The Kent Fire Department is asking for support on Proposition 1.  The proposition is coming to the public in hopes of creating the Kent Regional Fire Authority.  The Fire Authority will join the Kent Fire Department and King County Fire District 37.  By doing this the Authority will be funded by a six-year fire benefit charge and a property tax which will decrease by $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value.  The Authority will keep the Kent Fire Department name and will be governed by a 6-member board of 3 elected councilmembers from Kent and 3 elected commissioners from Fire District 37.

The Kent Fire Department claims the Kent Regional Fire Authority will ensure..

• Strong emergency services and fast response times for our growing community
• Long-term financial sustainability and accountability for emergency services
• A proven, diversified funding model less dependent on property taxes
• Lower costs and greater efficiency through consolidation of contracts and resources

The Kent Firefighters are looking for a “YES” vote on Tuesday, April 27, 2010.   Proposition ! is endorsed by the Covington City Council, the Kent City Council, Fire District 37 and Kent Firefighters 1747.  For more information visit the City of Kent website.

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.”

Kent TV21 has created and is now showing “Welcome to Kent:  The Panther Lake Annexation” to discuss the city’s plans to annex the neighborhood on July 1, 2010. Featuring Mayor Suzette Cooke, planning director Fred Satterstrom and members of Citizens for Annexation to Kent, the program will discuss the annexation and how it will impact the community. To view the program, visit KentTV21 online.

Once the Panther Lake annexation of 24,000 residents is complete, the City of Kent will become the sixth largest city in the State of Washington. For more information about the annexation, visit the city’s online annexation resource.

City of Kent Police Department reported crime stats for the week of February 2 – 8, 2010.  Included in the stats are vehicle prowls, vehicle thefts, residential burglaries and commercial burglaries.

The report also includes crime prevention tips. In this week’s stats, readers are reminded how to identify a suspect:

“A key element to crime prevention is identifying a suspect. Here are some items the police department would utilize if you are witness to criminal activity: Male/Female, Height, Weight, Distinguishing features, Eye color, Skin color, Clothing, Birth marks, Accent in voice, Direction of individual, and any other details you can remember.”

After a major disaster, some emergency services may not be available. To help the city respond as needed, Kent is offering CERT – Community Emergency Response Training – training. This eight-week program offers instruction on preparing for a disaster and useful skills like first aid, triage, fire safety, search and rescue and more.

Starting March 11, classes will be offered on Thursdays from 1 – 4:30 pm and 6 – 9:30 pm. To find out more or to register, call Kent Emergency Management at 253-856-4440. Space is limited so reserve your spot today!

For more information on the City of Kent’s handling of emergency management, visit the city’s online resource here.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010, Kent, Washington–Today Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke gave her annual State of the City Address at the February Kent Chamber membership luncheon. With a packed room at the ShoWare Center, Mayor Cooke revisited 2009.

“This past year was challenging, not just for this city, but for all governments, large and small,” Mayor Cooke said. “Kent, like all cities, worked under a tightening budget.”

She is, however, optimistic about three things:  1) that 2009 is over; 2) the economy appears to be recovering; and 3) flood season is ending. She recounted a number of the city’s 2009 highs and lows, including:

1)  The popularity of ShoWare Center which brought 350,000 guests through its doors in 2009, including 60,000 guests who saw Disney on Ice at the new sports arena

2)  The implementation of the new CodeRED system which allows the city to make 60,000 emergency contacts per hour via phone, email and text message

3)  The four labor unions taking voluntary pay cuts to avoid staff reductions and to help the city save more than $1 million in 2009 spending

4)  2.8%, or $2.2 million, drop in revenue

5)  8.1%, or $1.5 million, drop in sales tax revenue

6)  Elimination of 56 positions within the city, about half of which resulted in layoffs. Other vacant positions were not filled.

7)  Expansion of Kent Station with the GRCC expansion

8)  1,677 Kent Parks volunteers

9)  4,000 volunteer hours spent removing graffiti

10)  Annexing Panther Lake to occur July 1, 2010, making Kent the sixth largest city in the state

In addition to these items, Mayor Cooke reviewed the 2010 budget, stating that public safety remains the city’s #1 priority. The 2010 budget is 5.6% less than the 2009 budget and it includes $1 million to be set aside for emergencies like potential flooding.

