There is a really nice column about Renton’s Way Back Inn, and local restauranteur Armondo Pavone, in todays Seattle PI.
They are working together to prevent homelessness, and get families back on their feet.
Here is the link to the story:
Armondo’s dishes out help for the homeless
And you can help by eating at Armondos, or ordering take-out, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, and a portion of the proceeds from that day will benefit the Way Back Inn and HOME/ARISE.
Tonight is the night we appoint a new councilmember! If you want to learn the choice in real time, you can watch the meeting starting at 7:00 on channel 21 (or be at city hall in person).
The agenda is long tonight, so the appointment may be a while into the agenda.
It will be fun identitying the new council member, and having a full council again. I again thank all applicants for throwing their names into the ring.
(For background on this topic, including the list of applicants, click on the “council appointment” link below.)
Best Wishes,
Randy
Scuba Diver/photographer, Travis S , took these interesting pictures between Coulon Park and Southport. Some of the pilings in this area are pretty large, and come close to the surface, so boaters need to use a lot of caution.
Mayor, Councilmembers,
We just heard from BNSF that the Hardie street closure needs to be extended one
more week. The Hardie closure will continue next week Jan 28, 2008 through Feb.
2, 2008, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The purpose is to complete painting on the bridge
and water proof the ballast pan on top of the bridge.
They have also told us that the Rainier closure also needs to be extended by one
additional week. Attached is an updated the flier with the updated information
for both streets. We are also posting the changes on our website.
Please contact Derek Akesson at 425-430-7243 if you need additional information.
Thanks
Preeti Shridhar
Communications Director
City of Renton
1055 South Grady Way
Renton, WA 98057
425-430-6569
www.rentonwa.gov
Renton staff are coordinating with Benson Hill Businesses in preparation for annexation. Below is a meeting notice that was sent out to the business community:
Note this meeting is intended to address business issues primarily, and the space is probably not large enough to accommodate many others, but those of you conducting home-business would be included in this group. And don’t fret…Renton allows reasonable home business, as long as certain conditions are met. I helped draft this ordinance many years ago. I’m sure this will be a topic discusssed.
Photo courtesy of
Cave Canem
We have eleven terrific council candidates to choose from at Monday’s council meeting, to fill the vacancy left by Dan Clawson.
I wish to thank all of them for their participation in this process.
For those that have not seen the interviews yet, the interviews will be played on channel 21 during the week and they should soon be available on our city website. In addition, one of the candidates furnished us written answers to our questions (an alternative we offered for applicants with a timing conflict), and we will read her excellent answers aloud at the council meeting on Monday night.
This will not be an easy decision for any of the council members, as everyone of the applicants has unique strengths and experiences that they can offer to the council.
I am proud to have all of these eleven individuals already making a difference in our community… it was clear from the interview process that the eleven of them together are touching thousands of lives already with their engagement in Renton volunteer programs.
I have no idea whom my colleagues and I will collectively choose on Monday, but we know there is only one spot and eleven applicants.
So there will be ten who won’t make it onto council on Monday, and I would like to share a little of my perspective and experience with them….
First thing to share is that when it comes time to face election, an appointment to city council is not the same thing as winning election to council. I’ve seen many cases of appointed candidates not winning in the first election cycle…I can think of two times that I have seen this in Renton School Board for instance. I think this is because the appointed candidate has very little time to get familiar with the responsibilities of the post while simultaneously gearing up for a campaign. They also have less time than an elected candidate to get to know people, and network with constituents, before facing the election cycle. Furthermore, they don’t have the name recognition that comes from winning a previous campaign, and they are barred from saying “re-elect …….” in their campaign material and on their signs. While being the incumbent can give a slight fundraising advantage in a campaign, without being able to ask for “re-election” it may never be clear to many of the actual voters that they are the incumbent. And on the downside, even though they do not get many of the traditional advantages of incumbency, they can still catch blame for anything that is going wrong, the way everyone does in public office. While this can really seem unfair for someone who has only been in office for a year when they start- off their campaign… welcome to politics.
The second thing I wish to share is that these eleven have all already made a difference. By being available to serve, they have shown our community and our neighboring cities that we have smart people ready to step up and take the reins of our city on short notice. And they have made a difference by sharing their perspectives on some important topics, in such areas as our business plan, annexation, growth management, and spending priorities, and their opinions are important to us.
