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Home My WebLink About2025-05 Hazelnut Newsletter - Volume 45 No. 5Spring blossoms embellish the Interurban Trail by the Sounder station MAY 2025 VOLUME 45, NUMBER 5 National Public Works Week May 18-24 WHAT TUKWILA PUBLIC WORKS DOES FOR YOU - SEE PAGE 6 TukwilaWA.gov A City of Tukwila publication for our residential and business communities Mayor McLeod brings community members together for Tukwila's first State of the City event Tukwila: The City of Opportunity, the Community of Choice Mayor's Message State of the City During the first week of April, I hosted the City's first - ever State of the City event at Foster High School's Performing Arts Center. Over 250 people attended the function, which also included a reception featuring nearly 20 community partners. I wanted to bring my message about the state of the City directly to Tukwila community members. The best thing about the night was hearing and seeing all the Tukwila community members who came to the event. It's important for me to hear directly from our residents and businesses. My address highlighted my three main goals for my administration when I took office on January 1, 2024. Here is a quick update on these priorities. PUBLIC SAFETY For the first time in a number of years, the City's Police Department is fully staffed. Our investments in public safety are showing, with crime being down throughout the City. Additional investments in public safety include two police officers to focus on safety and retail theft in the City's Southcenter District. A park ranger position has also been added to improve the safety and user experience at City parks and trails. HOUSING Our region is facing a significant housing shortage, and I am committed to expanding housing opportunities in Tukwila. This spring 285 residential units will open at the new Prose building in the Southcenter District. This will be the District's fourth residential building in the last ten years. The City's vision of making the Southcenter District a true urban district - with housing, jobs, transit and retail - is reflected in these developments. BUILDINGA BETTER BUDGET Last year the City used a inclusive process to ensure the community was involved in the creation of the City's biannual budget. I believe it's important that residents can easily access the City's budget and understand its key information, but the City's adopted budget is over 500 pages! This year the City created a "Budget in Brief," a ten page document that provides a quick budget reference. Find the Budget in Brief at TukwilaWA.gov/StateofCity. My address, along with some great community performances, will be posted later this month on the same web page. If you have any questions about the state of our city, please email me directly at Mayor@TukwilaWA.gov. 115 Mayor, City of Tukwila Ways you can get involved with your city Review the 10-page "Budget in Brief," a summary of the City's 2025-26 budget in an easy -to -understand format. TukwilaWA.gov/wp-content/uploads/FIN-Budget-in-Brietpdf Download the SeeClickFix app to report non -emergency issues around the City. Anyone can use their smartphone to get help with a service request in their neighborhood. SeeClickFix.com/tukwila Stay informed about the projects that are shaping Tukwila's future. The City's Capital Improvement Program Project Dashboard is now available. Explore active capital projects throughout the city on an interactive map. All projects displayed on the dashboard have received some funding and are in various phases of planning, design or construction. TukwilaWA.gov/projectmap 2 The Hazelnut - May 2025 Collection tubes for the safe disposal of your used batteries have been set up in the main lobby of City Hall and at the Tukwila Community Center. You can drop off old batteries during regular business hours. All types of common batteries are accepted - AA, AAA, 9V, button, and rechargeable batteries. The collected batteries are sent to a certified recycling facility for proper processing. Disposing of batteries with the trash can be harmful to the environment, as they contain chemicals that can pollute the soil and water. Also, some batteries have the potential to catch fire if not disposed of properly. Tukwila City Hall 6200 Southcenter Blvd. Monday -Friday: 8:30AM - 5:00PM Tukwila Community Center 12424 - 42nd Avenue South Mon-Thur: 8:OOAM - 9:00PM Friday: 8:OOAM - 6:00PM Sat & Sunday: 7:30AM - 3:00PM Used battery disposal Grant enables improvements at Community Center The City was recently awarded $44,800 to seal windows at the Tukwila Community Center. There is known air leakage throughout the building where outside air is entering the building, potentially allowing contaminants such as dust and pollen to infiltrate the space. By properly sealing all windows, the Community Center can maintain cleaner indoor air, reduce potential exposure to harmful pollutants, and enhance overall public health. This project is supported with funding from Washington's Climate Commitment Act. The CCA supports Washington's climate action efforts by putting cap -and -invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at Climate.WA.gov. Boeing Access Road Light Rail Station In March, the Sound Transit Board selected a location near the intersection of South 112th Street and East Marginal Way as the preferred location for what has commonly been referred to as the "Boeing Access Road" light rail station. This will be an infill station, meaning it will be built along the existing elevated track. The station was in the original Sound Move vote - which created Sound Transit - in 1996. Due to budget constraints, the station was deferred. It was added back when voters approved the Sound Transit 3 project packages in 2016. Sound Transit will now begin the environmental impact statement process. The station is scheduled to open in 2031. Cecil Moses Site 1 Memorial Park Duwamish S Boeing Access Rd m m ▪ S 112thSt N M Aft aft • • • ,„winnulnnu mtiummur.��• Boeing Access Road Station Project o r r s IMO Duwamish Hill Preserve DDwamich Q; S 115th st For more information, please visit SoundTransit.org/system-expansion/boeing-access-road-station The Hazelnut- May 2025 3 Helpful upcoming events in Tukwila PAINT RECYCLING EVENT with GreenSheen Paint and the City of Tukwila Saturday, May 31 st 1 9am-3pm Tukwila Community Center 12424 42nd Avenue South, Tukwila, WA 98168 Accepted Items: • Latex paint • Oil -based paint • Stains and shellacs • Lacquers, sealers, and varnishes • Urethanes and textured coatings • 5-gallon or smaller containers Scan to register! GreenSheen NOT Accepted: • Aerosol (spray paint) • Paint thinner • Solvents • Cleaning agents • Drywall mud, roof patch, adhesives • Hazardous waste materials www.circular.eco/event/Tukwila53125 CITY OF TUKWILA Got something that needs fixing? Mark your calendar! KING COUNTY REPAIR EVENT — FREE Saturday, July 12 -1:30 to 4:30PM Tukwila Community Center King County free community repair events feature skilled volunteers who work on your electronics, small AK kitchen appliances, small furniture, toys, clothing and more! Last May's repair event at Tukwila Community Center saw more than 60 items successfully fixed or mended. Visit KingCounty.gov/repair-events for more information , or contact the repair events coordinator at Tom.Watson@KingCounty.gov or 206-477-4481. 4 The Hazelnut - May 2025 Council Corner The City Council is back to business after completing a rigorous interview and appointment process. Again I thank those community members who put themselves out there and applied. It is not an easy thing to do, and I hope you will continue to stay engaged with the City. I'd like to thank Councilmembers Dennis Martinez and Armen Papyan for traveling to Washington D.C. recently, to attend the National League of Cities Congressional Cities Conference. This presented a valuable opportunity to learn more about how changes in the Federal administration may impact local government, especially with regard to federal funding streams. While there, they also had the opportunity to visit the offices of our Federal delegation to advocate on behalf of key transportation projects. These include the Allentown Truck Reroute and Strander Boulevard Extension. Their advocacy effort is an example of some of the important behind -the - scenes work that Councilmembers do on behalf of their community. One of the jobs I am doing as Council President this year is to chair the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC). LTAC also includes hoteliers and other business representatives who meet to make recommendations to the Council on the application of the hotel/motel tax collected in our City. State law requires that this revenue only be spent on tourism -related activities, and so it has been interesting to participate in this aspect of the City's operation. At our last meeting we received a presentation from Seattle Southside on how our region can prepare for the FIFA World Cup coming in summer 2026. The role of local government will be to provide typical services, like transit, traffic control, and law enforcement. Beyond that, Tukwila will want to be welcoming to the estimated 1.1 million visitors to our region. If you have ideas on how best to do that, please let us know. You can learn more at SeattleFWC26.org. You are encouraged to learn more about your City Council at TukwilaWA.gov/council. There you can find agendas, meeting videos, contact information, and biographies. Consider attending meetings either in person, online or by watching on Channel 21 TukTV. Your Councilmembers want to hear from you as we deliber- ate issues that impact us all and the future of our city. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Nadine Wheeler and her husband Steve. Council position filled; advocating in D.C.; preparing for FIFA by Tosh Sharp, 2025 Council President RECENT COUNCIL ACTIONS ■ Accepted King County Youth Amateur Sports Grant and Improving Indoor Air through Forestry grant funding ■ Adopted amendments to the City Council Rules of Procedure (Res. 2110) ■ Conducted work session to finalize application and interview process for Council vacancy ■ Interviewed five applicants for City Council Position 7 ■ Appointed Verna Seal to City Council Position 7 ■ Authorized funding for South King Housing and Homelessness Partners affordable housing projects (Res. 2111) ■ Approved lodging tax funding for City of Tukwila's Juneteenth Commemoration (Ord. 2749) ■ Adopted a 2025 Federal Legislative Agenda (Res. 2112) ■ Approved an updated InterlocalAgreementfor the South County Area Transportation Board ■ Accepted Washington State grant funding for HVAC replacement at Tukwila Community Center The Hazelnut- May 2025 5 National Public Works Week May 18-24 Public Works professionals seldom meet those whose lives have been impacted. Why? Because when things are going right, no one knows that Public Works is there. Yet, with or without fanfare, Public Works is ever present, working in the background to advance quality of life for all. This is what Tukwila's Public Works does for you. Tukwila Public Works Overview2o25 Tukwila Public Works is responsible for preserving and improving the City's physical and green infrastructure and assets to ensure a high quality of life for community members, business owners and visitors. ENGINEERING The Engineering Division provides professional engineering services for planning, design, construction, maintenance, and operation of the water, sewer, surface water and transportation infrastructure. Other services include assisting development permit review and monitoring of franchise utility operations in the City. STREET MAINTENANCE The City's street's division provides safe and efficient movement of people and goods to, from, and through Tukwila. Street Maintenance crews operate and maintain the city's infrastructure including streets, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, cross -walks and bridges. Activities include pothole repairs and crack sealing, litter removal, weed/ trash abatement, ensuring removal of snow, ice and other debris from roadways, operations and maintenance of the city's traffic control and safety devices and maintenance of the street light network. 127 lane miles of commercial/industrial streets and 90 lane miles of residential streets, including bridges, sidewalks, street lighting, and traffic cameras WATER UTILITY The City's water utility provides for the efficient, environmentally sound, and safe management of the existing and future water system within the City's service area. A 6 pressure zones 1 reservoir 1 pump station 9 pressure reducing valves 13 check valves 44 miles of transmission and distribution pipelines The system distributes approximately 740,000,000 gallonsofwater Tukwila is 1 of 8 municipal water utilities that formed the Cascade WaterAlliance to more effectively and efficiently supply water to meet the region's needs. SOLID WASTE Solid waste collection - including food and yard waste, transportation, and disposal - in Tukwila is provided by Recologyand taken to King County's Cedar Hills Landfill for disposal. The mission of the Tukwila Public Works Department is to preserve, enhance and promote Tukwila's quality of life and public safety, through the construction and operation of reliable and sustainable infrastructure and services necessary to meet the demands of our growing and diverse community. s in 6 The Hazelnut - May 2025 SEWER UTILITY The City's sanitary sewer utility provides an efficient, environmentally sound, and safe management of the existing and future sewer system withing the City's service area. The City collects wastewater from residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial dischargers within the service area and has an agreement with King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) for conveyance and treatment of its collected wastewater. 38.5 miles of pipelines ranging in diameterfrom 4-24" 20 drainage basins 196,355 feet of gravity pipe 10 lift stations with 22 total pumps and 5,064 feet of force main 25 connections with King County WTDtrunk line SURFACE WATER PROGRAM The surface water program manages public stormwater infrastructure and serves to protect and restore surface waters. Stormwatermanagementservesto protect 0 O °.•" ° infrastructure and property from flood -related damage and prevent pollution from entering surface waters. Operations and maintenance staff inspect and maintain stormwater infrastructure including pipes, ditches, catch basins, detention facilities, water quality facilities and outfalls citywide. FLEET The Equipment Rental unit of Public Works is to provide a fleet of vehicles and equipment through an operation maintenance and replacement program and to supply the city with adequate, safe, and on -demand operational cars, trucks and specialty equipment. Services are provided through in-house labor and contracted services The current fleet consists of approximately 193 vehicles and 134 other pieces of equipment. The City has also recently adopted an InterlocalAgreement with the City of SeaTac forfleet maintenance of roughly 300 pieces of equipment. Tukwila Public Works Administration 6300 Southcenter Blvd. Suite 200, Tukwila, WA 98188 TukwilaWA.gov/departments/public-works FACILITIES Tukwila's Facilities Division is responsible for preserving all City buildings and properties through a preventive maintenance, repair, and operating program to provide a safe, pleasant, and productive work environment for City staff and clients. 