Did you miss the Kent Cornucopia parade? Would you like to see what other neighborhoods did to celebrate National Night Out in August? Or maybe you’re a pet lover who wants to hear about the new dog park being built on Kent’s East Hill. You can see all of the above on Kent TV21 online.

Here are links to some of their latest programs.

National Night Out – For 27 years, neighborhoods throughout Kent have been celebrating National Night Out. This year 103 events were held.

Tails are Wagging for an Off-Leash Dog Park in Kent – If you are a dog lover, you’ll love this fun video talking about the new off-leash dog park on Kent’s East Hill.

Kent Cornucopia Grand Parade – View the 2010 Kent Cornucopia Days Grand Parade.

{Note:  You’ll need Windows Media Player to view the videos.}

Are you tired of seeing graffiti and tags around the City of Kent? If so, you can help.

Join us for Community Graffiti Clean-Up Day on Saturday, September 18 from 8 am to 12 pm. Volunteers are needed in teams of 6 to 10 to help rid our city of this blight. Meet at 8 a.m. at Town Square Plaza (corner of 2nd and Smith St. – across from the Kent Library) to pick up your assignment, paint and supplies.

This is an ideal project for Key clubs, teens needing service hours, neighborhood councils, and individuals and companies who want to make a difference in Kent.

To sign up, contact Sara Wood with the City of Kent.

Attorney Mark Prothero, a partner at the Kent law firm Hanis, Irvine, Prothero, LLC, was recently appointed to the Washington State Forensic Investigation Council (FIC) by Governor Christine Gregoire.

Prothero is one member of a 13-person board that oversees the state’s crime laboratories. He is the first criminal defense attorney to be named to the board. Prothero is perhaps best known for being one of the lead defense attorneys in the Gary Ridgway (“Green River” Killer) case.

Visit the blog for Hanis Irvine Prothero for the full announcement. Additional information about Prothero can be found on his website.

Congratulations, Mark!

Photo by Dana Neuts

The Master Gardeners will host an open house on Sat., August 21 (10 am – 2 pm) at The Neely-Soames Historical Homestead, the oldest documented home in Kent. The home was built in 1885 along the Green River Trail near Russell Road.

The group will be on hand to give tours of the home, the heritage gardens and the grounds. In addition, the event will include a penny fair.

For more information about the Neely-Soames home, owned by the City of Kent, visit the City’s website. For information about the event, contact Ed LaCrosse of the Master Gardeners at 206-878-1573.

In addition, I wrote this article which was originally published in Kent Magazine in 2009:

Neely-Soames Historical Home and Garden:  5311 S. 237^th Place

“Believed to be the oldest home in Kent, the Neely-Soames home was built on 320 acres of land claimed by the David A. Neely family on what is now the Green River Valley. The Neelys originally lived in a riverside cabin which contained a general store and the first post office where Neely served as Kent’s first postmaster. His fifth child, David F. Neely, built the much larger home in 1885. Representative of a typical Kent farmstead of that period, the original home was a modest, two-story rectangular-shaped home with a wooden veranda. Additions in 1900 and 1954 expanded the home to approximately 2,000 square feet.

On the State Historic Register since 1977, the home was last owned by David F. Neely’s daughter Ruby Neely Soames, who donated the home to the City of Kent upon her death in 1986. The city has renovated much of the home, keeping as much of the original architecture intact as possible. The home now serves as a meeting place, exhibit space, and trail head and parking for the Green River Trail.

In addition, several garden clubs and Boy Scout troops have adopted the home to preserve and maintain the property. The Des Moines Garden Club and the South King County Master Gardeners, for example, have grown heritage gardens to show what herbs and other plants were grown on the site in the 1800s. The produce from the gardens is donated to local food banks each season.

In a city report on the project, it says, ‘The fertile Kent valley brought life, hope and sustenance to original settlers, beckoning people of diverse heritage. The Neely-Soames Project attempts to preserve our agricultural heritage and celebrates the beginning in Kent.’”

Mark your calendars, King County voters! August 17, 2010 is the due date for the primary & special election. If you are a registered voter, you should have received your voter’s guide and ballot in the mail.

For more information about who’s running and what special initiatives are on the ballot, visit the King County election website.

For a list of 24-hour ballot drop boxes, click here.

The Kent Police Department released the crime stats for last week, July 20-26, 2010, along with some helpful crime prevention tips to keep you and your family safe this summer.

