A result of meagre resources at both the county and city level, Issaquah City Council is now weighing it’s options on how to handle Klahanie Park.

The Council requested the review Feb. 3 and approved an agenda bill during a Feb. 16 meeting to explore three alternatives in the Services and Safety Committee (SSC). The committee will consider how to manage their responsibility for the park, which lies in the city’s potential annexation area (PAA) and borders Sammamish.

Dealing with a large budget deficit last year, King County Interim Executive Kurt Triplett proposed closing the parks, only to see the funding restored in the final budget. But the county’s intentions were clear to city officials in Issaquah and Sammamish, who have made various attempts to annex the area for about a decade. The two cities immediately began exploratory talks on a possible transfer of the park to Sammamish.

The three options under consideration are for Issaquah to take possession of the park and manage it, allow Sammamish to own and maintain it, or leave the county with the responsibility until a decision has been made on the Klahanie PAA.

“At this moment, the county’s in the driver’s seat,” said Councilmember and SSC chair Eileen Barber. “The city doesn’t really have many choices.”

Parks Director Anne McGill suggested the SSC make a recommendation during their next meeting on Feb. 25 and return the issue to the Council in March, though Barber said the issue would likely need a longer discussion.

McGill did not elaborate on the city’s position, which would be stated at the SSC meeting.

The next SSC meeting will be held at 5 p.m. on Feb. 25 in the Eagle Room, Issaquah City Hall.