Prepare to comment for the Masonic Home Demolition EIS Public Meeting

At 6:00PM on August 15, 2022 there will be a Zoom meeting, to take public comment on the SEPA process for the demolition permit of the Masonic Home. The consultant (ESA) will be there, as well as the City SEPA official, Denise Lathrop. You need to sign up in advance and read up here: https://desmoineswa.gov/zenitheis.

To prepare, you can, well, first things first, actually read that page carefully. And then you can…

#1. Read the Environmental Checklist filled out by the owner.

This gives you a ton of information on how the owner perceives the project. Perhaps your most useful tool for giving you ideas on what to comment on.

https://jcharrisfordesmoines.com/wp-content/uploads/SEPA-Landmark-on-the-Sound.pdf

#2. Watch the City’s SEPA Official explain the process…

On 5 May, 2022, the Des Moines City Council received a briefing on the SEPA process for the Masonic Home Demolition, with follow-up questions. Here is the discussion from Susan Cezar, who was SEPA official at the time. Ultimately, it is the SEPA Official who will decide whether or not to grant the permit, or what mitigation approach will be taken.

#3. Read The Environmental Consultant’s Contract

And here is the contract with ESA, the consultants running the study on behalf of the owner. Note the spreadsheet with a list of subcontractors at the end. Each sub has a different area of expertise and a certain number of hours allocated and that can be helpful in understanding what they expect to study. If there are important specialties you do not see on this list? Say so!
ESA Contract for Masonic Demolition SEPA

#4. Watch the first public meeting…

Watching the first round of public commenters has two huge benefits.

A. It should give you plenty of ideas on what to do/what not to do.

B. Remember: this second public meeting is a gift you should not pass up, due to an error made by the consultant. And that is also something you can comment on… the process itself.

- If you live nearby, has everyone in your neighbourhood been notified?
- Do you feel that you have received adequate information on the process?
- Do you feel that the public engagement has been good/bad/indifferent? How could it be better?
- If the first public meeting was not what you’d hoped, you can comment at this upcoming meeting on how future public engagement should work.

#5. Watch the second SEPA Public Comment meeting…

#6. Learn about prior permitting…

And that includes the current permits #LUA2019-0032, which includes a great historical review of the building by David Peterson Consulting

#7. You can look at some piccies…

…and read some interesting history…

#6. You can watch me scream at you for two minutes…

…about the City Council’s role in the process at this point. Always a good time, of course. But the real reason to watch this is because many of you continue to misunderstand the City Council’s role in the current process.

#8. Phone A Friend…

After you come up with your comment, do what they used to do on that TV show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Phone A Friend. Ask them if what you wrote sounds about right. And if they give you any (cough) ‘notes’, then ask them if they signed up, Mr. Smartypants. 🙂

#9. If your dog dies…

(What’s that old joke about playing a country song backwards… yer truck starts, yer wife comes home, yer dog returns to life. 😀 )

If by some cruel twist of fate you miss the meeting, do not despair. You still have until August 25th to submit a written comment. But since you read the page in Item #1, you already knew that, of course. 😉

https://desmoineswa.gov/zenitheis

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.

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 your home has Port Package (sound insulation system) 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.