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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1987-07 Hazelnut Newsletter - Volume 8 No. 2www csj '7908 • Volume 8 Number 2 GARY VAN DUSEN, MAYOR July 1987 MAYOR'S MESSAGE In 1983 the City of Tukwila celebrated its 75th anniversary. This year, the United States Constitution is 200 years old, and Washington State will soon celebrate its Centennial. This is a good opportunity to reflect on our community and the coun- try where we live. With all the problems we face each year, ours is still the greatest country in the world. Like our nation, the Tukwila community is also in an enviable position in relation to other cities. Not only are we a unique city in terms of our residential/business mix, but also in our location. Economically, the City is in great shape; we have the ability to take care of our problems and meet future pro- jects without significantly affecting the tax structure. I personally feel that if we continue as a fiscally conservative City, addressing the real needs of our people, then the future can only be brighter for Tukwila and its citizens. I take great pride in our city. The size alone makes it unique among our peers. Citizens can personally call their City of- ficials - including the Mayor - and report problems, express opinions or register complaints. They are not lost in a maze of layered bureaucracy. As Mayor I have made it a personal objective to make the administrative staff responsive to our citi- zens. I have promoted the concept of serv- Continued on Page 4 CITY ELECTION The folowing City elective offices are open for election this coming fall. Mayor - the incumbent is Gary Van Dusen Council Position #1 - the incumbent is Charlie Simpson Council Position #2 - the incumbent is Wendy Morgan Council Position #3 - the incumbent is Jim McKenna The filing period for these offices is July 27-31, the last week of the month. If you are interested in running for one of these offices or want further clarification, please call or inquire at the City Clerk's office in City Hall. TUKWILA DAYS August 1-9,1987 Activities for this year include: Saturday, August 1 TUKWILA OPEN GOLF TOURNAMENT 9 a.m., Foster Golf Links Saturday & Sunday, August 1 & 2 TUKWILA MERCHANTS MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SOFTBALL TOURNAMENTS Foster High School, Showalter Middle School, Foster Memorial Park & Tukwila Elementary School Tuesday, August 4 FAMILY POOL PARTY 7 to 8 p.m., South Central Pool Wednesday, August 5 HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT 6 to 8 p.m., Tukwila Elementary School Thursday, August 6 KIDS FIELD DAY 6 to 8 p.m., Foster High School Friday, August 7 DEDICATION OF ART COMMISSION WALL MURAL 6 to 8 p.m., Tukwila City Hall TEEN DANCE 8 to 11 p.m., Tukwila City Park Saturday, August 8 PANCAKE BREAKFAST 7 to 10 a.m., Tukwila Elementary School 8K & 3K D.A.R.E. DASH 8:30 a.m., Southcenter Mall PARADE 10 a.m. Foster Tukwila Presbyterian Church COMMUNITY FESTIVAL 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jim Valley & the Rainbow Plant Review 11 a.m. to noon Police Auction, 1 to 4 p.m. Tukwila Elementary School ADULT DANCE 9 p.m. to midnight, Tukwila City Park Sunday, August 9 MUSIC IN THE PARK Tidewater String Band Noon to 1:30 p.m., Tukwila City Park For more information call 243-5198. TUKWILA SIGN SURVEY RESULTS The City of Tukwila is revising the Sign Code this fall to provide simpler, clearer and improved standards for signs. Sign standards are a balance of public and pri- vate interests and reflect community values. To begin documenting these interests and values, the Tukwila Planning Department staff and the Tukwila/Sea fac Chamber of Commerce surveyed business people. Eleven hundred surveys were mailed to City businesses and 237 responses were received - a high return of 26 percent. Overall, 91% of the business people be- lieve the appearance of signs in Tukwila is either fair or good. However, 44 % believe people have problems finding their busi- ness. Nineteen percent of the businesses feel the City's regulatory service is poor and can be improved by a quicker review time and better/simpler standards. Generally, 66% of the businesses do not know the current reg- ulation for temporary signs. Twenty-four percent believe more flexible standards are needed for temporary signs. The interests and values of the resi- dents are just as important. Now the City wants comments from residents in re- sponse to this article. Public review and comment on the draft Sign Code will oc- cur this fall. Please call Jack Pace, 433- 1847. Results of the Sign Survey are shown on page 2. REGISTER TO VOTE OR CHANGE REGISTRATION TUKWILA CITY HALL WEEKDAYS 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Prior to August 15, 1987 to be eligible to vote in the primary CITY COUNCIL NEWS The City Council is continuing its ef- forts to be accessible and to listen to the citizens of Tukwila; let us know what's on your minds. From February through May, the Coun- cil deliberated on a citizen appeal regard- ing a land use decision in the McMicken Heights area. The Council worked a num- ber of evenings beyond its regular sched- ule to insure that