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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012
City could close park facilities BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
Kent city officials will consider closing the Lake Meridian swim and boat dock and other deteriorating park facilities for safety reasons if no new revenue source is found to fund repairs. Kent Reporter file photo
City playfields, restrooms, playgrounds, swim and fishing docks could close in Kent in the next year or two without a new revenue source to repair the facilities. Voters rejected a property tax levy increase Nov. 6 with nearly 60 percent against the measure. City officials
wanted that money to raise about $29 million over six years, $18.3 million for parks and $10.7 million for streets. Now council members are discussing whether to go back to voters with a smaller levy request to at least address some of the park repairs. A new business and occupation tax adopted by the City Council in October will bring in about $5 million per year for street repairs starting in 2013.
Parks Director Jeff Watling discussed at the council’s Parks and Human Services Committee on Nov. 15 about what could happen if no money becomes available to fix park facilities. “The problem doesn’t go away,” Watling told the committee. “We will see decay and decline in the system. We need to find a way to get capital into the system. Whether we are able [ more PARKS page 4 ]
Businesses raise $14,000 for food bank
City looks to end operating losses at Riverbend BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
The city-owned Riverbend Golf Complex is under “scrutiny” by the Kent City Council because of operating losses and a $2.25 million debt. Riverbend lost $430,000 in 2011. Parks Director Jeff Watling projects losses in 2012 to be about $97,000. “The $430,000 deficit in 2011 was unacceptable to all of us,” Watling said at the council’s Nov. 15 Parks and Human Services Committee meeting. “We like the projection this year. It’s a good trend as we look at 2013.” But parks staff and the
council are looking for ways to stop the revenue losses and repay debts as the city struggles to rebuild its financial health. Riverbend’s $2.25 million debt is to pay off an interfund loan, money that the city borrowed from its water and fleet funds to help pay off the bond for the golf complex, Watling said. “Our goal is for an enterprise fund not to lose money and more important there is debt to pay,” said council president Dennis Higgins. “The council is looking at these funds with more scrutiny than the past. We need to look at funds so they are not in a deficit or have a plan
BY TRACEY COMPTON tcompton@soundpublishing.com
Brandon Brown competes in an amateur tournament last year at the Riverbend Golf Complex. The cityowned course continues to lose money and carries a $2.25 million debt. Kent Reporter file photo to not be in a deficit. I need to get more confident we’re not running deficits.” Watling said in years the golf course made money, payments were made to lower the interfund loan.
The council started to look more closely last spring at Riverbend after the large deficit in 2011. Watling said the course faced many challenges over the last few years, includ-
ing a nationwide and local trend of fewer golf rounds, an economic downturn, bad weather, levee work that caused temporary clo[ more RIVERBEND page 4 ]
Judge to rule on UW/Valley Medical alliance BY DEAN A. RADFORD dradford@rentonreporter.com
A King County Superior Court judge could decide next month the future of the strategic alliance between UW Medicine and the owner of Valley Medical Center. A hearing is tentatively set for Dec. 28 before Judge Michael C. Hayden on UW Medicine’s motion
to summarily dismiss a lawsuit filed in early October by the commissioners of Public Hospital District No. 1, which owns the Renton medical center. The hospital district’s lawsuit maintains that the elected district commissioners could not delegate their legislative responsibilities for a public institution to unelected decision makers.
Hospital district attorneys now efforts to discuss the issues and find have until the end of next week a resolution. to prepare a response to the UW “We were forced to file a lawsuit,” Medicine’s filings with the judge. Dr. he said. Paul Joos, president of the hospital In May 2011 the hospital comcommission, said he expects it’s mission voted 3-2 to approve the more likely the lawsuit will be realliance, which became effective solved in late January or February. on June 30, 2011, following the Joos said this week the commisapproval of the UW Medicine board sion has been “stonewalled” by the [ more MEDICAL page 11 ] University of Washington in its
Local businesses raised more than $14,000 in donations and close to 2,000 items of canned food for the Kent Food Bank. Seventy businesses and Neely-O’Brien Elementary School participated this year in the second annual Kent Turkey Challenge. “The second annual Kent Turkey Challenge was a huge success this year,” said Torklift Central General Manager Matt Lynch. “We raised a total of $14,220 and collected hundreds of pounds of food.” Officials said the donations went to about 1,000 families for Thanksgiving and almost all of the food donations were appropriately holiday-themed. “It’s a great support system,” said Jeniece Choate, executive director of the Kent Food Bank. “If we don’t have businesses supporting us, we don’t have donations to give out. So, it means everything to us.” Grainger Industrial Supply collected the most money with an $8,480 donation. George M. Stephens D.D.S. collected the most food [ more FOOD page 7 ]