Magical Night of Giving tickets available

Here is an outstanding way to help the neighborhood, while getting great deals for your holiday shopping!

The Supermall in Auburn is hosting a Magical Night of Giving on Sunday, November 16th from 6:30-10:00pm. This is a special after-hours event with exclusive sales, raffle prizes, visits by Santa and much more.

Even better - tickets are only $5 each (kids 12 and under are free), and 100% of that money goes to our neighborhood fund. We can use that towards matching grant projects or other events in the future.

To get your tickets, please contact Heather Thomas at 253-239-4200 or email at mxpxchiq@hotmail.com to arrange a time for pick-up. We accept cash or checks can be made out to Mill Creek Neighborhood.

Highlights of the event as posted on www.supermall.com:

Magical Night of Giving Entertainment!
November 16, 2008; 6:30-10:00pm

Magical Night of Giving is fun for the whole family! Besides all the exclusive one night only sales from the SuperMall stores, guests will also enjoy:

-Magical Night of Giving door prize stage hosted by Brooke & Monti from Movin 92.5's The Ladies Room!
-$20,000 in door prizes expected to be given away! Including a vacation to Mexico, shopping sprees, gift cards and more!
-Santa Claus will make his grand entrance during Magical Night of Giving!
-Visit with your favorite radio stations Movin 92.5, Warm 106.9 and Smooth Jazz 98.9
-Radio Disney and Parent Map will be onsite with fun stuff for the kids
-Two gift wrap stations by donation
-Jazz band, holiday carolers and more!

Summer Newsletter

Read about the latest neighborhood news! Remember that our regular August meeting has been canceled and will be held in conjunction with our National Night Out on August 5th @ the Kent Historical Museum from 6pm to 8pm.

Elections for officers will be held at National Night Out. Votes can be cast at the event or via email.

Click here to view the Newsletter.

National Night Out - August 5 @ Kent Historical Museum

Join Us on August 5th for our National Night Out event! Meet your neighbors and learn about the projects underway to improve our neighborhood. Click here to view the flyer.

Please bring a dish to pass and a lawn chair for seating! See you there!

National Night Out @ Kent Historical Museum
6pm - 8pm
August 5th, 2008

Meeting Minutes - June 19

Please see below for the meeting summary from our June 19, 2008 meeting.

1. Approval of April 17^th Meeting Minutes
2. Linda Van Nest from the Historical Museum mentioned a few things the museum is working on:
1. Museum is currently undergoing some exterior renovations to bring back the original paint color and installation of a sprinkler system
2. The Kent Historical Museum recently became the 1^st house historically landmarked in the City of Kent
3. The Museum has been working with our very own NgocDzung Smith in development of their new website: www.kenthistoricalmuseum.org
4. In conjunction with King County and the City of Kent, the Museum is helping with compiling a list of historical homes/buildings that were constructed prior to, and including, 1948. To include your home on the list, please stop by the Museum or email Linda at ctyofknt@msn.com

i. You may also notice people walking around the neighborhood taking pictures of the historic homes for the survey.

ii. Those homes included in the survey should receive letters in the fall discussing next steps, which may include information if you want to have your home landmarked to allow access to special loans and grants.

5. If you are interested in finding out information about your home or other historical tidbits, stop by the Museum or you can contact the Washington State Archives Puget Sound Branch located at Bellevue Community College. Their number is (425) 564-3950.
6. 2008 is the centennial year for the Museum, and they will be celebrating with an antique car show and ice cream social in the afternoon on Saturday, August 9^th at the Museum. See the website or contact Linda for more information.
7. The annual Historical Society Dinner will be held on Saturday, November 1^st at the Senior Center. This is their major fundraiser, with auction items, etc. Tickets will be approximately $35-40/pp.
2. Follow up on the Neighborhood Garage Sale organized by Julie Brown and Laura Gorder. The event was well attended and people are interested in making it an annual function.
3. Heather Thomas gave an update of the planned development at the corner of Jason and Smith. The developer recently applied for a pre-application conference to determine their project conditions. This is the 1^st step in the formal permitting process. Please watch the site for a yellow board posting specific project information when they come in for permit review.
4. Heather Thomas gave an update on the traffic project. The City is in preliminary design stages to install traffic circles on both Jason and Clark, and the intersections of Temperance and Cedar (4 total). We hope to have a design available to show at National Night Out, and the City hopes to have the circles installed this fall – weather and schedules permitting.
5. Update on potential grant projects: more research is being done on the cost and design of historical home plaques, as well as installing street trees this fall. More information to follow.
6. National Night Out is Tuesday, August 5^th and planning efforts will be getting under way soon. We hope to have the event at the Museum again, as long as their sprinkler project is completed in time.
7. Amy Peri discussed a meeting she had with a representative from Big Brothers/Big Sisters. They are looking for volunteers willing to donate their time to youth in our area about twice a month. If you are interested, see www.MoveBig.org or contact Amy.
8. A vote was held to move the August council meeting to the same night as National Night Out. The August 21^st meeting has officially been rescheduled to August 5^th.
9. Meeting adjourned.

