Some bits of business…

City Manager Stuff

City Manager’s Report February 7, 2025

No recipe. Just a piccie of some kid being forced to shred paper. However, this is, hands down, the best Des Moines City Manager report since about 2012. Not. Kidding. I highly recommend you read it carefully. It is far from perfect. However…

• It even-handedly presented the current status of ‘the bond projects’ which you would not get by watching the last meeting, or by reading the mayor’s, or anyone else’s social media. Well done.
• Also, getting into the weeds, this version is a better ‘piece’ as they say in the print biz. In addition to the useful content, the graphics, typography, presentation, are all improving. I can see these letters moving towards a consistent and usable template for our City’s digital presence. To be clear: Ms. Caffrey is neither a brand or logo or communication specialist. But one thing you don’t want is ‘design by committee’ and this is a good interim step. In my opinion, the longer she works this, the more she gets to know the City, the likelier these pieces will get to where we need to be — organically.

This Week

Tuesday: Port of Seattle Commission (Agenda)

Wednesday: Olympia for lobbying on airport bills.

Thursday: Environment Committee – 13 Feb 2025 – Agenda – Pdf Highlight: Estuary Project update.

Thursday: City Council Regular Meeting – 13 Feb 2025 – Agenda – Pdf

Meeting Highlights:

City Managers Presentations King County Metro South Link Connections Mobility Project Engineering, Presentation on The Last Mile, Des Moines Creek Estuary Project

Black History Month Proclamation
Barnes Creek Trail – South 240th Street Consultant Contract
Senior Center Roof Contract Amendment
Field House Playground Equipment Upgrade Project Agreement

Boat launch: In the packet it’s listed as ‘sling’ launch, which was extremely unfortunate. I don’t have to tell all you ¹master boaters out there that there are many types of launch systems. A ‘sling’ being the common term for the dual system the City removed in 2008. That is not what we’re talking about. Anyhoo, the Council will consider rebuilding something on the spot of the current small boat launch, which was flagged for review in 2018, then removed from service in 2022. I have proposed a different type, which is necessary for a dry stack system. Yes, it’s complicated. Hopefully all will be explained next week — including the fiscal urgency.

Last Week

Wednesday: King County Flood Control District (Agenda)

Thursday:  Finance Committee – 06 Feb 2025 – Agenda

Highlights:

We established our planning calendar. I asked that we put a specific Marina Plan of Finance in there. Kinda like this. A funny thing about our Marina. In 2023 dollars, the equipment that needs upgrades is over $81,000,000 and we have no way to pay for it. And yet, your Council does not see that info. (A tiny detail for the five people who watch. I always ask staff to consider time. They often stare. But I’m always considering ‘load balance’. I have no idea what people have on their plates, so it’s easier to ask for a block of time or a date rather than “Sure we can fit that in there. Somewhere.”

We also discussed Ordinance 1561 – the ‘one-time money fund’. In 2012, the Council wanted the City to start setting aside a portion of the taxes from large projects (over $15,000,000) in a separate account. This is not the same thing as the general reserve we need for operations and emergencies. Part of it was to discipline the City not to depend on one time money, ie. unpredictable revenue. Part of it was to be able to save for some special items (‘wants’). I highly endorse this conceptually. However, we’ve never been able to enforce the discipline because, as I’ve quoted my father-in-law so many times…

You have to have money in order to save money.

As I said, Ordinance 1561 was always a great concept. But if we knew all along we wouldn’t have the money to follow such a policy, maybe that shoulda given more people a clue as to our finances. Anyhoo…

The committee voted to have the City research ways to improve the ordinance. The dollar amount will likely shift. I also asked the City to reconsider the purpose. As you’ve likely heard, the Marina, as well as a number of other City facilities will require a crap ton of money in the near future. So, the purpose of this fund might shift more to like ‘saving for retirement’ (ie. needs rather than wants.)

Thursday: Public Safety Public Safety_Emergency Management Committee – 06 Feb 2025 – Agenda

First meeting of year: Planning Calendar, Code enforcement update. Apparently Code Enforcement Officer Kory Batterman is out for surgery and should be back soon.

Council Meeting Recap

Thursday: Study Session – 06 Feb 2025 – Agenda – Updated

Public Comment

There were actually two sets of public comment. A very good move by Mayor Buxton. A bajillion people showed up to support rebuilding the Redondo Fishing Pier. Zero people showed up in support of Marina Steps. The Mayor noticed this as well. We agree that this is in no way a stastistically value analysis… but not on much else as to the events of the meeting.

Four Options

This was a heated discussion. It was also unbelievably complicated. I want to apologise in advance for ‘vagueness’. There are a lot of loose ends that will be tied up (hopefully) at the February 13 meeting. I have already read a few compliments to both the City and the Mayor for the meeting and before even trying to explain what happened I will say that this praise is misplaced.

That said, you don’t care about that. All you care about is Redondo Fishing Pier or Marina Steps, right? The Council voted, as expected to try to have it both ways. The majority voted, 4-3, to spend $100,000 to redesign the Marina Steps in a process called ‘Value Engineering’. This week’s cover image kinda says it all. “Take away the sprinkles”. We also voted to spend the lion’s share of the money to prioritise the Redondo Fishing Pier — which may (or may not) begin construction this year. But that is the current top priority of the Council. If the Marina Steps design (minus the ‘sprinkles’) fits whatever money is left? It moves forward. If not? I guess there are more food-themed discussions ahead.

I voted against everything in a vain attempt to get the Council to pay attention to the fact that the Marina still needs $81,000,000 by 2040 for repairs. One tool to pay for at least some of it, without going to the taxpayers, is called ‘dry stack’. The Council will discuss that, this Thursday, which is another reason I did not want any of this discussed until the 13th.

Sound confused? I get it!

But watch this Thursday February 13 at 6:00pm. Things can only get clearer.

Circling back to the Fishing Pier. Apparently, the piccie of the deck is not as I depicted last week! It will, instead be ‘see through’ across the entire width. The Director of Public Works has promised to bring a sample of the deck material to show us what it actually looks (and feels) like.

Planning Commission

The Council moved forward (with ‘head nods’) to have the City bring back an ordinance to re-establish a planning commission 5-2? (With head nods, who can tell, right?) Thanks to everyone who showed up and wrote in support!

Again: it should never have gone away. However, the packet narrative was entirely accurate, if somewhat limited in options. A planning commission is no panacea. But it can provide some form of nexus for concerns residents have about everything ‘planning’, including what we now refer to as ‘municipal facilities’ – ie. the Marina, Redondo, etc. The residents show have visibility on all planning across the City; not some artificial boundary between City-owned and public/commercials. Residents, potential residents, realtors and developers need one place they can go and see our vision over the next twenty years.

What I never want to hear again is someone screaming “If I had known (x) was coming I never would have moved/opened a business here!”

Airport Committee

In the worst decision of the night nobody stuck around for, the Council voted 6-1 to create an airport advisory committee with literally five seconds before time ran out. What could possibly go wrong?

Having this on the same agenda, after three hours, with a Council that struggles to stay awake past 8:45 was part of the terrible.

But Sea-Tac Noise.Info has full coverage here.

I would much prefer that interested residents help create a joint committee with Burien – the city we share interests with when it comes to Sea-Tac Airport.

If you truly wanna do something meaningful about the airport? Please subscribe to STNI. And participate in the Burien Airport Committee. Turn that into a shared committee that works for both cities.Des Moines City re-establishes an airport committee. Sort of. – Sea-Tac Noise.Info

Some bits of business…

Unusual weather we’re having, ain’t it?

By the time you read this DPW crews will have already been up for hours spreading truckloads of deicer, sand, and ¹opium poppies just like this. All to keep you sleeepy… er… safe. It is a very challenging job. But in my time here, this is one of those core functions our City has always seemed to do particularly well. It’s especially notable because it’s not like this happens every day. However they do it, this is a very good thing considering that even a sixteenth of an inch of snow can be enough to turn half the town into a bumper car lot.

Snow Plow Information

Contest

I had only one entry. But since there were no right or wrong answers, everyone’s a winner! The prize? A gift card to Iris and Peony, which just opened! (I keep tellin’ ya – the prizes are cool. And with Valentines Day coming? You really should be making more of an effort. )

The contest was “…watch the last Economic Development Committee Meeting and write at least two sentences on how different the last Econo it was..”