Punched door lock and smashed windows:  According to Kent PD, these are two popular methods for thieves to use to gain access to your vehicle. To prevent this, always lock your car doors and remove valuables from your vehicle. These items are the most appealing to would-be thieves:  GPS units, tools, computers, spare change, sunglasses and cell phone charges.

Full-time DUI patrols are in force:  This summer special full-time DUI patrols are patrolling local streets and highways to keep drunk drivers off the road. Kent PD recommends that you be safe and be smart by finding alternative transportation if you’ve been drinking:  (1) take public transit; (2) designate a driver to remain sober; and (3) take a taxi.

Never leave children unattended in a vehicle: Did you know that it is illegal to leave your vehicle running with a child in it? In addition, running cars with kids in them are easy targets to thieves, and it is unsafe to leave your child or pet in the car during the summer time. When outdoor temps are 80 or above, the inside temp of your vehicle can escalate to as high as 130 degrees in just an hour!

For more tips like these or to learn more about crime prevention, contact one of the Kent PD’s public education specials:

West Hill – Cesi Velez, 253-856-5884

East Hill – Stacy Judd, 253-856-5883

Valley – Sara Wood, 253-856-5851

Contact: Kathy Lambert 206-296-1003

July 30, 2010

Be Responsible With Summer Fun on the Water

Summer is here, and many King County residents are celebrating by taking advantage of the many water recreation opportunities available here.

While cooling off in local lakes and rivers is a great way to beat the heat of a hot summer day, it also is important to be respectful of neighbors and of the environment, said Councilmember Kathy Lambert, who represents northeast King County. She has heard from citizens complaining about garbage left on their property, and they would like recreational users to be neighborly by cleaning up after themselves.

“Summer vacation is a good time to remind everyone to dispose of your garbage properly, especially in a water environment,” said Councilmember Lambert. “In addition to polluting waterfront properties and contaminating salmon habitat, throwing garbage in a state waterway such as a lake or river is unlawful.”

RCW 9.66.010 specifies that befouling a lake, navigable river, bay, stream, canal or basin is a public nuisance, and state law bans disposal of trash in the state’s waterways. An offender can be charged with a misdemeanor, which is punishable with a fine of up to $1,000 and 90 days in jail. The King County Sheriff’s Office will be watching for careless swimmers, rafters and boaters this summer.

“Summer is a time for everyone to have fun, including your neighbors, and to make sure to keep our waterways clean and beautiful for the next user,” said Councilmember Lambert.

From the City of Kent:

Westwater Construction will intermittently close lanes in both eastbound and westbound directions, at the intersection of SR 516 (Willis St.) and 4th Avenue for asphalt placement.

Work will occur Thursday July 22nd, 2010 and Friday July 23rd, 2010, between 7:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M.

I was driving in the Kent-Covington area this morning, doing my best to avoid all of the construction zones – some large, some small. I was frustrated by the traffic cones, flaggers and closed lanes and sidewalks…but then I realized that this isn’t about me or even about you. This is a necessary function, one that we as taxpayers ask our cities, counties and states to manage for us.

Think about it. We want our roads pothole free, our sidewalks without cracks, and our trips in and out of the city without traffic…but yet we hate the work required to keep our roads and sidewalks safe. We complain about every road and lane closure and how they inconvenience us. We gripe about how some projects seem to take forever, and how we hate the black tar and paint striping that sometimes sticks to our cars when we drive in newly paved and painted zones. We simply don’t like going out of our way.

Taking that one step further, think about the summer road construction crews and engineers who are out there working long hours in the hot sun, getting cursed at, honked at and flipped off. They probably don’t want to be in our way any more than we like having them there, but they show up for work every day anyway. Like us, they go to work so they can take care of their families and put food on their tables. Summer road construction crews know they aren’t popular with local drivers, but they do the work no one else wants to do. They do a thankless but necessary job with nothing but grief from us.

I’d like to change that up a bit. I propose that, instead of being frustrated with these crews, we should be grateful that they are doing their jobs so our streets can be safe. We should thank them, wave to them or offer a simple smile to say “Hey, thanks, buddy! I appreciate you!”

Give it a try tomorrow. I think the road crews will appreciate the small kindness, and it will make you feel better too! Happy motoring!

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Resources to learn more about road closures in your area:

WSDOT – Northwest (includes King County)

WSDOT – Olympic Region (includes Pierce County)

King County Road Services (Traffic Alerts, Construction Updates, etc.)

