9 a.m.

At the time of the press there was no update regard-ing the collision.

Maple Valley man killed in head on with Metro bus on SR 169

A 35-year-old Maple Valley man died March 31 in an early morning collision with a Metro bus. Photo By Trooper Chris Webb

BY DENNIS BOX

Editor

Black Diamond City Councilman Craig Goodwin was arrested March 13 in Maple Valley for allegedly driv-ing under the influence.

The time cited on the police report was 4:10 p.m.

The King County Sher-iff ’s deputy who arrested the 68-year-old Goodwin forwarded charges of DUI, RCW 46.51.502, to the Maple Valley Prosecutor Thomas R. Hargan.

Hargan wrote in a email Monday the DUI charge against Goodwin has been sent to the Maple Valley Municipal Court.

According to the incident report from the King County Sheriff ’s deputy a man called 911 reporting he had “boxed in a vehicle of a possible intoxicated driver.”

When the two deputies arrived at Southeast 271st Place and state Route 169, near Four Corners, a Black Dia-mond officer was already on the scene. The officer pointed out Goodwin to the deputies.

The deputy wrote in the report

Goodwin was standing outside his 1996 Toyota Corolla and “he was swaying side to side using the vehicle to hold himself up for support.”

The deputy reported he could smell a “strong order of alcoholic beverage”

on Goodwin.The councilman told the

deputy he was driving to “get coffee, then heading home.”

The deputy wrote Good-win’s speech was slurred and his “response was slow and he would stop in the middle of his sentence and stop talking. Goodwin asked me several times what was going on and

what this is all about.”The deputy told Goodwin he was

driving in a “dangerous manner and had some other drivers concerned for his safety.” He also told Goodwin the witnesses thought he was driving under the influence of alcohol.

According to the report Goodwin told the deputy “I’m fine to drive.”

When asked by the deputy if he had been drinking Goodwin said, “Yes, 2 glasses of wine.”

Goodwin told the officer he came from The Mint in Enumclaw.

The incident report cited five wit-nessed to Goodwin’s driving with two, a 22-year-old man and 19-year-old woman, giving detailed reports to the deputy.

The man and woman were in a ve-hicle traveling behind Goodwin. The man gave a statement that Goodwin was swerving into oncoming traffic “nearly missing oncoming cars. After witnessing this multiple times we reported the car to a 911 dispatcher.”

The couple continued to follow Goodwin and the man stated he drifted right and nearly hit a guard rail “and the car ahead of it (he was next to the car on the shoulder).”

The man said when Goodwin stopped at a light in Maple Valley he ran up to the car to ask Goodwin if he was OK. He thought Goodwin could be under the influence and reported, “I removed the keys from the ignition when he said he was going to drive away.”

The woman wrote she got out of the car to try and “help my boyfriend get the keys from the man, who kept trying to close his door and push my boyfriend away.”

Councilman arrested for DUI

[ more GOODWIN page 15 ]

Craig Goodwin

April 3, 2015[4] www.covingtonreporter.com • www.maplevalleyreporter.com

President Barack Obama spoke in Cleveland two weeks ago and mentioned his support of mandatory (or compulsory) voting in the United States.

The president said it would “completely trans-form the political map in this country,” and argued mandatory voting would help remove big money from politics, encourage the young, working class and disenfranchised citi-zens to vote and increase voting turnout numbers.

Many news sources reported 57.5 percent of the American public voted in the 2012 presiden-tial election. That’s not such a bad number - at least the majority of registered voters showed up at the polls.

The number dips to an abysmal 37 percent for the 2014 midterm elections. Although mid-term elections don’t have the same turnout as presidential elections, it still means a little more than one-third of registered took control of the governmental wheel, so to speak.

In contrast to the low voter turnout in the US, Australia constantly boasts high voter turn-outs. The Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance reported Australia had a registered voter turnout between 93 and 95 percent since 1946.

However, between 78 and 91 percent of the voting age population historically shows up at the polls, so the voting turnout numbers are often debated.

Still, anywhere between 78 and 95 percent of voters at the polls is a great win for democracy, and the high participation numbers are most likely caused by Australia’s mandatory voting system, which fines unregistered voters and citizens who don’t vote about $20.

Admittedly, Australia is one of a minority of 23 countries with mandatory voting laws,

and only one of 10 which enforces those laws, according to the BBC.

Other counties that have mandatory vot-ing laws include Costa Rica, Egypt, Lebanon, Argentina and Belgium.

For the sake of argument, let’s assume a supermajority of Americans would rather take the pains to vote than get fined $20, and voting numbers would stretch into 80 percent range for all elections.

Also for the sake of argument, ballots include a “none of the above” option, so voters who truly have no opinion have a voice and can bypass the fine.

The question now is, is it healthy for a democ-racy to have mandatory voting laws? After all, it is a bit of a paradox – democratic philosophy relies on the freedom of choice, which includes the freedom to not choose, or in this case, the freedom to not vote.

Some arguments against mandatory voting say the average American is incompetent at following political races and their votes for

presidents and congressmen are based on sensa-tionalized headlines and misinformation.

If we were to force the uninformed masses to vote, the argument goes, the political system would become more backwards than it already is. Hence, only the informed should participate in the political system and the ignorant should choose to remove themselves from the game.

Ilya Somin of the Washington Post wrote an opinion article about Obama’s speech, refuting the president’s argument that compulsory vot-ing would help get big money out of politics.

Somin argues, “relatively ignorant voters are more likely to be influenced by simplistic 30 sec-ond ads than relatively well-informed ones,” and more money will pour into the political system to sway the uninformed.

This may be so, and as a journalist, I’ve seen how people can be led astray by misinformation from both sides of the political spectrum.