“Things are looking a lot better economically,” she added.

A topic of major concern was, of course, the flood risk of the Howard Hanson Dam. Once predicted at a 1 in 4 chance of flooding, the flood risk has dropped to 1 in 33. While this is a positive step, Mayor Cooke said, a permanent fix is not available for three to five years.

“Any kind of delay is simply unacceptable,” she added. “Until that dam is fixed, it is going to haunt us.”

To help control potential flooding, the city raised levies by three feet, successfully completing the task before the beginning of flood season last fall. In addition, Mayor Cooke thanked the community, business leaders and service groups for helping to spread the word about potential flood risks as well as helping one another fill sand bags and helping seniors and the disabled prepare for a flood.

Mayor Cooke singled out a number of city staff and community and business leaders for their support of the Kent community. She thanked them for their tireless service and for making Kent the great place that it is. One person instrumental in the city’s survival of a difficult year was Chief Administrative Officer John Hodgsen.

“John Hodgsen is an outstanding leader and worker in the city,” Mayor Cooke said.

The overall mood of the meeting was positive and Mayor Cooke left the audience with some new things to watch for:  a redesigned website, taking the inbox newsletter to an email format, and the second annual International Festival, set for June 26, and the Kent Refugee and Immigrant Forum.

“It’s 2010 and I’m smiling,” Mayor Cooke said.

The event was presented by the Kent Chamber of Commerce, sponsored by Allied Waste and co-sponsored by Kent Downtown Partnership. The program was taped to be shown on Kent TV21 at a later date.

January 9, 2010

KPD Update

I haven’t done a column in a while; since before Officer Brenton was murdered in Seattle, which of course was followed by the murder of four Lakewood officers and then the death of Deputy Mundell in Pierce County.  I have avoided writing anything about the events of the last two months because I don’t have anything profound or illuminating to say, and anything less would be trite.  To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, any attempt to say something intelligent is “far above our poor power to add or detract.”  Now that we have entered the new (and hopefully quieter) year, I won’t attempt to be profound but I will share a few related comments and reflections.

In 24 years in law enforcement I have never seen anything quite like this.  Officer deaths occur, but are infrequent.  Not only the frequency and scope, but the acts themselves are overwhelming.  The attacks were not just on the officers, or the department, or the profession, but on the community.  The cold-blooded murder of Officers Brenton, Richards, Griswold, Owens, and Renninger was an attack on civilized society, and it crossed a line.  The astounding outpouring of emotion and support that followed, up to and including the response to the death of Deputy Mundell was in part because of that attack on society itself.  It is jarring and upsetting and shakes our collective beliefs.

In the past two months, we have seen public reaction which has occasionally included calls for some sort of action to “solve” this problem.  Some of these ideas are worth exploring and discussing, but we really should not attach them to the loss of these officers.  Banning guns, having more guns, reducing or increasing mental health treatment, making more laws – none of these, by themselves, will solve the problem.  In our society, the interplay between personal rights and public safety is just too complex, and there are no simple answers.

Here in Kent, we received countless cards and flowers at the department, and almost every officer has a story about someone here in Kent approaching them in a store or on a call, saying how much they appreciate their department and feel the loss of the officers.  We are all deeply appreciative of the support of those we serve.

After the past two months and attending too many funerals, I can offer only three observations that, I hope, will help us find some context.

First, one of our Kent Sergeants, right after the Lakewood shootings, was meeting with his group of officers and of course, lengthy discussion of the incident and our opinions followed.  This Sergeant is a top-notch police instructor, SWAT officer, and expert in officer safety.  Rather than focus only on caution and staying safe, he ended his briefing by assigning the officers a very specific mission:  pair up, go to a coffee shop, and talk to our residents.  They want to talk to us as much as we need to talk with them.  It’s easy for us to underestimate just how many truly good people there are all around us, but these tragic events brought that all out and made it abundantly clear.

