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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1985-12 Hazelnut Newsletter - Volume 7 No. 4HAZflIXCT Volume 7 Number 4 GARY VAN DUSEN, MAYOR December 1985 MAYOR'S MESSAGE The Mayor's Office and all the city staff hope this has been a rewarding and successful year for all our citizens. We also wish a time of happy holidays and hope that the new year will bring even more prosperity to you and the city. The City has completed another year with continued growth not only in our central business district but also the addi- tion of new citizens through annexation. The City of Tukwila is fast becoming an important City in the region. With increased growth comes more demand for city services. The 1986 budget presented to the city council re- flects many of these needs. Growth has created many new spending requirements but also we have reached the point where more emphasis must be placed on main- taining our own buildings and grounds. If we want a city that is clean, attractive and orderly it is imperative that maintenance be directed to our infrastructures, trails, buildings and grounds. The administra- tion first approaches this effort with an overall mission of first delivering cost-effective services through increased efficiency and productivity. Only then is new equipment and manpower re- quested. The city for many years now has been in a good position to attract business de- velopment and retail shoppers. The trend will continue if the city maintains its mar- ket edge. Tukwila has been increasingly challenged by other cities in the greater Seattle/King County to attract retail shop- pers and commercial businesses. The city must continue to create new ways to pro- vide excellent services, reduced traffic congestion, and an attractive business cli- mate. These services must be in a form of a partnership relationship with both pri- vate and corporate citizens, at the same time maintaining its regulatory function. Therefore, the city will continue to pro- vide equitable and expeditious service to all citizens and visitors to maintain this edge we now possess. We in the adminis- tration are dedicated to providing the services that will make Tukwila a contin- ued success. The City will have many challenges not only in providing future capital ex- penditures but in developing staff to pro- vide the kind of services required. I must say that I am pleased with the progress we have made this past year, and I look for- ward to even more progress in 1986. We have a lot of exciting programs and pro- jects in place and in progress. I believe 1986 will be a most memorable and pro- ductive year not only for the city but also all our citizens. 1986 PROPOSED BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS • Improve Tukwila Park with new ga- zebo, rebuild tennis courts and fence replacement • Improve Golf Course irrigation systems • Acquire Golf Course and Park mowers • Build Centennial Park restroom and parking area • Develop upper Foster Park playfield • Enhance entrances to the City • Replace two old fire trucks • Acquire new aid unit • Acquire hazardous materials van • Replace three police vehicles • Replace deteriorating water and sewer lift stations and lines • Construct North Hill water reservoir and transmission facilities • Acquire paint striping machine • Acquire snow plow and street sander • Replace old lift truck • Macadam Road street improvements • Southcenter Boulevard widening • South 168th Street land acquisition • Longacres Way lane widening • West Valley Highway lane and signal improvements • 57th Avenue residential street recon- struction • "T" Line bridge widening • 56th Avenue residential street recon- struction • Replace old financial computer and in- stall additional micros City Personnel try out new bridge with police escort. Maxine Anderson, City Clerk; Mabel Harris, Councilwoman; Ellen Callahan, Executive Secretary. FOSTER BRIDGE The first bridge spanning the Duwam- ish River was built in 1923. The original 240' foot bridge was built by the Manson Construction company and fifteen years later the same construction firm con- structed the first automobile bridge across the river after danger of spring floods had passed. That wood Howe truss bridge which cost $16,351.08 lasted 41 years. In 1980, it collapsed under the weight of a heavily loaded truck. The new bridge reflects the technol- ogy and complexity of the times. The cost estimate $1,446,395 was shared; 80% from the federal government bridge replacement funds and 10% equally from King Cunty and the City of Tukwila. The bridge is a concrete box girder construction 34 feet wide (28 foot road- way, 6 foot sidewalk) and 244 feet long. It will be shifted slightly in order to im- prove the west approach to the interseci- ton with Interurban Avenue South at 52nd Avenue South. Approach roadways will be two 12 -foot through lanes paved with asphalt concrete. Curbs, gutters, and sidewalks will be constructed on the west side of 56th Avenue South. A 4 -foot wide paved shoulder will be constructed on the east of 56th Avenue South. Signing and striping will be by county forces. Mary Ellen Whitehead cuts ribbon. Watching are: Minnie Baker, resident; R.R. "Bob" Greive, King County Council member; Gary Van Dusen, Tukwila Mayor; and Donald J. LaBelle, King County Public Works Director. WINTER REGISTRATION BEGINS The Tukwila Parks and Recreation De- partment will begin accepting registra- tion for the winter Recreation classes on January 6th. New classes include: Calligraphy, Ball- room, Country -Western Dance, Jitterbug, Winter Outdoor Photography and a new Camera Owners Workshop for adults. Children may enjoy the popular childrens cooking class and a new Teeny Tots class for 2'12 - 3'/2 year olds. These along with many old favorites will be found in the Winter 1986 Brochure. The Recreation brochure will be mailed on December 20th and distributed to the elementary schools. Copies are also available at the Community Center, City Hall, the Tukwila Library and Foster Golf Course and the Tukwila Chamber of Com- merce. If you don't see the class that you want, please call us 243-5198 and we will see what we can do. Many of the ideas for classes came from our Community. Children's ballet class. 