However, I think a mandatory voting system gives many disenfranchised citizens a chance to

Not running for another termIt has been my honor and pleasure to serve as

your council member. Th is next year I plan to take a break aft er 16 years of service to you and our community, fi rst on the Planning Commis-sion and then on the City Council. It is again time for change, an opportunity for the council to experience the infusion of fresh ideas and ap-proaches to the situations facing our city both in the near-term and the years ahead.

Even though I have chosen to not seek re-elec-tion, I want you to know that I am not abandon-ing you. I plan to give my position everything I can while I continue to serve out the remainder of my term. Aft er I leave offi ce I plan to stay aware and be involved whenever there is a need for me to speak out as a citizen advocate.

Les Burberry and I have had several conversa-tions regarding his serving in my place; he has expressed to me his intent to run. Les has the qualifi cations and background needed to suc-ceed me as council member. He is intelligent and has great personal integrity. He listens and is an eff ective communicator. I believe him to have great potential along with the capacity to be an outstanding representative for you, the citizens of the city of Maple Valley.

While I have enjoyed my interactions with fel-

low council members, I am most grateful for our hard working city staff . Without our collabora-tive teamwork our city’s many accomplishments would not have been possible.

Th ank you all so much for your support and confi dence over the years. Serving you has meant so much to me. I have been blessed beyond measure.

Layne BarnesMaple ValleyCouncil member, Position No. 3

Hanging up my council hatAft er some soul searching and refl ection I’ve

decided not to run for another term on the Maple Valley City Council. It’s time for a new voice. It has been a joy and honor to serve the great residents of Maple Valley for the past 12 years.

Highlights, in which I take pride, include annexation of the Donut Hole for the new high school; new businesses, shops and restaurants at Maple Valley Town Square (Fred Meyer, etc) and the expanded Four Corners Square (Johnson’s, etc); preservation and upgrades for Lake Wil-

derness Lodge; the new Ravensdale ball fi elds; increased police protection; expanded recreation programs and community events; parking lot improvements and a new dock at Lake Wilder-ness Park; transportation improvements to Maple Valley Highway, Kent-Kangley Road, Witte Road, the regional trail and local streets and building the Den at the Community Center for our youth.

It has been a pleasure working with my fellow council members, city staff and citizen commit-tees to accomplish these good things. I’d also like to thank all the incredible organizations in the community for helping make Maple Valley such a great place to live – including the Tahoma School District, Maple Valley Fire and Life Safety, Greater Maple Valley-Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce, Greater Maple Valley Community Center, Maple Valley Food Bank, Lake Wilderness Arboretum, Vine Maple Place, Maple Valley – Black Diamond Rotary Club, and the Lake Wilderness Preservation Association.

I plan to stay active in the community – we’ll see you soon.

Take care,

Noel GerkenMaple ValleyCouncil member, Position No. 5

D I D Y O U K N O W ? : Kate Warne was the fi rst female detective in the United States.She was 38 years old when she died due to illness.

Mandatory voting could be a boon to our democracy

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Question of the week:

Vote online:Should minimum wage in Washington be $15?

maplevalleyreporter.comcovingtonreporter.com

Last week’s poll results:

Are you willing to pay more in property taxes to have more park facilities?

Yes: 23% No: 77%

[ more VOTING page 5 ]

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1275792

SARCOIDOSISSarcoidosis is an inflammatory autoimmune

disease that can spread throughout the body and affect many different organs, but it mostly affects the lymph glands and the lungs. The disease causes “granulomas,” masses made up of inflamed tissue, to develop. Sometimes these growths can change the normal structure of an organ and affect its function. The symptoms of sarcoidosis can be quite diverse, which makes diagnosis a challenge. Most of the time a dry cough, shortness of breath, and unexplained fatigue are present. There may also be swollen joints, red eyes, and tender red bumps or patches on the skin. The cause of sarcoidosis is not known, and there is no cure, but often the disease resolves itself on its own.

In most cases, sarcoidosis resolves on its own with no lasting consequences. But sarcoidosis can be chronic in some people and lead to complications that may affect different parts of the body.

For more information, please call Southlake Clinic at (253) 395-1972. Our primary care providers are part of a multi-specialty physician network, with a clinic in Covington at 27005 168th Place SE.

* You must be 12 years of age or older and have a parent/guardian signature.

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Tahoma School District 409, 25720 Maple Valley – Black Diamond Road SE, Maple Val- ley, WA 9803, is seeking cover- age under the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Con- struction Stormwater NPDES and State Waste Discharge General Permit. The proposed project, New Tahoma High School and Regional Learning Center, is located at 27250 – 228th Avenue SE in Maple Val- ley, in King County. This project involves 40 acres of soil distur- bance for school construction activities. Construction activities include construction of a new 315,000 square foot high school, access roads, parking lots, athlet- ic facilities and associated utilities. The receiving water(s) is/are ground water. Prior to in-

by a series of catch basins and conveyed to bioretention areas and swales for treatment. Any persons desiring to present their views to the department of Ecology regarding this applica- tion may do so in writing within thirty days of the last date of publication of this notice. Com- ments shall be submitted to the department of Ecology. Any per- son interested in the department’s action on this application may

notify the department of theirinterest within thirty days of thelast date of publication of thisnotice. Ecology reviews publiccomments and considers whetherdischarges from this projectwould cause a measurablechange in receiving waterquality, and, if so, whether theproject is necessary and in theoverriding public interest accord-ing to Tier II antidegradation requirements under WAC 173-201A-320.Comments can be submitted to:Department of EcologyAttn: Water Quality Program,Construction StormwaterPO Box 47696, Olympia, WA98504-7696 Published in Covington/MapleValley/Black Diamond Reporteron 03/27/15,04/03/15 #1277634

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reporternewspapers.com

Russell Ridge a K-8 parent-partnered school

On March 13, the staff, teachers and parents at Russell Ridge received a letter, telling us that this school, which has served the Tahoma School District for 20 years, would suddenly close at the end of this school year. The district did not follow the law or their required policy when the po-tential to close a school exists. Many people have never heard of Russell Ridge, or, what they may have heard about the school might be inaccurate.