Two things I was hoping someone would notice were:

• New City Manager Caffrey mentions performing an economic analysis of the revenue potential for various land uses! Gobsmacked was I.
• New City Manager Caffrey (I’ll stop saying ‘new’ as soon as residents stop saying it ) suggested that the ongoing revenue potential of residential (non-commercial) property tax is not great. Also gobsmacking. For her!

This has tremendous implications. We all want this City to have the money to provide great services. But for a very long time, I’ve honestly struggled to understand how much money we need for various tasks. We’re not unique in that way. But most, smaller cities here don’t aspire to be ‘the premier waterfront destination in Puget Sound’, either. Despite those pretensions, we’re a ‘bedroom community’ which does not make enough from the bedrooms to pay the bills. As such we need to know what the real income potential of this six square miles really is. Sooner would be better. Anyone who expresses a desire to quantify these things, like a for-realz management system, makes my heart swell three sizes. And inspired a contest.

Highline School Board Director Opening

One other thing while I’m on a roll (tax roll, get it?) Last week I bemoaned the resignation of HSD Directors Hagos and Petrini. If you want to ‘blame’ someone for high taxes, schools have got to start being in that mix. They get far more of your taxes, and in fact, over fifty percent of the State budget.

I’m not saying you are not taxed to death. What I’m saying is that you should hold every taxing authority to account – not just in terms of dollars, but in terms of quality.

Last year, you told us to try and provide more value for money. Message received. But we must have good schools here to be a great city and currently, by any metric, we do not. And to fix that, we will need a School Board that demands the same improvements you expect of us. Please apply for the open Position #5 on the Highline School Board now!

City Manager Stuff

City Manager’s Report January 31, 2025 What, no recipe? However, some good information on Animal Control.

No Comment

Speaking of which, I want to reiterate something I said last week. I like when the City gets ahead of information because people freak out. Especially about animals. This banner image from the Waterland Blog says one thing while the article headline says “City of Des Moines reduces animal control services amid budget constraints.” One is accurate. The other is not. Which one do you think people wig out over? The City has not ‘canceled’ animal control services. Yes, they are reduced – temporarily. Not ideal. But not ‘canceled’. What I find frustrating is that the WB seems to have stopped accepting comments on their articles – so how does one correct errors like this?

This Week

Wednesday: King County Flood Control District (Agenda)

Thursday:  Finance Committee – 06 Feb 2025 – Agenda Highlight: Ordinance 1561 (rescinding limits on using one-time money

Thursday: Public Safety Public Safety_Emergency Management Committee – 06 Feb 2025 – Agenda First meeting of year: Planning Calendar, Code enforcement update

Thursday: Study Session – 06 Feb 2025 – Agenda – Pdf Highlights:

1. Marina Steps/Redondo Fishing Pier financing
2. Airport Committee
3. Planning Commission

Is that all?

February 6 by the numbers…

#1 Marina Steps

The City’s recommendation is to spend another $100k on a Value Engineer process. Essentially, you pay someone to fit the project to your budget – either by finding efficiencies or scaling back the ‘nice-to-haves’ in order to preserve (or perhaps even improve) the core product. The dream of such an exercise produces a diamond even more valuable than the original… er… rock. (Sorry. I’m trying.)

To paraphrase what I wrote the (new) City Manager…

The preferred option is to spend another $100,000 of public money on a train going in the wrong direction?

…which I’m sure she appreciated.

To her credit, she’s a far better sport than previous management. I’m just particularly snippy today because before her arrival when I asked super-nicely if we could evaluate the project in separate pieces, I was told over and over and over…

“But nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo”

That’s my John Belushi voice.

This is not Ms. Caffrey’s fault. VE is a responsible option. Here’s another

1. Put aside a small amount of money into the boat launch, during the current permit window, so we can move forward with a dry stack boat storage system. Every other Marina has had one for a long time. In fact, it’s the only new money maker in the entire master plan and it’s been on the board for 25 years. That is the baseline for my support on anything in this discussion. Marina. Redondo. Anything. If we cannot set aside even small amounts of money to do what other businesses already do, and generate revenue to reduce future dock replacement costs, and thus protect the future of the Marina? We should all resign.

2. Assuming there is support  among my colleagues, I’m open to setting aside sufficient moneys to do the Redondo Fishing Pier in 2025. (This week’s cover image is from a 2023 presentation called ³Des Moines: Journey To Our Future which is the last overview of all this stuff I could find.) I have not pressed for several reasons, not least of which is that the Council majority has repeatedly prioritised the Steps. However, even if there were such agreement, nothing is that simple. Say it again: the City may not make the 2025 ‘fish window’. The bid process will take time. So, we could vote for that, make the fish window, and still find higher costs in a couple of months. Or, not make the fish window, plan on 2026, and costs will likely again change. And as if that weren’t enough variables, maybe it’s nothing, but this week’s headlines are filled with jazz about tariffs and immigration and general economic uncertainty.

3. The current design does not kill me, but I have always supported some form of connectivity between 223rd and the Marina Floor. But I want that as part of a holistic design that integrates the Marina, Dry Stack, the 223 Green Streets and the Estuary (Beach Park.) All. One. Thing.

Whatever the Council decides, my hope is that all my colleagues (and you, dear reader) understand that all four of those projects must happen at some point. Apart from design, stop stressing about sequencing and start focusing on not wasting money. We bought these bonds. This stuff is like water in the desert. It’s too precious to waste. So rather than fighting about what goes when, let’s use the money we have to get whatever done as efficiently as possible.

This is the same problem we ran into last week — an ongoing lack of compromise. There is a compromise path on almost every issue — including the toughest ones. I just put one up for one of my least fave issues.

Apart from everything else, what may make everyone even more stubborn is the notion, “If we don’t get this done now, it’ll never happen!” It’s a reasonable fear. I just watched my hope for Barnes Creek Trail — something I assumed was happening for a decade — evaporate in six days. It hurts.

Planning Commission: Yes

At least a partial solution is a Public Planning Commission. It should never have gone away. However, the packet narrative is entirely accurate as to some of the weaknesses of what we had. To paraphrase Ben Franklin, “A planning commission, sir. If you can keep it.”

A planning commission is no panacea. My main interest is in having some form of digital presence, which I’m calling ‘Virtual City'(tm) where residents, potential residents, realtors and developers can go and see what we have planned.

What I never want to hear again is someone screaming “If I had known (x) was coming I never would have moved here!”

Re-instating the PPC will help prevent that. And my hope is that it might also reassure electeds that when we decide on a ‘vision’ it has a good chance of coming to fruition — even if that cannot not happen while they are still in office.

Circling back to the Fishing Pier. I’m pretty sure that Journey To Our Future image of the Fishing Pier deck is wrong. IIRC, this is the current design. See how the floor is no longer 100% ‘see through’? Although the salmon love it, a surprising number of humans hate it. Gives ’em vertigo. We went through multiple re-designs to get this split design so that people have an opaque section. I’m just putting this out there to demonstrate that these things really do change.

#3 Airport Committee: Meh

I would much prefer that interested residents help create a joint committee with Burien – the city we share interests with when it comes to Sea-Tac Airport.

This brings up this constant narrative of ‘talking out of both sides of your mouth’. Why on earth would you be against an airport committee, Mr. Airport Guy? For the same reason I was against having a special meeting of the City Council to discuss FIFA. Because I actually know something about the subject. (Who said I can’t be brief? )

I am ‘the airport guy’. However, I was not consulted on this proposal. And it is terrible, which is unsurprising having been proposed and written by the most pro-Port people on the Council. I know how much some of you want to do ‘something’ about the airport. Me too. It’s the reason I ran for office in 2019. But this is not it. That may sound snippy, but we need to stop treating this like a participation prize where everyone who wants to be involved is a winner. There are right answers and wrong answers. We tried this in 2018-2019 and it was a disaster.

I ran for office, literally, to change this approach, after decades of insincerity. The incumbent I ran against was a Port employee, members of the last airport committee opposed me, and a recent mayor now works for the Port as their lobbyist to us. In 2022 the current mayor and last mayor went to the Port of Seattle and offered up Des Moines Creek West with both hands. We are infested.

Like StART, a failure of a group advocated for by the last airport committee, this new committee must be seen as greenwashing; a bad faith attempt to continue to prevent positive change. That is no reflection on any community members who may want to participate. As with StART, people sign up with the best of intentions. But this is a bigger game and we cannot allow ourselves to continue to be used like this.

