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FRIDAY, OCT. 2, 2015
Council focuses on downtown safety and appearance BY BRIAN BECKLEY
Honoring one of their own
bbeckley@rentonreporter.com
The Renton Fire Department last week hosted a memorial service for firefighter Donovan Eckhardt, who died of cancer in August. The event began with a procession from headquarters on Lind Avenue to the New Life Church on the Maple Valley Highway. Dozens of vehicles from other local fire departments participated in the procession and then covered for Renton units during the service. To see a full slideshow from the event, visit www.rentonreporter.com. PHOTOS COURTESY KELLEY BALCMOB-BARTOK
State troopers issue 52 warning notices on first day of I-405 HOT express lane tolling Monday – the first commute on the express toll lanes on Interstate 405 on the Eastside – saw drivers save about 30 minutes on their commute between Bellevue and Lynnwood, for $1.50 in the morning and a 75-cent toll in the afternoon. On Monday afternoon, the regular lanes of I-405 ran about only five minutes slower than an average Monday afternoon, according to the Washington state Department of Transportation
Estimated travel times on the northbound regular lanes were 45 minutes at 4:30 p.m. between Bellevue and Lynnwood. Also on Monday Washington State Patrol troopers worked an emphasis patrol to educate commuters of the new changes involving toll lanes. Troopers stopped 58 vehicles related to toll-lane violations. Three drivers were cited for HOV violations and 55 received warnings, with the majority (43) violating the restrictive lane law, crossing the double white line.
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“We’re at the front end of a learning curve for I-405 express toll lane drivers,” said Craig Stone, the transportation department’s assistant secretary. “It will take time to get familiar with new rules like access points but we know our drivers are smart and they soon will be experts.” Sunday, the day the express toll lanes opened, Washington State Patrol troopers issued 52 warnings to motorists who violated the laws that govern the use of the express-toll lanes Sunday. The 17 [ more WARNINGS page 15 ]
[ more DOWNTOWN page 7 ]
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BY DEAN A. RADFORD dradford@rentonreporter.com
In their first opportunity to question city staff about the mayor’s multi-departmental Downtown revitalization effort, council members focused on safety concerns and on beautification efforts during Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting. The council, overall, seemed pleased with the approach, which the mayor previously characterized as “holistic,” After a brief re-cap, much of the discussion focused on working to clean up and revitalize the area, making it attractive to new businesses. Councilmember Don Persson was first out of the gate, asking about landscaping requirements, litter and code enforcement. Planning Director Chip Vincent explained that the city can hold downtown landlords responsible for landscaping efforts, including maintenance, if it is associated with the building permit and said the city was in the process of hiring a new code enforcement officer. This summer, the city sent letters to every business downtown that had issues and received voluntary compliance for more than 40 of them. There are a few stragglers, including five in particular that are not making any headway and Vincent said the city was “taking progressive action” against the owners. According to Community Development Project Manager John Collum, two warnings and three fines of $100 each have been issued to the businesses not in compliance. Council President Ed Prince also asked about a no-smoking ordinance recently passed for the transit center and parking garage. Police Chief Kevin Milosevich said the police are doing some enforcement, including three expulsions from the park. In response to a question from Councilwoman Ruth Perez about crime statistics downtown, Milosevich said the police study