Language lessons Barricade meeting incites passion

OPINION
4 • December 8, 2010 SAMMAMISH REVIEW
Review editorial
Noise ordinance
could fix the crowing
The echoes of Sammamish’s fairly recent rural
past continue to spring up around the city. This
time, it’s roosters. More precisely, it’s the crowing of
roosters. We agree that some sort of action is in
order, but an outright ban seems a bit too much.
First, the city should try to use existing remedies,
like redefining the noise ordinance.
In the past few years, city officials say they have
received two complaints about the early morning
cock-a-doodle-dos for which the red-crested fowl are
famous. It is safe to assume there are other neighbors
who are also upset but have not bothered to call
City Hall.
Roosters can be an annoyance, but they are not
alone. Sammamish is often called a bedroom community,
and no one likes noise outside their bedroom
window. To keep the peace, the noise should
be regulated — but not necessarily the source of it.
Roosters can have beneficial purposes, besides
keeping the hens happy. They eat bugs, provide fertilizer
for the garden, and some people even like the
morning alarm service. If there is a quiet one out
there that doesn’t bother the neighbors, why not
allow them as a backyard pet?
The city has a noise ordinance, dating to 2002.
Among other things, it bans “Any loud and raucous
noise which unreasonably interferes with the use of
any business or residential property, school or place
of religious worship.”
Seems like a rooster that won’t let someone sleep
could meet that definition, especially in the summer
when daybreak is about 5 a.m. The fines for violating
the ordinance are $250 for the first offense and
$1,000 for subsequent offenses within a year. One
week of crowing could easily turn a rooster owner
into someone looking up recipes for coq au vin.
Instead of having city employees, Planning
Commissioners and the City Council spend time on
this issue, the city should start by enforcing existing
regulations that might more adequately address the
problem.
As one resident has suggested, using the noise
ordinance to regulate roosters might go a long way
toward muffling the early morning version of barking
dogs.
Poll of the week
Should the city ban roosters?
A) Yes. This is the suburbs, not a farm.
B) No. They contribute some variety to life.
C) No. Just stop the noises.
D) I honestly can’t believe we’re talking about this.
To vote, visit www.SammamishReview.com.
Sammamish Forum
The problem is where
Although Tia Jensen’s letter
“Hunters are not the problem” is
well written, I find it ludicrous to
feel the need to defend hunters as
ethical or unethical.
The problem in Sammamish
regarding hunters has to do with
someone who is hunting in an area
where it is illegal.
Let me repeat that: It is illegal. It
has nothing to do with taking the
land away from the wildlife, or
doing community animal control.
I would also like to remind Tia
Jensen and other hunter supporters,
that when there is a need for control
of the deer in an urban area we pay
the state for a service to handle it
properly.
When the community finds the
need to ask ethical hunters to be of
service, the city will decide when, in
the meantime they are to always
contact the State Wildlife Control
Board.
So, all you hunters in
Sammamish not to worry, no one is
suggesting you should not or cannot
Contact your
government
Sammamish
City Council
John Curley
Sammamish City Council,
Position 3
E-mail: jcurley@ci.sammamish.wa.us
Phone: 206-293-7853
Michele Petitti
Sammamish City Council,
Position 2
E-mail: mpetitti@ci.sammamish.wa.us
Phone: 425-392-9208
Tom Odell
Sammamish City Council,
Position 7
E-mail:
todell@ci.sammamish.wa.us
hunt — just not in Sammamish.
It’s illegal.
Published every Wednesday by
Issaquah Press Inc.
Donna Martin
Sammamish
Good job school buses
Big kudos to the entire team at
the Issaquah School District
Transportation Department for its
performance during the recent
surprisingly intense snowstorm!
Besides braving slick, icy roads
and traffic gridlock, drivers also
faced the challenge of matching
the very young children and special-needs
students up with their
parents, many of who were themselves
stuck in traffic.
Safely getting other peoples’
children to and from school and
activities is a huge responsibility
and not an easy job, even during
the best of conditions.
Many thanks to the school bus
drivers, the dispatchers, the
routers, the maintenance department
workers, the training department,
and top management and
Phone: 425-868-3635
Mark Cross
Sammamish City Council,
Position 6
E-mail: mcross@ci.sammamish.wa.us
Phone: 425-830-0287
Nancy Whitten
Sammamish City Council,
Position 4
E-mail: nwhitten@ci.sammamish.wa.us
Phone: 425-295-0500
Don Gerend
Sammamish City Council,
Position 5
Mayor
E-mail: dgerend@ci.sammamish.wa.us
Phone: 425-392-1412
John James
Sammamish City Council,
Position 1
E-mail:
jjames@ci.sammamish.wa.us
Phone: 425-868-6165
All departments can be reached at 392-6434
fax: 391-1541 / e-mail: samrev@isspress.com
www.sammamishreview.com
45 Front St. S. / P.O. Box 1328
Issaquah, King County, WA 98027
Annual subscription is $30 or $55 for two years
Add $15 outside King County / $20 outside state
staff for a job very well done!
Katy and John Hoehl
Issaquah
From the Web
Another snow
day solution
I grew up in a suburb of Boston in
the early ’70s and was present for
the Great Winter of ’78. It dropped
roughly three feet of snow
overnight.
The public schools in most of
eastern Massachusetts were closed
for two straight weeks. And that was
just for that one storm. We were
now realistically looking at school
extending into July.
The solution was to extend the
school day by another hour. We
made up the difference and didn’t
need to add so many more days
onto the schedule. Perhaps this
could be a viable solution?
King County
Dave Whitney
Kathy Lambert
District 3 Representative
E-mail: Kathy.Lambert@kingcounty.gov
Phone: 206-296-1003
Letters
Sammamish Review welcomes
letters to the editor on any
subject, although priority will be
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Box 1328, Issaquah, WA 98027
fax: 391-1541
e-mail: samrev@isspress.com
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