First, what is Russell Ridge? Russell Ridge is a K-8 parent-partnered public school where parents work with highly-qualified certified teachers to coordinate a learning plan for each student. That plan is fulfilled by onsite and offsite classes and learning. Unlike the statement from

Superintendent Morrow, Russell Ridge is not a home-school co-op, nor is it a district “program.” It is a state-approved and state audited ALE (alternative learning experi-ence). It is a school for which the Tahoma School District has received state funds for 20 years. It is this lack of understanding from the district administration and board that many parents at Russell Ridge find frustrating.

At Russell Ridge, each parent meets with their certified teacher/advisor monthly to ensure that their student’s learning plans are progressing. Students typically attend onsite classes between one and four days a week, choosing typical classes like math, science, history and language arts. All classes, both onsite and offsite, bring state funding into the school. Onsite classes are taught by certified teachers and community educators, offsite classes are monitored by the teacher, but taught by parents. Each of these offsite classes brings funds into the district, but they cost the district a very small percentage of what an onsite class at

a neighborhood school costs. This is how Russell Ridge, and other successful ALE’s, are able to support (on their own) smaller class sizes.

Second, what sorts of students attend Russell Ridge? It is a common misconcep-tion that Russell Ridge is “for the troubled kids.” That is not the case. Our students are typical kids who tried traditional neighbor-hood schools and for different reasons, found that they didn’t work for them. They may have felt stressed or severely unno-ticed, many weren’t challenged or they were bored and were thus distracted. Some are quiet kids or were targets of bullying.

They are plain ol’ regular kids. Russell Ridge students aren’t strange or weird or troubled, they’re just kids who need an education.

Third, district administration is keenly aware of the frustrations that Tahoma families feel. They are trying to deal with problems like overcrowding, lack of indi-vidual student attention, distracted, bored, and under performing students. What the

administration doesn’t seem to realize is that Russell Ridge can help these families and, it can help the district address the challenge of overcrowding. Alas, families in the area do not even know that Russell Ridge exists.

We call on the district administration and the school board to inform the public about this great school, that it is a valuable option, and that it can help many students in this great district.

We understand that measurable criteria are required for a school so unique. We want to collaborate with district adminis-tration to keep this important school open. Let us work together. It is much easier to work together now to keep this school open than to close it and try to figure out later how to provide this important kind of learning experience.

www.fb.com/SaveRussellRidge

Larry and Kristin BaldwinMaple Valley

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

voice their opinion. This would not only far outweigh the cons of uninformed voters partici-pating in the political arena, but it also resolves the para-dox of mandatory voting in a democracy.

Elections are run by multi-million dollar PACs and laws are passed by deep-pocketed lobbyists. Money runs the American political system now, not the voters. So maybe it’s time for the government to help the people take back their voice.

In his speech, Obama said, “The people who tend not to vote are young, they’re lower income, they’re skewed more heavily towards immigrant groups and minority groups…

There’s a reason why some folks try to keep them away from the polls. We should want to get them into the polls.”

Political studies show that many young people, such as myself, vote for more liberally. The same goes for the work-ing and poor classes, as well as immigrant groups and minori-ties. It may be a political boon for the Democratic party if a mandatory voting system was installed, but not all conser-vatives vote during elections either. And not all liberals and conservatives are straight-tick-et voters.

Really, no one knows which party, if either, would benefit the most from a mandatory voting system.

Rohan Wenn, a spokesper-

son for the non-partisan politi-cal advocacy group Get Up! was quoted in a BBC article about Australian mandatory voting.

“If you look at the interna-tional experience, in non-com-pulsory voting systems,” he said, “the people who don’t vote are the poor and disenfran-chised and those are exactly the people we think should be voting.”

Everyone should have the power to vote, but in recent his-tory the voices of the tired, the poor and the huddled masses have eroded, and the rich and affluent have built walls and towers to consolidate their con-trol.

Maybe the answer isn’t mandatory voting. Maybe we

should make presidential and midterm elections a national holiday, so more people can take the time to vote. If that option is too expensive, then let’s try voting on the weekend.

Maybe laws should be passed to ensure political ads convey truthful and accurate infor-mation and money spent on political campaigns should have a cap limit and be made 100 percent transparent. Any of these solutions could be a step towards equality and a more effective government.

But the fact remains that an accessible voting system with a high participation rate will only help a democracy, not hin-der it.

And of course, if one party does benefit from a silent

[ VOTING from page 4]

The Greater Maple Valley Unincorporated Area Council monthly meeting is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. on Monday, April 6.

The meeting will be at the Maple Valley Fire Station on the southeast corner of the intersection of SE 231st Street and state Route 169 across from the King County Sheriff’s Precinct No. 3.

Members of the public are invited to attend and can address the council on any local issue during an open comment period at the start of each meeting.

The council is locally elected and represents all unin-corporated area residents living in the Tahoma School District.

It advocates issues of local importance to King County, the local government.

King County and state officials often are invited to ad-dress the council and local residents.

For information on the council, see www.greaterma-plevalleyareacouncil.org.

Community notes

Marti Reeder wins award Realtor Marti Reeder has been awarded one of John L. Scott’s high-est honors – the Chairman’s Circle Award – for her top grossing real estate sales in 2014.

Reeder is a realtor, broker and certi-fi ed residential specialist for John L. Scott in Kent and Covington.

