By David Kroman Seattle Times staff reporter The 2019 kickoff of Washington state’s hybrid-electric ferry program couldn’t have been more jubilant. Gov. Jay Inslee, standing inside Vigor Shipyards on Harbor Island, promised a green “revolution” that would begin right there, at the mouth of the Duwamish River, and cascade across industries around the globe. By his side … Continue reading “As Washington’s ferry fleet ages, why aren’t we building new boats?”

SR 509 Completion Project – Summer 2023 Update

August 7, 2023August 7, 2023

External Articles, TransportationLeave a comment

SR 509 Completion Project – Summer 2023 Update Pacific Northwest summers are unrivaled. It’s the time of the year when we get outside, bask in the sun’s warm rays, and check off some major construction milestones. This season, the SR 509 Completion Project team is continuing to perform major construction activities that will bring multi-modal … Continue reading “SR 509 Completion Project – Summer 2023 Update”

NBER 31492 Diversifying Society’s Leaders? The Causal Effects of Admission to Highly Selective Private Colleges

This study has tremendous implications for all students and parents, not just those seeking to attend the elite private schools. If academic papers aren’t yer thing, I highly recommend this podcast: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/27/podcasts/the-daily/college-legacy-admissions.html https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/07/24/upshot/ivy-league-elite-college-admissions.html

King County Metro Route 635 2018 – 2023

Transportation4 Comments

Route 635 is a shuttle bus that transits from Angle Lake Station down to 216th and Wesley. It was created as a funding match partnership with the City in 2018. This year, KC has taken over 100% funding, which is great. From Metro’s point of view this is the ‘multi-modal transportation’ that a passenger ferry … Continue reading “King County Metro Route 635 2018 – 2023”

The 2023 Drone Show. And a proposal for a different experiment in 2024.

July 5, 2023July 6, 2023

Neighborhoods, Public SafetyFireworks8 Comments

The drone show was an experiment–and an expensive one at that. I do not believe it provided nearly the entertainment value of fireworks and cannot do so without spending several times the money. So in 2024 I propose a different experiment using those same drone funds: Firm enforcement of illegal fireworks.

Tom Nelson, Seattle’s fishing evangelist, wants you to catch fish to save fish

June 24, 2023July 22, 2023

Environment

By David Gutman Seattle Times staff reporter OFF POSSESSION POINT, Puget Sound — As he scrapes a 3-foot gaff hook against an abandoned timber piling, Tom Nelson turns and explains, to a small audience, Puget Sound fishing techniques, the local ecosystem, the modern world. The barnacles he’s scraping off will chum the water for pile … Continue reading “Tom Nelson, Seattle’s fishing evangelist, wants you to catch fish to save fish”

Drug Arrests in Des Moines, WA 2018-2022

Public SafetyLeave a comment

These numbers surprised me. I’m not sure why because, until I saw this I honestly had no idea what to expect. And I’d be interested to know what you think. Higher than you thought? Lower? About what you expected? Arrests for possession and paraphernalia are both coded as VCUSA. It took a bit of work … Continue reading “Drug Arrests in Des Moines, WA 2018-2022”

Seattleites support denser housing, but only up to a point, survey finds

June 5, 2023June 15, 2023

External Articles, NeighborhoodsHousing, Puget Sound Business Journal

By Neetish Basnet – Data reporter, Puget Sound Business Journal Jun 4, 2023 Updated Jun 5, 2023, 2:54pm PDT More than 80% of Seattle metro area homeowners and renters support building denser housing in their neighborhoods, according to new Zillow research. However, their support is conditional. 2023 SUBSCRIBER STUDY Improve Your Experience By Taking A Short Survey Share your feedback … Continue reading “Seattleites support denser housing, but only up to a point, survey finds”

Fentanyl has devastated King County’s homeless population, and the toll is getting worse

May 21, 2023May 24, 2023

External Articles, Public SafetyAddiction, Drug Possession, Drugs, Seattle Times

1 of 11 | A candlelight vigil in December by Women in Black honors homeless people who died in 2022. Deaths by overdose have skyrocketed. (Daniel Kim / The Seattle Times) By Anna Patrick Seattle Times staff reporter Before the pandemic, most fentanyl-related overdoses reported in the Seattle area involved people with homes. They started … Continue reading “Fentanyl has devastated King County’s homeless population, and the toll is getting worse”

Seattle’s proposed tree ordinance is the legislative equivalent of a chain saw

May 19, 2023May 24, 2023

Environment, External ArticlesSeattle Times, trees

Follow up to this: https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/enforce-seattles-tree-ordinance

Ongoing Stuff

Get vaccinated! Yeah I know you’d like to forget about it, but there are new variants and the infection rate is climbing. Fortunately, there is an effective booster, which is recommended for people 65 and older and those who are immuno-compromised. It is available now, effective, free and you can get your appointment today here and here , including walk-Ins at SAFEWAY, Walgreen’s, Rite-Aid, SeaMar and Healthpoint. And, And, AND, you can also get free rapid tests here and at KCLS Libraries!

