Community center fails

SNOQUALMIE - Plans for a proposed community center in Snoqualmie were stopped last week when the city's voters overwhelmingly defeated a $9-million bond that would have funded most of the facilities' construction.

As of Saturday, Nov. 9, the most recent King County election results before the Valley Record's deadline, the bond was being soundly defeated with more than 64 percent of Snoqualmie's ballots denouncing the issue.

"There are still some absentee ballots that need to come in but I'm not entertaining any ideas of it passing," said City Councilman Matt Larson, who supported the bond for the community center.

Final results from last week's election will not be finalized until Wednesday, Nov. 20.

The Nov. 5 election was the cap to a frustrating year for community center supporters who saw their fund-raising expectations diminish and support for the community center dwindle.

Supporters hoped to raise $1.5 million toward the $9.7 million community center but only received about $145,000. Volunteers said a slow economy stunted fund-raising efforts as well as uncertainty about whether or not the voters would approve the bond.

To make up for the dearth in fund raising, the City Council raised the initial bond from $7 million to $9 million.

Although the bonds would have been issued with historically low interest rates - the levy rate was 76 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation - it failed to get the support needed to pass.

As the debate centered around how much money would be needed to operate the community center, Mayor Fuzzy Fletcher came out against it, saying that the city did not have the funds to float the operating expenses of the proposed 39,500-square-foot facility that included a pool.

For the complete story, pick up a copy of this week's Valley Record

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