The Tukwila Days Car Show will be cruising into town on Saturday, Aug. 23rd at the Tukwila Community Center, and residents are being asked to bring their cool cars to show off!

Admission to the show is ABSOLUTELY FREE, and there’s a $10 pre-registration fee to show your car.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Tukwila Days Car Show

WHEN: Saturday, August 21st from 10am – 3pm

WHERE: Tukwila Community Center, located at 12424 42nd Avenue South.

INFO: “Buff those beautiful babies to a mirror shine and cruise on over to the 7th Annual Tukwila Car Show for your chance to show it off. Come on by to check out some of the hottest things on wheels!…”

For more information or application please contact the Tukwila Parks and Recreation Department at 206-768-2822 or by email at djohnson@ci.tukwila.wa.us.

This event is part of Tukwila Days, which also includes:

Music, art, food and fun will be a part of this year’s festival held at the Tukwila Community Center on August 21. This festival offers something for everyone, so bring your friends and family and join the fun! There will be plenty of food, games, music, entertainment, arts and crafts, vendor booths, special kid’s activities and more! Admission and most activities are FREE! For more information about any of these events, please call 206-768-2822.

This year’s schedule:

• Pancake Breakfast, 8:00am – 10:00am: Breakfast service begins at 8:00am in the TCC Social Hall. Supports the Tukwila Sister Cities Committee
• Vendor Fair, 10:00am – 3:00pm: Come check out more than 100 booths! Vendor space is available. For an application please call 206-768-2822.
• Art Show, 10:00am – 3:00pm: Hosted by the Tukwila Arts Commission, the 14th Annual Tukwila Days Art Show showcases local artists.
• Vintage Car Show, 10:00am – 3:00pm: Enter your restored classic car, truck, muscle car or souped-up import, or stop by and vote for your favorite!
• The Fun Zone, 10:00am – 3:00pm:Enjoy inflatable bouncers, giant slide, dunk tank, face painters, roving clowns and special kid’s entertainment!
• Challenge Yourself, 10:00am – 3:00pm: Stop by at the Tukwila Community Center booth to find out how you go about challenging yourself for a prize!
• Chalk It Up!, 10:00am – 2:00pm: Young artists can grab some chalk and create their masterpieces on the sidewalks of the Tukwila Community Center.

The 17th Tukwila Community Garage Sale will be held on Saturday, Aug. 14th, and Sunday, Aug. 15th

To find the sale locations:

• Download the 2010 Garage Sale Locations and Map
• Starting Aug. 10th, pick up a map and list of sale sites during regular operating hours at:
  • Tukwila City Hall – 6200 Southcenter Boulevard
  • Tukwila Community Center – 12424 – 42nd Avenue South
  • Tukwila Pool – 4414 South 144th Street
  • Foster Golf Clubhouse – 13500 Interurban Avenue South
  • Foster Library – 4060 South 144th Street
• Check the ad with a list of sale locations in the August 13 Kent Reporter and Renton Reporter.
• On August 14 and 15, simply drive around Tukwila looking for the bright yellow signs that identify sale locations.
• List of participating addresses
• Map of participating households

By sponsoring the Community Garage Sale for 16 years, the City of Tukwila supports recycling and reuse! Have a great sale and happy shopping!

For more information please contact Rebecca Fox at rfox@ci.tukwila.wa.us or (206) 433-7178.

This Friday’s “Peanut Butter & Jam Kids Concert” will feature the band Caspar Babypants, whose lead singer is Chris Ballew from the Presidents of the United States of America!

The concert will be held from Noon – 1pm in the grassy area near the spray park at the Community Center right here in Tukwila.

More info, along with audio and videos available here: www.babypantsmusic.com

The City of Tukwila is celebrating “Park and Recreation Month” during July by offering 31 days of exciting events and programs for people of all ages and capabilities.

Each July since 1985, America has celebrated Park and Recreation Month. This year’s theme is Celebrate, Advocate, Recreate! Park and recreation agencies and citizens are encouraged to plan special events and initiatives that remind local decision makers and the community of the exciting and vital role that parks and recreation play in the lives of Americans.

Join the festivities in Tukwila by visiting your local park, enjoy an afternoon at our Peanut Butter and Jam Concert Series, watch a movie outdoors or take the family rafting down the Wenatchee River. Our list of events doesn’t stop there; call us for more information on how you can take advantage of this month’s activities!