So, to all eleven who applied to this position, I wish to say thank you very much. I hope they will all see themselves as winners no matter what the outcome on Monday….that is how I see them.
Best Wishes,
Randy
To all:
As of the morning of Wed., Jan. 23, the two 125 ft. long spans, and
about 6 or so cross braces, are in place — all lanes were open for
a.m. commute. This is what was planned (originally for Jan. 14, and
then delayed), but we were never 100% sure when.
BNSF has every interest to move as fast as possible so that by the end
of February the track can start being used — that is their target
date. In the 5 or so weeks to the end of February BNSF will finish the
bridges (Hardie should be permanently open in just a couple of days),
install concrete panels on Houser Way (Main to Burnett), and lay track.
The Hardie Ave. RR bridge work was good “warmup” for Rainier, and it’s
anticipated that the crews will be even more efficient in doing the work
— it’s pretty much identical routines.
The “light at the end of the tunnell” is the end of February when much,
even all, of the railroad pain will be over. Then a couple of weeks’
breather and then onto the Duvall Ave. widening project.
Peter
Peter Hahn
Deputy Administrator
Planning, Building, Public Works
City of Renton
1055 S. Grady Way
Renton, WA 98057
425-430-7242
fax: 430-7376
phahn@ci.renton.wa.us
Guest columnist Rose McMahem describes one of her favorite Renton establishments, The Pickled Onion Pub, “The Eastside’s Only Authentic English Soccer Pub” Here is her column:
Maybe I shouldn’t be doing this. I mean, why tell everyone about the bar I like and risk it becoming more popular and crowded than I prefer? I doubt that’ll happen, despite my vast influence and all, but still. The principle of the matter remains: if you like a place, keep it a secret.
Except I can’t, because I like it so much I’m compelled to talk about it. Inherent in my statements will be my love of the joint. I can’t avoid it. There is no hiding my enthusiasm.
First off, let’s get something straight- I’m not a drinker. I’m not a foodie, either. Or a pool player, or a sports fan. Which begs the question: why do I frequent a sports bar? Well, because there’s so much more to it than that. When I say I’m not a drinker, I mean not that I’m a complete teetotaler, but that I don’t drink enough to know one vodka from another, or whether the bartender knows what he’s doing. Or be able to hold my liquor. Oh, I enjoy my screwdriver or similar fruity-boozy thing from time to time, but is it good? All I know is that it’s nice in my mouth. Objectively speaking, I have no idea.
So clearly I’m not going to the place to tie one on; that’s just not my bag. Similarly, I couldn’t tell you if their cottage pie is top-notch, although my unrefined tastes don’t think it’s bad at all. I know the grilled cheese is good, but it’s hard to screw that up.
I don’t go to watch soccer, and I don’t go to play pool.
I go because there’s plenty of other stuff going on there. There are people I know- or who I know now, at least, owing to the generally friendly vibe of the place. There are bingo nights, and darts, and bartenders who remember your name and what you drink. There are trivia nights, karaoke, and live bands. I mean, this isn’t some boring little low-key dive, but at the same time it’s still small enough that after showing up a few times, you get to know the other regulars.
After seeing some dude with his mom at bingo night there last week, I decided to invite my own parents to trivia night. The idea of bringing my parents to the bar I frequent hadn’t occurred to me before. And you know what? It worked. The place isn’t too hip and loud for adults; it welcomes all ages and sizes…it’s like a little community center that just happens to serve alcohol and burgers. What’s better than settling in for a game of trivia and having people bring you Newcastle? I think my dad would argue: nothing.
If you’re going to show up, though, understand that we’ll beat you at trivia. We may have only gotten second place last night, but we’ll own that place next week.
Rose
The Planning Commission is NOT holding a hearing tonight.
The Planning Commission is going to be briefed on the issue of whether or not to allow heliports on water front lots with a conditional use permit. The Commission will accept audience comment after the staff briefing. Anyone interested in this issue is encouraged to attend. You may also submit comments in writing, but they must be accompanied by your full name and mailing address.
A public hearing before the City Council will take place on this issue, after the Planning Commission review and the Environmental review for this proposal are complete.
If you would like more information on this issue, please contact me at (425)430-6578 or econkling@ci.renton.wa.us
Erika Conkling, Senior Planner
City of Renton
We recently received email from Mayor Law, with the following note and the attached memo. The memo provides the results from spending an extra $150,000 (in overtime funding) in 2007 on neighborhood policing, something the council asked to include in the 2007 budget. The police, using this overtime money, delivered strong results from the extra patrols.