Meeting Minutes - April 17

Please see below for the meeting summary from our April 17, 2008 meeting.

1. Approval of February 21^st Meeting Minutes
2. Follow up on the Neighborhood Plant Exchange by NgocDzung Smith. The event was well attended and people are interested in making it an annual function.
3. Heather Thomas gave an update of the planned development at the corner of Jason and Smith. At this time, the developer is still doing feasibility studies and has not officially come in to the City for formal application.
4. NgocDzung Smith and Heather Thomas discussed plans for installing street trees in conjunction with Victoria Andrews with Kent Parks. Victoria wants to wait until fall because it is a better planting time.
5. Laura Gorder discussed plans for a neighborhood garage sale in June. Interested neighbors were encouraged to contact her or Julie Brown.
6. Sharon Bersaas shared information from her involvement in the Citizen Advisory Panel for the City’s new Storm Drainage Master Plan. The committee is looking at various fee structures to recommend to the City.
7. Presentations by City Staff:
1. Traffic Study Update by Rob Knutsen – the second study that we conducted in March came back about the same, perhaps slightly higher. About 10 letters were mailed out to mostly Kent residents, however, it was noted that most of the speeders were not residents of our neighborhood. We are officially transitioning into Phase II of the program to begin looking at traffic solutions.
2. Sgt. Rafael Padilla from Kent Police discussed other options. Our neighborhood is not considered a major problem at this time, as far as collisions and complaints are concerned. Neighbors are encouraged to write down license plate numbers of repeat offenders and share that with him. We can also let him know if there is a specific time of day that is an issue and squad cars could target that area for a short time.

i. There are two new online capabilities that residents can use to file complaints:

1. Go to www.ci.kent.wa.us/police and click on “File an online police report” for non-emergencies.

2. Go to www.mygovhelp.com/kentwa to look for frequently asked questions or to file a complaint.

3. Greg Reed, Utilities Superintendent for Public Works Operations spoke about the Storm Drainage Master Plan and efforts we can do to help with flooding issues and a possible Mill Creek clean-up. Suggestions:

i. Clean any catch basins or grates if we see them clogged with debris

ii. Remove bunches of leaves in gutters

iii. Call City crews if we notice problems at 856-5600

iv. Sandbags will be available for filling at Russell Park in storm events

v. Listen to 1650 AM for local information

4. Matt Knox from Environmental Engineering came to talk about conservation methods and natural yard care. He had several brochures for neighbors to take, and highlighted the upcoming Natural Yard Care Workshops targeted for our neighborhood in April.
7. Mary Kay discussed needs for host families for a Chinese sister school coming this summer. People can email NgocDzung to pass on questions to Mary Kay.
8. Meeting adjourned.

December 20, 2007 - Meeting Minutes

Please see below for the meeting summary from our December 20, 2007, meeting.

1. Approval of October 18th Meeting Minutes
2. Action Team Reports
• Welcome Team - Sharon Bersaas and Stacy Kroeze
• Welcome Team has started putting together a Welcome package to distribute to new members of the neighborhood to include the following:
  
• Introduction letter
• Contact form/sign-up card for both the Neighborhood Council and the Neighborhood Blockwatch
• List of Important Contact #s for the City of Kent
• List of Cottage Flowers for planting ideas
  
  
• Special Projects Team - NgocDzung Smith
• Potential Projects based on neighbor input includes:
• Graffiti Removal
• Planting Trees / Spring & Summer Plantings - Possibly grow annuals from seeds to distribute to neighbors as a fun neighborhood beautification grant project. Anyone with a green thumb who would be interested in volunteering time to plant and grow the seedlings, please contact NgocDzung!
  
• Garbage Removal / Install Garbage Receptacles
  
• Neighborhood Newsletter - Anyone interested in writing articles or putting together a newsletter, please contact NgocDzung. Pre-teens and teenagers are encouraged to participate!
  