Second, another observation was that the funerals for each of these officers, while formal and ceremonial and respectful, focused not on their heroism and their sacrifice, but rather on their humanity.  Each funeral highlighted their families and funny stories about their jobs.  There was no deification of anyone, only highlights of real people who had real experiences and faults.  They were human beings who loved their jobs and did the best they could.  Police officers are not good at drawing attention to themselves, and the basic humanity of each officer was what I really understood.

One of the most salient observations for me was that in every instance, the families of these fallen officers did not engage in any kind of blame, anger, or hostility.  It would be understandable if all of us wanted to focus on those who committed these acts, but the fact is, they weren’t even part of the discussion at the memorials.  Each funeral was about celebrating good people who lived worthwhile lives.  There was no recrimination or self-pity.  The funerals and memorials were not sad at all; they were recognition of people who lost their lives too soon, doing what they loved.

Finally, I came away thinking about the strong message that came from the children of Officer Greg Richards, who started his career right here at the Kent Police Department.  Their message was simple.  Greg was a good dad, and the best way to honor him, and each of the officers who gave their lives, is be a better mom or dad.  Be a better sister or brother, a better son or daughter.  Be a better friend.

Have a great week!
-Steve

According to a press release issued today by Michelle Witham of the City of Kent, Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke will deliver her annual “State of the City” address on Wed., February 3 at 11:30 a.m. This year’s luncheon will be held at the ShoWare Center during the monthly Kent Chamber luncheon.

The mayor, who is beginning her second term in office, will focus on public safety, the local economy and quality of life for Kent residents. In addition, she will discuss highlights and accomplishments from 2009.

The cost per person is $20 which includes lunch. For those who can’t attend the event, it will be broadcast on Comcast Channel 21 and online at Kent TV 21.

For more information, visit the Kent Chamber online. To RSVP for the luncheon, contact Marge Williams at 253-854-1770.

Valley Medical Center will host a special ribbon-cutting ceremony of its new Emergency Services South Tower on Mon., Jan. 11. Refreshments will be served at 7:30 a.m., with the program beginning at 7:45 a.m. Free valet parking.

In addition, the public is invited to attend an open house on Sat., Jan. 16 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) to unveil the new center. The open house will include tours, free health screenings, wellness talks, and fun, family-friendly activities.

According to Valley Medical’s website, the new Emergency Services South Tower will provide patients with the following features:

• State-of-the-art medical technologies
• Instantaneous information exchange
• Comfortable healing environment
• 100% private emergency care suites
• Faster ambulance and helicopter access
• Award-winning expert clinicians

For more info., read Valley Medical’s open house brochure.

From the City of Kent:

Kent, Wash. – January 4, 2010 – Kent Fire Investigators have made an arrest following an early morning porch fire which took place on January 1, at 5:46 AM in the 23700 block of 98 Ave. S.

The fire was the result of fireworks, and possibly a liquid accelerant, which were ignited on the porch of the home following a dispute between the female resident and an adult male, who was arrested in Bellevue without incident on Sunday. Damage was limited to the porch and no one was injured.

The man is currently in the Kent Jail awaiting a hearing where he will be charged with Arson in the first degree.

From the City of Kent:

January 1, 2010 – Two Kent families have been left homeless after an early morning two alarm fire in the 23600 block of 30 Ave. S. destroyed two mobile homes. The fire was first reported at 3:20 AM.

When firefighters from Kent and Seatac arrived, one mobile home was already fully engulfed in flames and a second was also burning due to winds and how close together the homes were. Fortunately, all the occupants were able to escape from the fires although several were treated and sent to local hospitals due to smoke inhalation. A total of eight adults and six children have been displaced.

Once they were assured that everyone had gotten out of the mobile homes, responders were able to concentrate on containing the fires and keeping them from spreading to any other homes. While both affected residences are a total loss, no others suffered damage.

Red Cross is currently on scene to assist the two families. A Kent Fire Investigator is working to determine the cause of the fires. No damage estimate is available at this time.

