JANUARY
Snoqualmie Valley Hospital earns license renewal
The Snoqualmie Valley Hospital received word in late December 2000 from the state Department of Health that its license had been renewed.
In November 2000, hospital officials signed a contract with Snoqualmie Regional Hospital Inc., a non-profit arm of Bainbridge Island-based Northwest Care Management Inc., to reopen the Snoqualmie facility. The hospital was forced to close twice in the 1990s, first in 1993 and again in 1997.
Longtime Snoqualmie mayor Jeanne Hansen dies
Former Snoqualmie mayor Jeanne Hansen died at the age of 69 on Jan. 3.
As mayor of Snoqualmie from 1988 to 1997, Hansen gained notoriety for giving up her salary to hire the city’s first full-time administrator and for spurring efforts to limit flood damage by raising houses and widening the Snoqualmie River.
Hansen was known by her contemporaries for her civility and commitment to the community.
Mayor Fuzzy Fletcher, who defeated Hansen in the 1997 election, ordered flags flown at half-staff in her honor.
february
Two teens die in car accident
Two 16-year-old girls were killed and a third was injured after the vehicle they were riding in veered off State Route 202 near Snoqualmie Falls.
Driver Abby Cunningham and front-seat passenger Carly Stauch were pronounced dead at the scene. Passenger Elaine Smith was treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and released the following day.
All three girls were high-school students at Mount Si High School in Snoqualmie.
Officials said inexperience and speed most likely caused the accident.
Tollgate plan comes under fire
The first glimpse of what would become a passionate fight between preservation and development came to light after the initial development plans for the Tollgate Farm in North Bend were presented and commented on.
The more than 400-acre farm, which conservationists saw as a vital historic and natural landmark, was planned to have 1 million square feet of commercial use and a 34-house neighborhood.
Hearings held by the North Bend Planning Commission and meetings held by the City Council would continue to be a debating ground for one of the most contested issues in the Valley.
Falls Crossing/SPI
deal reached
A $13.3 million deal that prevented much of the proposed development at the controversial Falls Crossing site was reached after two months of negotiations with King County, city of Snoqualmie and Puget Western Inc. officials.
Officially titled the Snoqualmie Preservation Initiative, the agreement included the protection of 2,800 acres along the Raging River and the potential to preserve another 4,000 acres of Raging River property currently owned by the Fruit Growers Association.
Also included were 600 acres of Tokul Creek watershed lands, tributaries and trail protection. The Cascade Land Conservancy, along with the city and the Snoqualmie Tribe, will act as an advisory body on future land stewardship issues.
For its payment, the city of Snoqualmie will own all of the PWI property north of Snoqualmie Parkway, together with the Snoqualmie River and Kimball Creek open spaces. The city will also gain a 6-acre parcel of land on the north side of Snoqualmie Parkway as a site for a new city hall.
Zemp property
to be rezoned
In a decision that raised the ire of the city of North Bend and nearby residents, the Metropolitan King County Council approved rezoning two parcels of land close to the city to allow higher-density development.
One of the parcels, owned by Richard and Rosanne Zemp, was rezoned from forestry designation, where only one home can be built on 80 acres, to RA-10, which allows one home per 10 acres.
North Bend city officials, residents and environmental groups believed the decision was a mistake, and they worried that developing the forested parcels will contribute to water run-off, erosion and excess traffic problems that would impact the city.
North Bend city officials later agreed to protest the action in King County Superior Court.
March
Drought continues to cause water woes
A dry weather spell, which started in 2000 and spilled over to 2001, caused the worst drought in the state of Washington since 1977.
The Puget Sound area received 5.24 inches of rain between January and March, according to measurements taken at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, compared to the average amount of 10.74 inches. The year’s snowpack was only at 65 percent of its normal volume, and the water level of Rattlesnake Lake fell to more than 40 feet below its average.
Gov. Gary Locke later declared a state of emergency and state residents were encouraged to watch their water use.
Riverview asks
for $5.75 million
The Riverview School District’s school board passed a bond resolution asking voters to approve $5.75 million on a special election ballot in May.
The most prominent among the projects listed to be funded by the bond was an athletic field for the district.
The levy was similar to one Riverview tried to pass the previous November, which failed by approximately 20 votes.
The levy would later pass.
Kidney center
going into Ridge
Northwest Kidney Center, a Seattle-based non-profit organization that provides outpatient dialysis services at 10 facilities in Western Washington, announced it would be the first tenant of the Trailside Building at Snoqualmie Ridge.
The treatment center will occupy a 7,500-square-foot space in a 43,000-square-foot building located next to Optiva.
A Northwest Kidney Center spokesperson said the Ridge building was chosen because of its location.
April
North Bend contests
zoning amendments
Unhappy with a King County zoning ruling in March on parcels of land next to the Forster Woods subdivision, the North Bend City Council agreed to appeal the decision that allowed a higher level of development than it was comfortable with.
The resolution allowed the council to spend up to $30,000 on legal fees to fight the amendments to the county’s 2000 comprehensive plan concerning land owned by Richard and Rosanne Zemp and Robert Yerkes.
Echo Glen
workers strike
Workers at the Echo Glen Children’s Center joined other state workers in a rolling walkout designed to put pressure on Gov. Gary Locke and the Legislature to better fund human-service programs.
The one-day strike was a protest against announced pay raises, which the worker’s union, the Washington Federation of State Employees Local 1681, said fell short of expectations.
Hospital signs deal
with Overlake
Commissioners of the King County Public Hospital District No. 4 voted to sign a letter of intent with Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue to provide management services for the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital in Snoqualmie.
The Snoqualmie Valley Hospital had closed in 1997 due to financial pressures and a lack of patients but was reopened last year.
Overlake will provide management support in areas such as billing as well additional medical services.
May
Riverview teachers
walk out
Riverview School District teachers walked out of classes to protest the way the Legislature planned to spend money gained from voter-approved initiatives such as I-732 and I-728.
The initiatives, which were passed in 2000, gave more money to public education, and teachers felt the Legislature was not living up to its promise to deliver it to school districts.
River widening
project delayed
A project that would widen the Snoqualmie River near the Snoqualmie Falls was delayed due to the lengthy permitting process and because plans for the project had not yet been finalized.
The project, known as the 205 project, would eventually remove close to 50,000 cubic yards of dirt from the banks of the Snoqualmie River in hopes of decreasing the possibility of flooding when waters rise.
