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.