Back This Month Only:  Kent Station’s Earning Dollars for Scholars Program – Make College Dreams Happen

Kent, Washington, March 9, 2010 – Kent Station’s Earning Dollars for Scholars scholarship fundraiser is back. Now in its fourth year, this popular, shopper-friendly program has helped Kent Station award 11 scholarships totaling over $15,000. The scholarships benefit Kent area high school graduates attending Green River Community College. In many cases, the scholarships provide money for college for students who couldn’t afford to go otherwise.

After receiving her scholarship in 2009 Miranda Green said, “I am honored to be one of the recipients of the Kent Station Scholarship. Thanks to [Kent Station’s] support, I am the first in my family to attend college. Without this scholarship, I would not be able to go to college.”

This year Earning Dollars for Kent Scholars expanded its scholarship package to include a grant that is awarded to a GRCC student who created the visual graphics for this annual fundraiser. This year’s grant winner is Ella Shkurina, a second year student at Green River Community College.

How does Kent Station’s Earning Dollars for Scholars fundraiser work? Visit participating Kent Station merchants from March 1 through 31 to enter to win one of ten Kent Station gift cards, ranging from $25 to $500. Shoppers can enter once at each participating merchant and, for each entry, Kent Station will donate $1 to the Kent Station–Green River Community College Scholarship Fund. The winners of the gift card drawing will be selected at random on April 5, 2010.

“Kent Station is proud to be able to partner with our stores, restaurants, and the community to provide scholarship money for local high school graduates,” Sommer Ueda, Kent Station marketing coordinator, said. “Green River Community College offers a number of programs for students to get a quality education, and we’re glad we can help make that available to Kent students.”

The community’s participation allows Kent Station to give local students a chance at a continued education. The more entries received, the more scholarships provided and the more chances shoppers have to win!  Please help to make college dreams happen.

“This program is really a win-win for everyone.  The GRCC Foundation is thrilled to partner with Kent Station to support educational opportunities for youth in our community,” said Beth Gatzke.

“Last year, the Dollars for Scholars program provided four of almost 160 scholarships given to students at Green River Community College.  With the help of community members like Kent Station, our scholarship program and our community will continue to grow,” she added.

For a list of participating merchants and complete details of the Earning Dollars for Scholars program, visit KentStation.com or call Sommer Ueda at 253-856-2301.

Located on 18 acres in the heart of downtown Kent, Kent Station is an urban shopping village developed by Seattle-based Tarragon Development Company. The 470,000 sq. ft., mixed-use development features locally-owned and national retail stores, professional office space, and dining and entertainment, including a 14-screen AMC Theatres Cineplex and a branch campus of Green River Community College.

For more information, please contact:

Sommer Ueda
Kent Station
417 Ramsay Way, Suite 110
Kent, WA 98032
253-856-2301
www.KentStation.com
sueda@kentstation.com

The City of Kent and a community group of dog owners are working to create an off-leash dog park on the East Hill. Currently, many dog owners are taking their dogs to Clark Lake Park between 248th and 240th which does not have an off-leash area. The new area will be on 248th street between 104th, directly between Morrill Meadows Park and East Hill Park. The off-leash dog park will consist of approximately three acres of land and provide space for both large and small dogs.

Work parties are needed to help raise funds for the work and to clear invasive plants which have gotten out of control in the area. The first work party is scheduled for Saturday, March 27 from 9 am to noon. If you’d like to help, call 253-856-5110 or email B. J. Levenhagen with the city.

This week Kent residents should be receiving their first mail notice from the U.S. Census Bureau announcing that the census is coming. The census is taken every 10 years and its goal is to document how our country’s population has changed over the last 10 years. This data impacts how more than $400 billion in federal funding is distributed to local and state governments, so it is important that you and your family are counted.

Here are some highlights of this year’s census:

• It is one of the shortest census forms ever.
• It has 10 questions and takes about 10 minutes to complete.
• It should be filled out by the owner or primary renter.
• Complete the form and return it in the postage paid envelope.
• If you don’t complete the form, a census rep will visit your home to take the count in person.

