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Happy Friday, Kent
Last week, I announced that I would be taking action to improve the safety and well-being of our community as the legislature was unable to come to an agreement on laws addressing drug possession in Washington State.
Heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine and other drugs are ravaging cities across the region, and the illicit drug market continues to drive crime to fund addiction. With no statewide legislation in place, the impact on our community will only continue to grow.
We can no longer wait for the legislature.
During this week's Kent City Council meeting, I proposed a new ordinance prohibiting the unlawful possession of drugs in Kent. I am proud to say our council unanimously approved the ordinance.
I want to thank our councilmembers for joining me in recognizing that we cannot stand idly by while individuals die of overdose or watch drug-related property and violent crimes continue to impact our neighborhoods and businesses.
This new ordinance follows the bold step we took in September 2022 to become the first Washington city to prohibit the public use of controlled substances.
The new ordinance makes possession of controlled substances, other than cannabis, a gross misdemeanor, and creates an alternative two-year deferred prosecution program for individuals charged with these crimes.
They’ll be given the choice to participate in treatment and have their charges dismissed, or convictions vacated after successful completion of treatment.
This ordinance creates a process that is treatment-focused, and the steps we have taken will give us additional tools to help those suffering from substance abuse disorder and protect our community.
It is my hope that when the legislature convenes in a special session that they use this ordinance as a template for state-wide action. It is comprehensive, treatment forward, and can be practically applied in communities across the state.
You can view the council meeting agenda packet, which includes the full text of the ordinance, as well as a livestream recording of the meeting here.
Besides this important news, I have a lot of updates and fun opportunities to share with you this week. Hope you enjoy and have a great weekend!
Dana Ralph, Kent Mayor
Provider Appreciation Day recognizes the importance of child care providers and was accepted by Amran Ibrahim, a provider in Kent. |
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Bike Everywhere Month recognizes bicycling as a popular and economical mode of transport, supported by the city, and was accepted by KBAB Chair Wendy Graves. |
National Corrections Officers Week recognizes corrections officers for their service and dedication as law enforcement professionals, accepted by Corrections Commander Diane McCuistion and Chief Padilla. |
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Affordable Housing Week reaffirms the city's commitment that all people should have access to safe, healthy, and affordable housing within communities of opportunity, accepted by Habitat for Humanity & HDC member Cliff Cawthorn. |
It’s National Space Day! The Lunar Rover Vehicles used in Apollo Missions 15, 16 and 17 were built at Boeing in Kent and remain on the moon. Companies like Blue Origin, Starfish Space, and Stoke Space continue Kent’s legacy of space innovation now and into the future.
The newly renovated Kherson Park is a great example of showing our pride and Kent's history of pioneering the final frontier.
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Yesterday was International Firefighters Day, and I want to thank all our regional firefighting heroes for their brave commitment to our region!
They provide emergency medical services, fire suppression, rescue and more to protect over 260,000 residents. 🚒 🔥
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Yesterday was also Star Wars Day, and we had some fun on our social media pages celebrating!
I'm super excited to welcome a new addition to our customer service team—they're fluent in over six million forms of communication!
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This week I had the opportunity to visit Joe's Garage Coffee facility! It was really cool to see the ins and outs and I'm thrilled to have their company in Kent, I'm looking forward to more discussions and learning how we might support their business’s success in our community! |
Team Up 2 Clean Up
Join us tomorrow for our annual litter and graffiti cleanup event, where community members work to beautify Kent as individuals or in teams at various locations around the city! We provide garbage bags and disposal, safety vests and litter grabbers.
All ages are welcome at the litter cleanup. We're meeting at these spots at 9 a.m.
- East Hill: Golden Steer Restaurant (23826 104th Ave SE)
- Downtown: Kherson Park (307 West Gowe)
- West Hill: West Hill Plaza (24700 Military Road)
For the graffiti cleanup with Kent PD, individuals age thirteen or over with adult supervision are welcome.
We'll be meeting at Kent City Hall, in the parking lot off of Gowe St. at 9 a.m.
This is a great opportunity to earn school required community service hours! Note that we cannot sign off on court ordered community service hours. Gloves are recommended and closed toed shoes are required.
Kent City Council
The Kent City Council held multiple public meetings this week. Check out the recap on this week's meetings below. You can also see the full meeting agendas, minutes and livestream recordings here.
Mini Recycling Event
Each year, the City of Kent hosts a number of free recycling collections events that allow residents to dispose of recyclable items not typically accepted at the curb.
Instead of going to the landfill as trash, all collected items will be reused or recycled!
With out free mini recycle events, disposing of your recyclable items has never been easier! All event will be held on Fridays at locations throughout the city.
Check out KentWA.gov/TalkingTrash for more details on accepted items!
📅 Friday, May 12
⌚ 9 a.m. - Noon
📍 Kent United Methodist Church (11010 SE 248th St)
Kherson Park Renovation
I really hope you'll join us for the celebratory lift off of our brand-new space themed park located in downtown Kent.
Space for Kidz at Kherson Park is to be the first-of-its-kind to feature augmented reality, really immersing kids in an even more engaging, interactive and personal experience.
We are so excited to have this one-of-a-kind park in Kent. Launch your imagination into a world filled with rides on the Lunar Rover, earth sightings from inside a Lunar Lander and rocket launches from mission control.
While the park is now open, we're having a special grand opening event next month!
📅 Saturday, May 20
🕥 10:30 a.m.
📍 307 W. Gowe St
It's going to be an out of this world experience for the whole family, as we continue to celebrate our community's ongoing legacy in space exploration.
Kent Bike Rodeo
Our annual Bike Rodeo is coming up next month! The event includes a fun skills course designed for kids to improve their bike handling and traffic safety skills.
Kids will learn about stop signs, crosswalks, approaching corners as well as being considerate around other bikers and pedestrians.
The program will include helmet fittings, helmet giveaways, a bicycle skills course and bike safety checks.
Fill out this waiver to participate. If you would like to volunteer, please email KentBikeRodeo@gmail.com.
📅 Saturday May 20
⏰ 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
📍 Kent YMCA
Kent PawFest
Join us and Regional Animal Services of King County at PawFest! 🐕 😻
Animal rescues will have sweet animals up for adoption and we'll have licensing help on-site. There will be a best pet costume contest, pup cups, demos from dog agility teams and dog trainers! 🐶
📅 Saturday, June 3
⌚ 12-3 p.m.
📍 Kent Station
The Kent School District has over 1600 teachers who work each day to support Kent youth. This National Teacher Appreciation Week, we want to thank them for that commitment. Pictured is Heather Contreras, Kent School District’s Teacher of the Year!
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Don't forget to check out the KentNOW podcast! Josh and Tracy update you on the important, fun and interesting things happening here in the city!
Listen to new and previous episodes on:
🔊 Apple Podcasts apple.co/3J2UMkd
🔊 Spotify spoti.fi/3GNCeli
🔊 Amazon Music amzn.to/3jjaOvU
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Join us for the 2023 Kent Cornucopia Days 5k!
The race will start and finish at the Three Friends Fishing Hole Park. Race fees are $20, or $35 with this fun throwback shirt! Sign up to race and get your fun throwback shirt!
📅 Saturday July 15 at 9 a.m.
📍 Three Friends Fishing Hole Park
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