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ZOMBIES | Over 100 runners get freaky during annual Freaky 5k Zombie Run [13]
VOL. 17, NO. 43
MIRROR
F E D E R A L WAY
DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
OPINION | Editorial: Vote yes for fire, marijuana measures [6] Roegner: What’s riding on the Gregory-Hickel race [6] CITY | Firm recommends upper mid-scale hotel in Town Center 3 [23] POLICE | Man arrested for stabbing father multiple times [26]
CALENDAR | Souper Supper Fundraiser set for Oct. SPORTS | Thomas Jefferson FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2015 | 75¢ Raiders shine at All-City Meet [4] 24 will support meal programs [27]
City Council approves funds for temporary day shelter BY RAECHEL DAWSON rdawson@fedwaymirror.com
A City Council and staff pose with the Federal Way Day Shelter Coalition after unanimous fund approval for the day shelter project on Tuesday. Courtesy city of Federal Way
packed City Hall gave a standing ovation to the Federal Way City Council after they unanimously approved $100,000 of city funds for a day shelter on Tuesday. Divided into $50,000 for 2015 and another $50,000 for 2016, the money will be used by the Federal Way Day Shelter Coalition to open the project this winter. “We hear too many stories in
this country about how divided we are, how broken our politics are, how little we are able to get done addressing the common problems we share, our most challenging problems,” said Reverend James Kubal-Komoto of Saltwater Unitarian Universalist Church and member of the coalition. “But your action this evening will help Federal Way tell a different kind of a story, a story that can be a model for the rest of King County, the state of Wash-
ington and even our nation.” The day shelter will provide a shower, hot meal, Internet access and mailing address to people who are homeless looking to make a better life for themselves. The 2,000-square-foot space near the Multi-Service Center will also be a resource for other services that help those in need. “We can tell a story about what can happen when members of various faith traditions, commu[ more SHELTER page 2]
Valley Cities puts brakes on disputed recovery center development BY RAECHEL DAWSON rdawson@fedwaymirror.com
Valley Cities officials recently announced they will slow down on the development of the Woodmont Recovery Center after receiving backlash from legislators and the community in August. “Our state elected officials and the county said, ‘OK, let’s be sure this is the very best site that’s available,’” said Valley Cities CEO Ken Taylor. “They said, ‘Let’s look at other potential sites in the county’ and we said, ‘Yeah, OK we can do that with you.’ We’re cooperating.” The evaluation and treatment center would serve the mentally ill and those addicted to drugs or alcohol through inpatient psychiatric treatment. It was scheduled to break ground this fall with completion in late spring 2016, but Taylor requested the city put the project on hold until Dec. 31. “I’m pleased that Valley Cities is responding to community concerns and working with local leaders to explore other locations for these much needed services,” said Rep. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, in a news release. “It’s important to include residents’ concerns in the discussion. I
have been, and will remain, fully engaged in this process.” Although five buildings are planned for the entire 8-acre campus, including a methadone dispensary, Valley Cities said they only have funds for the evaluation and treatment center, which will house 16 involuntary beds and eight voluntary beds. The center’s proposed location sits at the Pacific Highway and South 272nd Street intersection in the Des Moines neighborhood, Woodmont. And it’s less than 1,000 feet from Woodmont K-8, a school in the Federal Way school district — the biggest point of contention. “I’m so cautiously optimistic,” said Kelly Carlile, a Federal Way resident whose children attend Woodmont K-8. “My emotions were so raw in August, I’m afraid to feel relieved at all.” About 20-25 percent of Woodmont’s students live in Federal Way due to school boundaries. Carlile said she’s optimistic because of legislator support but, as a parent, she is cautious because she didn’t find out about the project until right before it was supposed to break ground. “I support the services but my job as a parent is to limit my kids exposure to that,” she said, adding that she’ll have to prepare her children to leave the school if [ more RECOVERY page 10]
PAEC breaks ground Above, drummers from the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe play native music during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Performing Arts and Event Center on Wednesday. Left, (left to right) Sen. Joe Fain, King County Councilman Pete von Reichbauer, Mayor Jim Ferrell, Deputy Mayor Jeanne Burbidge and Joann Piquette with the Federal Way Coalition of Performing Arts, shovel dirt during the event. TERRENCE HILL, the Mirror