City of Kent Public Works Projects

Covington Public Works Projects

From Michelle Witham at the City of Kent:

Kent City Council Approves Transportation Impact Fees
New Development to Help Pay for City Road Projects

KENT, Wash. – July 7, 2010 – After nearly four years of planning and gathering public input, the Kent City Council approved an ordinance allowing the collection of transportation impact fees to help pay for road projects necessary to accommodate new growth.

Transportation impact fees are paid by developers and expanding businesses to help cover the cost of road improvements that increase traffic capacity.  Money from the fees is tied directly to the size and type of the development and the anticipated increase in traffic associated with the project.

State law requires that cities plan for projected growth and have the infrastructure in place to support it within six years.

“We adopted a Transportation Master Plan in 2008,” said Council President Jamie Perry.  “But a plan is only a plan until it’s funded.  I’m happy to see we’re taking these first steps to implementing the plan we passed two years ago,” Perry said.

Projected future development accounts for roughly 45% of the total cost for new road projects identified in the Kent’s Transportation Master Plan.

Transportation impact fees are calculated by determining how many more vehicle trips are generated as a result of new development; the more traffic that results from a project, the higher the amount paid by a developer.

“Development should help pay the costs of new development,” Perry added. “Current residents shouldn’t be asked to shoulder the costs associated with new growth.”

The new fees will replace the City’s current Environmental Mitigation Agreements, which required developers to pay an average $2,400 per peak hour trip towards the cost to complete three cross-valley corridor projects over the last 15 years.

Citywide, the fees will now average $4,084 per peak hour trip, while downtown area fees will be approximately 25% lower, in part, because the impact fee calculation assumes fewer trips due to the close proximity of amenities and public transportation options.

In approving transportation impact fees, council members were particularly concerned about the effect they might have on future development and will review the rates annually beginning in July 2011.

“We will watch carefully what impacts the new fees have, and make adjustments accordingly” said Perry.  “But right now, we need to be proactive in funding our infrastructure.  Superior infrastructure will be good selling point for investing in Kent.”

Depending on the actual development that occurs, the new fees are expected to generate approximately $89 million from 2010 to 2017 to help pay for $389 million in needed transportation projects.

Transportation impact fees have been implemented across the state as diminishing revenues are insufficient to support the infrastructure needed for future growth.   Neighboring cities including Auburn, Covington, Des Moines, Federal Way, and Renton utilize transportation impact fees.

The City of Kent is the sixth largest city in Washington with a population over 112,000. As a culturally rich destination, Kent’s dynamic quality of life features captivating neighborhoods, award-winning parks and nationally accredited police and fire departments. In recent years, Kent has experienced impressive economic growth, and is nationally known as a prime location for manufacturing. For more information, visit www.choosekent.com.

The City of Kent invites you to celebrate the Fourth of July at Lake Meridian Park (14800 SE 272nd St., Kent) in the city’s annual Fourth of July Splash celebration from noon to 11 p.m. today!

Activities include:

• Old-fashioned games
• Athletic skills contests
• Family games
• Craft project
• Big Blue, the Kent Parks Mobile Technology Bus
• Face painting by “The Magic Brush”
• Inflatable bouncers
• Watermelon and pie eating contests
• Boat parade
• Entertainment on the stage
• Fireworks display

For more info., including shuttle bus locations and schedule, visit the City of Kent website.

The event is proudly sponsored by Allied Waste, Campbell’s Dentistry, Dollarwise Check Cashing & Loan Center, Kent School District, Marlatt Funeral Home, McDowell’s U Frame It, Smith Brothers Daily and RSC.

From the City of Kent:

Thousands are expected to attend Kent’s annual 4^th of July Splash and evening fireworks celebration at Lake Meridian Park.  But other parks get heavy use over the holiday weekend, too. The result is debris from unauthorized fireworks littering the parking lots and grounds.

So, neighbors, families, scouts and other volunteers are invited to donate an hour or two between 9:00-11:00 a.m. on Monday, July 5^th, to help clean up one of the hardest-hit parks.  The select parks are West Hill Park and West Fenwick Park on the west hill and Morrill Meadows Park and North Meridian Park on the east hill.

