If you are a fan of Dancing with the Stars, or just enjoy a fun night out, mark your calendars! The Kent Parks Foundation and Arthur Murray Dance School are sponsoring “Dancing with the Stars Kent” on Saturday, October 22. Held in Green River Community College’s Cascade Room, the event begins at 5:30 pm and it features the following “celebrity” dancers:

1. Mayor Suzette Cooke
2. Kent City Councilwoman Deb Ranniger (sponsored by Allegro Performing Arts Academy)
3. Kent City Council President Jamie Perry (sponsored by Pacific Raceways)
4. Deputy Chief, King County Steve Strachan (sponsored by Great American Casino)
5. Representative Dave Upthegrove (sponsored by Pat’s Bar & Grill)
6. Kent Chamber President Andrea Keikkala (sponsored by Airways Brewing Company)
7. Timberwolves Receiver Jeremiah Captain (sponsored by Charley’s on Central)
8. Kiwanis Noon Club President Janet Stebbins (sponsored by Kiwanis Noon Club)
9. Kent Police Chief Ken Thomas (sponsored by Rotary Club of Kent Sunrise)
10. Kent Firefighter Marvin Oakcrum (sponsored by Gators Sports Bar and Grill)

Guest Judge:  Ken Sharp, owner of Minuteman Press of Kent

VIP Tickets are $100 and include dinner, wine, priority seating and voting rights in the People’s Choice Trophy Presentation; General admission tickets are $30 each.

Call 253-639-0124 to purchase tickets, or buy them online now –>  Click Here To Buy Tickets Now

Additional information is available on Facebook.

Donations will benefit the Kent Community Center’s music lab.

Photo by Dana Neuts

Thanks to Victoria Andrews of Kent Parks for this news release:

September 24, 2010–The City of Kent and the Kent School District will mark 10 years of a successful partnership on Tuesday, October 5, 3:00-4:00 p.m. at Clark Lake Park’s main entrance on SE 240^th. Additional parking is available at the Eastridge Baptist Church, 12520 SE 240th St.

The City’s Youth Tree Education Program, “Plant the Planet,” began in the year 2000, when Kent School District elementary students helped plant 2,000 native trees.  To date over 20,000 trees and shrubs have been planted by Kent children!  The City is marking the 10^th anniversary by creating a Walk of Native Trees & Shrubs and a self-guided tour at one of Kent’s most beautiful parks, 130-acre Clark Lake Park. The walk features mature examples of 13 of the species students have planted over the past 10 years.

Council President Jamie Perry will MC the walk’s dedication.  Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lee Vargas will also participate, along with a few of the teachers who have been part of the program for many years.  Parks Director Jeff Watling, who will take the walk for the first time at the dedication, commented, “Plant the Planet is one of our most popular annual programs, for teachers, students and City staff.  Our Public Works and Parks staff team up to give children a hands-on learning experience about what trees do for our environment.  Each child pots a tree or shrub in the spring and cares for it until it can be planted at home or at a park in the fall.”

In 2007, “Plant the Planet” received the Education Award from the National Arbor Day Foundation.  In 2009, it was selected for national recognition by Take Pride in America® in the local government category.

Light refreshments will be served after the dedication and walk.  For more information, contact 253-856-5110.

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.

At its annual awards luncheon yesterday at Golden Steer, Soroptimist International of Kent presented its community service awards. With 45 or so guests in attendance at the luncheon, including Mayor Suzette Cooke and Kent City Council President Jamie (Danielson) Perry, the following individuals and organizations were honored for their work in improving the lives of women and girls in the Kent community:

• Volunteer of the Month:  Kenyanna Brown, Kent Phoenix Academy
• Children’s Therapy Center/Dynamic Family Services
• Domestic Abuse Women’s Network (DAWN)
• Kent Youth and Family Services
• SKCAC Industries
• Master Gardener Foundation, Tribal Life Trail

Jon Botten, executive director of Children’s Therapy Center, accepted the award on behalf of his organization by reading a letter from MacKenzie, a recent graduate who utilized the center’s services for many years.

“Children’s Therapy Center gave me hope when there wasn’t any,” she writes.

Mike Heinisch, executive director for Kent Youth & Family Services, accepted the award for KYFS’s Watson Manor, a transitional housing program for homeless teen mothers.