• Flooding of Mill Creek
• Cleaning/maintaining the creek and foot bridge area (partnering possibly with the Mill Creek Middle School for volunteer help)
• Better Neighborhood Lighting
• Special plaques for homes indication when tey were built (ie a little plaque that says "Built in 1908", etc.) and history projects to celebrate our historical neighborhood. Information can also be included in our Newsletters as we learn more about our historic neighborhood. Anyone interested in research cost for the plaques or researching information on homes and neighborhood history, please contact NgocDzung.
  
  
• Traffic and Transportation Team - Sharon Bersaas, Heather Thomas, Holly & Paul Seim
• Neighborhood volunteers work in teams of 3-4 to gather information on speeding vehicles on Jason Ave N and Clark Ave N at the end of October and early November during the span of 7-10 days.
• Volunteers collected 6-8 sheets worth of plate numbers, car makes, times & speeds and submitted to the City of Kent Police.
• Almost every vehicle shot with the radar gun was going between 28-35 miles/hour. The fastest vehicle was traveling about 38 miles/hour.
• Police should be issuing warning letters to the speeders to include how much their ticket would have been if they had been stopped by an officer.
• The Traffic Program will probably do another traffic study in Jan/Feb after the holidays to see if speeds are affected by the warning letters.
• Next step: Meetings with the neighborhood for potential solutions to the recognized traffic problems.
  
  
  
3. Information on Mill Creek Flooding - Heather Thomas
• Heather Thomas mentioned the upcoming Storm Drainage Master Plan Open Houses to be held in late January by the City of Kent. Mill Creek flooding is part of larger flooding plans because of it's connection to Earthworks Park. She also mentioned that Toni Azzola strongly encouraged the Neighborhood Councils to begin applying for project grants before the City of Kent started reducing the available grant money due to lack of use. She thought that improving Mill Creek would be a good potential project grant.
  
• Earthworks Park damns higher up to prevent water flowing down to Mill Creek.
• Neighbors are concerned about the traffic problems caused by flooding.
• In the drainage system under Earthworks, officials can control how much water is divert through Mill Creek or to the Green River.
  
• Changes in the FEMA flood plains are to include Kennebeck. Changes affects neighbors in that area.
• Someone asked about the empty lots/property on the West side of Mill Creek. Apparently, the property is owned by the city and is earmarked for a sports park for the Middle School.
• It was also mentioned that the person who built the foot bridge used to own the home on the corner of Kennebeck and Temperance and owned a store on the other side of the creek.
  
  
  
4. Grant Project - need to decide for application
• December's group decided that we would like to pursue the improvement of Mill Creek & the foot bridge as our first grant project. This project has a lot of potential impact for our neighborhood that ranges from flooding for neighbors along the creek, foot traffic for pedestrians including children going to Mill Creek Middle School, and neighborhood beautification. We need a lot of volunteer help to do some research and contact city officials on what we can do to improve the creek and bridge. Please contact NgocDzung if you are interested in volunteering on this project.
  
  
5. Miscellaneous Topics
• Blockwatch - Operation ID: The Blockwatch will be purchasing some invisible pens and an engraver to mark valuable property. Information about this program was sent in a previous email.
• Development projects in the area
  
• Gray House Update (located on the corner of Jason Ave N & Smith) - There have been different applications by different developers for the property. So far all the deals have fallen through and the City of Kent is in the process of changing regulations to make the downtown core more attractive to residents and shoppers.
  
• Plan B development (parking garage & hotel on the corner of 4th & Smith) - Plan B Development has filed for bankruptcy. The City attorneys had protected the City's land in the event of bankruptcy proceedings. The development is to include downtown housing, shopping, and parking. The bank is currently accepting offers from other developers to complete the project.
• Incident at residence on corner of Hazel & Temperance - Surrounding neighbors are concerned about the quality of tenants in the rental and asked for help in considering possible solutions. Neighbors suspect that the residence is Section 8 Housing.
• Masonic Lodge Parties - In previous meetings, it was mentioned that neighbors are concerned about the level of noise, disruption, and garbage strewn about the neighborhood from the events held at the Masonic Hall. NgocDzung Smith reported that the David Macomber, owner of the rental on the corner of Smith & Jason Ave N, has tried to contact Mayor Cook, members of the Masons, and the Kent Police to seek a solution and a process by which future action can be taken. He asked that his efforts be reported to the neighbors in the event that he and neighbors affected by the disturbances need the neighborhood's support for future action. Several attending neighbors also reported problems with the noise and garbage left outside the building and on their properties and possible solutions were discussed.

