[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following letter was published on Des Moines Mayor Dave Kaplan’s Facebook page; we have received permission to post it here. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Waterland Blog nor its staff] Well, my “friends” at Comcast sent their standard email with a link to a customer satisfaction survey. On their open-ended

Where to find pieces of Seattle’s architectural heritage in modern buildings

September 8, 2024September 21, 2024

External Articles, History

Architecture

By Lawrence Kreisman Special to The Seattle Times IT WOULD TAKE many pages to list significant buildings in Seattle that have been lost in the past 170+ years, as natural disasters (fires, earthquakes) and man-made change (regrading, highways, commercial and residential construction) have reshaped the topography, replaced older buildings and filled open space. The historic

History, Neighborhoods

Restaurants

Mini The Doughnut

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My absolute fave local restaurant in terms of exterior charm. Every detail just -screams- "fun and enjoyment are to be had here!"...

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History

Tribal Canoe Journey at Saltwater State Park

July 29, 2024July 30, 2024

GalleryLeave a comment

So… the guy at the top holds the tribal flag of the Muckleshoots. There is a group that waits in the water and from time to time they chant. On the shore, there are drummers. When one of the boats approaches, the people in the water greet them and everyone hoists the boat onto the...

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History, Neighborhoods

Barnes Creek Trail, Des Moines Creek Business Park, Des Moines Creek Trail

Des Moines Creek West (Barnes Creek Trail)

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This photo montage covers the area from 216th north to Des Moines Creek Trail and west from the current DMCBP 20th Ave. to 15th Ave....

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Kroger Albertsons Safeway QFC Planned Divestiture Locations

Washington Haggen — 1406 Lake Tapps Pkwy E, Auburn Safeway — 101 Auburn Way S, Auburn Albertsons — 2108 W Main St, Battle Ground Safeway — 904 W Main St, Battle Ground QFC — 201 NE State Route 300, Belfair QFC — 10116 NE 8th St, Bellevue QFC — 2636 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue QFC

Des Moines Memorial Drive Corridor Management Plan July 2004 Final

The Seattle Times recommends: Bob Ferguson for governor

July 7, 2024July 17, 2024

External Articles, History

Seattle Times

By The Seattle Times editorial board An education system failing to produce expected outcomes. Transportation projects wildly over budget. Concerns about community safety metastasizing into outright fear. The next governor of Washington will face all these challenges and many more in an atmosphere of increased political polarization and coarsening civic discourse. Of the 28 gubernatorial

History, Transportation

Downtown traffic congestion

July 1, 2024July 7, 2024

1 Comment

by Richard Kennedy President Des Moines Historical Society As someone who lived in Des Moines from 1955 through 1999, I thought I might give a brief history of downtown traffic congestion. Before the Big Catch Plaza, there was a road parallel to the north side of Albertson’s (now Dollar Tree). As such there were two

Ordinance No. 1346 – property tax lid lift 2004 for public safety, transportation, community services

This initiative failed

Ongoing Stuff

Get vaccinated! Yeah I know you’d like to forget about it, but there are new variants and the infection rate is climbing. Fortunately, there is an effective booster, which is recommended for people 65 and older and those who are immuno-compromised. It is available now, effective, free and you can get your appointment today here and here , including walk-Ins at SAFEWAY, Walgreen’s, Rite-Aid, SeaMar and Healthpoint.

Sign up for the King County Code Red Alert program. When you sign up for Code Red you’ll be notified immediately when there is a possible health threat. After the recent ‘Boil Water Notice’ I received just a few grouses that ‘it did not work’. I’m 99% certain that the problem is that you have to actually sign up for an account. Do It! There is this ‘guest’ option which is stupid and should not even be an option. Everyone who had an account in their system was notified. If you’re like me and signed up ten years ago (after the last notification), go to the site immediately and verify your account. Ten years is a long time for any computer system.
Check out the 223rd Green Street Project web site and take the 223rd Green Street Survey before December 11th!
Check out the Des Moines Marina Steps web site and take the Marina Steps Survey.
If you’re interested in any of our Kids or Senior activities, you can sign up here.
Learn more about our Comprehensive Plan and take the Housing Action Plan Survey.
Take the City Communication and Engagement Survey
Give blood! Schedule an appointment today. There is a CODE RED emergency shortage.
Masonic Home! There is a petition for those who are interested in historic preservation of the property. If you have questions, don’t contact me. Contact Barbara McMichael and Lloyd Lytle Jr
Community Service Officer Tonya Seaberry wants to hear from neighborhood groups interested in establishing block watch programs: Tseaberry@desmoineswa.gov or 206-878-3301.
City Of Des Moines Minor Home Repair Program: Low to moderate income households can get grants to do all sorts of necessary repairs. Email Tina Hickey (206) 870-6535.
Every home should have a Carbon Monoxide Detector–especially during the colder months! Full stop. If you need one but money is tight, South King County Fire And Rescue will get you one. Just call their Community Affairs Office at 253-946-7347.
And last, but not least: If your home has Port Package (sound insulation system) that is having issues, please go to SeatacNoise.Info

How to attend meetings and provide Public Comment

City Council Meetings are scheduled for Thursdays at 6:00PM at City Hall 21630 11th Avenue S., Suite #C Des Moines WA 98198. They can also be viewed live on Comcast Channel 21/321 or on the City’s YouTube channel. Committee Meetings are either at 4:00PM or 5:00PM, also on Thursdays.

You do not have to sign in to attend a meeting!
The sign-in sheet is only for people wishing to make a Public Comment.

There are three ways to provide Public Comment:

In person: Show up a few minutes before the meeting and sign the sheet. Public Comment is usually conducted at the beginning of the meeting.
By e-mail: All e-mails sent to citycouncil@desmoineswa.gov are considered public comment. They are instantly available to all members of the City Council and the City Clerk who includes them into the record of public comments at the next meeting.
By US Mail: Attn: City Clerk Office, 21630 11th Avenue S., Des Moines WA 98198 no later than 4:00 p.m. day of the meeting. Please provide us with your first and last name and the city in which you live.

All letters or e-mails requesting a specific action are referred by the City Clerk to the appropriate City department.

If you would like a follow up from me, personally please indicate that or call me (206) 878-0578.

The Clerk does not read e-mails to the Council in full; only the subject line. However, we do see them as soon as you send them. Your comments are added to the Agenda Packet available on the City web site following each meeting.

How to view public comments, correspondence and meeting materials

The City publishes a meeting agenda on the Friday (six days) before city council meetings. On the day after the meeting (Friday) the City updates that same file with all the slide presentations, the correspondence, and a list of the people who signed up to give public comment at the meeting. Currently, there is no button on the web site that says Show me the meeting comments for xx/xx/xxxx. You just have to know that this is the procedure. Below is a recipe to get you there.

Go to www.desmoineswa.gov
Once there, hover over Your Government and then click Council Meeting Center. (Or, you can skip Step #1 and just click on Council Meeting Center.)
Select the meeting date you’re interested in from the Schedule Of Meetings calendar.
Click on Regular Meeting for the meeting date you want. In this case, December 1, 2022.
Click the Agenda Packet link under “Print Verson”.
You can also select a meeting using the list near the top. You can also use the left and right arrows to select older meetings.
Once the agenda packet loads, there are two links we’re interested in:
- Correspondence to view all e-mails received by the City Council since the last meeting.
- Comments From The Public to view a list of the people who spoke in-person at the meeting.