City Council Notes: Teen Center Driveway Contract, Initiatives, Referendums and Tree Talk

The on Monday allocated $350,000 for Tiger Construction and Excavation Inc. to build a second driveway at the city's new Teen Center.

The actual contract amount for the company is for $227,757.64. That amount includes state sales tax. There also is a $20,000 contingency amount in the overall allocation.

The work covers grading, moving an entry monument, wood fencing, stone pillars, the removal of plants, paving of asphalt, landscaping and irrigation, according to a city of Sammamish staff memo.

The youth facility, which is officially being called Boys & Girls Club EX3 Teen Center, is scheduled to open this fall. The Boys & Girls Club of King County Redmond/Sammamish will operate it. The city of Sammamish bought the building, which was the old library.

It is located at the intersection of 228th Avenue Northeast and Northeast Inglewood Hill Road. A second entrance is needed, officials have said, because there was concern that the 228th Avenue Northeast driveway was not sufficient for the number of visitors.

The city is in the process of condemnation for this second driveway to be built. In the spring, the city approved the condemnation, if necessary. The driveway will be built on what is now private property.

The Boys & Girls Club is . Last month, it received a .

Also at the City Council meeting:

• A group of residents, including people from the and Citizens for Sammamish, asked leaders to consider letting referendums and initiatives take place in the city. City Manager Ben Yazici said the topics could be considered at a City Council study session.

• The topic of trees surfaced in a portion of the meeting in which city leaders talk about projects and other civic activities. Councilman John Curley said many residents enjoy the beauty of trees in Sammamish. His colleague, Councilwoman Nancy Whitten, chimed in and said, in a friendly manner, that she thought he was "anti tree." Curley, who is known for his humor, replied that it is not that he is "anti tree." Rather, he said, he had never "experienced" one before. People in the audience, and his Council colleagues, chuckled.