For more info., visit the U.S. Census Bureau online.

Be a Cool Bird and get your game on.

More info.:  Facebook.com/FindItInKent

Kent, Washington, March 2, 2010–John L. Scott Associate Marti Reeder of Kent was one of 61 sales associates in Western Washington to win the prestigious “2009 President’s Elite” award. Reeder helped more than 28 families find the home of their dreams last year which played a part in helping her achieve this impressive honor. In a Tuesday ceremony, Reeder accepted the award personally from J. Lennox Scott, Chairman and CEO of John L. Scott Real Estate.

There are approximately 2,000 John L. Scott agents in Western Washington, so achieving this after only six years in the industry shows Reeder’s hard work and dedication to finding homes for her clients. She possesses the qualities needed to make home buying and selling easy, even in difficult financial times.

J. Lennox Scott said, “I would like to thank and congratulate the John L. Scott award recipients for the role they played in helping their valued clients achieve the American Dream of homeownership.”

Reeder was the third highest in production in her office in 2009, and the “2009 President’s Elite” award was the second highest award out of six possible to be achieved at John L. Scott.

“This has been a challenging year economically for many families in Kent,” Reeder said. “I’m glad I was able to help them find homes that suited their situation and budget.”

For more information about Reeder, visit http://johnlscott.com/martireeder. For a list of award winners, visit http://tiny.cc/gaJ40 .

As a lifelong resident of King County, Reeder has a wide range of experience in mortgages, home inspections and real estate. She began her real estate career with John L. Scott six years ago. In addition to earning designations as an accredited buyer’s and seller’s representative, Reeder specializes in pre-foreclosures. She enjoys working with individuals and families to find their dream home and was named “Best in Kent” in 2008 and 2009 by Kent Reporter readers for her real estate work.

For more information, contact:

Marti Reeder, Realtor®, John L. Scott
253.859.8500
martireeder@johnlscott.com

http://johnlscott.com/martireeder

On Thursday, March 4, the Kent Downtown Partnership hosted a property owners and commercial real estate agents’ meeting at Bittersweet Restaurant. Sponsored by Valley Bank, the breakfast meeting drew about 55 community members including downtown property owners, commercial brokers, property representatives, business owners, city officials and KDP board members. The mood was enthusiastic and participants were eager to hear what the city is working on in terms of economic development in downtown Kent.

After a welcoming statement from Valley Bank’s Mike Miller and the introduction of participants, Kent’s Economic Development Director Ben Wolters took the floor to discuss the city’s recent successes. He noted the Regional Justice Center, Kent Station, the rail station and ShoWare Center as having been some of the area’s most significant recent developments.

“The city has tried to attract businesses that are game changers,” Wolters said.

He further noted that the ShoWare Center has only been open for 15 months, and has already attracted more than 400,000 visitors to its hockey games, concerts, business fairs and other community events. These numbers are likely to escalate with the addition of the Kent Predators, Kent’s new IFL expansion team. The Predators play their first home game at ShoWare Center on Friday, March 12.

“Looking forward, the city is looking at another game changing opportunity,” Wolters added.

The targeted project is to build a facility for the Federal Aviation Administration which could potentially bring 2,000 employees to Kent – within half a mile of the downtown core. Currently, a dozen municipalities are competing to be considered. The first phase of the process is submitting a letter of interest to the GSA and FAA. The City of Kent has done that and hopes to provide a more detailed proposal in May. If the city advances to the next level of the bidding process, the city will make a presentation and proposal in August, with the final decision coming in December.
Other key projects in the works include Tarragon’s expansion of Green River Community College at Kent Station.

“Tarragon just completed a huge expansion of GRCC, with hundreds of new students, and a lot of energy, excitement and new opportunities,” Wolters said.

He also gave an update on the half-completed parking garage at Smith and Fourth which he called “an incredible legal soap opera.” The property is now in the hands of Washington Federal Savings. To date, there has been some interest in buying that space for office use, but there is no time frame for resolving the issue, developing that property or selling it.