1985 PARK PROJECTS REPORT Three major park projects were begun this past summer and fall, one of which is completed and the other two will be completed by springtime of 1986. Pictured to the left is the new section of Christensen Greenbelt Park which ex- tends the trail from South 180th Street to Tukwila's south City limit line. Included in this new addition is an undercrossing of South 180th Street. The undercrossing provides a safe pathway under this very busy street. The new section of asphalt trail adds over 8,000 feet of public recrea- tion space increasing the trail over 3 miles. Another project is the reconstruction of the Foster Park playfield. Pictured cen- ter left is the field with its sod removed and nearly completed French drains. Fi- nal grading and seeding will occur in March 1986. The third major park project is a new park in the southwestern part of the City. Work began in late July and will continue through April of 1986. Pictured to the left are scenes of the new children's play equipment and newly cleared open space. The project includes: lighted ten- nis court and sport court, horseshoe pits, picnic tables, parking, landscaping, play equipment, and pathways. This park has yet to be named. If you would like to enter a City -sponsored con- test to name the park, please see the ar- ticle and entry form on the inside of the back page of this HAZELNUT issue. For information about any of these projects, please call Don Williams at 433-1843. "Horse and Rider" (Bronze Sculpture) by Phil- lip Levine THE ARTS IN YOUR CITY The Tukwila Civic Arts Commission was created by Ordinance #1017 on June 16, 1977 to advise the Mayor, Council and other City departments on the im- provement and furtherance of all artistic and cultural activities within the City. Other duties spelled out in the by-laws in- clude representing the City in all art mat- ters, encouraging and aiding programs for cultural enrichment of Tukwila's citizens, and exploring methods of funding for various artistic projects. Practically speaking, it has been the goal of the Commission to provide a broad spectrum of art that would meet the approval of the public while at the same time enhance the cultural environ- ment of the City. The inherent dilemma of course is that not everyone will like everything. What is art to one may be less than art to another... but each piece of art is carefully selected for its quality, appeal, and potential value. 1984 and 1985 has been a very active period for this group of five volunteers who are appointed by the Mayor and con- firmed by the City Council. Acquisitions during this time includes three ten -foot panoramic photographs of City Hall, an oak -walnut bench, an original 1927 Tukwila street map, a plasma light sculp- ture, a bronze sculpture, and a large tiled wall -mural. All these artworks can be seen at City Hall. Also in City Hall you will find a beauti- ful sculptured wood clock (lobby), a handwoven wall -hanging (municipal court), an aerial photograph of the Southcenter/industrial area prior to devel- opment (Council chambers), as well as several watercolors, photographs, draw- ings, and prints. Outside main entrance to City Hall you may view a handmade, lighted fountain donated by a local area artist, and particularly interesting at night. The Commission intends to recom- mend to the Mayor the acquisition of ad- ditional visual artworks, and in response to a growing interest in the performing arts, plan to present programs offered by northwest artists in music, dance, or the theater in calendar year 1986. You are welcome to attend Arts Com- mission meetings scheduled every 1st Wednesday of the month at City Hall. We encourage your artistic ideas and opin- ions and will look forward to meeting you. Further information and contact with your Arts Commission members can be made by calling the City Clerk at 433-1800, Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. RIVERTON BLUES WIN MEN'S FALL BASKETBALL TITLE Six Men's teams competed in the Fall Men's League at Showalter Middle School under the sponsorship of the Tukwila Parks & Recreation Department. After winning the League Champion- ship, the Riverton Blues captured the Play -Off Championship with an 86-84 win over Kenco Inc. In the consolation game the Majestics slipped by S.M.E. 83-77 to capture 3rd Place. Members of the winning Riverton Blues are local Foster High School gradu- ates (Jack Orewiler, Kevin Williams, Scott Burgess, Jim Hellums, Rory Peterson, Brad Sterling, Derek Sterling, Rusty Tru- deau, Jeff Hadley). Final League Standings 1. Riverton Blues 2. Kenco 3. Majestics 4. S.M.E. 5. Rebels 6. Clash 10-2 8-4 7-5 7-5 4-8 0-12 If an individual would like to join a team for the Winter please call the Tukwila Parks & Recreation Department at 243-5198. FIRE PREVENTION - WINTER