Meeting Summary - October 18

October 18 - Meeting Summary

Presentation by City of Kent Traffic Calming Representatives
A city engineer and the manager of the traffic calming program presented the following:

• Traffic was studied on Jason Ave N and Clark Ave N for a period of time. On Jason Ave N, traffic/speed meters were placed in three places between James St and Smith St.
  
  
• The average speed on Jason Ave N was noted as 31 mi/hr. The city of Kent considers average speeds over 5 miles over the speed limit to be worthy of intervention.
  
  
• Volumes of traffic were studied, but I don't remember that data!
  
  
• It was noted that traffic studies and actions to calm traffic such as traffic bumps or circles generally take place over a 2 year period. However, I did remind them that I had actually applied for the study two years prior and that a study had been done, but then our request was "lost" until VP Heather Thomas resubmitted our application earlier this year.
  
  
• Next step: To have neighbors volunteer to learn how to use radar guns and spend some time getting speeding data and recording license plate information that would be submitted to the City of Kent Police. Warning letters would be sent to the registered owners of speeding vehicles. Hopefully, we would also get some information on where the speeders live (ie. are they mostly residents of our own neighborhood or are they coming from other areas). After this step, the City of Kent will conduct another study to see if the average speed of vehicles travelling on our streets has been affected by these measures and will report back to us. Possible future actions were discussed.
  
  
• It was noted that there is no current city ordinance that prohibits large trucks from traveling down our roads. The signs posted on either side of Jason Ave N that say "No Trucks except Delivery" are merely placed there to deter them. However, we do have a city ordinance that prohibits them from parking on our streets. If you see trucks parking on our streets, you can call Kent Police to report them.
  

Sign-up for Neighborhood Council Teams
President Amy Peri passed around sign-up sheets for different action teams. Neighbors signed up depending on their areas of interest. Action teams are listed below. If YOU are interested in participating in any of these action teams, please let me know and I will put you in touch with the Team Chairs.

• Welcome Action Team: Assemble a welcome package for new neighbors that might include items such as an important call list, information on the Neighborhood Blockwatch and Council, newsletters (if available), interesting history or information about our neighborhood, etc. Love to meet new people? This team is for you!
  
  
• Traffic Issues: Want to do something about the traffic, the speeding, the parking or anything traffic related? This is the Team for you!
  
  
• Special Projects: I'm the only one who signed up for this team! So, contact me if you're interested in being on my team! Potential projects based on neighborhood interest are: cleaning/maintaining the creek and foot bridge area (partnering possibly with the Mill Creek Middle School for help), better neighborhood lighting, lining the streets with trees, providing trash receptacles to reduce rubbish thrown on our streets and into our yards, special plaques for homes indicating when they were built (ie. a little plaque that says "Built in 1908") and history projects to celebrate our historical neighborhood, neighborhood newsletter, and so much more!
  
  

New Business 

Next Meeting : Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 20, at 7pm. A decision was made to move our next meeting to the Kent Historical Museum for a more cozy and more favorably acoustic location that was actually within our neighborhood boundaries (no offense Kent Senior Center). Potential drawback: less room. It was also decided that we would have a holiday Potluck in addition to sharing some neighborhood news! So, come meet and mingle with your neighbors for a little holiday fun and food. Bring a dish to pass!

Meeting Minutes - December 20, 2007

Please see below for the meeting summary from our December 20, 2007, meeting.

1. Approval of October 18th Meeting Minutes
2. Action Team Reports
• Welcome Team - Sharon Bersaas and Stacy Kroeze
• Welcome Team has started putting together a Welcome package to distribute to new members of the neighborhood to include the following:
  
• Introduction letter
• Contact form/sign-up card for both the Neighborhood Council and the Neighborhood Blockwatch
• List of Important Contact #s for the City of Kent
• List of Cottage Flowers for planting ideas
  
  
• Special Projects Team - NgocDzung Smith
• Potential Projects based on neighbor input includes:
• Graffiti Removal
• Planting Trees / Spring & Summer Plantings - Possibly grow annuals from seeds to distribute to neighbors as a fun neighborhood beautification grant project. Anyone with a green thumb who would be interested in volunteering time to plant and grow the seedlings, please contact NgocDzung!
  
• Garbage Removal / Install Garbage Receptacles
  
• Neighborhood Newsletter - Anyone interested in writing articles or putting together a newsletter, please contact NgocDzung. Pre-teens and teenagers are encouraged to participate!
  