Chairman and CEO J. Lennox Scott presented the award to Reeder in February.

Last year, Reeder received John L. Scott’s President’s Elite Award for being a top producer in 2013. Reeder has earned a president’s award from John L. Scott every year since 2007.

Amber Bills receives top awardAmber Bills of Maple Valley received a top award from Coldwell Banker for the 2014 achievements as “Top Producer 2014,” which made her the No. 1 broker for closed units among the 350 brokers in her offi ce. She was presented this award as well as the Coldwell Banker Premier Award, which places her in the top 1 percent of all agents Internationally within Coldwell Banker. These awards were given at the annual awards lunch on Feb. 19 by Dave Danforth, president of Coldwell Banker Danforth.

Bills has been a top-rated real estate broker in Maple Valley for the past 10 years, having earned the designa-tion of Maple Valley’s No. 1 realtor

again in 2014. She was also named one of the top brokers by the readers of Seattle Magazine and is a Zillow All-Star.

County Council calls for action on wage equity

The Metropolitan King County Coun-cil unanimously adopted a motion Monday calling on the County Executive Dow Constantine to review and take action on the seven recom-mendations developed by the board over the last year.

The recommendations were devel-oped after more than a year’s work by the Women’s Advisory Board, which was established in 1978 to ensure that the needs, rights, and wellbeing of women throughout King County are fully considered by the county executive and County Council.

The board’s recommendations included ways to encourage and promote family leave and workplace fl exibility, as well actions to achieve wage transparency and end the gender pay equity gap.

The recommendations of the Wom-en’s Advisory Board are available at

www.kingcounty.gov/socialservices/CommunityServices/Boards/Wom-ensAdvisoryBoard.aspx

Lacrosse Auction The Tahoma Lacrosse Club is inviting all businesses to be a part of their 5th annual Lacrosse Auction May 8, at the Cedar Lodge of Maple Valley.

The club not only represents Maple Valley, but also the following sur-rounding areas; Covington, Renton, Black Diamond, Ravensdale, Kent and Hobart.

Businesses interested in donating an item are asked to contact Susan Kelder, 2015 Tahoma Lacrosse Auction Chair, at procurement@tahomalax.org.

For more information about the club, the board members, coaches, play-ers and the Auction, visit at www.tahomalax.org.

April 3, 2015[6] www.covingtonreporter.com • www.maplevalleyreporter.com

...obituaries

Place a paid obituary to honor those who have passed away,

call Linda at 253.234.3506 paidobits@reporternewspapers.com

Tyler John GhosnTyler John Ghosn passed away on

Thursday, March 19, 2015 with his parents and brother at his side. He was 16 years old.

Tyler’s length of life is defined by the width and depth in which he lived. He enjoyed playing youth soccer, flag football, snow skiing, and many years of baseball. In his teen years he was on the Tahoma Bears baseball team as an assistant to the coach’s. Tyler was an avid reader of several subjects.

He enjoyed History, travelled to Washington DC in 8th grade. He also enjoyed watching the cooking channel . Tyler loved Pro Sports (NFL,MLB & NBA). He could discuss any of these in great detail.

His brother, friends, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents meant the world to him. He will be remembered for his positive attitude, his great big smile, and always putting others before himself.

He is survived by his parents, John and Ronda Ghosn, his twin brother Brock, grandparents-Frank and Jan Ghosn, Harvey and Dominga Sigler, numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.

A celebration of life will be held at Maple Valley Presbyterian Church, Maple Valley, WA on Saturday, April 11 at 1:00.

In lieu of flowers donations in Tyler’s name can be made to Tahoma Baseball Program and Seattle Children’s Hospital Foundation. For complete details please go to www.Flintofts.

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DELIVERY TUBESAVAILABLE

The Covington/Maple Valley/ Black Diamond Reporteris published every Friday and deliverytubes are available FREE to our readerswho live in our distribution area.

Our newspaper tube can be installedon your property at no charge to you.Or the tube can be provided to you to install at your convenience next to your mailbox receptacle or at the end of your driveway.

Pick up your FREE tube at our Covington offi ce, locatedat 27116 167th Pl SE, Suite 114 during regular business hours.(Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

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COVINGTON | MAPLE VALLEY | BLACK DIAMOND

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27116 167th Pl SE, Suite 14, Covington, WA 98042 • 425.432.1209www.covingtonreporter.com • www.maplevalleyreporter.com

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Legendary Doughnuts, owned by Shannon Pat-ten, opened its doors in Covington Nov. 26.

The doughnut shop is open from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

The shop is located at 27237 172nd Ave SE.

In addition to dough-

nuts, the shop also serve smoothies, espresso, iced tea and lemonade.

Legendary Doughnuts serves upscale, fun and unique doughnuts in a family-friendly environ-ment.

Patten wrote the family-owned shop has “something for everyone to enjoy. A large vari-ety of cake and raised doughnuts as well as our

own doughnut crois-sant hybrid. We call it doughsant. We even offer a doughnut 2 feet in di-ameter by special order.”

Legendary Doughnuts website: legendarydough-nuts.com

Email: shannonpatten@qwest.net

Phone: 253-220-8007

Small businesses reaching global marketsBY CALVIN GOINGS

SBA Regional Administrator

Today, 98 percent of American companies

that export are small businesses, but more than half of our exporters are only selling to one foreign market, usu-ally Canada or Mexico. Th e U.S. Small Business Administra-tion is here to help more entrepreneurs reach new markets for their goods and services.

Trade agreements are critical to helping level the playing fi eld for our nation’s small business exporters,

because they have fewer resources to overcome trade bar-riers and gain market access than larger companies

Increases in U.S. exports have generated nearly one-third of our

overall economic growth and supported 1.6 million new jobs. Last year, the U.S. exported a record $2.3 tril-lion of goods and services, an all-time high. One out of

every fi ve American jobs is tied to exports. Th ese jobs generally pay better, nearly 20 percent better.  

