Neighbors connected over quick conversations and cocktails during Speed Neighboring in March.

What Matters to YOU?

It’s time for our annual community survey in Issaquah Highlands! With countless things undoubtedly on your plate this month, I hope you’ll take a few minutes
to answer this year’s survey.

The questions cover various aspects of community life, communications, Issaquah Highlands Community Association (IHCA) and Highlands Fiber Network (HFN). Your input is vital as it helps our organizations serve you better, shape our community and work to improve the quality of life for everyone.

Sneak peek! Teams at the Puzzling Challenge will compete to complete this custom-made puzzle.

People often ask if the survey results truly matter. The answer is a resounding YES! In last year’s survey, 59% of you asked for neighborhood socials. After extensive research and deeper conversations with residents, we developed the Block Party Toolkit (featured in this issue)—a resource designed to empower and equip all residents to host their own neighborhood gatherings.

You also asked for more family events. To meet that need, we hosted the All Ages Halloween Bingo and Community Tree Lighting. Later this month, we’re introducing a Team Puzzling Challenge! Gather your family or friends and compete to finish a custom-made puzzle on April 26.

New residents gathered at Blakely Hall in February for dinner and connection!

In response to residents saying they don’t know their neighbors, we introduced two new events in the last year: Speed Neighboring and New Neighbor Social. Speed Neighboring is a fun evening of one-on-one chats with a small group of adults, thoughtfully designed to be welcoming and introvert friendly. New Neighbor Social is the perfect way to welcome new residents to Issaquah Highlands while building connections with others. With delicious food, childcare, a dedicated teen table and exciting swag, this event offers something for everyone to enjoy!

Additionally, based on last year’s survey feedback on preferred communication methods, we launched a WhatsApp channel to keep you updated on community news and events.

The IHCA and HFN also count on your feedback to measure their performance and determine how to allocate resources moving forward. Your voice matters, and it’s needed. Please share your thoughts in this year’s annual survey.

Strengthening Our Community: The Power of Preparedness

Members of the community learned about fire safety as well as medical triage, search and rescue, disaster psychology, cribbing and more during our first-ever Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training course in Issaquah Highlands this spring.

This year, a key focus for Highlands Council is building community resilience through emergency preparedness and establishing Blakely Hall as a vital resource before, during, and after times of need.

We’ve offered two free Stop the Bleed classes, training attendees how to provide life-saving assistance in a bleeding emergency until professional help arrives. Our next session is scheduled for May 4—stay tuned to learn how to Stop the Bleed!

In February, we hosted an Emergency Kit & Sip event, where attendees enjoyed snacks and drinks while assembling emergency kits for their home, car or office. If you missed out, don’t worry! We hope to offer it again in the fall.

Currently, we’re finishing up the first-ever Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Basic Training offered in Issaquah Highlands, in partnership with Issaquah Citizen Corps (ICC). Over the course of 30 hours in eight weeks, 20 students gained the skills and knowledge to assist their families, neighbors and the Issaquah community during an emergency. Please let us know if you’d like to see future CERT trainings in Issaquah Highlands by responding to our community survey!

To further our goal of building community resilience, Communications Manager Maddie Coats and I have completed advanced CERT trainings, joined the ICC Board of Directors, and we are actively volunteering throughout the greater Issaquah community to promote preparedness for everyone.

Blakely Hall as a Resilience Hub

Blakely Hall was designated as a Resilience Hub last year.

Last fall, we announced that Blakely Hall had been designated a Resilience Hub by the City of Issaquah. However, we weren’t able to serve the community during November’s bomb cyclone because Blakely Hall is not currently equipped with back-up power.

In January, the Highlands Council Board of Trustees formed a Resilience Hub Task Force composed of representatives from the City of Issaquah, Issaquah CERT, resident HAM radio operators, and staff and board members from Highlands Council, HFN and IHCA.

The task force is responsible for determining the services Blakely Hall can and should provide to residents in the short, mid and long term, as well as the logistics and funding required to implement these services. One of the first topics we hope to address is, of course, power.

If you have ideas about community preparedness or Blakely Hall as a Resilience Hub, please reach out to me at lindsey.p@ihcouncil.org. It takes a village!

Lindsey Pinkston is the Highlands Council executive director and a Wisteria Park resident.

As published in the spring 2025 issue of Community Connect magazine >>>