• Flooding of Mill Creek
• Cleaning/maintaining the creek and foot bridge area (partnering possibly with the Mill Creek Middle School for volunteer help)
• Better Neighborhood Lighting
• Special plaques for homes indication when tey were built (ie a little plaque that says "Built in 1908", etc.) and history projects to celebrate our historical neighborhood. Information can also be included in our Newsletters as we learn more about our historic neighborhood. Anyone interested in research cost for the plaques or researching information on homes and neighborhood history, please contact NgocDzung.
  
  
• Traffic and Transportation Team - Sharon Bersaas, Heather Thomas, Holly & Paul Seim
• Neighborhood volunteers work in teams of 3-4 to gather information on speeding vehicles on Jason Ave N and Clark Ave N at the end of October and early November during the span of 7-10 days.
• Volunteers collected 6-8 sheets worth of plate numbers, car makes, times & speeds and submitted to the City of Kent Police.
• Almost every vehicle shot with the radar gun was going between 28-35 miles/hour. The fastest vehicle was traveling about 38 miles/hour.
• Police should be issuing warning letters to the speeders to include how much their ticket would have been if they had been stopped by an officer.
• The Traffic Program will probably do another traffic study in Jan/Feb after the holidays to see if speeds are affected by the warning letters.
• Next step: Meetings with the neighborhood for potential solutions to the recognized traffic problems.
  
  
  
3. Information on Mill Creek Flooding - Heather Thomas
• Heather Thomas mentioned the upcoming Storm Drainage Master Plan Open Houses to be held in late January by the City of Kent. Mill Creek flooding is part of larger flooding plans because of it's connection to Earthworks Park. She also mentioned that Toni Azzola strongly encouraged the Neighborhood Councils to begin applying for project grants before the City of Kent started reducing the available grant money due to lack of use. She thought that improving Mill Creek would be a good potential project grant.
  
• Earthworks Park damns higher up to prevent water flowing down to Mill Creek.
• Neighbors are concerned about the traffic problems caused by flooding.
• In the drainage system under Earthworks, officials can control how much water is divert through Mill Creek or to the Green River.
  
• Changes in the FEMA flood plains are to include Kennebeck. Changes affects neighbors in that area.
• Someone asked about the empty lots/property on the West side of Mill Creek. Apparently, the property is owned by the city and is earmarked for a sports park for the Middle School.
• It was also mentioned that the person who built the foot bridge used to own the home on the corner of Kennebeck and Temperance and owned a store on the other side of the creek.
  
  
  
4. Grant Project - need to decide for application
• December's group decided that we would like to pursue the improvement of Mill Creek & the foot bridge as our first grant project. This project has a lot of potential impact for our neighborhood that ranges from flooding for neighbors along the creek, foot traffic for pedestrians including children going to Mill Creek Middle School, and neighborhood beautification. We need a lot of volunteer help to do some research and contact city officials on what we can do to improve the creek and bridge. Please contact NgocDzung if you are interested in volunteering on this project.
  
  
5. Miscellaneous Topics
• Blockwatch - Operation ID: The Blockwatch will be purchasing some invisible pens and an engraver to mark valuable property. Information about this program was sent in a previous email.
• Development projects in the area
  
• Gray House Update (located on the corner of Jason Ave N & Smith) - There have been different applications by different developers for the property. So far all the deals have fallen through and the City of Kent is in the process of changing regulations to make the downtown core more attractive to residents and shoppers.
  
• Plan B development (parking garage & hotel on the corner of 4th & Smith) - Plan B Development has filed for bankruptcy. The City attorneys had protected the City's land in the event of bankruptcy proceedings. The development is to include downtown housing, shopping, and parking. The bank is currently accepting offers from other developers to complete the project.
• Incident at residence on corner of Hazel & Temperance - Surrounding neighbors are concerned about the quality of tenants in the rental and asked for help in considering possible solutions. Neighbors suspect that the residence is Section 8 Housing.
• Masonic Lodge Parties - In previous meetings, it was mentioned that neighbors are concerned about the level of noise, disruption, and garbage strewn about the neighborhood from the events held at the Masonic Hall. NgocDzung Smith reported that the David Macomber, owner of the rental on the corner of Smith & Jason Ave N, has tried to contact Mayor Cook, members of the Masons, and the Kent Police to seek a solution and a process by which future action can be taken. He asked that his efforts be reported to the neighbors in the event that he and neighbors affected by the disturbances need the neighborhood's support for future action. Several attending neighbors also reported problems with the noise and garbage left outside the building and on their properties and possible solutions were discussed.