both appellants and applicants had the time and input neces- sary to a final decision. The Council held a public meeting to discuss citizen interest in a new Commu- nity Center. After hearing input, and looking at what seems to be a reasonable schedule, the Council has decided to de- lay a decision on the Community center until 1988, when the costs, potential lo- cation and types of services are clearer. Financing for the Community Center may appear on a ballot issue for citizens to de- cide if they want to pay for a new facility. The Council and Administration worked together to contract with Fire District No. 1 to provide fire services for the Allentown/Duwamish and the indus- trial area to the north. This agreement combines both Departments, while main- taining their legal independence. Fire Dis- trict No. 1 is responsible for paying the City to manage their department. So far, the contract is working well and everyone is satisfied. You may see our new aid car and two new fire trucks around town. The old fire aid car was renovated to an Emergency Command Center — an innovative Council idea to save taxpayer dollars and give maximum service. The Council is now involved in devel- oping a mission statement for the City which will give direction to future serv- ices and budgets. To be most effective, the mission statement needs the input of sev- eral people and you are welcome to call City Hall or any of the Council with your ideas. This summer and fall the City Council will be working on the 1988 City budget. The Council is committed to efficient, ec- onomic operations, responsive City serv- ices, and no new taxes. We encourage you to be involved with us. Regular Council meetings are the first and third Mondays at 7:00 p.m. On the second and fourth Mondays, the Council meets in a Committee of the Whole work session. Please join us! To reach the Coun- cil members individually, we have listed their numbers below. Wendy Morgan (President) 246-2165 Mae Harris 242-5359 Joe Duffie 244-4280 Ed Bauch 243-0774 Charlie Simpson 244-7127 Marilyn Stoknes 246-7235 Jim McKenna 244-5127 "Women, Women and Song" PEANUT BUTTER AND JAM The City of Tukwila Parks and Recrea- tion Department, Puget Sound Savings Bank, and the Tukwila/Sea-Tac Chamber of Commerce present "Peanut Butter and Jam," the lunchtime music series. The concerts will be held on Fridays in August, in Bicentennial Park from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Bicentennial Park is lo- cated at Christensen Road and Strander Boulevard. This year's schedule includes: August 7 WOMEN, WOMEN AND SONG This delightful trio performs music and humor in three-part harmonies. August 14 .... UPTOWN, LOWDOWN JAZZ BAND You loved them last year and they are back! Jazz at its best. August 21 EMERALD CITY BRASS QUARTET Outdoor concerts are their specialty. August 28 BOCHINCHE This concert is also sponsored by the King County Arts Commission. End your summer with the "hottest music in town.' YOU BRING THE LUNCH – THE MUSIC'S ON US TUKWILA SIGN SURVEY OVERALL RESULTS 1. WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS DO YOU HAVE? Retail - 35% Office - 28% Hotel - 2% Other - 35% 2. WHAT KIND OF SIGNS DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR BUSINESS? Wall Signs -86% Pole Signs - 13% Both Types - 1% 3. ON A SCALE OF 1 (LOW) TO 10 (HIGH), HOW IMPORTANT ARE SIGNS FOR YOUR BUSINESS? 1-10% 6-2% 2- 4% 7-7% 3- 5% 8-9% 4- 2% 9-4% 5-10% 10-47% 4. ARE YOU LOCATED IN A MULTI TENANT BUILDING? Yes -73% No - 27% 5. DID YOU OR A SIGN CONTRACTOR OBTAIN A SIGN FOR YOUR BUSINESS? I did - 26% Sign Contractor - 72% Both - 2% A. If you obtained the sign•permit, how would you rate the service? Good - 46% Fair - 35% Poor - 19% 6. DO YOU THINK PEOPLE HAVE PROBLEMS FINDING YOUR BUSINESS? Yes - 44% No - 56% 7. HOW WOULD YOU RATE THE OVERALL APPEARANCE OFF SIGNS IN TUKWILA? Good - 44% Fair Poor - 5% 8. ARE THE CURRENT SIGNS LEGIBLE IN THE CITY? Yes - 92 % No - 8 Both - 0% 9. DO YOU FEEL YOUR SIGNAGE IS ADEQUATE FOR YOUR BUSINESS? Yes - 68% No - 32% 10. DOES YOUR BUSINESS USE TEMPO- RARY SIGNS - SUCH AS BANNERS - FOR ADVERTISEMENT? Yes - 26% No - 74% 11. SHOULD THE REGULATIONS FOR TEMPORARY SIGNS BE: More Stringent - 8% More Flexible - 23% No Change - 12% Don't Know Regulations - 57% 12. SHOULD BILLBOARDS BE PERMIT- TED IN THE CITY? Yes - 20% No - 80 % Playground activities at Southgate Community Center DAY CAMP AND PLAYGROUND ACTIVITIES AVAILABLE The City of Tukwila Parks and Recrea- tion Department is offering day camps and playground activities for children kinder- garten through sixth grades this summer. The programs run until August 14. Day Camp is being held at Tukwila City Park until July 24 and at Crystal Springs July 27, August 3 and August 10. Camps are one week in length and cost $30 per week. Leaders are Tom Tiegen, Jerry Parker and Malissa Bartley. Summer playground activities are held on Mondays at Crystal Springs Park (no pro- gram during Day Camp weeks); Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Tukwila Elementary School; and Thursdays at Tukwila Commu- nity Center. This is a free program that runs from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The program is under