SBA has supported $6.6 billion in small business export fi nancing. We guar-antee 90 percent of export loans (working capital, line of credit, or fi xed-as-set fi nancing) on amounts up to $5 million. We also have an expedited ap-proval process on export loans under a half-million dollars.

With two-thirds of the world’s purchasing power residing outside the U.S., the SBA is acutely aware

that trade agreements play an important role in the long-term success of America’s small busi-nesses, and SBA is work-ing to help small business owners across the country grow their businesses in this global economy.

Th rough its network of trade fi nance spe-cialists located in U.S. Export Assistance Centers throughout the country, SBA provides training and consultation services on trade fi nancing and U.S. government export pro-grams to both lenders and small businesses.  

For example, KuKuRu-Za popcorn company el-evated their small business through the SBA Small Business Development Center’s Export Readi-ness Center. Th rough their assistance, KuKuRuZa was able to open franchise locations in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and South Korea.

If you’re an entrepre-neur looking to expand your customer base, there’s never been a better time to think globally. Explore www.sba.gov/exporting to learn how take your com-pany international today.

Calvin Goings

Legendary Doughnuts serving up the goodies in Covington

Business news and notes

King County property values increased 13.9 per-cent from $340.6 to $388.1 billion, and $5.4 billion in new construction was added in 2014. Look for the 2015 valuations in late May thru October.

Th e Treasury’s Offi ce, not the Assessor’s, collects property taxes on behalf of the state, cities, and taxing districts, and then distrib-utes the revenue to local governments. Homeown-

ers who do not pay their property taxes through a mortgage lender can pay quickly and easily online at www.kingcounty.gov/prop-ertytax.

Th ey can also pay by check, cash, or credit card in person at King County Treasury Operations, 500 Fourth Ave, Ste 600, Seattle.

To avoid interest and penalties, the fi rst half of property taxes must be paid or postmarked by April 30.

King County property values rebounding

NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHED

The King County Assessor’s site is one of the most frequently

visited government websites. To better serve King County

residents the assessor’s offi ce redesigned the website to put

need-to-know information on a mobile device and /or

computer.In conjunction with this

website, the offi ce launched LocalScape, a property data

portal.

[7]April 3, 2015www.covingtonreporter.com • www.maplevalleyreporter.com

COVINGTONC H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E

27116 167th Pl. SE, Suite 114, Covington, WA 98042 • (253) 631-6117 • info@covingtonchamber.org • www.covingtonchamber.orgApril 2015

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For more information:www.covingtonchamber.org

UPCOMING EVENTS

Thursday, April 9, 2015

11:30 am - 1:15 pm

City Hall Community Room 16720 271st Street

Covington, WA 98042

Buffet Prices $20.00 Member

$25.00 Nonmember/No RSVP $10.00 No Lunch

RSVP: info@covingtonchamber.org

Featured Speaker

Representatives from Eastern Washington University will be discussing the future

of higher education in Covington

www.covingtonchamber.org

Featuring a panel discussion on future economic and residential growth in Covington, including:

State Senator Joe Fain Colin Lund, OakPointe Communities Derek Brandes, Green River Community College

The event is free to Covington area businesses but space is limited and registration is required. Register by Friday April 24 at www.covingtonchamber.org

Wednesday April 29, 2015

7:30AM - 9:00AM

City Hall Community Room 16720 SE 271st ST

Covington, WA 98042

Join us for great appetizers, door prizes, and networking. See the new location of Schram

& Associates and the newly combined offices of Alpine Mortgage of Covington and Kent

This event is free to everyone

thanks to our hosts!

www.covingtonchamber.org

Thursday, April 16, 2015 Open House 4pm to 7pm

Hosted by

Meridian South Professional Center 15215 SE 272nd St, Suites 202 & 204

Kent, WA 98042

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VOTE TODAY!Online at:

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Mail-in or Drop-off:27116 167th Pl SE, Suite 114,

Covington, WA 98042

E-mail _____________________________________________________________________

Name ________________________________________________________________Phone ________________________________

Address ____________________________________________City _________________________________Zip _______________Please mail or bring your completed entry to Best of… c/o Covington/Maple Valley/Black Diamond Reporter: 27116 167th Pl SE, Suite 114, Covington,WA 98042. One entry per person. Employees of participating sponsors and Sound Publishing are not eligible to win.Voting ends at 4pm on Friday, May 1, 2015. Entry must be at least 50% completed with name, address & phone

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2015 STATE DANCE AND DRILL CHAMPIONSHIPS On March 28 the Kentwood dance and drill team partici-

pated in the state championships at the Yakima Sundome. Th e Conks placed fi rst in both the hip hop and show

category. Also, fi nishing third in the drill down category was Rachel Benson from Tahoma.

BY SARAH WEHMANN

Reporter

Th e Tahoma girls water polo team faced Auburn Mountainview on Saturday, March 28.

Th e Bears won its fi rst match of the season 20-8 over the Lions.

Five players scored dur-ing the win.

Julia Harry scored two goals, Lindsey Hanger had a team high nine goals scored, Nicole McCarthy, Hannah Gormley and Brooke Bailey scored three.

Tahoma faced Kentridge on Tuesday aft er the press deadline.

Th e next meet for Tahoma is Tuesday, April 14 when the Bears travel to Auburn to face the Trojans.

Tahoma water polo wins

Kentwood senior Chaz Lopez swings at a pitch during the Thursday game against Tahoma. The Conks won 4-1. Kentwood leads the league with an undefeated 4-0 record. SARAH WEHMANN, The Reporter

BY SARAH WEHMANN

Reporter

League play is now un-derway and the Kentwood Conquerors are sitting in the top spot with an undefeated 4-0 record.