SAFETY TIPS As you may remember from last win- ter, many places of business suffered se- vere water damage as a result of frozen water pipes, both domestic and fire -sprinkler systems. Keeping all parts of your building at least 40 degrees, F., day and night, is the easiest way to avoid the misfortunes associated with burst wa- ter pipes. Also, keeping stock a few inches off the floor by the use of pallets or racks will help to reduce loss from wa- ter damage. A few gallons of water spreads out a long way on a flat concrete floor. It's also very easy to expect too much of your otherwise adequate electrical serv- ices by adding colored lights and other electrical decorations. Remember to use only UL listed devices and keep the total number of decorations to a minimum Avoid the frequently used electrical "oc- topus" of extension cords and "cube -taps". Try to plug decorations di- rectly into wall or floor receptacles. Finally, a reminder about trees, boughs and other vegetation -type decorations. Put Christmas trees in a bucket filled with wet sand. Replace boughs and garland when they begin to dry out. Keep all nat- ural decorations away from baseboard heaters, space heaters, steam pipes and other sources of artificial heat. Additional protection may be obtained by treating trees and greens with an approved fire -retardant liquid compound. Dear Tukwila Resident, In September of 1985 an exciting pub- lic safety service was initiated throughout King County. We are referring to the En- hanced 9-1-1 phone system. We believe this system can have a positive impact on public safety response to the community. Unfortunately there is some confusion as to when to use 9-1-1. We are writing to further explain how the system should operate. Whenever you need a Tukwila police officer, firefighter or medic to come to your residence, just dial 9-1-1. It does not need to be an emergency. For ex- ample, if you wish to report a theft that has occured and would like a police offi- cer to take a report, dial 9-1-1. If you smell smoke and would like to have the fire department investigate, dial 9-1-1. Basically, anytime you wish a police officer or firefighter to come to your resi- dence or investigate something you have observed, dial 9-1-1. In order to eliminate any misunder- standing and make the system work to its potential we ask you to share this letter with members of your family. Thank you for your assistance. Sincerely, DONALD G. PICERE HUBERT CRAWLEY Chief of Police Fire Chief WHY ME??? As the holidays quickly approach more and more we will see not only Santa on our streets but also Scrooge. While we all know and recognize Santa, Scrooge comes in many shapes and disguises. Sometimes he is the car prowler who waits until you have deposited your re- cently purchased holiday gifts in your ve- hicles and return to the store for that one last item for Uncle Charlie... he strikes and cleans out your car or trunk. He sure can take the holiday spirit out of a victim. Other times he looks like a pocket- book snatcher or pickpocket. He is usu- ally expert in either role. Your holiday savings fall easy prey to his nimble fin- gers. Thats not Santa coming down the chimney or in the window for that mat- ter, that's Scrooge, our sad sack holiday burglar. Many people gladden his heart at this time of the year, houses/apartments bulging with holiday cheer and hard pur- chased gifts for friends and loved ones make a perfect target and go toward Scrooge's post holiday vacation budget. Don't carry excess cash and/or credit cards. Take only what you anticipate you will need for your purchases and leave the rest in a safe place. Make sure your credit card numbers are listed so if they are lost or stolen you immediately have access to the numbers. This will reduce your liability and also help in the appre- hension of the perpetrator. When leaving home for any reason, create the impression someone is still there. This may be accomplished by uti- lizing lights and timers, leaving a radio playing loud enough to be heard outside and through some other common sense techniques I am sure you can adapt for your particular residence. If you will be traveling, do not leave your luggage unattended. That's almost as bad as leaving your vehicles unlocked and the key in the ignition. Don't make yourself a target... play Santa but don't be a victim of Scrooge... you have worked hard all year to bring a little joy into someone else's life, now is not the time to have it taken away. Questions... Call... Pat Lowery... 433-1822 CITIZEN CONTEST TO NAME A PARK Have you always wondered how park names are selected? In the past several years our Park Commissioners have rec- ommended a name or names to the City Council and they have named the park by a majority vote of the Council. Recently the Park Commissioners submitted sev- eral names to the Council for consider- ation of naming the City's newest park under construction in the southwest sec- tion of the City. After a discussion, the Council agreed there was no one name that a majority could agree upon. It was decided the Council would ask Mayor Gary Van Dusen to conduct a City-wide contest to obtain more name suggestions. A contest is being held to suggest names for this newest park. You are asked to enter, using the entry form on this page. Contest information is listed below. All entries must be received by the May- or's office by January 17, 1986, 5:00 p.m. Mail your entry to: Mayor's Office, 6200 Southcenter Blvd., Tukwila, Wash. 98188 The following is some information you may want