“I would like to personally invite you to connect with your community and venture through parks developed right outside your door, celebrate nature and healthy living-especially during National Park and Recreation Month of July. With the arrival of warmer weather, we have our Spray Park open to you for an easy and fun cooling station, picnic shelters for your family gathering and so much more. The Tukwila Parks and Recreation Department work diligently to provide you with opportunities to encourage a healthy lifestyle for you and your family.” Rick Still, Director of Tukwila Parks and Recreation

“Park and Recreation Month is the time to show all of America, citizens and public decision makers alike, of the extremely exciting and important role that parks and recreation play for communities,” said Barbara Tulipane, CEO of NRPA. “I can’t think of a better excuse for citizens to get out every day and experience for themselves the positive health effects, economic benefits, social interaction, and connection to nature and open space that comes with vibrant and supported parks and recreation.”

Park and Recreation Month is a program of the National Recreation and Park Association. For more information, go to www.nrpa.org/july.

This weekend, local amateur radio operators (“hams”) from the Highline (Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, SeaTac, Tukwila, as well as the North Highline unincorporated area) Amateur Radio Club will be participating in ham radio’s annual national emergency exercise called Field Day, to simulate a disaster, and especially the loss of normal communications in a disaster.

Members of the Highline Amateur Radio Club will be setting up a radio communications center at Marvista Park (located at SW 200th and 4th Ave. SW in Normandy Park) to communicate with other hams participating from around the world. Antennas will be set up starting Friday and the exercise begins at 11 a. m. Saturday, June 26, and lasts 24 hours until 11 a. m. Sunday. Club members will be making contacts with the other hams utilizing both voice and Morse Code.

Hams have a long history of providing back-up communications for local governments as well as other non-governmental agencies needing communications in a disaster. Hams provide these services, volunteering their time and, often, using their own personal equipment. As more and more professional emergency management personnel (fire fighters, police, EMTs, emergency managers, etc.) are getting Amateur Radio licenses to be able to use this valuable radio resource, the FCC is contemplating changes to the rules to allow these professionals to work with the volunteers (since, normally, hams are not permitted to have any pecuniary interest in the communications that they make (e. g. wages.).

The Highline Amateur Radio Club extends an invitation to anyone interested in observing the exercise to visit Marvista Park on Saturday afternoon, evening or Sunday morning.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The silly "Ham Radio" graphic is our creation, and does not reflect the mindset of these radio operators, who probably wouldn't stoop to such a ridiculous logo like that...]

The Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce, along with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), is sponsoring a seminar called “Limited Visibility!” targeted to business owners, managers, and marketing and sales professionals who want to bring in more sales and expand their outreach.

Four lively, fast-paced presentations by local experts will cover how people shop today, and how businesses can use social media and technology effectively and intelligently to accomplish their goal of business growth. Presentations include Dwayne Fricke of All Seattle Web Design, Marshall Macias, Elizabeth Paulsen of Cascade e-Commerce Solutions, and yours truly, Scott Schaefer of The B-Town (and Tukwila) Blog(s).

On a personal note, we highly recommend not only attending this seminar, but utilizing the free resources of the SBDC, especially with Advisers Rich Shockley and Zev Siegl, who are extremely knowledgeable and helpful about business.

Topics addressed will be:

• Social networking
• Blogging
• Websites
• Search engine optimization

Participants will learn how to build a community among their customers and fans, attract new customers, move ahead of their competition, and further expand their reach. 

The event will be held on Tuesday, June 22, 2010, 8:00 am – 10:00 am in Tukwila. Location will be disclosed upon registration.

Cost is $20 per person.

Presented in partnership by the Small Business Development Center at Highline Community College and the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce.

Here’s more info from a flier:

LIMITED VISIBILITY!!
One reason people buy from other companies.

Missing a few good customers? Maybe you’re the one that’s gone missing!

Control your marketing expense and still be more visible to the customers you want and the ones you already have. Hear from four local pros on how to get visible and ring up more sales . . .

• Websites that create sales better than others
• Twitter and Facebook create sales
• A company blog creates sales
• Optimizing your website creates sales

Four savvy local pros demonstrate how the customers you don’t yet have will go searching for you . . . on the Web, Google, Facebook and Twitter, often from their phone,not a computer. This 90-minute event will be held at convenient location in Tukwila close to Southcenter. The date is Tuesday June 22nd at 8:00 -10:00 AM. Sign up now!

Limited Visibility is brought to you by The Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce and The Small Business Development Center for Southwest King County [The SBDC] which is based at Highline Community College. You’ll enjoy four fast-paced 20-minute presentations in a row, each one demonstrating clearly just how people actually shop today

1. Marshall Macias, social networks professional:How customers get info from Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, etc
2. Scott Schaefer, blogging professional: How customers find the info they want from business blogs
3. Dwayne Fricke, website professional: Websites that connect with customers and some that don’t.
4. Elizabeth Paulsen, search engine optimization professional: To Google robots, all websites are not created equal.

