Kent Mill Creek Neighborhood News: Meeting Minutes

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Saturday, January 19, 2008