The only reason we don’t get anywhere with the airport is that they have people who work these issues continuously over many years and we have… well… moi.

If you truly wanna do something meaningful about the airport? Please subscribe to STNI. And participate in the Burien Airport Committee. Turn that into a shared committee that works for both cities.

Last Week

Tuesday: Port of Seattle Commission (Agenda). The Port did not keep its promise to report back on the SIRRPP (Port Packages). However, they signed an international tourism marketing agreement that will gin up more flights.  A last minute amendment by Commissioner Mohamed to limit the agreement to not promoting additional operations failed. Boo.

Wednesday: Highline Forum (Materials) All the cities shared their various legislative agenda re. the airport. Spoiler alert: the only City with anything even remotely useful SAMP-wise? Des Moines.

City Council Recap

Thursday: 6:00pm    Study Session – 30 Jan 2025 – Agenda – Updated

Executive Session

We discussed real estate having nothing to do with the WSDOT Surplus. The City Attorney provided a useful detail. A City cannot have an ES on a piece of property unless it would jeopardise the sale price. In the case of the WSDOT parcel, they already gave us the price.

Public Comment

Several public comments, all on the 216th Surplus. And at the risk of pandering, one of the commenters, who is undergoing cancer treatment, spoke up. Ladeez and Germs, when someone demonstrates that kind of courage, attention must be paid.

216/Barnes Creek Surplus

The Council voted 4-3 not to pursue acquiring this property. Therefore, WSDOT will offer it at fair market value to the adjoining property owner. If that doesn’t work, it will go for auction. As I wrote above, this was yet another case of no compromise.

I actually agree with my colleagues who said they supported more housing. Much of the property along 216th is zoned for apartments and town homes and that is as it should be. However, this one swath is unique.

But frankly, the real arguments seemed based more on revenue than housing, and by that I mean one-time money. My concern is that so many people long for a world of economic development here that is impossible; the car dealership that will never come, the ferry that brings in tens of thousands of paying customers, a in this case a land where construction returns every few years like migratory birds. In case you hadn’t noticed? Our geese don’t bother migrating anymore! We must find a new revenue path. One that does not hide NIMBYism behind ‘open space’ and one that does not mistake one-time money for money we can actually depend on.

I also stand by something else: I know the City tried, but significant information was not revealed until during the meeting, including: the width of the existing Barnes Creek Trail and the intended use of the forested area south of the parcel in question. (Yes, it’s currently indicated as ‘Public Facility’. So what? So was this parcel until 2023.)

FIFA

This was originally the only item on the agenda. Last week I wrote “…my first thought was, for the first time in five years, I should try to book an evening dentist appointment.” Ironically, I left the meeting about fifteen minutes into this item, but not for a minty-fresh cleaning. I left because I cannot look at that big screen for long periods. The City knows this. I bring a special tablet reader when I know there will be presentations. I had no idea what to expect. For some reason, Cm Grace-Matsui seemed aware it was a webinar and also split. Anyhoo, I went home and watched it, mostly in real time. It was a bit odd. Sorta like what ²life will be like when I’m done being on the Council.

Special meetings are a unique authority of the Mayor and should only be called for under truly extraordinary circumstances.

I am a pretty big footb… er… ‘soccer’ fan.  But I misunderstood the purpose. I assumed it was to discuss promotional opportunities during the 2025 and 2026 World Cup events. But the discussion I heard did not go there. Apparently, neither my colleagues or the City were expecting revenue. The first question that came up, and the majority of the discussion, seemed to concern the possibility of public safety threats from tourism. Wow.

But fwiw, https://www.lumenfield.com/fifa-world-cup/2025-fifa-world-club-cup-seattle is pretty fantastic – three of the best clubs in the world will be in Seattle and seats are available. Paris St. Germain (France), Atletico Madrid (Spain), Botafogo (Brazil).

Bord Fáilte

It’s been a while, but if memory serves, didn’t the Seahawks actually win something a while back? I wonder if anyone recalls a flood of oval-sports-ball hooliganism back then? I do not. But just to be safe, we definitely shouldn’t let that happen again!

How can you promote Des Moines as ‘the premier waterfront destination…’ if, when we have chances to promote, we immediately think in terms of defense? That’s not rhetorical. It’s a real question. If we did get a ferry, do we really think every person coming off the dock would be someone’s gran bringing cookies over from Kitsap? Tourism is a mindset that welcomes all.

Fun fact of the week: In Ireland, the tourism agency is called Bord Fáilte. The Irish word fáilte literally means ‘welcome’. Ireland created a great tourism program not because we’re such swell guys (newsflash: a lot more of us are like moi than those ahppy people in the deodorant soap commercials.) We did it because we really needed the money! The government worked really hard to foster that sense of welcoming. Do we have a similar desire? Because more than a ferry or any building project, that is what it would take to be ‘the premier waterfront destination…’ It’s a mindset.

¹jk

²Except that I will likely never watch another public meeting in my natural born life.

³That was not the title of a Moody Blues record. Close, though.

Some bits of business…

City Manager Stuff

City Manager’s Report January 24, 2025

This week features our ‘new’ logo.

It also highlights an award for our harbormaster so glowing I needed sunblock to read it. But it’s also kinda true. The Des Moines Marina has had any number of challenges over the years, but customer service generally hasn’t been one. Some people don’t enjoy my little joke, but a Marina is essentially a floating parking lot for Lamborghinis. It’s a high touch biz. Anyone who has spent time at more than like two marinas will tell you that the customer service experience is not the same. And most marinas are not responsible for the front yard maintenance of an equally particular residential community. So, there’s that. We take all this for granted and we should not.

In principle I’ve always supported connectivity between the Marina Floor and 223rd – it was considered going back to at least 2001. But one consideration is maintenance. If you walk the Fishing Pier it probably always looks pretty good. But if you took a time-lapse photo of the area, you’d see how much work it takes to keep it looking that way – that’s also the customer service. As designed, the current Marina Steps will add a considerable maintenance burden. That’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s a theme I want to drive home: whenever you have a park, it’s not just the capital expense. You should also do an operating cost/reward analysis.

This Week

Tuesday: Port of Seattle Commission (Agenda) . Not much for us. The Commission was supposed to get a report on the SIRRPP (Port Packages) in January. But they didn’t say which January.

Thursday: 6:00pm Study Session – 30 Jan 2025 – Agenda – Pdf Originally there was one item and one word. ‘FIFA’. And my first thought was, for the first time in five years, I should try to book an evening dentist appointment. But fwiw, https://www.lumenfield.com/fifa-world-cup/2025-fifa-world-club-cup-seattle is pretty fantastic – three of the best teams in the world will be in Seattle and seats are available.

And then a second item was added which does matter. I am absolutely furious. And you should be too because, regardless of the merits, this is yet another BLIND SIDE!

The item in question is one more piece of WSDOT surplus property from what was going to be SR-509 20 years ago. It triggers me because the same stretch of land across the street is Des Moines Creek West. Cues scary music. Dunh, dunh, dunnnnnnnnnnnnh!

This whole item is misleading and disrespectful and it begins with the image in the packet – more of that ‘leading the witness’ business. When you’re presented information in this narrow manner, someone is basically leading you to make a decision. But to me this is like a doctor making a health recommendation from one x-ray without regard for the entire body.

WSDOT first contacted the City last October, asking for $5.350,000 for what looks like less than six acres. They would prefer an answer by January 31st. But this is the first the Council has heard about it?

Here is the current Barnes Creek Trail 216th – 220th segment, which runs parallel to much of the surplus parcel. This woodland is what the community expects for the area.

• 

• 

It’s one piece of a puzzle; a trail that was planned to go from at least Des Moines Elementary to Kent Des Moines Road through the center of Des Moines, hook up with the Des Moines Creek Trail to 200th and finally to the entire King County Lake To Sound Trail system. That was supposed to be the dream.

Start here. See how it’s right next to the Barnes Creek Trail segment?

Now step back. It’s easier to see the ‘swath’ of forest where SR-509 was gonna go. That’s Barnes Creek.

Now step back to the original ‘plan’ – a trail heading south to Kent Des Moines Road. That‘s the Barnes Creek Trail.