Here is Denis’s note:
Dear Councilmembers,
As part of an effort to keep you informed on items you might be interested in knowing, or should be aware of in a timely fashion, I’ll be sending out occasional e-mails if I have something to share. We’ll talk a little about this tomorrow.
I do have an item that Chief Milosevich prepared for you (attached), which provides results of the traffic emphasis the council requested last year that was paid for with $150,000 in the police overtime budget. I’m impressed with the results and welcome your feedback. The Chief agrees that we should continue this effort. This is a classic example of responding to concerns by the public.
In terms of the Highlands effort, I also want to let you know that the Department has worked hard in the area to provide extra service in the sub-area, as requested by Council. The amount of crime occurring in this sub-area was actually much less than originally reported (incorrectly listed at 20% of the city’s crime). A review of the actual stats from Jan. through Nov. of 2006 put the serious crime totals at between 4% to a high of 8% of certain crimes. While this is much lower than we thought, the Department is still placing an emphasis in the area.
Don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions.
See you tomorrow.
Denis
Here are some dramatic photos of the Sinkhole, provided by the state DOT.
Photos by Washington Department of Transportation
In the days after the Dec. 3 rainstorm, crews discovered a large 30-foot-deep by 30-foot by 80-foot sinkhole just 12 feet from the southbound shoulder of I-405. Crews immediately closed the lanes and poured 1000 cubic yards of rock into the hole to prevent more sliding. In the following days, the materials sloughed away. Upon closer examination, they determined the 400-foot long culvert that carries Thunder Hills Creek from the east side of I-405 to the west was failing. The culvert collapsed and a sinkhole formed immediately above it. WSDOT engineers are designing a plan to replace the culvert. That work could take up to six weeks.
It looks like Independents are starting to outnumber Democrats and Republican these days. That will make the future of all races in our nation and in our state very much up for grabs in the coming years.
I’m glad city council and mayor are non-partisan positions, as we have been able to avoid getting bogged down in many partisan allegiance issues. But King County Council, and other state positions, are going to have to reckon with the fact that neither party actually represents a majority of the voters. In fact, the graph below makes it look like the Democrats have more support than Republicans, but independent voter ranks are already greater than either of them, and growing faster.
I have long allied myself with the Democratic party, but like many others in Renton I have been frustrated in recent years with the party’s becoming involved in our Renton elections, especially when they make such poor choices.
There are still many excellent people in both major political parties, and I think they need to work extra hard to reach out to these independents if we hope to maintain a viable two-party system of government.
The other choice is to end up with a three-party or more-party system, but if this happens we may need to get used to a plurality (less than 50% of voters) electing our presidents and legislators.
_____________________________________________
Here is the Time’s Story
Party ties mean less as voters shift their allegiance
By David Postman
The middle is back.
Political independents are the hot commodity in the 2008 presidential campaign after all but disappearing into the void left when the nation cleaved into a 50/50, red/blue, Bush/Gore, Us/Them, pick-your-side battleground.
Many people turned out for Toni Nelson’s retirement celebration at City Hall on Tuesday.
There were many speeches honoring Toni’s 20 years of service to the city of Renton, and many decades of additional service to Renton volunteer organizations.
The City Council and Mayor’s office got a laugh from our gift to Toni. 12 years ago, when Earl Clymer retired and a memorial bench in his honor was placed at Coulon Park, Toni was heard saying she would probably only get a “three-legged stool” at her retirement. Our council secretary at the time, Billie Dumphy, heard Toni say this, and made a note in Toni’s file that we should remember this upon her retirement. Our Legislative Aid Julia Medzegian found this note, and made sure we had a little fun at the retirement party.
We presented Toni with a three legged stool and reminded her of her comment twelve years ago, which got quite a laugh from Toni and the crowd. Then, we followed up by showing her that a special recognition bench and an engraved stone, will be dedicated to Toni’s service in the Downtown Piazza. The Piazza is a very fitting place given Toni’s work on downtown and the farmers market. This final presentation, done by Denis Law, created a touching moment.
A slideshow at the party featured council photographs going back 20 years, to the start of Toni’s service. I enjoyed seeing these, as they reminded me of councils past and other people I used to serve with.
Here they are for your entertainment.
1991
1992
1994
1998
2000
Recieved earlier today:
Re: Conner’s helicopter
IP Address:(146.129.243.130)