SeaTac

Nationally Renowned Development Expert to Visit SeaTac:  On August 2, Marilee Utter, President of the Urban Land Institute, will meet with the City Council to present her views about transit-oriented development (TOD) in each of the proposed light rail stations in the SeaTac area.  Ms. Utter is recognized nationally for her expertise in TOD.  She will spend August 1 examining the two future sites of the proposed light rail stations, meeting with property owners, and applying her knowledge of TOD to the conditions unique to those areas. Her analysis, with specific recommendations for positive action, will be the focus of the Council’s regular meeting on August 2.  She will present the City’s opportunities for transforming the proposed light rail station areas by tapping into market and demographic forces to bring a higher return to the City in the long run. 

Ms. Utter defines TOD as “an organizing principle to do what we should be doing anyway – creating great places.”  TOD accommodates a variety of transportation modes (pedestrian, bicycles, public transit, etc) rather than focusing intensely on the automobile.  It offers local services and amenities without driving, and increases housing opportunities for a mix of income levels.  Infrastructure costs are less (as much as 20% less) to serve TOD than for more conventional development models.  TOD becomes a powerful ‘generator’ for economic development; it not only protects neighborhoods, but creates a much more satisfying way of life for greater numbers of residents.  

SeaTac Building Official Named President of the Washington State Association of Building Officials (WABO):  The WABO recently elected SeaTac’s new Building Official, Gary Schenk, as its president.  Gary’s term is for the next two years.  WABO is a nonprofit professional association of state, county, and city officials engaged in the development, enforcement, and administration of building construction codes.  WABO actively participates in the building code development process at international, national, and state levels and provides training on current building code enforcement issues. 

A Good Day for the Senior Program:  The Washington State Association of Senior Centers held their annual conference in Leavenworth.  Kathleen Cummings, Senior Services Coordinator for the City of SeaTac, won the Professional of the Year award at the conference.  Kathleen has worked for the City for nearly eleven years and has been vital in the growth and expansion of the SeaTac Senior Program.  The Senior Program also won the New Program of the Year award for their Tour de Lunch program that was offered last year during construction of the Senior Center.  The Tour de Lunch was a transitional program for seniors that consisted of two travel days per week, where they visited other senior centers in the area for lunch and one rest day in which sack lunches were served in the Community Center gym.  

Fire Department News:  The Fire Department recently completed an upgrade to their Self Contained Breathing Apparatus to make them compliant with new standards for chemical/bio/radiological/nuclear incidents.  Several firefighters completed the upgrade during a two week period.  The funding was from a federal Homeland security grant for King County.  This grant saved the City close to $20,000 for the upgrades.

Submitted by: Craig R. Ward

City Manager

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