The ‘dream’ has never been fully fleshed out. But in some way, it’s meant to provide an amenity every bit as amazing for the center of Des Moines as the Marina or Redondo are along the water – frankly, a much larger swath of families. Where are we at? Those four blocks from 216th to 220th, which may now be at risk. Every other aspect is undetermined.

WSDOT is working on another piece, from 220th south – but it’s their show.

Des Moines Creek West is a hope and a prayer. Des Moines Creek Business Park has been a complete disaster.

What absolutely infuriates me is that this is yet another ginned up “we gotta decide!” moment that the Council should not have to decide now. WSDOT surplus offerings take years to prepare. It is being presented with a one-day deadline, none of this context, and no other options — not even an easement to acknowledge preservation of the trail because the City is just presuming the outcome. One shouldn’t have to ask these questions. They should be in there. We’ve known for years all these surpluses are coming and we should have had a policy in place a decade ago concerning the entire trail.

The City will argue that we can’t afford it. True. We’ve blown our wad on so many other things. But we should at least try. This is the kind of project that has historically been funded by State and County grants. If you have the time. It is the lack of time that is the real problem.

However, I’ll close with something micro-positive. In the last decade, WSDOT offered us the same opportunity wrt the north side of the street (ie. Des Moines Creek West.) The City Manager of that time simply did not respond – thus handing it over to the Port of Seattle. So, I guess even presenting this to the Council means were now ‘more transparent’? Woo hoo.

Reason #327 why we need a public planning commission. And an election. Every meeting I keep trying to say ‘slow down’. And every meeting, it’s just Pow, Pow, Pow.

Saying you can’t stop the train is the strategy to keep the train going in exactly the same direction it’s been going for a very long time.

Last Week

Monday: Martin Luther King Day at Northwest African American Museum. I always try to recommend a book and this year it’s Death of a King, the best short volume on MLK’s real philosophy; not the made-up ‘saint’ he has seemed to become.

Tuesday: Burien Airport Committee (agenda) Our City Council seems hell bent on re-creating a new airport committee in Des Moines. I encourage interested residents to show up for BAC meetings (third Wednesday every month 6:00PM) to see what such a thing can (and cannot) do for us. I favour creating a joint committee; rather than separate groups, because frankly, we’re much stronger as a shared voice. But again, the lack of strategy here is the strategy. We haven’t wanted to do anything meaningful on the airport for over a decade.

Wednesday: ZEV Car Share Ribbon Cutting at the Marina. Sign up for a membership here: Zev Co-Op.

Wednesday 2:30pm Highline Forum (at Sea-Tac Airport)

Thursday: I testified at the State Environment Committee on behalf of HB1303. The CURB Act is the most important piece of environmental legislation you haven’t heard of. When/if passed into law, it will require developers of mega-projects (like Sea-Tac Airport) to provide an enhanced environmental impact statement – specifically to address community impacts. It’s exactly what was missing in the SAMP Draft EA.

Thursday 4:00pm Municipal Facilities Committee – 23 Jan 2025 – Agenda

Their first meeting of the year, so mostly planning calendar, but an interesting update on the Flag Triangle.

Thursday 5:00pm Economic Development – 23 Jan 2025 – Agenda

Their first meeting of the year, so mainly planning calendar. It is so fundamentally different from EDC meetings from the last regime it is Must-See-TV. And despite my above screed on Barnes Creek, I want to acknowledge the wonderful potential I heard. Truly. That’s the problem I’m currently having with the new regime. It swings so hard back and forth between terrible and wonderful it’s making me seasick. And I fished for a living.

But in fact, it was so hopeful?

City Council Meeting Recap

Thursday 6:00pm Regular Meeting – 23 Jan 2025 – Agenda – Updated

Public Comment

Last week I (cough) ‘challenged’ Redondonites to show up if you care about the Fishing Pier. And you sure did! There is nothing like a land use decision to concentrate the mind. But still, I say the same thing: Public. Planning. Commission. As with all land use decisions, you shouldn’t have to get worked up.

A number of people walked out in a huff for not being able to provide public comment.  As I often say when it comes to your City government, you’re often looking in the wrong direction. It is not unheard of for governments to time-limit public comment on huge issues with dozens of commenters. But in this case, there were maybe a dozen commenters. Frankly, there was plenty of time to accommodate all commenters.

Said it before, say it again, what is abnormal about our meetings is the 9:00PM hard stop. For a variety of reasons, a super-majority of the Council are becoming increasingly averse to ‘long’ meetings. So, the Mayor’s goal seemed to be to finish the meeting early enough to accommodate a follow-on Executive Session (private meeting) and still get outta Dodge by 9:00PM. That is new and worrying trend. In the past, it was just assumed that if a meeting went long, it went long. If a Cm needed to leave? No one’s stoppin’ ya, pal!

The social norms, the expectations of what this job means keep slipping. We need to end the culture of the hard stop.

City Manager presentations

Animal Control Update: A crisp 3 minutes on life (mostly) post-Burien Cares. So far, the news is as good as can be expected. The Waterland Blog originally got a couple of details wrong in their coverage (apparently corrected) but it was enough time to create the usual social media frenzy.

We’ve lost a drop-off service for stray pets, which is troubling – especially with reductions of service @ RASKC. But we do have coverage for serious issues. It’s not nothing. And this is where we are for now.

At the risk of sounding defensive, when people scream “the council doesn’t care” about issues like Animal Control it gets on my last nerve. We are seven very different people. Or haven’t you noticed by now?

In the case of Animal Control, I vigorously opposed outsourcing ACO services and have never voted for any reduction in service levels. I worked me arse off on that. But the Chief of Police at that time wanted to outsource ACO hard — telling the Council, with zero evidence, of an expected $300,000 cost savings! I got nowhere because I had no backup. When we vote on certain things (like Redondo), it packs the house for public comment — and the Council usually listens. That’s backup. However, when that ACO thing happened, only one person showed up. And sadly they chose not to provide public comment! No backup. Frankly, girlfriend, that’s how you lose ACO services. The Council responds when people show up and speak their mind.

Legislative Issue Update on HB1380 I want to express my admiration for our lobbyist for not making more out of this than it is, but HB1380 concerns the right of people to sleep in public places and without fixes it is worrying in its scope of ambition. I am not freaking out because I want to note that it has strong sponsorship in all area legislative districts. So IMO the correct move is to try to fix it rather than to scream into the void and lose any chance of compromise.

New Business

Transportation Impact Fee Reduction For Early Learning Facilities.

Being the child hater I am, I voted no.  I felt it was a $95,000 discount for a single use case and for an unfunded mandate. The State law which made such discounts possible was meant to incentivise developers. Fine. But in this case we were offering a retroactive discount to a project already in the works.

The City provided numbers as to relative costs in other cities – and even without the discount we were squarely in the middle. But that isn’t the issue. It should also have provided a comparison of efficacy. If other cities already have a discount? We should be able to see how many new projects have opened or are likely to open as a result of that discount.

Contrary to the City’s presentation, the developer felt our fees were exorbitant writ large. But the City already has generalised incentives in the toolbox. My skepticism has to do with past projects that provided big incentives with too little return. This discussion was about encouraging Early Learning Centers.

The public told us no new taxes. Fine. That makes it incumbent on the City Council to be frugal and ask for evidence, even on very well-intentioned programs.

If the State wants to promote Early Learning Centers? Fine. Give us the $95,000, not a guilt trip.

City Logo Discussion

In the toughest budget environment in years, we’ve already ‘invested’ 10 Gs  on a Mission Statement. So why wouldn’t we do the same on a new logo and branding discussion?

In a Hail Mary effort to avoid wasting an hour and tens of thousands of dollars, I asked the Director of Public Works for the number of signs in town that already have the little green/red sailboat. I blindsided him and I apologise. I was thinking if we had even a vague idea how much it would cost to re-set every sign in town to a new logo, it would incentivise the gang to simply go with that. My wag guess is that there must be at least a few thousand. And my other wag guess is that four-colour signs probably cost $2o0. Do the math.

Additionally, have you walked around our city recently and seen how much dough we’ve already spent in the last decade on stuff like ‘the gateways’ at 216th and KDM? People just love image and branding.

Frankly, I could care less. A true re-brand costs a fortune. And I’d rather do nothing than waste one more centavo.

