2009 Projects

2009 Flood Volunteers

To assist our elderly, disabled, and neighbors needing help with sandbags, we are working with Renton Boy Scout Troops #442 and #462 as well as many neighborhood volunteers and Scenic Hill neighbors to fill, transport, and stack sandbags for neighbors in the critical flood zones.

Traffic Calming on Jason Ave N & Cedar Ave N

Through the efforts of several members of the Neighborhood Council, the City of Kent provided traffic surveys of Jason Ave N and Cedar Ave N in response to complaints that the volume of traffic and the speed of that traffic was particularly excessive for a residential neighborhood. After an initial study was conducted in Winter 2007, it was determined that there was excess speeding.

Volunteers in the neighborhood sat in cars and recorded vehicle speeds and license plates and warning letters were sent to drivers speeding on our streets by the City of Kent Police. A second study was conducted in early Spring 2008 and it was determined that our neighborhood did require further intervention to address the speeding. One traffic circle has been installed at the corner of Cedar Ave and Jason Ave N. A future traffic circle is planned for the corner of Temperance Street and Jason Ave N.

We continue to monitor speeding and traffic changes in the neighborhood and will pursue traffic calming for any streets affected by excessive speeding.

Annual Plant Exchange

Organized by Sandy Cooper, Tammy McClimans, and NgocDzung Smith, our First Annual Plant Exchange was held on April 12, 2008. It was a great way to trade extra plants from your garden for new plants! This event gave neighbors an opportunity to meet and share extra plants and bulbs in exchange for new ones for both the novice and experienced gardener!

Annual National Night Out

Our annual National Night Out event is organized by the Neighborhood Blockwatch which is currently co-captained by Sharon Bersaas and NgocDzung Smith. This unique event allows our neighbors to meet and get to know one another while fostering a sense of community and highlighting our safety efforts and concerns. City of Kent officials and public safety representatives visit to answer questions. This event is held at the Kent Historical Museum. Each year, raffle items were donated by several local businesses. Thank you to the generosity of these local businesses.

Historic House Plaque Program

As one of our first grant projects, we have been researching options for purchasing plaques for the historic homes in our neighborhood. In 2009, our first grant proposal was presented to the City of Kent. With over 40 homeowners interested in purchasing a unique plaque for our neighborhood, our grant has been approved. As part of this project, we will be creating keepsake booklets of exterior photos and year built. We will also be creating a printable walking tour brochure including some of this information for the Kent Historical Society.