“These mothers don’t have a place to call home – home is where our root is, our security and shelter,” Heinisch says.

Each of the honorees also received a donation from the Soroptimists to help them to continue their work. For more information about the local Soroptimist group, visit them online at www.soroptimistnwr.com.

According to a City of Kent press release, the Kent City Council plans to host three town hall-style meetings this April at the following dates & times:

Wednesday, April 21, 6:30–8:30 p.m.
Fire Station 73, Training Room, 26512 Military Rd. S, Kent

Saturday, April 24, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Kent Senior Activity Center, 600 E Smith St., Kent

Wednesday, April 28, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Kent-Meridian High School Cafeteria, 10020 SE 256^th St., Kent

The town hall meetings are being held so that area residents can talk directly to the city council about issues that concern them.

“Town Hall meetings provide an opportunity for residents to come and speak to us in a very casual setting about their concerns, suggestions and hopes for our city,” said Council President Jamie Perry in an April 1 press release.

“The open discussion and hearing from people directly is very valuable to us,” Perry said.  “We see these meetings as an opportunity to expand our outreach while also increasing residents’ participation in city government.”

Participants will be asked to submit their questions at the beginning of each meeting.  A moderator will then facilitate the discussion.

For more information, contact Michelle Witham, Community and Public Affairs Director, for the City of Kent at 253-856-5709 or via email.

From Michelle Witham, City of Kent
253-856-5709

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kent City Council has a New Member, New President
Committees Assigned, Incumbents Sworn In

KENT, Wash. – January 5, 2010 – At its first meeting of the New Year, tonight members of the Kent City Council and Mayor took their oaths of office followed by the election of a new Council President.

Sworn in was newly elected Dennis Higgins to Council Position No. 4.  Higgins is the Client Services Manager of the King County GIS Center and lives in the Clark Lake area.

“I am humbled, honored, and ready to get to work,” Higgins said.  “Steering the city through these unprecedented economic times is job number one.  I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues to move this city forward,” added Higgins.

Higgins ran to replace Tim Clark, who opted to run for a position on the Kent School Board.

Re-elected incumbents sworn in were Mayor Suzette Cooke and Councilmember Elizabeth Albertson who ran for Position No. 6. Both women are serving their second, four-year terms.

Also sworn in was Councilmember Jamie Danielson who ran unopposed for Council Position No. 2.   Danielson was appointed in July 2008 to replace the late Councilmember Bob O’Brien who died of cancer.

After being sworn in, Councilmember Jamie Perry (formerly Danielson) was elected Council President.  Perry, who was recently married, received a unanimous vote by the Council.

The Council President’s job is to lead the Operations Committee and represent the City of Kent in the Mayor’s absence.

Perry thanked the Council for giving her the chance to serve and said as president she will continue to represent Kent’s residents.

“It’s an honor to serve with my six colleagues, all of whom take great pride in representing our constituents.  We’ve certainly got our work cut out for us this year. The economic crisis, coupled with the threat of flooding, requires a unified approach in addressing these challenges.  As president, I’ll strive for a cohesive and open process as we deal with these issues head-on,” Perry said.

In her first action as Council President, Perry unveiled the Council Committee chairs* and assignments:

City Council Committees

Planning & Community Development –Jamie Perry*, Elizabeth Albertson, Debbie Ranniger

Parks & Human Services – Debbie Ranniger*, Elizabeth Albertson, Dennis Higgins

Public Works – Debbie Raplee*, Ron Harmon, Dennis Higgins

Operations – Les Thomas*, Jamie Perry, Debbie Raplee

Public Safety – Ron Harmon*, Dennis Higgins, Les Thomas

Special Committee Appointments

LEOFF 1 Board – Debbie Raplee, Ron Harmon

Human Services Commission – Elizabeth Albertson

Lodging Tax Advisory Committee – Les Thomas

Arts Commission – Debbie Ranniger

Outgoing Council President Debbie Raplee said Jamie has the leadership qualities required for this position. “She has a commitment to this community, isn’t afraid of spirited discussion and has the ability to work with everyone,” Raplee added.  “I know we all look forward to her leading the way and wish her a great deal of success.”

Perry is a life-long Kent resident and family law attorney with Hanis Irvine Prothero in Kent.

Kent City Council members are they are elected to four-year terms.  Their terms are staggered, with elections held every odd-numbered year.  The Council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month.