And I disagree with my colleagues. A city is not a ‘brand’. It’s a place. For me, ‘the brand’ was always the places. I like the current flag for one thing: 1889. As much as anything I used to feel like that was ‘the brand’. When I moved here it had more interesting ‘stuff’ per square foot than any surrounding area. It didn’t need too much new stuff. It just needed to preserve and refresh what it had and build from there. So much for that notion.

Redondo Fishing Pier Replacement Project

I (sorta) owe the DPW a second apology. I asked him to confirm on camera something the contract is fairly clear on: that this contract was only structural. I just needed him to say that it would not change the look because you have no idea how many revisions that deck went through to get salmon-approval. This is the last rendering I remember. The majority of the deck is see-through, which salmon apparently really need.

I also got my little speechifyin’ in here. As much as I value the Redondo Fishing Pier, I am slightly queasy about any vote that has to be done tonight. Or else! I know some of my colleagues often feel the same, but it’s like the learning center thing. Passion often trumps consistent discipline.

There are these competing energies: strategic planning vs. gettin’ shit done! Spending $11,000,000 and doing the docks should be more than enough initiative for one year. We may end up doing three : Docks, Redondo Fishing Pier, Marina Steps. For me, it’s too much. Oh, and we have the 24th Ave mess to clean up.

My only disagreement with some of my colleagues is that the Redondo Fishing Pier is not a revenue driver. That is not what a park is. There was a time when Redondo was a revenue driver. Here it is. Get it? Everything you see as fishing pier, MAST Center, Salty’s was built on very old piers for a revenue driver that is never coming back – at least, not that kind of revenue. And all of it costs a fortune both to build and to maintain.

I want the City to slow down. Not stop. Slow down. Do one major project a year. Not three. If we do all this stuff, it’s riskier and it can’t be undone. And right now, a lot of it is not being thought of strategically. People want the Pier? Groovy. But the area is changing We’ve seen Salty’s close. And there are likely other big changes coming. If I were Emperor Shaddam IV, I would make it clear to residents that we are doing something – in the 2026 fish window. But since we have to pay a ton of money for re-design work anyway, we should take a breath and consider how the project might be improved to fit the changing waterfront.

This is worrying

I had planned to finish up my rant… er… dissertation… on Marina planning, but as you can see, stuff happens. At the last Highline School District Board Meeting, two of the five directors resigned, including our own District #5 Director Azeb Hagos. Imagine if three our Council resigned in one night. It says something.

I cannot speak for either of them. But Ms. Petrini’s statement speaks for itself and I urge you to watch it.

In May of 2022, I asked, nagged, wheedled, cajoled, pleaded, and begged Azeb Hagos to apply for a vacancy on the Highline School Board. And when she got appointed, I thought it might be the biggest accomplishment in my (cough) public service.

Thirty years ago the schools here were pretty good. Objectively, they haven’t been for a very long time. It is my belief that our city cannot thrive without quality schools. And both women focused on the basics – which in itself was controversial. Coming from Ireland, which is not exactly wealthy, but does have a superior education system, this drives me crazy.

I’ve heard some jabs about them as ‘quitters’, which is insulting and always comes from people who did not know them or tend to make jokes like “You couldn’t pay me enough to deal with that kind of shit show! Haw, haw, haw.” Exactly.

If it were possible, school board is an even more thankless job than City Council. The meetings are loooooooooooooong, at odd hours, pay so low it wouldn’t even cover child care costs, and filled with hours of platitudes rather than actual policy. What’s more, I think some people might find them lonely. Almost no one watches. Voters in Des Moines have no idea what is going on at HSD — most reflexively support bond issues based on the lovely flyers — as do I — because it seems like the right thing to do, not based on much knowledge of the circumstances.

I do not believe we can improve our schools without creating a space for voices like theirs in leadership. I also believet their resignations have implications for cities like Des Moines. If people of their quality, do not feel supported, the people who should run for office will simply choose not to. Or at best, will not serve with the passion necessary to take us where we need to go.

I wish I had been following more closely. I wish I could have been more encouraging. But that is what people who run for office and want to effect change need: Support. Encouragement.

It should not be this hard.

I salute borh women for their exemplary service and I sure hope their talents find outlets somewhere else. Soon.

Some bits of business…

City Manager Stuff

City Manager’s Report January 17, 2025 This week’s recipe involves a fancy event potatoes and duck fat recipe – apparently from her husband’s people in ‘the big town’ (Dublin). Sound delish. However, I just priced duck fat. I guess I’ll be stickin’ with cál ceannann. (As tasty as it looks, let me tell ya. )

Save Redondo Pier Petition

I wandered around Redondo this weekend and noticed a sign ‘Save Our  Pier’. The Council has also received inquiries from our State reps who helped provide prox. $2.5M grants to help the rebuild several years ago – and understandably want to know what’s holding up progress.

My advice to all concerned residents is, as always: Public. Planning. Commission. I dunno how many times to SCREAM this because at this point, it’s not the City that isn’t listening. It’s you. Every time you get upset about a Woodmont Recovery Clinic, Masonic Home, Van Gasken House, bad apartment complex, Des Moines Creek West, Marina Hotel, Marina Steps, Redondo Fishing Pier, Downtown, etc., etc., etc… you’re really screaming about a lack of overall public strategy. And the longer we go without a planning commission, the longer the City Council will keep making ad hoc decisions. This is not a difficult concept to understand. If you don’t have a ‘public plan’, there are no controls. Instead of waiting until the next emergency, just insist on re-instating the planning commission we had in 2012.

On Thursday, we’ll vote for a re-design. The packet says that it’s already funded. OK, fine. But it’s also an extra $200k to re-design the project to account for the increased overall costs. Just like the Marina Steps, we’re paying more to figure out how to build something less than what the Council originally voted for.

At our February 13 meeting, the Council will consider those Marina Steps. And one of the options mentioned on January 13 was, indeed, to pull the bond money allocated for Redondo over to plug the cost overrun in the Marina Steps. Or? It could go the other way – move money from the Steps to Redondo. Without a plan; without a planning commission, these are both possibilities.

But here’s the thing: either choice is yet another ad hoc decision, a response to immediate events, rather than following an actual plan.

One of the trust building issues I have with our new staff, has been what seems to be a private support for a planning commission. Every other city has one of course. Great! But no one has mentioned it publicly and I’ve been asked to be patient. So, it’s quite possible that the City Council will move forward with all the worst possibilities re. the Marina, Redondo, etc. And then set up a planning commission. Ta da!

That’s the lived experience people have had here. It’s why people have become so cynical.

To end on a hopeful note: I’ve seen the Council change direction many times. But only when the public gets angry. Said it before, say it again, and the rest of the Council hates to hear it, but the very few times the public shows it actually means business? The impossible instantly becomes very possible.

So, WRT ‘Redondo’, the fishing pier is in play not only because there’s no ‘plan’. It’s also up in the air because the Council sees no consensus among residents.

In my opinion, the area should be a vibrant community space. More than one venue like Salty’s should be humming and there should be beach amenities to serve the hundreds of families who live in the south end of town. But tracking people who actually show up at City Council meetings? The only message we hear is “we want quiet!” I don’t know what to do with the mixed messages.

To my mind, the waterfront blessings we’ve been given must be exploited for the full benefit of all Des Moines residents. If that’s really going to be our ‘mission’ it’s the right policy and the right finance. Average people need places to enjoy the entirety of our waterfront and spend money doing so.

So, if there is a constituency that wants to Save The Pier? Very cool. Hope to see you on Thursday! That at least tells me there is a constituency that values more activity in Redondo; something I strongly support.

This Week

Monday: Martin Luther King Day at Northwest African American Museum. I always try to recommend a book and this year it’s Death of a King, the best short volume on MLK’s real philosophy; not the made-up ‘saint’ he has seemed to become.

Tuesday: Burien Airport Committee (agenda) Our City Council seems hell bent on re-creating a new airport committee here. I encourage interested residents to show up for the BAC to see what such a thing can (and cannot) do for us. I favour creating a joint committee; rather than separate groups, because frankly, we’re strongly as a shared voice.

Wednesday: ZEV Car Share Ribbon Cutting. There’s been this green electric car near the Harbormaster’s building for several months. It’s an electric car you can take for a few hours up to a week using a phone app. You sign up for a membership you get a fairly low rate. Zev Co-Op. Here is a coupon for your first ride.