“We encourage volunteers to work together to ‘be green’ and keep recycling separate from trash,” said Parks Director Jeff Watling.  Trash bags will be dropped off at each park site for volunteers to use and maintenance staff will pick up full bags afterwards.  A Parks staff member will travel to each site, beginning on the west hill from 9-10 and moving to the other parks for the last hour.

Registration forms are available at www.KentWAParks.com, click on Volunteer, or call 253-856-5110.  Registration is encouraged by July 1 to give staff an idea of community interest.

From the City of Kent:

Shoreline Construction will temporarily close 124th Ave. SE between SE 255th St. and SE 248th St., and SE 248th St. between 119th Pl. SE and 124th Ave. SE, to install new water transmission and sewer lines.

The work will occur from Monday, June 21 through Friday, August 20, 2010, between 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM.

Residents with driveways in this area will have access to their homes during construction.

From the City of Kent. Please share this link with your friends to help us spread the news:

WSDOT will close I-405 in Renton during Cornucopia Days weekend.  If you plan to travel through the Renton area on the weekend of July 10-11, you may want to rethink your route. WSDOT will fully close I-405 in both directions between SR 167 and the Maple Valley Highway (SR 169) starting at 2 a.m. Saturday, July 10 to remove the old Benson Road Bridge. All lanes will reopen by 11 a.m. Sunday, July 11^th.

Attached is a fact sheet and poster explaining the closure and detour routes.

Drivers need to detour to get around the closure area and are encouraged to leave early and take alternate routes to their destination. Significant congestion is expected on alternate routes such as SR 167, SR 169, I-5, SR 520, and I-90. Check the WSDOT website for real-time construction updates and travel information.

During the closure, crews will remove the old Benson Road South Bridge. A new Benson Road South Bridge was built as part of WSDOT’s Renton Stage 2 project to accommodate new lanes on I-405. The closure is necessary because the traffic cannot pass underneath the bridge while crews tear it down. Crews will also use the closure time to work on other needed projects within the work zone.

This information is being shared with the Chamber, KDP, CAMPS, ShoWare Center, Kent’s Neighborhood Councils, and media.  It will also be posted to our website and social media outlets.

Please share this information with your contacts/networks who may be impacted by this closure.

If you have questions, direct them to Steve Peer at the I-405 Corridor Project Office at steve.peer@i405.wsdot.wa.gov or 425-456-8624.

Download more info. from WSDOT here:

I-405 in Renton:  Avoid the Curve
Full I-405 Closure in Renton

[Note:  This road closure will take place DURING a portion of Kent Cornucopia Days, so plan an alternate route now.]

Update, July 21, 2010, 3:16 PM: Kent Reporter offers a more in-depth update.

Update, July 21, 2010 from KING5.com: Investigators have identified a possible suspect in the death of Seth Frankel. Based on cell phone information, they believe a man from Portland, Oregon may be involved.

Update, June 18, 2010 from the Auburn Reporter: Detectives are still seeking leads in the murder of Seth Frankel. They are awaiting lab results from the Washington State Patrol’s crime lab.

Anyone with information relating to the murder are asked to contact Auburn PD at 253-931-3080.

June 21, 2010: According to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, Seth Frankel died May 21 of stab wounds to the arms and neck. He was found dead in his Auburn home on May 22. Frankel, 41, was employed as a video program coordinator for the City of Kent and known and loved by many. Auburn police detectives continue to seek leads and are still interviewing friends, family and colleagues about Frankel’s murder, while keeping mum about what little info. they do have.

If you know anything about Seth Frankel’s death, or any incidents or individuals that may have contributed to his death, please contact Auburn Police at 253-931-3080.

Additional information about Seth Frankel’s murder can be found on the Kent Reporter website.

From Michelle Witham, City of Kent:

Kent’s “Dam” Park Wins $70,000 “Partners in Preservation” Award, Thanks to Community Support

KENT, Wash. — June 15, 2010 — American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced today Mill Creek Canyon Earthworks Park has been named recipient of a $70,000 grant award in the 2010 “Partners in Preservation” program.

One of 25 historic place contenders, Herbert Bayer Earthworks competed in a month long contest where the public voted online for their favorite places to receive funding.

“We couldn’t have done it without the public’s support,” said Cheryl dos Remedios, Visual Arts Coordinator for the City of Kent.  “Their votes really made a difference.  We finished in 12^th place with three percent of the vote.”