The four presenters are good! Learn how to:

• Build a community among your customers and fans
• Attract the customers that you don’t yet have
• Move ahead of your competition
• Spread your reach much further afield

This event is not a how-to for techies! It’s not technical at all. Limited Visibility! is about how customers look for you, for your products and services. [ First Clue: Things aren’t the way the used to be. ]

To reserve your seat, email or call Brenna Arnesen, Marketing and Events Manager, The Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce at staff@swkcc.org or via phone: 206 575-1633.

The fee is $20.00, payable to the Chamber of Commerce. Reservations are required for this event. The event is June 22nd, in Tukwila 8:00–10:00 AM. Brenna Arnesen, the event manager, will provide the location when you reserve your seat.

Web registration link:
 http://swkingcowa.usachamber.com/custom2.asp?pagename=calendar&a=view&eid=55796

An electronics recycling event for area residents will be held the weekend of June 18-20th at the South Center South industrial park off West Valley Hwy at 18435 Olympic Ave South.

Like last year, the event allows residences the opportunity to recycle the following:

• All TVs
• PCs
• Monitors
• Laptops

For FREE.

For more information, visit the website at www.ecycleevents.com or call 1-888-880-1254

Here are the details:

WHAT: Electronics Recycling Event for area residents.

WHEN: Friday June 18 through Sunday June 20th:

• Friday the 18th: 9 am – 3 pm
• Saturday the 19th: 9 am – 4 pm
• Sunday the 20th: 9 am – 3 pm

WHERE: American Electronics Recycling Corp, located at 18435 Olympic Ave South Ste B-100 in Tukwila.

INFO: From their website:

American Electronics Recycling will be holding an electronics recycling event for King and Pierce county residences.

This event will be held in the South Center South Industrial park off West Valley Hwy in Tukwila.

Residents are welcome to recycle all TVs, PCs, Laptops, and Monitors for free. A variety of other electronic items will be accepted, but a small disposal fee may be charged.

A full list of the items can be viewed on our website: www.ecycleevents.com

All of our recycling efforts meet the Washington State Department of Ecology standards.

We want to thank our local communities in advance for helping to keep Washington green.

WHY WE RECYCLE:
Every year more than 50 monitors and pcs are estimated to be discarded.  A typical CRT can contain 3 lbs of lead.  PCs and Macs can contain environmental toxins as well. Many laptops have a small fluorescent lamp in the screen that contains mercury, a toxic material when inhaled or digested.

*computers leaving your home or business may still contain personal, sensitive information. American Electronics Recycling will ensure that your hard drive is handled and destroyed properly

The Tukwila Police Department has partnered with the Preventing Auto Theft Through Regional Operational Links (PATROL) Task Force to distribute free steering wheel lock devices (aka “The Club”) to the owners of Honda Accords and Civics manufactured between 1991 to 1998.  These are some of the most commonly targeted vehicles by auto thieves.

Ten area police departments are participating in this program.

To get yours, contact Chris Partman of the Tukwila PD at 206-431-2197.

Here’s more info from a press release:

Due to the increase in thefts of Honda vehicles, several local police agencies are making The Club available to owners of 1991-1998 Honda Accords and Civics free of charge as part of the statewide authority to reduce vehicle crimes.

In 2007, the legislator created the Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority (WATPA) in the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC). The Authority consists of 10 Governor appointees serving staggered terms. Representatives of law enforcement, prosecution, the auto industry, the insurance industry, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs and the private sector are included as members of the Authority. WATPA aims to reduce vehicle theft across the state and funds several regional task forces.

Own a '91-'98 Honda? You could a "Club" for free.

The Preventing Auto Theft Through Regional Operational Links (PATROL) Task Force is made up of all South King County police departments and Bonney Lake and Sumner Police Departments. Several cities which contract for police services with the King County Sheriffs Office also participate in PATROL.

As part of the PATROL task force’s auto theft prevention strategies, local police departments have a quantity of the steering wheel locking devices (The Club) available for free. To obtain the free Clubs, Honda owners must prove Honda ownership by showing a current Department of Licensing registration at one of the participating police departments. This offer is available only while supplies last.

“Vehicle thefts continue to be a crime plaguing the South King and North Pierce County areas. Remember, vehicle crimes are most of the time preventable. We know that auto thieves target certain vehicles and we hope through this initiative, the public will become better aware of their ability to prevent auto theft from occurring. Using devices such as The Club is absolutely recommended and a huge deterrent to auto thieves,” said Kent Police Lieutenant John Pagel, who also commands the PATROL Task Force.The Clubs are available for pick up at several police departments.