Wednesday 2:30pm Highline Forum (at Sea-Tac Airport)

Thursday: Olympia I will be testifying in support of HB1303-2024
HB1303, aka the CURB Act is the most important piece of environmental legislation you haven’t heard of. When/if passed into law, it will require developers of mega-projects (like Sea-Tac Airport) to provide an enhanced environmental impact statement – specifically to address community impacts. It’s exactly what was missing in the SAMP Draft EA.

Please  Sign in pro to support HB1303 before Thursday January 23, 2025 8:00AM for HB1303-2025 (CURB act)

Thursday 4:00pm Municipal Facilities Committee – 23 Jan 2025 – Agenda Their first meeting of the year, so mainly planning calendar.

Thursday 5:00pm Economic Development – 23 Jan 2025 – Agenda Their first meeting of the year, so mainly planning calendar.

Thursday 6:00pm City Council Regular Meeting – 23 Jan 2025 – Agenda Highlights:

• • Transportation Impact Fee Reduction For Early Learning Facilities. I will vote no. It’s simply a developer discount. Does nothing to help parents or children.
  • City Logo Discussion. In the toughest budget environment in years, we’ve already wast… er… invested 10 Gs  on a Mission Statement. So why wouldn’t we do the same on a new logo. Newsflash: I think our current flag is just fine.
  • Redondo Fishing Pier Replacement Project. See above.

As is often the case, what’s a little weird are the items on Consent, including the award of the L,M,N dock replacement. That warrants mention because (apparently) the low responsive bid came in under budget, which means that at least one aspect of Marina Redevelopment we can all agree on will be able to start this year.

And then there are three City Manager presentations

1. 1. Middle Housing Open House Update (see above)
   2. Animal Control Update (life post-Burien Cares contract?)
   3. Legislative Issue Update

The legislative update will likely include a homelessness protection bill by Mia Gregerson. Frankly, these are the kinds of things drive me nuts; on both sides. Everyone tends to freak out, establish a hard position, and then get nowhere. Rep. Gregerson is rarely seen in Des Moines, which is a shame. Before going to the State House she was Mayor in SeaTac. She knows a lot about the airport, has seniority in the House, and we could sure use everyone’s help on many issues. But unfortunately, this bill does go too far and I wish she’d consulted with us beforehand.

But… just being real here girlfriend. I could say exactly the same for many State and Federal legislators. If you feel unheard by your electeds? The line forms at the rear.

Last Week

Tuesday: Meeting with UWDEOHS. They did a paper last autumn that improves on the work they’ve done, not only to demonstrate the dangers of ultrafine particles, but also to show that they can distinguish between the source of those UFPs. Normally I provide links to papers like this, but this one is pretty dry (unless you enjoy reading about the improvements in Positive Matrix Factorisation V5, versus PFM V4.)

This is the easy part: In 2025 Des Moines has a chance to obtain the first fixed-site air quality monitor in the area – something we’ve needed for decades. That will go a long way to closing the remaining gaps in the science – and make regulation of aviation pollution possible. That’s the part you care about.

Tuesday: Port of Seattle Commission.  Their first meeting of the year. Unlike us, the agenda is fairly light. The only thing of potential interest to us is a renewal of their 30-year agreement with Midway Sewer. Said before, say it again, everything that runs off the plateau, water, sewer, storm water, is something the City of Des Moines needs to keep an occasional eye on.

Wednesday: Regional Transit Committee. First meeting of the year. RTC’s job is to provide recommendations to the full King County Council which governs Metro. A lot of the discussion concerned the death of bus driver Sean Yim. Safety is a big deal in every meeting. As a big user and proponent of transit, this puts me in an awkward position.

Unlike most people who will read this, I actually use local transit. From where I live, getting to Seattle and Tacoma is safe, friendly, inexpensive, and the only major problem is that not enough people use it.

So at these meetings, it’s hard to pivot from the sad but extremely rare “Services for Mr. Kim will be…” to mundane topics such as “How do we get more Orca Cards into the hands of Des Moines residents?” But that’s the challenge.

I’m part of this because as great as Metro is for me in the north central neighbourhood, that’s how much it sucks in other areas of Des Moines. Obtaining ‘last mile’ service for the rest of Des Moines – particularly the south end and Highline College is pretty important. What good is having a Light Rail if people can’t get to/from it in Des Moines?

Wednesday: Middle Housing Community meeting 5:30 – 7:30pm Senior Activity Center 2045 216th St.

The staff conducts these open houses and there is always a certain amount of ‘process frustration’. The people who show up are interested in immediate changes to zoning. But the meeting is really a listening session. The people who should be at these meetings, the people who need middle housing never show up. I don’t know what to do about it other than to attempt to be a proxy for residents who call me all the time looking for affordable places to live.

Thursday: I met with Director of Public Works Mike Slevin and Surface Water Manager Tyler Beekley to ask a couple of questions re. the Environment Committee – 09 Jan 2025 the Council reviewed last week.

When I saw the rendering for the proposed public replacement, it reminded me of a previous set of design ideas from 2008. Interesting, no?

More on this next week.

Some bits of business…

City Manager Stuff

City Manager’s Report 1.10.25

Best. Gift. Ever.

Said it before, say it again: if you do whatever this is, you’ll get any number of nice surprises. I got this late-arriving, and totally unexpected ¹meme-pillow from someone who follows our City Council. I cannot stop laughing. It represents a tone I wish the City Council could embrace. We obviously disagree. But we don’t have to take things (or ourselves) quite so seriously.

This Week

We have no meetings this week.

Tuesday: Meeting with UWDEOHS. They did a paper last autumn that improves on the work they’ve done, not only to demonstrate the dangers of ultrafine particles, but also to show that they can distinguish between the source of those UFPs. Normally I provide links to papers like this, but this one is pretty dry. Hopefully, Des Moines will obtain the first fixed-site monitor in the area in 2025. That will help close some of the remaining gaps in the science and make regulation of aviation pollution possible.

Tuesday: Port of Seattle Commission.  Their first meeting of the year. Unlike us, the agenda is fairly light. The only thing of potential interest to us is a renewal of their 30-year agreement with Midway Sewer. Said before, say it again, everything that runs off the plateau, water, sewer, storm water, is something the City of Des Moines needs to keep an occasional eye on.

Wednesday: Regional Transit Committee. First meeting of the year. RTC’s job is to provide recommendations to the full King County Council which governs Metro. I’m part of this because obtaining ‘last mile’ service for the south end of Des Moines is pretty important. What good is having a Light Rail if people can’t get to/from it in Des Moines?

Wednesday: Middle Housing Community meeting 5:30 – 7:30pm Senior Activity Center 2045 216th St.

Last Week

Monday: City Audit Entrance Conference. And wouldn’t ya know it? Like us, they got a flag too! Every year the City is audited by the State and this is the beginning of that process for 2023. I covered this last week. SAO Entrance Conference 20250106.

Monday 3:00pm: Grand Opening of Jumpin’ Jambalaya Kitchen at Highline College Building 8. I want to mention this because the new 236th College Way road is such a great opportunity. Being able to access the campus directly from Pac Highway should be a game changer.

Thursday: I met with Mayor Ferrell of Federal Way to discuss Federal Way’s strategy re. the Sustainable Airport Master Plan. The Mayor is quite the football enthusiast and referred to the SAMP using the phrase ‘power sweep’ – which I need to look up.

Thursday 4:00pm: Transportation Committee (Agenda) First meeting of the year was basically setting a planning calendar. Unfortunately, there was a glitch in the Youtube feed so no video was recorded. Grrrr….

Thursday 5:00pm: Environment Committee (Agenda) Also, our planning calendar and a much more thorough discussion of the Estuary presentation the full council saw at 6:00pm. But watch this one as it is much more in-depth.

This is no joke. An ongoing challenge with the Beach Park, nay the entire Marina, is flooding and climate change. Keeping the park (and those lovely historic restorations) going was always gonna be expensive. But now that we understand how quickly sea level is rising and take into account that one of the original purposes of restoring the Creek was salmon recovery, the discussion is about to go next level.

Salmon recovery and flood control are often in tension with one another. So, it’s a bit weird to see grants for both purposes in one project. Although it’s not because ecosystems don’t compartmentalise like that. In fact, the ‘estuary’, the mouth of the creek, is the interface between salt and fresh water. But there’s no clear line between ‘salt’ and ‘fresh’. It’s all one thing.

