CITY NEWS & ACTIVITIES
Animal
Services Canvassing
Pet licensing canvassing will begin in Kenmore neighborhoods in August. Regional Animal Services of King
County (RASKC) representatives will conduct door-to-door canvassing to educate
Kenmore residents about licensing requirements and ensure all cats and dogs are properly licensed. Canvassing staff in Kenmore will be
easily recognized by a County I.D. badge, business cards and logo shirt and
jacket.
Licensing benefits include reuniting lost pets with their owners, a
free ride home the first time a licensed pet gets lost, and 24/7 lost pet
license identification. Licensing fees support shelter and care of enforcement services for responding to strays, bite investigations, and nuisance and dangerous animals.
Kenmore residents can purchase new or renew existing
pet licenses online at www.king-county.gov/pets or at
Kenmore City Hall, QFC stores and vehicle licensing agencies.
King County code as adopted by reference in the Kenmore Municipal Code, requires all cats and dogs eight weeks older to be
licensed, whether they are indoor or outdoor pets. For specific questions about
the canvassing program, contact Sandy Jones, Canvassing Coordinator, RASKC, at
206-263-1988.
Backpacks
for Kids Drive
 Northshore School District’s annual Backpacks for Kids began July 11
and will run until July 30th. The multi-week campaign benefits over 1,000
local families who are unable to send their children to school with necessary
school supplies.
Local businesses and churches, including Kenmore City Hall, are
volunteering to be collection sites. Supply requests include: new, sturdy
backpacks; #2 pencils; 2-inch 3-ring binders; crayons; colored pencils;
notebook paper and more. Click here for a complete list.
Summer
Concert Series: July 23
Come out this Thursday, July
23th, and listen to the young group of Portland musicians Ural Thomas and The Pain
perform rhythm and blues soul music in a fresh new
way. 6-8 p.m. at Saint Edward State Park. The concert is free and the Discover Pass
parking fee is waived on concert nights.
Explore Kenmore’s
Parks
Linwood Park is a
small neighborhood park, approximately 1.4 acres, located in the northwestern
portion of Kenmore. The park has a playground, open lawn area for active play,
and picnic tables. Come enjoy a fun day at the park!
New Arts of Kenmore Exhibit
“The Art of Colored Pencil,” a juried exhibit from eight
Pacific Northwest artists incorporating colored pencil, will open Friday, July
24 at the Arts of Kenmore Gallery @ Kenmore City Hall, 18120 68th Ave. N.E.
Selected to exhibit their works are Gloria Alexander,
Michael Flynn, Margaret Li, Steven Lu, Judy Moritz, Elaine O’Riley, Iris
Stripling, and Joe Wuts.
The public is invited to an opening reception from 6:30-8
p.m., featuring a presentation by artist Judy Moritz, Vice President of the
local Colored Pencil Society of America (www.CPSA207.org),
from Bothell.
CITY STAFF PROFILE
By Jenny Pazar
 Chief Sether, National Night Out
Name: Chief Cliff Sether
Title: Kenmore Police Chief
What He Does: Oversees the Kenmore Police Department
Time with City: Since the City's incorporation in 1998
Local police departments are responsible for a variety of
things, namely keeping residents safe. They are also involved in helping the community stay connected. Kenmore Police Chief Cliff Sether oversees a multitude of community
engagement programs that get residents involved and excited about what they can
do to help everyone in their community. Chief Sether has been part of the
Kenmore police force since the City’s incorporation in 1998 and is deeply
committed to helping the City of Kenmore stay safe.
Chief Sether enjoys the community engagement portion of his
job because he gets excited when residents interact with each other. “We live
in a world where most people go into their houses and shut the doors. We don’t
know our neighbors. Community engagement programs bring people together so they
can help each other,” explains Chief Sether. He also enjoys the
police-sponsored programs in local schools that help young people become more
involved and informed as well.
The upcoming National Night Out on August 4 is a
particularly good time to bring people together. The national event is designed
to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; generate support for, and
participation in, local anticrime programs; strengthen neighborhood spirit and
police-community partnerships; and send a message to criminals, letting them
know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. National Night Out
will be held at City Hall from 6 – 9 p.m.
One of Chief Sether’s favorite programs involves interacting
and educating local sixth grade students. He, along with Detective Bobbi Wilcox,
devote three hours over three weeks to teaching students about bullying, drugs,
and personal safety.
