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Mayor announces Wellness City designation, Tree City USA recognition and WSDOT I-90/State Route 18 updates
Summary
Mayor Ross reported that Snoqualmie earned the Association of Washington Cities Wellness City designation (a 2% premium discount), renewed Tree City USA recognition and shared WSDOT timing for I-90/State Route 18 work; the council was also reminded of a March 26 Snoqualmie Valley Governments Association meeting.
Mayor Ross told the council on March 10 that the city has again earned the Association of Washington Cities’ Wellness City designation for 2025, a distinction she said yields a 2% discount on the city’s medical premiums—about $55,000—through the AWC employee benefit trust. The mayor thanked the city’s wellness committee and staff who participated in programming.
Ross also announced Snoqualmie’s continued Tree City USA recognition, saying the designation highlights the city’s tree stewardship and its role in public health and climate resilience. She noted ongoing tree planting in downtown parks and public works activity but did not give precise planting totals beyond council staff’s estimate in department reports.
On transportation, Ross summarized recent Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) briefings on I-90 and State Route 18 improvements. She said traffic would shift to a new configuration on the State Route 18 on-ramp to eastbound I-90 in mid-March and that the diverging-diamond interchange is scheduled to open in late spring or summer 2025; Ross added that the SR 18 widening to four lanes to Deep Creek is expected to complete this summer, after which work on phase 1 toward Tiger Mountain will proceed.
Ross also reminded councilors that the Snoqualmie Valley Governments Association meeting will be held March 26 at the Meadowbrook Interpretive Center and encouraged council attendance and coordination with the city clerk for registration. City Administrator Mike Chambliss and department leads provided a brief operations roundup, including social media engagement on the city’s splash pad project and ongoing IT and Parks & Public Works projects.
The mayor recognized a recent police academy graduation for a new officer, Dylan Lospher, and said the officer’s ceremonial swearing-in will occur later in March.