Eventually we will need to remove as much of the artificial sea wall (‘rip-rap’) surrounding the estuary mouth. Eventually the estuary will look more like the tidal marshes and Blue Heron Sanctuaries at Nisqually and Everett.

This will have impacts for nearby homeowners, condo dwellers, and all denizens of the Beach Park. It also calls into question our events planning program at the Beach Park and basically everything near the Marina. I strongly encourage you to read this portion of the packet carefully.

Council Meeting Recap

Thursday 6:00pm: City Council Meeting Updated Agenda) Usually the first meeting of the year is fairly benign. But not this one. In fact, this one gets the Pee Wee Herman Action Packed Seal of Approval!

Public Comment

There was  a very enthusiastic public comment re. the Des Moines Flag is (or perhaps technically, the ‘seal’.) And of course, when you Google “seal Of Des Moines, WA” you get this.

In addition to the vexillogical, there were three other comments all from people in Redondo. What got me going on the ‘flag’ thing is that when the City proposed a park district at Redondo, I had hoped there would be at least one nod to the fact that Redondo is in Des Moines, eg. putting up the City flag! If we want to tie the community together, we do need have shared symbols.

Ferry Presentation by Peter Philips

This presentation was not only a sales pitch and a ‘surprise’, the entire stats page was a pack o’ porky pies, mate. I mean everything. ‘Unique’ visitors actually included repeat visitors. ‘100% utilization’ was more like 70%. And I still have no idea what ‘utilization’ means.

Costs? His sheet says $296,000. Here’s the more realistic numbers from the actual contract.

The latest is that King County will be doing a ‘test’ ferry run from Pier 50 to Des Moines. Which is just another sales pitch.

ZEV Car Share

There’s been this green electric car near the Harbormaster’s building for several months. It’s an electric car you can take for a few hours up to a week using a phone app. You sign up for a one-time membership fee ($500?) and then you get a fairly low rate. Zev Co-Op Grand opening is January 22nd. Here is a coupon for your first ride.

Public Records Fee Schedule Update

I’m not grousing about a rate increase. But this is exactly the kind of thing I wish the Finance Committee would discuss before bringing to Council – especially on an already packed agenda. There was this thing about 1,400 hours of staff time. OMG! Enormous! Until you do a bit o’ division and realise that it’s only .7 of one full time staff member – and a public records officer is a state requirement, not a luxury.

City of Des Moines Mission, Vision & Values

The Council voted for this. I voted ‘no’ because I do not believe this should be our mission. An audience member seemed puzzled that I did not take credit for correcting the grammar in the original blurb. I did not take credit because that correction came from ChatGPT.

As I tried to explain, wanting to prevent the City Council from signing off on something embarrassing is not the same as supporting a bad policy.

The fact that the Council spent $8,000 on this endeavour and ended up with ₂almost exactly what we had before should be what we focus on more.

Des Moines Marina Steps Project

❮❯

I’m gonna be honest here. I walked out of this meeting triggered. The initial essay I wrote, which would have been more than appropriate in the previous regime, today would read as unfair given the newness of Ms. Caffrey and her team.

The problem, of course, is trust. All seven of us voted for Ms. Caffrey, but for very different reasons. And with each passing week, and especially at critical presentations like this, we all look for ‘signs’ as to the kind of leadership she will provide.

But there was an over-stuffed agenda, a ton of ‘surprise’ info, a lack of answers to longstanding questions, coupled with helpings of mis-information. All perhaps understandable one-offs for a new leader walking into a situation like this. But also eerily reminiscent of the last regime.

I’ve strongly advocated for giving the new CEO a lot of time to learn the City and develop her own approach. However, I acknowledge that during this period a lot of bad can happen. Given the past decade or so, it’s tough to sit quietly and be patient.

And then there was this:

If you take $2 million out of the project, is it still acceptable and does it meet the requirements that was intended as a signature project? If you take $4 million out, my belief is that it wouldn’t, but we could probably go that far and end up with a staircase.

I object, your honour. Leading the witness!

Frankly, I’d hoped this little budget problem would afford us a chance to look at things a bit differently. This is the fourth major version of ‘Marina Redevelopment’ since 2017. The whole notion of ‘placemaking’ only began in 2024 – as a response to public criticism of both the new design and the bond sales. In short: the new design seemed to require new justifications.

‘Placemaking’ implies that somehow a ‘staircase’, ie. connectivity between the downtown and the Marina, is secondary; that the Marina needs to be dramatically enhanced with a bunch of doodads in order to be successful and to draw people here.

That was never ‘the plan’. Going back to master plans three decades old connectivity was the main goal of any improvements to that central core! And newsflash: People already love visiting the Marina and the Beach Park.

Thought experiments: Just how many new visitors would be attracted by a splash pad or a jungle gym than would otherwise occur? How much new downtown revenue would be required over time to break even on those add-ons? Would it not be better to be patient and apply for grants to add park amenities over time (as we have done everywhere else in town)?

If the project were scaled back to a simple, elegant, and truly ADA-friendly way to transit between the downtown and the Marina – and came in under budget that should be more than enough success.

And the funny thing? That was the original mission going back three decades.

Des Moines Creek Estuary Project Update

See above in the Environment Committee.

Telecommunications Franchise Agreement with Ezee Fiber and Ziply

This kinda/sorta blows my mind. As of today, there are a ton of gaps in broadband coverage. In the past, new providers treated their coverage areas as state secrets. The rep for Ziply stated on the record: they intend to provide 100% coverage to Des Moines. I don’t want to give a hard date, but it’s so much faster than previous rollouts of Comcast or Centurylink it was hard not to raise an eyebrow. But if it turns out as advertised, this is tremendous news. One important value proposition for Des Moines should be remote work and/or businesses that can support Seattle without requiring commuting.

But wait, there’s more…

The discussion of logos was postponed until the 23rd. There was also an announcement of a ‘Non-Profit Summit’ which I don’t quite get. But Cms Achziger and Grace-Matsui seemed to be aware of it and supportive.

If you don’t get the gag, it’s sort of a Japanese version of the Real Housewives yelling at Smudge meme I’ve used a couple of times.

²As a civic-minded Des Moines, I know you are aware that our previous statement was “Create a vibrant, inviting, livable, safe and sustainable waterfront community, while embracing change for the future and respecting our history.”

Some bits of business…

I gave new City Manager Katherine Caffrey the best gift ever. Two weeks off from the wonders of me. And then welcomed her back with a 3,000 word essay. Break’s over.

Duwamish Head

A couple of people asked me “What happened to the sailboats?” This race, usually one of the best of the year, was marred from the start by bad weather. Started late. Got scrubbed at the mid-way point. So, if you were wondering why you did not see boats sailing across the finish line in late afternoon, that’s the deal. To be clear: by ‘bad weather’ I only mean no wind. In sailing wind is the only thing that really matters. Cold and rain are generally no impediments that cannot be overcome by purchasing muy caro (and muy macho) gear. The main races are in winter is because this is usually the time of the best winds in Puget Sound. Just. Not. This. Saturday. Still, a great time and some great piccies at the Three Tree Point Yacht Club Facebook Page.

Yelling Fire in a crowded tax season

I don’t wanna be that guy, but many of you received your Fire Benefit Charge details. Despite voting to approve it, the statements have been greeted with surprise, confusion, and in some cases buyer’s remorse. I won’t get into South King Fire’s business (mainly because ¹I want someone to show up if my house is burning ) However, to the extent it affects the City, it’s still an interesting discussion.

First, despite what you may have heard, when the Finance Committee initially proposed our ill-fated property tax levy back in January 2024, no one was considering how it related to the FBC. However, somewhere in April-ish SKF was the origin of the strategy to place the levy on the ballot twice, ie. if it failed in August put it back on the ballot in November. I strongly disagreed and in fact, my colleagues (in private, of course) seemed to agree. But the administration heeded their advice, based on SKF’s ongoing success in getting their ballot initiatives passed. And apparently that was enough to get some of my colleagues to …er… ‘reconsider their decision’ on the ‘second try’ thing.

The first I heard of the notion of using the FBC as a sales tool for our property tax levy was from former SKF Chief and former councilmember Vic Pennington. But that began after the August 6 election. The notion was that the FBC would ‘free up capacity’, and thus be a net zero for residents even with the property tax levy.