The City of Kent is hosting an open house to discuss the Panther Lake annexation on Sat., Jan. 9 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Sunrise Elementary School (multi-purpose room, 22300 132nd Ave. SE, Kent, WA).

The annexation was approved by voters on Nov. 3, 2009. Panther Lake will become a part of the City of Kent effective July 1, 2010, making Kent the sixth largest city in the state. Panther Lake is located east of Kent’s current city limits and includes Benson Hill and Panther Lake. The area is approximately five square miles and contains about 24,000 residents.

For more information about the annexation, visit the city’s website,  call the annexation info. line at 253-856-5777 or send an email to the city.

The city has also created a document with Annexation General FAQs. You can download it here: annexation_faq.

This past year the City of Kent has seen many changes, some positive and some not. We saw the grand opening of the ShoWare Center, the re-election of Mayor Suzette Cooke and we’ve welcomed the Kent Predators. We also battled floods, crime and graffiti. We saw new businesses come (e.g., Blanc ‘n Schwarz, Humanity Salon, Petrik Photography) and we lost old favorites (e.g., American Charm, Nature’s Vignettes, Cypriana).

With those ideas in mind, what should Kent strive for in 2010? If you were to choose one New Year’s resolution for the City of Kent in 2010, what would it be? New parking garage, repaired dam, thriving downtown, local theater?

Post your proposed New Year’s resolution here to be automatically entered into a drawing to win a $25 Kent Station gift card. One winner will be selected at random. Some restrictions apply.

• Must be 18 or older to enter
• Must be a resident of King County, Washington
• Three entries per person maximum
• Your resolution must be posted by midnight on January 29, 2010 to be eligible.

If you hear of any Senior Citizen that is struggling and needs temporary or permanent housing or low level Health Care during the winter and primarily very cold months, please let me know or give them Stafford Suites phone number. We can help short term or can assist with a long term placement. I also have a contact that can assist a Homeless Senior with housing needs.

Dave Foltz, Executive Director
Stafford Suites – Kent
253-850-0333

From the Seattle T-Birds

T-BIRDS FANS RAISE IN EXCESS OF $23,000 FOR LAKEWOOD POLICE INDEPENDENT GUILD

Kent, December 9, 2009 - The Seattle Thunderbirds are pleased to announce their fans have raised in excess of $23,000 for the Lakewood Police Independent Guild through two separate fundraising events.

The T-Birds held a 12-hour sale from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today where they donated 100% of all revenue from tickets purchased online to the game against the Tri- City Americans on Friday, December 11, to the Guild. The T-Birds generated $13,212 in ticket sales today that will be donated to the Guild.

At the game against the Everett Silvertips on Saturday, December 5, the Lakewood Police Independent Guild raised over $10,000 in donations from T-Bird fans to support the children of the four slain Lakewood police officers.

“We are extremely grateful for the outpouring of support from our fans for the families of the Lakewood officers,” said T-Birds Director of Public & Media Relations Ian Henry. “They really stepped up and showed their support of this great cause.”

The T-Birds partnered with the City of Kent, the Kent Police Department, ShoWare Center and radio stations Q-Country 102.9 FM (KNBQ) and Funky Monkey 104.9 FM (KFNK) to during the 12-hour sale.

The game against the Americans on Friday is at 7:35 p.m. at ShoWare Center.

Kent, Wash. – December 8, 2009 – Kent City Council members passed a 2010 budget that focuses on core responsibilities and is smaller than the 2009 adopted budget by 5.6%.

According to Council President Debbie Raplee, the worst economic recession since the Great Depression forced hard decisions.  “We needed to make critical choices about how to spend tax dollars and reduce our spending to keep our city’s finances strong.”

“In spite of these tough decisions, we are not taking police officers off the streets or firefighters off of trucks,” Raplee added.  “We were not willing to compromise public safety.”

The 2010 budget totals $157.4 million. Of that, $80.3 million represents the General Fund budget, and $11.4 million is for capital projects. The rest of the budget is dedicated to other funds.