Other participating police departments and contacts are:

• Covington PD: Chief Kevin Klason, 253-638-1110
• Des Moines PD: Tonya Seaberry, 206-870-7619
• Federal Way PD: Kelly Crouch, 253-835-6710
• Kent PD: Sara Wood, 253-856-5851
• Maple Valley PD: Robin Larsen, 425-413-5158
• Newcastle PD: Aleta Phillips, 425-649-4444
• Renton PD: Cyndie Parks, 425-430-7521
• SeaTac PD: Ofc. Doug Reynolds, 206-973-4904
• Sumner PD: Det. Troy Nikolao, 253-299-5655

The Seattle Southside Visitor’s Center held its Grand Opening last Thursday, May 13th, at its new digs in SeaTac, and on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony were dignitaries from Tukwila, SeaTac, Des Moines and Kent.

The event included a ribbon cutting by Program Director of Seattle Southside Visitor Services Katherine Kertzman as well as other local public officials.

According to their website, the Seattle Southside Visitor’s Center:

We are the leading tourism and marketing organization in South King County. Seattle Southside Visitor Services (SSVS) –a program offered jointly by the Cities of Des Moines, Tukwila, SeaTac and Kent – is responsible for competitively marketing the area as an ideal travel destination for tourists who wish to explore Western Washington.

Scott Schaefer was also on hand, mostly to nosh on the free food and enter raffles (he didn’t win anything though…), as well as take the following photos:

Seattle Southside Visitor Services Program Director Katherine Kertzman cuts the ribbon, as Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler and Tukwila City Councilmember Joan Hernandez look on.

SSVC Program Director Katherine Kertzman, left, and Business Relations Coordinator Meilee Anderson watch the festivities.

The sparkling new facility is located at 3100 S. 176th Street in SeaTac.

SSVC Staff were all smiles as the big day went off without a hitch.

Dozens of local businesspeople, residents and dignitaries showed up to support the new center.

Bowls of colored chocolate candy brightened up tables full of "Tourism Matters" buttons.

The Ink Stop's Barbara Panush, left, and Tamara Mackey of Heartland Payment Systems.

For more information on the Seattle Southside Visitor’s center, click here.

April 28, 2010

Mayor Jim Haggerton

Dear Tukwila Residents and Businesses:

The City of Tukwila is embarking on a process to improve our financial stability. Over the next few months we will explore a variety of actions to better balance our budget for the long term. Because these actions could involve significant changes to the services we provide to residents and businesses, I would like to briefly give you some background information and explain how you can stay informed as we work through the process.

BACKGROUND
Cities in Washington have been challenged in recent years by statutory limitations on property tax revenue during a period when the cost of providing services has continued to grow. For some time, the robust growth of the overall economy and significant new development in Tukwila provided the ability to cope with these revenue and expense problems. However, Tukwila’s finances have been hurt in recent years by implementation of the State’s “streamlined sales tax” system and by unanticipated expenditures related to problems at the Howard Hanson Dam. With this difficult financial backdrop, the economic crisis of the past few years has seriously affected the City’s ability to continue operating as we have in the past. An extended period of declining sales tax revenue and a dramatic slow‐down in new construction (with resulting stagnated property tax revenue) require that the City take action.

The chart below illustrates the City’s recent revenue/expenditure history (2000‐2009) and forecasts revenues and expenses through 2015 based on current service and staffing levels. As illustrated, revenues and expenditures were relatively equal through 2004. From 2005 through 2007, revenues exceeded expenditures each year, allowing the fund balance (our “bank account”) to grow over this period. However, in 2008 revenues declined while expenditures continued to increase, requiring that the City draw from its fund balance. The gap between revenues and expenses is expected to widen under current and anticipated conditions requiring continued and growing “withdrawals” from fund balance.

Temporary expenditure reductions for 2009 and 2010, a new utility tax on city‐run utilities, significant (and unsustainable) cutbacks in capital expenditures and a new solid waste utility tax have provided some relief. However, even after these measures are considered, forecasts show that the City will deplete its budget reserves (“fund balance”) in 2013 or 2014 if it remains on the current course. This situation cannot be allowed to continue.

NEXT STEPS
The City Council and I have begun an intensive process to review a wide range of possible measures for closing the budget gap and setting the City on a more sustainable financial path. This will require evaluating ways to increase revenues and decrease expenses. These measures will have real impacts on the cost and type of services we provide to residents and businesses and on the employees who provide those services.

Over the next few months, the City Council will evaluate these potential measures to close the budget gap. If you would like to stay informed as the City Council explores these options, please visit the “City Budget Challenges” page on our city website (www.ci.tukwila.wa.us) and sign up for automatic notifications.

These are challenging times but I know we will find a way to a more stable future for our city.

Sincerely,
Jim Haggerton
Mayor