In addition, the Kenmore Junior High School Student Academy
for eighth and ninth grade students offers a 10-week after school program to
learn about police patrol procedures, crime scene investigation, the canine
unit, marine patrol, traffic enforcement, the air unit, and major accident
response and reconstruction work. This gives students an opportunity to learn
about careers in enforcement as well as expand their knowledge on how law
enforcement officers operate within their own communities.
Another important educational experience the Kenmore Police
participates in is the DUI drill at the high school. The fire department and
police collaborate to provide a demonstration and reenactment of a car crash
and DUI arrest. Prevention is key and Chief Sether along with his fellow
officers work hard to spread knowledge and awareness of personal safety and
abiding by the law.
Not all of their duties are so serious however, as the
Kenmore Police also excitedly sponsor two school dances for teens at Kenmore Junior High as part of a community grant program. Each Valentine’s Day and Halloween, you can thank the police department
for the food, decorations, and DJ at these fun and popular school dances.
In the Kenmore area, there are approximately 75 different
Neighborhood Block Watch Programs. These important programs provide an
opportunity for neighborhoods to get to know each other and help keep it safe
through a partnership with the Kenmore Police Department. Chief Sether values
programs like this because it takes citizen involvement along with enforcement
officials to be the most effective and make the most positive impact in a
community.
The Kenmore Police Department, under the leadership of
Police Chief Sether, encourages everyone to engage with their communities. We
all care deeply about our personal safety and there’s no better way to maintain
that safety than through collaboration to create a strong, engaged, and
educated public.
COMMUNITY / CO-CREATOR PROFILE
By Brennan Jernigan
 Kenmore Business Alliance
“They know I’m here, and I know they’re here,” says Carl
Michelman, a Kenmore resident and local business owner. Carl is describing the
relationship his business, Michelman Insurance Group, has with other businesses
around town. His statement reflects what he sees happening in Kenmore: local
businesses are starting to pay attention to one another. And that’s thanks to
the Kenmore Business Alliance.
In 2012, with the support and encouragement of the city,
a small and committed group of local business owners began convening the
“Kenmore Committee” within the Greater Bothell Chamber of Commerce. That was
followed by a push by the founding members to get more businesses involved.
Their legwork paid off. In January 2014, the Kenmore
Committee officially became the Kenmore Business Alliance (KBA). Annie Harkess,
who manages the Kenmore branch of Key Bank, became the group’s chair, and KBA began
holding its monthly meetings in one of Key Bank’s conference rooms. However,
the group expanded so quickly that it soon outgrew the conference room!
The organization still holds its monthly meetings, but
now they are held at Kenmore City Hall. The meetings include local business
spotlights, networking time, and updates from the city and the chamber. KBA
also co-sponsors business open houses with the City held twice a year at City
Hall.
There are other ways in which it is becoming easier to
connect with the business community. Kenmore now has an annual business
registration program for businesses physically located in the city. As a result
of this program, we now know that nearly 800 businesses reside in Kenmore.
A portion of business registration revenues also go to
support KBA activities. What’s more, business registration has opened the way
for the online Kenmore Business Directory, where businesses choosing to do so are
listed online at www.findkenmore.org.
Brittany Caldwell, director of operations at the Greater
Bothell Chamber of Commerce, says she realized what a success KBA was when the
chamber held a Kenmore “State of the City” luncheon in February. “I remember us
saying, ‘If we get 40 businesses, we’ll be thrilled.’ And then 125 businesses
showed up! We were thrilled about
that. People were really excited to hear what was going on in Kenmore.”
That enthusiasm and excitement comes as Kenmore
businesses realize that they are not alone in caring about the economic
vitality of their community. Amy Towilis, owner of Rhino Roz Realty, says, “As
a small business owner myself, I want to support other local small business
owners in Kenmore.” And KBA, she says, allows business owners to work with each
other and to act as a “think tank” for generating suggestions and ideas.
Nancy Ousley, assistant city manager, describes it this
way: “KBA provides Kenmore businesses with an identity. It allows them to connect with each other.”
If you own a
business in Kenmore and want to get involved, you can come to KBA’s monthly
meeting on the first Thursday of every month, from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. at
Kenmore City Hall. You can also sign for KBA’s email list by clicking here.
To register your
business online, visit http://business.wa.gov/BLS. Once your business is registered, you can opt-in to be included in the Kenmore Business directory by visiting http://dor.wa.gov/kenmore.
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