Sign up for the King County Code Red Alert program. When you sign up for Code Red you’ll be notified immediately when there is a possible health threat. After the recent ‘Boil Water Notice’ I received just a few grouses that ‘it did not work’. I’m 99% certain that the problem is that you have to actually sign up for an account. Do It! There is this ‘guest’ option which is stupid and should not even be an option. Everyone who had an account in their system was notified. If you’re like me and signed up ten years ago (after the last notification), go to the site immediately and verify your account. Ten years is a long time for any computer system.
Check out the 223rd Green Street Project web site and take the 223rd Green Street Survey before December 11th!
Check out the Des Moines Marina Steps web site and take the Marina Steps Survey.
If you’re interested in any of our Kids or Senior activities, you can sign up here.
Learn more about our Comprehensive Plan and take the Housing Action Plan Survey.
Take the City Communication and Engagement Survey
Give blood! Schedule an appointment today. There is a CODE RED emergency shortage.
Masonic Home! There is a petition for those who are interested in historic preservation of the property. If you have questions, don’t contact me. Contact Barbara McMichael and Lloyd Lytle Jr
Community Service Officer Tonya Seaberry wants to hear from neighborhood groups interested in establishing block watch programs: Tseaberry@desmoineswa.gov or 206-878-3301.
City Of Des Moines Minor Home Repair Program: Low to moderate income households can get grants to do all sorts of necessary repairs. Email Tina Hickey (206) 870-6535.
Every home should have a Carbon Monoxide Detector–especially during the colder months! Full stop. If you need one but money is tight, South King County Fire And Rescue will get you one. Just call their Community Affairs Office at 253-946-7347.
And last, but not least: If you have a Port Package that is having issues, please go to SeatacNoise.Info

How to attend meetings and provide Public Comment

City Council Meetings are scheduled for Thursdays at 6:00PM at City Hall 21630 11th Avenue S., Suite #C Des Moines WA 98198. They can also be viewed live on Comcast Channel 21/321 or on the City’s YouTube channel. Committee Meetings are either at 4:00PM or 5:00PM, also on Thursdays.

There are three ways to provide Public Comment:

In person: Show up a few minutes before the meeting and sign the sheet. Public Comment is usually conducted at the beginning of the meeting.
By e-mail: All e-mails sent to citycouncil@desmoineswa.gov are considered public comment. They are instantly available to all members of the City Council and the City Clerk who includes them into the record of public comments at the next meeting.
By US Mail: Attn: City Clerk Office, 21630 11th Avenue S., Des Moines WA 98198 no later than 4:00 p.m. day of the meeting. Please provide us with your first and last name and the city in which you live.

All letters or e-mails requesting a specific action are referred by the City Clerk to the appropriate City department.

If you would like a follow up from me, personally please indicate that or call me (206) 878-0578.

The Clerk does not read e-mails to the Council in full; only the subject line. However, we do see them as soon as you send them. Your comments are added to the Agenda Packet available on the City web site following each meeting.

How to view public comments, correspondence and meeting materials

The City publishes a meeting agenda on the Friday (six days) before city council meetings. On the day after the meeting (Friday) the City updates that same file with all the slide presentations, the correspondence, and a list of the people who signed up to give public comment at the meeting. Currently, there is no button on the web site that says Show me the meeting comments for xx/xx/xxxx. You just have to know that this is the procedure. Below is a recipe to get you there.

Go to www.desmoineswa.gov
Once there, hover over Your Government and then click Council Meeting Center. (Or, you can skip Step #1 and just click on Council Meeting Center.)
Select the meeting date you’re interested in from the Schedule Of Meetings calendar.
Click on Regular Meeting for the meeting date you want. In this case, December 1, 2022.
Click the Agenda Packet link under “Print Verson”.
You can also select a meeting using the list near the top. You can also use the left and right arrows to select older meetings.
Once the agenda packet loads, there are two links we’re interested in:
- Correspondence to view all e-mails received by the City Council since the last meeting.
- Comments From The Public to view a list of the people who spoke in-person at the meeting.