Th e Conks have won its last fi ve games.

Kentwood fi nished a three games series against Tahoma by sweeping the Bears.

Th e fi rst game played on March 24 Kentwood won 2-1.

Two days later, the Conks hosted the Bears and won 4-1.

Th e fi nal game of the se-ries, Kentwood beat Tahoma 2-1.

Kentwood traveled to Seattle Saturday to face Mt. Si at Safeco Field.

Th e Conks won 7-2.Another league matchup

came Monday when Kent-wood traveled to Kentlake to face the Falcons.

Th e Conquerors won 9-1.Kentwood hosted the

Falcons in another matchup

Tuesday aft er the press deadline.

Scores from that game can be found online when they become available.

Th e next game for Kent-wood is Th ursday when the Conks travel to Kentlake to face the Falcons in the fi nal game of the three game series.

Currently Kentlake sits in third place in the South Puget Sound League 4A Northeast division.

Th e Falcons are 1-2 in league play and 2-4 overall.

Tahoma sits behind Kent-lake with a 1-3 league record and a 5-4 overall.

Kentlake’s league win came Friday against Kentridge when the Falcons won 2-0.

Tahoma league win was Monday against Kent-Me-ridian.

Th e Bears won 19-2.

Kentwood undefeated

PREP

BASEBALL

BY SARAH WEHMANN

Reporter

Come fall Kentlake fans will see a new face lead-ing the Falcons on Friday nights.

Brett Th ompson will take Chris Paulson’s spot as head coach for the football team.

Kentlake’s Athletic Director Bruce Rick said in an email Paulson is leaving because he accepted the head coaching position at Curtis High School.

Rick said Th ompson was selected from a pool of candidates and they believe his “vision, personality, and knowledge of the game was the right fi t for Kent-lake’s program.”

Th ompson joins the Fal-cons aft er spending eight years as an assistant coach at Tahoma.

Tahoma’s Athletic Direc-

tor Tony Davis said in an email Th ompson has been a big part of the Bears’ football program.

“He is already missed by our players and coaches,” Davis wrote. “He will have a positive impact on the Kentlake community.”

He also has been teach-ing social studies for the past 10 years at Tahoma.

It is unknown at this time if Th ompson will also be teaching at Tahoma.

Th e decision to run the Falcons’ football program, Th ompson said, is because he has “always wanted to guide an entire football program and help positive-ly impact the lives of young men on a larger scale.”

Th e next step for Th ompson and the Falcons are spring practices.

Th ompson said he will be planning those practices as well as organizing sum-

mer events for the team.Th ompson said he

is bringing with him a “clear vision (of) how our program will encourage growth in regards to how student-athletes develop on and off the fi eld as young men, as students, as leaders and as athletes.”

Th e transition to head coach as already begun, he said.

Th ompson added that he “owes a tremendous amount to Tony Davis and the entire Tahoma com-munity as they have helped me develop as a teacher, coach and leader for the last decade.”

He said he is also “ex-tremely excited to start working with the Kentlake players and community.”

Th e Falcons season is set to start Sept. 4 with a home scheduled against Graham Kapowsin.

The coaching transition begins

April 3, 2015[10] www.covingtonreporter.com • www.maplevalleyreporter.com

Thursday, April 16, 2015, 6:00-7:00 PM 15101 SE 272nd St, Kent WA 98042

RSVP: (253) 630-7496

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A young cougar was caught northwest of Enumclaw along 400th near Newaukum creek. The cougar was recently traveled from Duval down to Enumclaw. This is the second time a cougar has been trapped on the Plateau in 40 years. RAY STILL, The Reporter

Outdoors!LifeBY REBECCA GOURLEY

Reporter

Beams of sunlight peaked through the dense second growth

of Douglas Firs on Taylor Mountain last Th ursday, trying their best to dry out the thick black mud caking the surface of Elk Ridge Trail.

Th e clouds parted that day perhaps because they knew a team of 80 ener-getic sophomores from Tahoma High School were about to get muddy.

Th e students are enrolled in Outdoor Academy, an integrated program at Tahoma Senior High School. Th e class is a combination of three subject areas taught by three teachers, advanced placement environmental science, language arts and health and fi tness.

Th e learning is a hands-on, interactive, real-world approach that lasts the entire school year. Last Th ursday, the crew took to Taylor Mountain, north-east of Hobart, to work on fi xing drainage issues on Elk Ridge Trail.

Th e trail, which runs parallel to the Cedar River Watershed boundary and on land owned by Seattle Public Utilities, is main-tained by King County Parks and Washington Trails Association volun-teers.

Because the trail was es-tablished along the fl attest part of the ridge instead of near the slope, the lack of proper drainage causes it to become extremely mud-dy during the off season when it’s closed.

As part of their class, the 80 students from Tahoma, along with volunteers from WTA and King County Parks, worked on establishing proper drainage by carv-ing funnels along the trail for water runoff .

Elk Ridge Trail connects to several other trails on Taylor Mountain and is predominantly used by horse riders. Aft er trek-king through the mud-covered trail for about a mile, hikers will see the trail split into two, which is about where the Taylor Mountain Forest bound-ary is.

Because Taylor Moun-tain isn’t labeled on any satellite maps, the loca-tions of its trails are fairly unknown to people that haven’t been led there before.

For those that want to see the beauty of the sec-ond growth forest along Elk Ridge Trail in the late summer months, once the land has had a chance to dry out, follow these directions.