Another meeting highlight included the city’s completion of Town Square Plaza which was an attempt to bridge the historic downtown district with Kent Station. Wolters noted there is still a gap between the two areas, but the city is hoping to do more integration. Wolters also commented that First Avenue is becoming a destination in downtown Kent, with its own personality and flavor.

Wolters said, “It shows what is possible in the rest of downtown if property owners and businesses come together. We are changing the market perception of this place.”

Wolters opened the meeting for questions and comments, and invited property owners to voice their concerns as well as the potential for opportunities. Participants asked about the status of the Howard Hanson Dam, potential flood risk, lack of parking, need for additional ball fields and an aquatic center, the Farmer’s Market, the need for housing in downtown Kent and more.

“What is the long-term vision for downtown Kent?” asked Paul Morford. “The city needs to take on parking. It needs to increase parking on a large scale.”

Wolters wrapped up the meeting by inviting participants to contact him directly with their concerns and ideas. A follow-up meeting is planned for later this spring. To offer your input, contact Ben Wolters at 253-856-5703 or via email.

The Kent Police Department is offering a Community Police Academy class on six Wednesdays, starting March 31st and ending May 5^th, 2010.   The Academy offers participants an excellent opportunity to learn more about the daily operations of the police department and its role in the community.

The classes will be from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., with an officer available for a question and answer session 30 minutes prior to the start of class. The academy will be held at the Police and Fire Training Center, 24611 116^th Ave SE in Kent. There is also a Saturday session, which will include tours of the City of Kent Corrections Facility and our dispatch operations at Valley Communications Center.

The 6-week curriculum includes topics such as officer recruitment and hiring, traffic enforcement, patrol functions, detectives and criminal investigations, SWAT, use of force policy, community education and the Neighborhood Response Team.  K-9 officers will demonstrate their K-9 partner’s abilities.  All questions will be answered.

Academy classes are taught by veteran police officers and supervisors. Participants will have the opportunity to meet with the Chief of Police and staff members. They are encouraged to ask questions and express ideas and concerns to police employees.

The academy is open to any adult (18+), living, working, or interested in the City of Kent and its police department.  There is no cost for attending.

Applications and information are available online at http://www.ci.kent.wa.us/police/ or call the Community Education Unit at 253-856-5838.

“This is an excellent opportunity for residents to gain insight into the day to day operations of the police department” said Sergeant Dina Paganucci. “We enjoy being able to interact with the community and answer any questions they have.”

Punjab Sweets has secretly been hiding on Kent’s East Hill for nine years.  This hidden treasure is an experience the second you walk in the door.

I was invited by a friend, who informed me that this was a vegetarian restaurant; this caused a little hesitation at first because I love meat.  However, as soon as you walk in the door the sweet aroma fills the air as I was greeted by soothing Indian music.  Then as you approach the counter you are cheerfully greeted by the staff who in my case was also an owner, Harpreet Gill.  The menu has so many fabulous selections which, may I add, came with extremely reasonable prices.

Harpreet offered assistance in ordering which was extremely helpful since I am, by no means, an Indian cuisine expert.  She made many recommendations but I decided to go with the sampler so I could try a little of everything.  The wonderful smell was still lingering in the air; I could not wait to eat.  After a short wait the food came and it was just as I expected, fantastic!  Wow!  I never thought I could become a vegetarian so easily, but with food like that maybe I’ve been wrong about meat.  No matter what, if I choose to go back to beef,  I know that Punjab Sweets has a fan for life.

Contributed by Larissa Long

Each year the City of Kent, Kent School District, the Kent Downtown Partnership, and private sponsors work together to celebrate National Youth Art Month with Spring Into Art. Art from several Kent schools is displayed in various businesses in the Downtown area. Kent Downtown Partnership and local businesses support a night of activities coinciding with the City’s Art Walk and Reception.

Visit our website for complete details:

Spring Into Art 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
4 – 9 p.m.
Downtown Kent