Want answers? You’ve come to the right place! I often get asked to respond to issues in unofficial social media groups, and while I truly want to answer all of your questions, social media is time consuming and can be difficult to monitor. I would inevitably miss someone’s question or comment, so I need a format that I can track to ensure I respond to every question you ask.
I started this Ask Me Anything (AMA) as a way to share answers with you. If you have a question or would like clarification on anything Highlands Council related, please submit your question online. Although I may not have every answer, I will respond to all submitted questions. I look forward to hearing from you!
In this edition of Ask Me Anything, I’ll be answering questions about why our community events aren’t more geographically diverse.
Why are community events always up the hill? Why aren’t they more spread out around Issaquah Highlands?
This question came from a Westridge resident, but I imagine there are others with the same question. The simple answer: space and bathrooms.
Highlands Council owns and operates Blakely Hall, and it is the only facility for events in Issaquah Highlands that we have built-in access to for community events. We tried pre-COVID to host events at the shared space at the YWCA as a “down the hill” option. However, it has a smaller capacity, so we had to limit attendance.
For our outdoor events, the Issaquah Highlands Community Association (IHCA) owns and maintains many of our amazing parks throughout the neighborhood, yet none of them have public restrooms. We are required to provide bathrooms for events, so that limits us to Village Green Park, with bathrooms accessible at Blakely Hall (and power/free WiFi at the park).
The city parks with bathrooms (Central Park & Grand View Park) are not available for our use. However, I have met with the Issaquah Parks & Community Services team to discuss the city hosting (or co-hosting) events at those locations.
If you would like to see the city hosting more in Issaquah Highlands, including sports recreation, then they need to hear from you! Simply email Issaquah City Council and let them know.
For those who live a distance from Blakely Hall, we know parking can be a pain and hiking up the hill can be an even bigger pain. We are always looking for solutions to ease this burden, like our community shuttle. The community shuttle offered free rides to/from community events for three years. In that time, only one person requested a ride, so we could not continue to support this unused amenity.
If you have other ideas, I’d love to hear them – email me. In the meantime, we want to see you at events and hope you’ll find the value of your participation in community events outweighs the few blocks away you had to park.
Block parties are a great option!
We love block parties in Issaquah Highlands! We even have a Party Wagon that you can borrow for your block party at no charge. It’s filled with tables, chairs, yard games, pop-up tents and a grill.
We are working on developing some “block party kits” to make it super easy to get together with your neighbors, but why wait? Learn more about how to host a block party and reserve the Party Wagon here. Block parties can range from a simple gathering at your closest park, to a barbeque potluck, to a progressive dinner – the only mandatory components are neighbors and the desire to connect!
Do you have further questions on this topic? Please submit a question below or reach out to me.