Take state Route 18 to the Hobart exit, follow 276th Ave Southeast south

and turn left onto 208th Street. You’ll see a sign that says, “No access to Rattlesnake Mountain.” Keep going. Follow

Southeast 208th Street until you see a large grav-el pullout with signs that instruct you to not park on the pavement. Don’t

park on the pavement. If you parked on the south side of the road, the trailhead will be to your left, or on the north side

of the road. Walk along this road, it will curve to the right and you’ll see a steep entrance to Elk Ridge Trail.

A group of sophomores from Tahoma High School enrolled in the Outdoor Academy worked for several hours March 26 on the Elk Ridge Trail on Taylor Mountain. REBECCA GOURLEY, The Reporter

Outdoor Academy takes to the trails of Taylor Mountain

Cat’s Not in the Cradle

[11]April 3, 2015www.covingtonreporter.com • www.maplevalleyreporter.com

The month of April is a warning to April fools. Spring may be sprung but

summer is still months away and this is not the month to intro-duce frost-sensitive plants to the garden no matter how mild our winter weather. Do not plant geraniums, petunias, tomatoes, cucumbers or other warmth-loving plants until after all danger of frost has passed – usu-ally sometime in mid-May.

April is a good month for planting trees, shrubs, roses, perennial plants like hosta and rock garden plants as well as hardy sedums and succulents and cool-season vegetables.

Q. I have clematis that flower in the summer –

I think it is called Mr. President. It had been growing on a trellis but the wood has rotted and I want to replace the old trel-lis with one made from metal. My question: can I cut the long

clematis stems to the ground for a fresh start? I do not want to kill this clematis as the flowers are lovely. P.P., Puyallup

A. I vote to give

Mr. President the ponytail cut now for a fresh start on the new support system. The pony-tail cut is when you grab all the stems in one hand about a foot from the soil

level and snip like you would if you were cutting off a ponytail. If you prune a summer-flower-ing clematis in early spring it will still elect to give you blooms that same summer – just expect the flowers to show up later in the season. Most overgrown clematis vines can be pruned back to 12 to 18 inches from the ground if necessary to clean them up or start fresh growth.

Q. I decided to patch some bare spots in my old

lawn last month so I spread a sandy, two-way mix of soil in

the empty spots, sprinkled grass seed then covered the seed with compost that I purchased in a bag from the garden center. It has been four weeks and no sign of new grass sprouting. What do you think happened? C.C., Renton.

A. The clue to this mystery of the disappearing

grass seed is that you covered the seed with compost. Grass seed will not sprout in cool weather if it is hidden under a blanket of damp compost. Just barely cover the seed with a very thin layer of peat moss or a tiny bit of compost by raking the topdressing lightly over the seed. In Western Washington our damp spring weather means grass seed will sprout sooner if left uncovered – if you can keep the birds from removing the seed. When it comes to plant-ing bare spots you can now find “lawn patch repair” seed mixes that are sold with bits of tissue paper and mulch mixed right into the seed. This is a good way to seed the lawn without bury-

ing the lawn seed too deep while still protecting it from the birds.

Q. I bought a dwarf mugo pine a few years ago and

it is now 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide! My neighbor has a dwarf burning bush with the name “compacta” at the end that has also grown into a huge shrub 5 feet tall. We have very small yards and want to know if there are any shrubs that will stay dwarf or compact. We no longer trust the plant tags that say a shrub is dwarf. M., email

A. Snow White is not the only lady that loves

dwarfs and you can find your own true love of dwarf ever-greens at local nurseries. Just ask for “true dwarfs” that will grow just one inch or one-half inch a year. The cone-shaped dwarf Alberta Spruce comes in both a semi-dwarf form (the most common) and a true dwarf that will stay less than 2 feet tall after 10 years. There are also evergreens with round bun forms, weeping forms and lovely upright but very narrow

forms that serve as “exclamation points” in the landscape. These “true dwarfs” are often sold as rock garden conifers or dish garden conifers. These compact dwarfs may cost more than the more common evergreens but they are so well-behaved, tidy and hardworking that they are worth the investment – so off to work they go.

• • •

Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washing-ton State University and is the author of “Easy Answers for Great Gardens” and several other books. For book requests or answers to gardening ques-tions, write to her at: P.O. Box 872, Enumclaw, 98022. Send a self-addressed, stamped enve-lope for a personal reply.For more gardening informa-tion, she can be reached at her Web site, www.binettigarden.com.

Don’t break out the frost-sensitive plants just yet

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1277784

[ GOODWIN from page 3]

Brandt and her late husband Harold, which is why it is commonly referred to as the Brandt property.

Brandt’s daughter, Cheryl Castagna, and her husband Bob Castagna manage the property.

According to the family, in 1997 when the property was under King County’s jurisdiction, it was zoned for single family home construction, not commercial pur-poses. In 1999, after the property was an-nexed into the city, it was zoned as multiple use in the city’s first comprehensive plan.

This allowed for both residential and commercial uses, which seemed like a pretty flexible option, Bob Castagna said.

However, this zoning designation turned out to be one of the least flexible options. He said as part of that designation they needed to have an entire master plan created prior to doing anything on the property.

“We had to design all the buildings, the signage…the lighting,” he said in an interview.

Jeff Potter of Integrity Land described it as “unrealistic and economically unviable.”

Then in 2012, Bob Castagna said they were approached by a company that was interested in putting an employment center on the property. With this in mind, the family asked the city to rezone the property to service commercial. But, after the zoning was changed, the deal with the company fell through.

“They were not able to come through with their end of the project,” he said.

Since then, Bob Castagna said, the family has had a hard time sparking interest in potential employers.

“There’s so much competition out there with those kinds of uses,” he said. “We’re competing regionally against a lot of municipalities that have a leg up on Maple Valley…. Because of their existing infra-structure.”