33 facilities including office buildings, maintenance shops, community and event spaces, restrooms and other properties, consisting of approximately r000ri =1m= 327,815 square feet, of which 213,319 square feet is provided with custodial care CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM Public Works oversees a 6-Year $295 million Capital Improvement Program (CIP), a major public infrastructure plan guiding investments in the major repair and replacement of streets, utilities, parks, facilities, technology and other assets. The Program is funded by grants, loans, utility rates and fees, property taxes and other revenues and is updated every two years through the City's budget process. $81 million (2025-26 CI P) DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATION AND LEADERSHIP The Department leadership team develops and implements a biennial budget and an annual work plan, secures grants, prepares for and responds to emergencies, negotiates contracts and agreements, assures effective program and service delivery, manages capital projects, monitors and adjusts performance, supports staff development and coordinates projects and initiatives across work groups and other city departments. In 2024, the Department responded to 651 requests 'WORKS, via See -Click -Fix, including 158 requests for illegal dumping. The Department consists of approximately 75 employees serving in operations, engineering, administrative and management functions. To report non -emergency issues, use the See -Click -Fix app, email PublicWorks@TukwilaWA.gov or call 206.433.0179. The Hazelnut- May 2025 7 THE HAZELNUT City of Tukwila 6200 Southcenter Blvd. Tukwila, WA 98188 PRESORT STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SEATTLE, WA PERMIT NO. 12698 Get assistance from a community navigator The Tukwila Municipal Court is pleased to have formed a new partnership with Mr. Cornell Harris and Better Life Community Development Corporation. Each Wednesday, a community navigator is available to offer valuable support to individuals seeking assistance with: - Re-entry after incarceration - Employment and vocational training - Housing referrals, and - Mentoring. While the City's Human Services Department is limited to serving only Tukwila residents, Mr. Harris can help anyone who reaches out for assistance. Since the partnership began, Mr. Harris has made a significant impact. He provides clients with essential items, helps them with resumes and job applications (leading to successful employment), refers individuals to housing and treatment services, and offers ongoing mentorship and support. Better Life Community Development is currently funded through a Department of Commerce grant. The court is actively seeking additional funding sources to ensure the continued success of this partnership. The City is grateful for the positive difference this collaboration is making in the community. TUKWILA CITY HALL 6200 Southcenter Boulevard City Hall campus in -person hours: Monday —Thursday, 8:30AM-4:00PM Phone: 206-433-1800 Fax: 206-433-1833 Email: Tukwila@TukwilaWA.gov Website: TukwilaWA.gov MAYOR Thomas McLeod 206-433-1850 Mayor's Office Administration Offices 206-433-1850 Marty Wine, City Administrator206-433-1851 Brandon Miles, Dir,Stratlnit/GovRe1206-431-3684 City Clerk's Office 206-433-1800 Community Engagement206-454-7564 Economic Development 206-433-1832 Human Resources - Personnel206-433-1831 Human Services 206-433-7181 Emergency Management 206-971-8750 Technology Services 206-454-7575 Community Development Dept. Nora Gierloff, Director 206-431-3670 Code Enforcement 206-431-3682 Finance Department Aaron BeMiller, Director 206-433-1835 Parks/Recreation Department Kris Kelly, Interim Director206-767-2342 Police Department Eric Dreyer, Chief 206-433-7175 Public Works Department Pete Mayer, IntDir/Dep CityAdm206-433-0179 Emergency - Fire, Police 911 MUNICIPAL COURT 15005 Tukwila International Blvd206-433-1840 TUKWILA COMMUNITY CENTER 12424 - 42nd Avenue South Recreation Division 206-768-2822 Senior Center/Services 206-767-2321 Facility Rentals 206-767-2323 FOSTER GOLF LINKS 13500 Interurban Avenue South Pro Shop 206-242-4221 PUGET SOUND REGIONAL FIRE AUTHORITY All fire -related services 253-856-4300 PugetSoundFire. org 2025 TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL Tosh Sharp, Council President 206 507-6440 Tosh.Sharp@TukwilaWAgov Mohamed Abdi 206-798-4872 Mohamed.Abdi@TukwilaWA.gov Armen Papyan 206-888-3380 Armen. Papyan@Tukwil aWA.gov Jovita McConnell 206-600-3533 Jovita.Mcconnell@TukwilaWA.gov Dennis Martinez 206-960-1607 Dennis.Martinez@TukwilaWA.gov Hannah Hedrick 206-580-8123 Hannah.Hedrick@TukwilaWA.gov Verna Seal 206-724-4548 Verna.Seal@TukwilaWA.gov To email the entire Council at once: CityCouncil@TukwilaWA.gov Laurel Humphrey, Analyst206-433-8993 CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS 7:00PM in Council Chambers Regular Meetings lst/3rd Mondays Committee of the Whole2nd/4th Mondays