The city’s General Fund provides funding for basic services including police, courts, fire and emergency services, infrastructure maintenance, community services, economic and community development, and internal support services. All of these services are provided by city employees, and the city’s largest expense is wages and benefits. The General Fund is mostly funded by taxes.

Approximately 67% of the expenditures in the General Fund are dedicated to public safety, which includes police, courts, and fire and emergency services. Other services including maintenance on infrastructure, parks, recreation, community services, and economic and community development account for approximately 27%, while internal support services make up the remainder.

With the slowing economy, the preliminary projections indicated a gap of $4.61 million between revenues and expenditures, a shortfall of more than 5% of the General Fund budget.

In order to make up the difference, this budget reflects the elimination of nearly 56 positions, 24 of which resulted in layoffs. When these are added to the 32 positions that were left unfilled, the city is operating with 56 less people — a 6.7% reduction in its workforce.

Highlights and Impacts:

• No reductions in Police that compromise response times and public safety; cuts include accreditation staff, public education staff, reduced internal training and parking enforcement.
• Service reductions in Parks, Recreation and Community Services include a reduced number of senior trips at the Senior Center, consolidation of all services at the Resource Center to Kent Commons, elimination of scorekeepers in the adult softball program, elimination of youth/teen trips, and a reduction in the number of events and concerts.
• Slower response times to non-public safety service requests across all departments.
• Includes funding for continued maintenance of the City’s physical assets.
• City employees received no pay raises.
• Includes a $1 million reserve fund for flood fight response.

Raplee also emphasized that 2009 has been a year of accomplishments in Kent.

“In tough times we are continuing to deliver results,” Raplee said. “We are showing that smart investments continue to make Kent a vibrant community.”

She highlighted the following:

• The City’s crime rate has decreased by double digits for the last three years.
• We’ve obtained millions of dollars for critical levee improvements to insulate our community from flood threats.
• New companies are calling Kent home and bringing needed jobs to our community.
• Our award-winning ShoWare Center has put Kent on the map, with entertainment options that are close to home.

Press Release from Michelle Witham, City of Kent

Worldwide millions of women and girls endure sexual slavery. Although this topic is gaining awareness, people still often assume it exists far from home.

The truth is that sexual slavery happens almost everywhere, including South King County! To highlight this pandemic, Soroptimist International of Kent (SIK) joins Soroptimist International of the Americas to raise awareness about sexual slavery. Join us for this upcoming event:

Human Trafficking Awareness Luncheon
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 11:45 a.m.
Golden Steer, 23826 104th Ave. SE, Kent, WA
Speakers:  Velma Veloria and Emma Catague
Cost:  $18 for lunch

Limited seating. RSVP today. Call Christine Pearson (253-813-2676), Adrienne Rockwell (253-631-3372) or Carla Loux (253-630-4501).

In addition, SIK will conduct a Human Trafficking awareness campaign in January 2010 in downtown Kent and along Pacific Highway South. If you’d like to help with this initiative, please let us know. Thank you!

The City of Kent is activating Severe Weather Shelter at Kent Lutheran Church.

Kent Lutheran Church, 9 P.M. to 7 A.M.
336 2nd Avenue South
Kent, WA 98032-5849

9 P.M.  – Check-in and registration
7 A.M. – shelter closes, clients must vacate

The severe weather shelter (SWS) will be in operation Monday night 12/07/09 and Tuesday night 12/08/09. Priority is given to homeless families with children who are living on the streets or in vehicles, but the SWS will also be available for single women and men.  The SWS will be operated by Catholic Community Services staff, and volunteers from Kent Lutheran Church.

Doors for the SWS will open at 9 P.M.  Clients must register at the door.  As with all shelters, rules for the health and safety of all clients and staff and the broader community will apply.

Please spread the word

The Kent Fire Department offers tips on fire and life safety for a safe and enjoyable holiday season. Read the full article online here.

• Never use outdoor grills, BBQs or generations inside your home
• Purchase and install a Carbon Monoxide (CO) monitor inside your home
• Never leave the kitchen while cooking
• Keep paper and flammable items away from open flames such as candles and fireplaces and other open heat sources

Be safe this holiday season!