to know about the park: A. This is the first phase (3 acres) of two phases to complete the 11 acre park. B. The property was purchased in 1978 and is located at 51st Avenue South and South 158th Street. C. To the southwest of this site are two King County parks called Crestview and McMicken Parks. These names will not be used for this City park. D. The hillside above the park site has a spring which supplied the Tukwila community water in many years past. If you have any questions about the con- test please call Don Williams, Parks and Recreation Direction, at 433-1843. COMMUNITY CENTER FITNESS FACILITY The Tukwila Parks and Recreation De- partment is offering a variety of classes and drop-in use hours at the Tukwila Community Center Fitness Facility dur- ing winter quarter. The Fitness Facility features Hydrafitness weight training ap- paratus which are among the safest, easi- est to use and best result producing machines on the market. Shower facilities are also available at no extra charge. The Tukwila Parks and Recreation Depart- ment winter quarter brochure will list both class and drop-in use hours and fees for adults, youth and senior adults. Come by the Tukwila Community Center at 4101 So. 131st and start toning up and trimming down at the new Fitness Facil- ity. PARK NAMING CONTEST RULES 1. All suggested park names must be sub- mitted using the entry form found in the December, 1986 issue of the HA- ZELNUT or a copy thereof. Only one name per entry is allowed. 2. A brief explanation of why a name is being submitted is required. 3. All names submitted to the City be- come the property of the City and all rights to names submitted will belong to the City. 4. A prize will be awarded to the per- son(s) submitting the selected name. A committee appointed by the Mayor will forward recommended names to the City Council for their final selec- tion. 5. All entries must be received by the Mayor's office on or before 5:00 p.m. January 17, 1986. PARK NAMING ENTRY FORM A. The suggested name for the park is: B. My name is• My address is: My phone number is - My age is• (only if under age 18) C. I have suggested the above name for this park because of the following reasons - Date Signature THE HAZELNUT PUBLISHED QUARTERLY By the City of Tukwila 6200 Southcenter Boulevard Tukwila, Washington 98188 BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID TUKWILA, WA. PERMIT NO. 12698 Written by City Employees SNOW, STREET CLOSURE AND SLEDDING During the Fall and Winter months the City normally witnesses several periods of snowfall, which can create hazardous driving conditions. The street crews do an excellent job of clearing and sanding most of the roadways in the City. How- ever, there are limits and several streets must be closed to traffic for safety rea- sons. The steepness of the slopes makes them impassable to most vehicles as long as the snow and ice conditions remain. The streets are usually cleared and opened as the weather conditions im- prove for passable safe driving to be re- sumed. The same conditions that create havoc with normal aspects of our lives and causes closure of some streets, also brings joy to the neighborhood children. They go sledding and enjoy the fine art of grab- bing anything that will carry a body down a snow covered hill or closed street with speed and exhiliration, and almost total abandonment. We have all tried this sport and some of us still have the child in us and still do it. The neighborhood chil- dren, of all ages, will use our steep city streets for sledding. While this may be a reason in itself to close the streets from automobiles, we do not close these streets for sport but because of the unsafe condi- tions for normal traffic. More impor- tantly, children will use these closed streets whether they are officially closed or not and it is better to close the more popular sledding streets for the safety of the sledders. The snow and closure of streets inter- rupts all our lives and the city is prepared in some respect to return conditions back to normal as quick as possible. We know several of you are more inconvenienced than some of your neighbors. It is also rare that street closures last more than a few days. All streets are opened as road clearing and weather permits. We would like to remind everyone that in an emergency situation the police and fire departments are well equipped to as- sist. The City does not officially sanction sledding on closed streets and the safety of these children rest with the parents. We also ask that you properly supervise your children's sledding activities. Lastly, anyone going through a street barricade with their vehicles are subject to citation from the police. We invite anyone to write of call the Mayor's office if they wish to comment on this issue of street closure and sled- ding. Gary VanDusen Mayor Mike Yellem, Commander, Tukwila American Legion Post #235, leads Christmas Carols at party CHRISTMAS PARTY The City of Tukwila Parks and Recrea- tion Department and the Tukwila Post #235 of the American Legion once again held their Children's Christmas party at the Tukwila Community Center. Children and their parents enjoyed getting into the Christmas Spirit with Carols, a Christmas Story, special enter- tainment and of course the annual visit from Santa. This year the Tukwila Arts Commis- sion budget provided funds for special entertainment. The Tukwila Parks and Recreation De- partment and the American Legion would like to express their thanks to the Com- mission for the support for this years party.