Here’s our recap of the Kent City Council meeting held on Tuesday night, Mar. 5, 2024:

Kids’ Arts Day At Kent Commons

Councilmember Brenda Fincher shared the upcoming art event for kids at Kent Commons. Kids’ Arts Day will take place on Saturday March 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $10 per child. Adults and children under 2 are free. Professional artists will lead kids in 12 different art projects, accompanied by live music from local performers. There will also be food trucks on site.

Public Comments

A resident of Harrison House senior apartments shared her concerns for the safety of residents. She said that her own apartment was recently broken into, and the parking lot has experienced a rash of auto and catalytic converter theft. The building is supposed to have security cameras, but whenever they are needed they seem to be malfunctioning. She explained that when residents bring up complaints to managers of the facility, they are told that if they don’t like it they can always move out. She also mentioned that they haven’t had a fire drill in over a year. After her time at the podium, Mayor Dana Ralph told the woman that the police chief, who was waving from the back of the room, was happy to talk with her about ways to address the safety concerns she mentioned.

Another commenter, a member of the Bicycle Advisory Board, spoke about the rising rate of serious bike and pedestrian vehicular incidents. He said that in 2023 there had been a 72% increase over the average of the previous 4 years. He added that this February alone, there were three serious pedestrian crashes where the victims were critically injured or killed. He said the city’s current response blames the victims, without addressing the root causes of the accidents. He suggested a more holistic approach to pedestrian and bike safety, such as a marketing campaign aimed at better driver awareness, and other projects that would create a safer urban environment. He said Kent’s arterials are systematically dangerous to bikers and walkers, and asked the city to do more to protect citizens who are walking and rolling.

KEHOC Bid Approved

Council and staff were pleased to approve a bid for just under $30 million for a new Kent East Hill Operations Center (KEHOC). This building will replace a 55 year old facility that the city has long ago outgrown. It will provide offices for Public Works and Parks, IT’s data center, as well as a large evidence storage facility for the police department. Police evidence must now be kept for 99 years, and the current evidence storage facility is maxed out.

The 420,000 square foot site will also provide 427 parking spots, with 25 EV charging stations. There will be a ramp up to the dumpsters, so trash picked from parks can safely be offloaded and will not pose a risk for staff.

Councilmember Zandria Michaud said this is the biggest project the city has undertaken in years and she is excited for city staff to have better working conditions. This project has been in the works since the city first bought the site 25 years ago.