the supervision of Dave Robbins and Tami DeMille. For information, please contact the Tuk- wila Community Center at 243-5198. TUKWILA TO PURCHASE A RICHARD BEYER SCULPTURE The City of Tukwila Arts Commission has announced that they have contracted with Richard Beyer to create a metal sculp- ture of a friendly cougar for Hazelnut Park. The cougar will be placed on a large rock donated by Rick Ryerson of Bellevue. The rock was unearthed during a recent ex- cavation of property at 140th and Interur- ban Avenue. It will be moved by the Segale Company of Tukwila. Mr. Beyer is known for his "Waiting for the Interurban" statue in the Fremont Dis- trict and for the "Story Teller" recently installed in Kirkland. The Arts Commission welcomes your suggestions for future projects. D.A.R.E. DASH Wind through the quiet streets of Tuk- wila's business district and finish with a short jog down the State's most scenic trail in the 1987 D.A.R.E. Dash. The "Dash" is part of the weekend festivities of Tukwila Days on August 8th. Registration will begin at 6:00 a.m. at the south entrance to Southcenter Mall (by the Bon Marche). The run will feature both an 8K and a 3K. Both races will begin at 8:00 a.m. All proceeds will go to local area drug education programs. Highline Youth Serv- ices Bureau will also receive funds for their drug counseling and education pro- grams. The race is co-sponsored by Tukwila Parks and Recreation, Tukwila Police De- partment, Valley Daily News, Southcenter Mall, Highline Youth Services Bureau, and the United Steelworkers of America Local 911. Entry forms are available from any of the sponsors. The entry fee is $10.00. All entrants who register before August 3rd will receive an official race T-shirt on the day of the race. For further information, contact Terri Doyle at 433-1804. DRUG ABUSE EDUCATION PROGRAM The Tukwila Police Department, in con- junction with the South Central School Dis- trict, will be presenting a Drug Abuse Education Program at Tukwila and Thorn - dyke Elementary Schools in the 1987-88 school year. The primary emphasis of the program is to assist students in recognizing and resisting the pressures that influence them to experiment with drugs. The pro- gram is entitled D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Re- sistance Education). D.A.R.E. is a national cooperative pro- gram between local police departments and school districts, utilizing uniformed officers in the classroom sharing refusal skills. The D.A.R.E. program first began in Los Angeles in the 1983-84 school year. Crime Prevention Officer Tom Kilburg recently at- tended the first training class conducted by the Los Angeles Police Department for D.A.R.E. officers along with 35 other offi- cers from around the state. Officer Kilburg will be going into the fifth -grade classes and presenting a special 17 -lesson instructional unit. The lessons fo- cus on four major areas: (1) providing accu- rate information about alcohol and drugs; (2) teaching students decision-making skills; (3) showing them how to resist peer pressure; and (4) giving them ideas for alter- natives to drug use. The D.A.R.E. officer employs a variety of activity -oriented tech- niques to involve students in group discus- sions, a healthy exchange of ideas and feelings, and role-playing exercises. Tukwila Parks Tennis Court Improvements PARK IMPROVEMENTS Increased parking space, restroom, and tennis court resurfacing are three improve- ments completed this spring to three Tuk- wila parks. At Foster Park the parking area was ex- panded from 25 to 56 stalls for better par- ticipant use and safety. Bicentennial Park has 25 additional stalls added, and a new restroom is nearly com- plete. A unique feature in both the women's and men's areas of the restroom is a bench to accommodate people who want to change their clothes for walking or jogging and need a place to sit. Tukwila Park has two very nice tennis courts; now it has a third. The old tennis court, built many years ago, has a new as- phalt surface and fencing has been in- stalled. In addition, a multi-purpose play court was added with an outdoor basket- ball court. Additional improvements will be pic- tured and long range improvements ex- plained at a later date. COUNCILMAN RESIGNS City Councilman Jim McKenna and his family will be leaving Tukwila shortly. Jim was appointed to the City Council last Oc- tober to fill the position vacated by Doris Phelps. His wife Cindy served on the City's Parks Commission. Since his initial involve- ment with the City, Jim has played an active and effective role in governing Tukwila. The McKennas' move to the Bremerton area is the result of Jim's promotion within Peo- ple's Bank. Good luck to Jim, Cindy and their three children! DON'T FORGET TO VOTE! Primary Elections SEPTEMBER 15TH 111E 11 MAIM' PUBLISHED QUARTERLY By the City of Tukwila 6200 Southcenter Boulevard Tukwila, Washington 98188 BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID TUKWILA, WA. PERMIT NO. 12698 Mayor's Message (Continued from Page 1) ice to our community, and the staff has responded with enthusiasm. This city, with its resources and staffing, is not per- fect but we continually strive to make it work more