As a result, the family turned their at-tention to the other side of development – residential.

Currently, the family is in negotiations with Curtis Lang of Curtis Lang Custom Homes and Potter, on a land purchase agreement.

If the City Council approves the plan-ning commission’s recommended compre-hensive plan, the land would be on track to become a mix of medium and high density residential uses.

Lang said his goal is to focus on building homes that would attract a retirement com-munity to the city.

“Although it doesn’t seem like every-body’s plans line up the same, we all want growth,” he said.

Lang, Potter and Bob Castagna agreed this type of community would mitigate some of the concerns brought up by com-munity members; overpopulated schools, more traffic and no daytime population.

Lang echoed Councilman Dana Par-nello’s remarks he made at the March 9 City Council meeting – which was a joint meet-ing with the Planning Commission – and said multi-family complexes attract smaller families and therefore less kids.

“High density actually has a much lower likely impact on the school district,” Par-nello said at the meeting.

In a phone interview Tuesday, Parnello said he believes the city should be cog-nizant of what homeowners could have reasonably expected from any development on properties adjacent to their homes.

“We need to have logical adjacency,” he said.

Councilman Layne Barnes, who serves on the King County Growth Management Planning Council, said at the same meeting the city has exceeded its housing target.

“They have certain targets for how many housing units should be built, and also targets for employment,” he said. “Those are the two major key elements. We are probably under the amount for employ-ment…but we have exceeded our housing targets.”

Potter said an employment center would be a good fit for the

city, but that is probably a few years down the line. He said in order to draw poten-tial employers here, the city needs more rooftops.

Cheryl Castagna agreed and said the city needs more people so current businesses can grow.

Bob Castagna added that retirement communities bring a higher daytime population to the area, and less morning commute traffic when compared to an employment center.

If the City Council approves the Plan-ning Commission’s recommendation to designate the property as residential and the subsequent rezoning occurs, construc-tion of Lang’s plan for developing that property is still probably 3-5 years out, he said.

But, that plan also driven by the market, too, Potter said.

Potter, Lang, and the Castagnas haven’t gotten to the point of fine-tuning details of their plan. Hence, the types of homes on the 35 acres could range from townhomes, condos, apartments or a mix of all of those.

[ GROWTH from page 1]

committee and several county-wide committees and councils.

Gerken and Barnes stated in their letters they both plan to stay involved in city matters.

Three other council mem-bers’s seats will be on the No-vember ballot – Deputy Mayor Sean Kelly, Councilman Dana Parnello and Councilwoman Linda Johnson.

Those council members have not indicated yet whether they will run for re-election or not.

Barnes and Gerken’s letters are on page four of this issue.

[ RE-ELECTION from page 1]

“Although it doesn’t seem like everybody’s plans line up the same, we all want growth.” Curtis Lang

BY SARAH WEHMANN

Reporter

On March 26 4-year-old Kensington Morland was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center from Maple Valley.

She fell from a second story window at her home, her mom Holly Morland said.

The family had just moved into their home about three weeks ago, she said.

The child landed on concrete below, Maple Valley Fire and Life Safety Deputy Chief Dave O’Brien said Thursday.

She was airlifted from Rock Creek Elemen-

tary’s playground around 1:15 p.m., Kevin Patterson, director of Communication for the Tahoma School District said.

Morland said her daughter suffered a trau-matic brain injury.

She said her surgery went well and she is now in critical but stable condition.

She remains at Harborview in the intensive care unit.

A GoFundMe page was set up three days ago to raise money for the Morland’s.

So far 85 people have donated a total of $12,150.

You can view the page at http://www.gofund-me.com/q9abcg.

Toddler in critical but stable condition after fall

Kensington Morland, 4, fell from a second story window at her home March 26. She is in critical but stable condition at Harborview. Courtesy photo

She stated once her boy-friend got the keys Good-win got out of the car and tried to get the keys back by grabbing her boyfriend’s arm.

She said her boyfriend asked Goodwin to sit down, “and as he was trying to help him he stumbled over. He got back up and kept

asking for his keys…. I smelt alcohol on his breath as I tried to get him to stop grabbing onto my boy-friend.”

The deputies at the scene gave Goodwin voluntary field sobriety tests. He failed all tests.

He was given a breath sample test at the scene with a result of .203.

After he was arrested he

gave a blood alcohol con-centration test at Precinct No. 3 of .165.

State law prohibits blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher.

He was released to his wife. A court date has not been set.

A phone messaged was left and an email was sent to Goodwin for a comment.

He did not respond.

April 3, 2015[16] www.covingtonreporter.com • www.maplevalleyreporter.com

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Community groups in Maple Valley will be sprucing up Lake Wilderness Park and picking up litter from 9 a.m. to noon, April 11, in preparation for the 12th annual Hooked On Fishing Derby scheduled for April 25.

Local adopt-a-road groups will also be scheduling their annual spring litter pick ups in April.

The Maple Valley City Council is encouraging homeowner associations and residents to join in and help beautify Maple Valley by picking up litter in their neighborhoods and community parks.

Recology CleanScapes, Maple Valley’s new solid waste service provider, will be out

April 11 picking up litter. Recology has provided litter bags for participating neigh-borhood litter pick up efforts.

Litter bags can be picked up at 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, April 1-10 at City Hall.

The bags are only for community litter; no personal litter and no organics please. The HOA representative can call the city at 425-413-8800 and report the

location where filled litter bags have been staged for pick up (by light pole or community park or address) the following week.

Letters are going out to neighborhood HOA’s whose contact information is known, however, now is a the time for HOA’s to provide updated contact infor-

mation to the city. Email Becky Munson, becky.munson@maplevalleywa.gov, to update your HOA

information.

Sprucing up the city and park

MAPLE

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