Some good questions regarding Marina Redevelopment

1 Comment

…to emphasize that. For example, the 223rd Steps portion makes perfect sense to me. Others, like a passenger ferry might be good ideas. But keep this in mind: the whole…

Airport, Economic Development, Engagement, Marina, Policy, Public Safety, Taxes, Transparency, Transportation

The Minority Report (Part 2 of 2: Policy)

…administration held a single open house to gather public input on land side redevelopment. Four years ago. Last month, City Currents Magazine published a highly misleading editorial about passenger ferry…

Transparency, Weekly Updates

Weekly Update: 02/21/2021

4 Comments

…paid consultant on a private passenger ferry service to link up with the Port.) Mr. Philips’ company also publishes our quarterly newsletter City Currents. Which is nice. On the Consent…

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Former City Councilmember says ‘A 64 percent tax increase because the Des Moines City Council won’t do its job!’

April 1, 2024April 2, 2024

External Articles, TaxesSusan White, Waterland Blog

…non-money-making Marina Steps, the money-losing passenger ferry, and a memorial park smack in the middle of one of the city’s busiest intersections. Not one cent until the council starts doing…

Airport, Policy, Transparency, Weekly Updates

Weekly Update: 01/14/2024

January 14, 2024January 14, 2024

Van Gasken House

...married Capt. Fleming in Liverpool, England. The Fleming’s had moved to Oakland, California and Bonner’s Ferry, Idaho before settling in Des Moines. When Mr. Fleming died Jane’s daughter, Emma, and...

Weekly Updates

Weekly Update: 12/8/19

1 Comment

…least because the more passengers they can move through security, the more planes they can move over our heads. http://meetings.portseattle.org/index.php?option=com_meetings&view=meeting&Itemid=358&id=1878&active=agenda Wednesday I’ll be crashing a Des Moines Marina Association meeting….

A deep dive into Seattle’s busy, beloved Ballard Locks

October 13, 2023October 28, 2023

External ArticlesBallard Locks, Pacific Northwest Magazine, Seattle Times

…a major upgrade is coming. Most Read Stories WA state ferry fans see red over Coca-Cola banner ads on vessels Boater rescued off WA coast as companion still missing after…

History, Marina, Transparencybeta

Council Retreat 11/15/2014 (Part 2) Marina

…help 8:51 fill a back hole the hole that was created by the passengers of 695 and the elimination of our second leading source 8:58 of Revenue which was the…

Airport, Economic Development, Environment

All or nothing thinking…

…with airport people. Never really happened. Even today. Everything the City sells in terms of ‘economic development’ seems tied to the Port. Just look at how the new ferry is…

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.