Grant winners were chosen by an Advisory Committee comprised of civic and preservation leaders from the Seattle-Puget Sound area, as well as representatives from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Factors that were considered in the selection process included public voting results and community support for the project, the preservation needs of the site, historic significance, project completion ability, and the role the site plays in the community.

“Funding from this grant will be used to restore the sculptural and artistic elements of the Earthworks to their original design.  This includes restoring the channel that runs through the split ring and connects into the double ring pond.  We’ll also fix drainage in the bowls of the park and repave pathways,” Remedios said.

The Earthworks is not only an internationally recognized artwork and popular public park but it also serves as a water detention dam, protecting the Kent Valley from flooding since its opening in 1982.

Information about all of the grant recipients can be found at www.preservationnation.org/partners-in-preservation/seattle/results.html.

About Partners in Preservation

Launched in 2006, Partners in Preservation is a program in which American Express, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, pledged $5.5 million over a five-year period toward preserving historic places throughout the United States.  American Express has already allocated $4.4 million in preservation grants and in support for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has allowed recipients to make significant progress in achieving their preservation goals.

In this partnership, American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation seek to increase the public’s awareness of the importance of historic preservation in the United States and to preserve America’s historic and cultural landmarks. The program also seeks to inspire long-term support from local citizens for the historic places at the heart of their communities.

If you are thinking about talking or texting on your cell phone while driving, think again. Effective June 10, 2010, Washington State has revised its cell phone laws to make texting and talking on your handset a primary offense, meaning you can be pulled over for either offense. Penalties are stiff too – $124 per offense!

For more info., visit the Washington State Licensing website or the full text of the Final Bill SSB 6345.

Taking without a hands free device is only permitted in case of an emergency, and talking with a hands free device such as a Bluetooth headset or earpiece is permitted.

The boat launch at Lake Meridian will be temporarily closed due to unusually high rainfall.  The City of Kent is monitoring the water levels daily and will re-open the boat launch as soon as conditions improve.

“Boating activity and the wakes they create could potentially cause erosion of the shoreline,” said Jeff Watling, Kent’s Parks and Recreation Director.  “The amount of rainfall we’ve seen this June is unprecedented.  Closures of the boat launch typically occur only during winter months.”

For more information and updates on the boat launch, visit www.choosekent.com.

Contributed by the City of Kent by Michelle Witham

KENT, Wash. – June 2, 2010 – The July 1 effective date for Panther Lake area residents to become part of the City of Kent is soon approaching, and as part of the annexation process, the City is required to conduct a special census of all homes in the area.

A census worker wearing a City of Kent identification badge will visit households between June 17 and July 17. The only information required in this census is the names of all individuals residing in a household.

According to Fred Satterstrom, Kent’s Planning Director, cooperating with this special annexation census ensures that Kent receives a full share of state funds allotted for essential public services.

“This special annexation census is in addition to the U.S. Census recently conducted by the federal Census Bureau earlier this spring; they are separate counts.  I hope residents won’t be confused by it,” Satterstrom said.

Annexation area residents may also provide this census information directly, at any time by calling the Kent Census Hotline at 1-800-635-6594. The Census Hotline is available 24 hours a day. Any information provided will be held confidential.

Residents should be aware the census will NOT require them to provide their social security numbers, credit card numbers, bank account information or pay any fees.  Residents should not provide such details to anyone who claims to be a census worker and asks for this kind of information.

Legitimate census workers will have identification badges with a phone number that residents can call if they would like to verify their identities. Residents may contact the annexation message line at 253-856-5799 with questions or concerns.

The City of Kent is the fourth largest city in King County, Washington with a population over 88,000. As a culturally rich destination, Kent’s dynamic quality of life features captivating neighborhoods, award-winning parks and nationally accredited police and fire departments. In recent years, Kent has experienced impressive economic growth, and is nationally known as a prime location for manufacturing. For more information, visit www.choosekent.com.

June 8, 2010, Update–Kelsey Ray found in Washington. She turned herself into police in Kirkland on Monday, June 7 and was returned to her family early the following morning. Here’s a brief update from The Clark Fork Chronicle.

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MISSING — REWARD for information Kelsey Ray from Western Montana, 16 years of age, 5’6” tall, approximately 115 pounds, last seen in the Seattle Area on May 31, 2010.

REWARD FOR INFORMATION Last seen with Mineral County Police Dept. Kegan Salter, (406) 822-3555, Age 18, 5’5” tall 911, local police or Her family (406) 544-3098.