It is understandable that proponents would want to provide new sales arguments after that fail. But honestly? That never would have occurred to me. My mind just does not work that way.

Say it out loud, “Even with the City’s new tax, you’ll still come out ahead so long as you vote for this other tax (..er… ‘fee’). But you gotta do both!” Which sounds like something a former SKF Chief might say. (Sorry, Vic.) But seriously, making one tax contingent on another did not seem like a great idea. Especially if you’re not 100% sure about the effects of that other tax.

I applaud SKF for acknowledging their ongoing funding issues and finding a creative solution. There are some great aspects to the FBC (eg. Port of Seattle property is tax-exempt but is subject to the FBC. Wish we could do that!) My concerns, which I stated at the presentation SKF gave to the City Council, were two-fold…

a) The FBC seemed hard to calculate. I think they coulda provided some sort o’ calculator on their web site to allow voters to instantly know how it would affect them before they voted. Check this out:

FBC = √square feet* x (18)* x (category factor) x (response factor) x (risk factor)  x (fire flow factor) x (discount)

“I’ll take Polynomials for $400”, Alex.

b) Also, and this may just be me, the ‘risk component’ felt uncomfortably like insurance. It is quite understandable to charge many fees based on usage (water, electrics, sewer, etc.) Up to a point, one can choose to conserve those things. However, First Responders like police and the brave men and women who are gonna save my house (in spite of this article!) provide an intrinsically different service. To me, what they do feels more like a responsibility we should all share in equally. For example, I’m trying to imagine how it would be if police were funded on a similar model – charging residents a variable rate for public safety based on the current crime stats on their street or whether or not they own a private security system. Not a fan.

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City Manager Stuff

Even with her well-earned break, Ms. Caffrey has really set the bar with her City Manager’s Report January 3, 2025 The promo for the Des Moines Historical Society is always welcome. One minor complaint: either the piccie of the boy with a salmon is a stock photo or I’m ratting her child out to DFW for fishing out of season! jk.

This Week

After several much needed weeks off, once again the games begin, ²Maximus…

Monday: City Audit Entrance Conference. Every year the City is audited by the State. This is for 2023 and it is routine – nothing like the archetypal “OMG, we’re getting audited, Frank!” As I keep saying, the City’s books are surprisingly complex, so the State rotates the areas it reviews every year, covering most aspects in sort of a 3-4 year cycle. It will also add on any potential weaknesses it noticed from the previous year. In general, these are fairly uneventful. The last noteworthy ding (‘finding’) was 2020 and that was not particularly serious. Very few Cms show up for these. I do because, well… I guess I have nothing better to do?

One last thing that also bears repeating: State Audits are not management audits! The last City Manager used to crow whenever we got a clean bill of health. Not so fast, sir. One way these audits are like the IRS is that the State’s concern is partly to find gross fraud (very rare), but mostly they’re about getting paid. The State has no interest in running our city. It’s important that these audits go smoothly. But regardless, they are no guarantee that the services the City provides, or the projects we’re undertaking are wise, or otherwise. I think of it like a restaurant inspection from the Health Department. Very important. But it’s the baseline you expect. The tastiness and quality of service might be another matter entirely.

Monday 3:00pm: Speaking of good (and Creole) food! Grand Opening of Jambalaya Kitchen at Highline College Building 8.

Thursday 4:00pm: Transportation Committee (Agenda) First meeting of the year is basically setting a planning calendar.

Thursday 5:00pm: Environment Committee (Agenda) Also, our planning calendar andA the Estuary presentation the full council will be seeing at 6:00pm? Not sure why the redundancy. But it is important, I guess. I will be asking my colleagues for their ideas. I have a couple.

I think it’s a fine time for a top-up.

Thursday 6:00pm: City Council Meeting (Agenda) Usually the first meeting of the year is fairly benign. But not this one. In fact, this one gets the Pee Wee Herman Action Packed Seal of Approval!

The issues range from the sublime to the rid… er… less sublime and include:

• Ferry Presentation by Peter Philips
  Inshallah, may I serve long enough to see this guy not get another ‘six month’ contract. This was a topic of that 3,000 word essay. If I had a dime for every vote the Council has taken in my tenure that were ‘just a small step, we can always change our minds’, I’d have a lot of dimes.

• Public Records Fee Schedule Update
  This is something the Finance Committee discussed last year. My only gripe is that the specifics of the proposal should also be first vetted by the Finance Committee before going to the full Council. If we are not capturing our costs, obviously we should have that discussion.

• City of Des Moines Mission, Vision & Values
  Inshallah, may I serve long enough to see us notice that the majority of the city is nowhere near the water. And have the ‘vision’ to do something about it.

• Des Moines Marina Steps Project
  Inshallah, may I serve long enough to… OK, I’ve beaten on that expression enough. This was also a part of those 3,000 words. When we voted for those bonds in 2023, we were told that they had to be applied to these specific projects. And we were specifically told that the project had to be bid as one all-inclusive deal. And yet, the agenda now talks about breaking the project into smaller pieces or even backing away? How are these things even possible, Grasshopper? And if so, why are they now only possible simply because we came up short on the dough-re-mi?

• Des Moines Creek Estuary Project Update. This is no joke. An ongoing challenge with the Beach Park, nay the entire Marina, is flooding and climate change. Just keeping it (and those lovely historic restorations) was always going to be expensive. But now take into account that one of the original purposes of restoring the Creek was salmon recovery. And to do that, eventually we also need to remove the artificial sea wall (‘rip-rap’) surrounding the estuary mouth. How it will impact nearby homeowners and denizens of the Beach Park is going to be an interesting discussion. If you live or use the Beach Park, I strongly encourage you to read this portion of the packet carefully.

• Telecommunications Franchise Agreement with Ziply
  I confess, as of this writing I have not finished plowing through the thing because these franchise agreements go on for pages and pages. But I will. People have screamed about both a lack of coverage and choice in broadband service here for decades and I do intend to read this thing carefully because having those things really is a strategic interest for the City. One important value proposition for Des Moines should be remote work and/or businesses that can support Seattle without requiring commuting. Without much better broadband we cannot do that. To me those services are just as important as physical links (like a ferry).

• Council City Logo Discussion
  In another hard hitting issue, we will be discussing some form of coherent branding? Actually, this does matter to me in the sense that we have a zillion web sites and brands. And in many sections of the city we literally don’t say ‘Des Moines’. Eg. the new Redondo restrooms will say ‘Redondo’ which is ridiculous. If we spend over a million dollars on a bathroom, I want visitors to know who the hell paid for it!

I’m also not thrilled that over the past two years the City unilaterally embarked on its own ‘temporary’ branding, which is now all over the place and cost however much it cost. Frankly, I wish we had that moolah back in order to pay for all the new branding.

I’ll be honest: I kinda like the old brand. I tend to favour older designs (buildings, logos) because although they may look ‘stodgy’ for a few years, over time they tend to look better and better.

However, I will be moving to have this opened up to the Arts Commission for a public competition. As we have done with other public arts projects. We have a ton of talented professional artists in the area and I’d rather have them take a whack at it than the seven of us who are definitely not artists.

• Non-Profit Summit Hosted by Des Moines City Council
  I have no idea what this is. I can guess. But any agenda item called a ‘Summit’ with no description deserves a bit of mockery.

Last Week

• I spent a certain amount of time on STNI stuff, including this letter to our State legislators calling for a revision to the law to open up Port of Seattle funding to cities like Des Moines for aviation impacts. The letter gets a little (ok, a lot) into the weeds, but besides ‘the noise’ there are many other problems in our relationship with the Port. A big one being that there is no path to funding to compensate for the harms caused just by being next to the eighth largest airport in America. This legislation is meant as a path to at least partially addressing that.

I also put out Part Deux of my year-end grab back. It contains gems such as

You call this a Happy New Year? 12/31/2024 – JC Harris For Des Moines, Washington

• New Marina Parking Rates
• An article on Oklahoma City which funds downtown projects in a very cool way!
• Some stats on property values, commercial, home, tax-exempt and how we compare with the rest of King County.
• Some gossip on three new businesses!
• An update on Middle Housing
• And an AI Generated Christmas Card I will treasure for at least 361 more days.

¹A certain staff member referred to me recently as ‘Maximus’. I assume because the character spends most of the movie being tortured to death?