efficiently and productively. I receive many service requests and some complaints. Many incidences require only a note or speaking with staff to correct; some require my direct intervention or in- vestigation and others are part of long- range planning that involves the City Council and other governmental agen- cies. I also receive many positive letters and comments. For that, I am grateful, for it usually takes something that wrong- fully impacts a person before he/she will write or comment. In fact, I get more pos- itive than negative letters and comments, an indication that we are doing some- thing right and headed in the right direc- tion. As your Mayor and one of your elected officials, I want to assure you that I am concerned with your tax dollar, the way and how it is spent, and the plans for its use in the future. The citizens have the ul- timate say in any community, and your continued correspondence and com- ments are taken seriously. The Mayor can- not correct all of the City's problems or control all the staff activity, but the Mayor can and should be your advocate where and when it is appropriate. — Gary L. Van Dusen Mayor PARK VANDALISM Like every City, Tukwila has its share of problems. However, until recently the City experienced little vandalism in its parks. Litter was not too bad and few park plantings or equipment were damaged. During this past year, City Park crews and Police have observed an increase in vandalism. One way to help reduce the problem is to have citizens report any problems or suspicious happenings to the Police De- partment. There are only a few who cause trou- ble. It will take all of us to keep an eye out. Please help protect a valuable com- munity facility—your Tukwila parks. If you see a problem, call 911. (L to R) Doris Mead, Alice Colman, Naomi Stearns SENIOR CERAMICS PROGRAM The City of Tukwila Senior Center and its Ceramics Program have much to be proud of these days! In June students entered 50 individual pieces for competition in the Washington State Ceramics Arts Association Show that was held in the Tacoma Dome. They returned to Tukwila with 68 ribbons, in- cluding two of the top show trophies: one for Handicapped division won by Naomie Stearns, who is 80 years old, and Doris Mead took top honors for the Sen- ior Citizen Division. All of the pieces with ribbons and tro- phies are on display at the Tukwila Com- munity Center. Classes are available for Seniors on Mon- days and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and for adults 18 and over on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. For more information, please contact the Tukwila Community Center at 243-5198. ANIMAL LICENSES Animal licenses are now available year-round at Tukwila City Hall, 6200 Southcenter Boulevard. Fees are: Dog - $22 regular, $10 if altered Cat - $12 regular, $7 if altered A copy of a document showing proof of spay/neuter must be presented at the time of purchase. For Senior Citizen Lifetime License in- formation, call Animal Control at 344-4195. Please call 433-1800 if you have any questions. CRIME PREVENTION PROGRAM On August 1 lth, Tukwila residents are being invited to join thousands of other communities across America in support- ing a unique, coast-to-coast crime preven- tion project called NATIONAL NIGHT OUT. The event, sponsored by the Na- tional Town Watch Association and co-sponsored locally by the Tukwila Po- lice Department, involved over 16 million people from 4,700 communities last sum- mer. Participation will be even larger this year. That evening, residents Citywide and across the nation will be asked to turn on all outside lights and spend at least an hour on porches, lawns, sidewalks, etc., visiting and getting to know your neigh- bors, your police officers, and your local officials. Police departments across the country will be monitoring the evening's crime activity to help measure the effec- tiveness of the nationwide 'sit out'. Overall, NATIONAL NIGHT OUT is de- signed to: (1) heighten crime prevention awareness; (2) generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime pro- grams; (3) strengthen neighborhood spirit in the crime prevention campaign and; (4) send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods across the U.S.A. are organized and fighting back. National Project Coordinator Matt Peskin said, "This is an opportunity for neighborhoods nationwide to join forces and make a powerful statement against crime. For at least one night, we'll return to the good 'ole days when neighbor- hoods were safer because people cared and routinely looked out for each other. Hopefully, it will be a step towards re- turning that sense of camaraderie, safety and security back to our communities" Since 1984, NATIONAL NIGHT OUT has also been successful in bringing com- munities and police closer together. "Too often," Peskin said, "the police and com- munity meet under adverse conditions such as burglary, accident report, etc. During NIGHT OUT each year, citizens and police get together in a positive at- mosphere and further their working rela- tionships. Peskin said close to 18 million people from 6,000 communities are ex- pected to participate in `NIGHT OUT IV'.