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COVINGTON | MAPLE VALLEY | BLACK DIAMOND FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2015
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Student art showcased around Covington BY REBECCA GOURLEY Reporter
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ou may have noticed a plethora of art being displayed around town inside fast food establishments to banks and even animal hospitals. All of the artwork came from students in Covington schools, mostly the elementary schools. The citywide art show is spearheaded by the Covington Arts Commission, an all volunteer board of community members that assist the City Council on art related matters and projects. This is the 10th year for the student art show and the goal is the same every time, said Leslie Spero, who heads the program from Position No. 2 on the commission. “(The goal is) to get more art out in the public, and to really celebrate student art,” Spero said in a phone interview. The program, she said, is a way to get
A total of 656 pieces of student art will be on display at 19 businesses around Covington and at City Hall until Friday, March 27. The art is part of the Covington Arts Commission student art show program. A complete list of locations is on page 5. REBECCA GOURLEY, The Reporter the fact that there are less schools participating this year compared to prior years. And the excitement doesn’t end with the student artists. Spero said all the businesses that participate in the program are excited to have the kids’ art hanging in their build-
students excited about art and to feel a sense of pride when they walk into a local business and see their art hanging on the wall. Spero said the number of submissions seems to be increasing every year, despite
for production, sale and licensing has been enacted by the Washington State Liquor Control Board. Liquor Control Board regulations for recreational marijuana include the minimum 1,000 feet distance between a licensed marijuana business and an “elementary or secondary school, playground, recreation center or facility, child care center, public park, public BY DENNIS BOX transit center, library or arcade where Editor admission is not restricted to those age 21 and older.” The interim regulations The Covington City Council voted to on the city website stated, “recextend the interim zoning regureational marijuana production lations for recreational mariand processing uses may only juana businesses for another six locate in the city’s Industrial (I) months. zone and retail uses may only The interim zoning ordinance locate in the Mixed Commercial was amended and adopted in (MC) and General Commercial April 2014 after an emergency (GC) zones, subject to both state ordinance was passed in NoRichard Hart and city regulations, including vember 2013 declaring the need sensitive uses buffers.” for interim zoning regulations. The city’s first recreational marijuana The interim regulations have been exbusiness, Crimson Wave, opened at tended in six-month increments since. 27623 Covington Way S.E. Community Development Director A medical marijuana facility, CovingRichard Hart said the city is waiting to ton Holistic Medicine, has operated in find out if the state House and Senthe city for several years. ate will consider legislation involving According city staff, if the land use recreational and medical marijuana that buffer regulations from the state are apwould affect land-use regulations. plied to medical marijuana businesses, In November 2012 general election, Covington Holistic Medicine may have Washington voters passed I-502, allowing possession of recreational marijuana to move because of its proximity to the for personal and private use. A system library.
Interim zoning extended for pot businesses
Commission meeting, Commissioner Robert Palmer made a suggestion to expand the new community business designation The Maple Valley Planning Commission near Four Corners to include a triangularis in the middle of discussing and revising shaped section of residential parcels on the city’s comprehensive plan. Required Southeast 271st Place and 235th Court by the state’s Growth Management Act, Southeast. the plan is a set of policies that outline the The suggestion came about after Palmer, future land use and the overall look and a mortgage and real estate professional, feel of the community. spoke with a homeowner in that area The Planning Commission updates at the city’s ice cream social last the comprehensive plan about every year. Palmer said the homeowner seven years with their recommenMAPLE expressed interest in rezoning their dations, but the City Council has VALLEY property from residential to comthe final say whether those changes mercial. get adopted or not. Changes can also But, there’s a problem with this be made to the comprehensive plan on plan and Palmer said he didn’t catch it an annual basis. until Jeff McCann, a real estate broker in There are several major changes proMaple Valley, made public comment at the posed by the commission in this plan upMarch 4 commission meeting. date so far. Included in that is the potential McCann said rezoning residential parrezoning of the back nine of Elk Run Golf cels to commercial resulted in one of his Course from public use to residential. clients not being able to sell his home to a In future issues of the Reporter, more of buyer who was trying to get approved for the suggested changes in the comprehenan FHA loan. He stated the bank wouldn’t sive plan will be addressed. approve the mortgage because the home was on commercial property. BY REBECCA GOURLEY
Reporter
271ST PLACE & 235TH COURT SE
At the Feb. 18 Maple Valley Planning
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[ more POLICY page 11 ]
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[ more ART page 5]
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ings. Art in general is on the rise in Covington, Spero said. Every year, the city puts out a call to artists for its monthly showcase. Each month a new artist’s work is hung
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