My three favorite girls dressed as pirates for the New Pirates of the Caribbean movie…
Daughter Susie, wife Cathy, daughter Katie
Monthly archives for May, 2007
Let’s let everyone participate in the Highlands revitalization
May19
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
I agree with my collegue Marcie Palmer, and with Brett Kappenman and Terry Persson that we should open up the new Highlands Revitalization Committee to a larger group of applicants and make a broad effort to reach out for participants. Like Marcie, I want the next phase of Highlands work to be an inclusive effort, and I feel we have kept people on the sidelines who live near the Highlands but have not yet been included in the detail planning (other than speaking at public hearings). To make change in the highlands, we need a full court press, with everyone’s help. This committee is going to provide the ideas and organizing work; their work is as much of a campaign as it is a technical committee. We simply do not want to shut people out who want to help.
Thanks,
Randy
Hello All-
As the 3rd member of the P&D Committee, I wanted to let you know that is was NOT my understanding that notice and applications would be mailed to everyone (property owners & renters?) in the Highlands. This second task force will be looking at issues involving the greater Highlands area, not just the previous Highlands “subarea” we worked on last year. Terri Briere was very clear in who would recieve the info, and if Terry Persson thought it should go to others beyond what she specifically stated, he should have spoken up at the meeting.
Mailing to such a large area would no doubt be expensive; however, I can see the reasoning behind doing so, since there has been such wide-spread interest in the Highlands & redevelopment for years. I also remember people expressing interest on serving on the first task force, and they were told they weren’t eligible for that one because they didn’t live in the “subarea” being addressed at that time, and would be considered for the next task force. I also don’t think saying “people can go to the City website” for info is a good alternative to a mailing, since we know in this area there are many seniors and lower income folks who may not have access to or be comfortable with computers. Maybe an ad in the Renton Reporter would get the info out in a timely manner.
Thank you for letting us know of the situation and your concerns.
Marcie Palmer
It would have been great to bring Paul Allen’s antique airplane collection to Renton’s airport!….
May19
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
This would have been a great use of our airport space. I’ve seen Paul Allen’s airplane collection (the public can arrange tours by appointment), and he has some one-of-a-kind historic WWI and WWII articles. This would have been a perfect fit in Renton, as it would be closer to Seattle metro area, just a quick boat trip from Allen’s home on Mercer Island, and would not generate take-off and landing noise. The historic aspect of Allen’s flight museum would be a nice compliment to Boeing’s presence at the airport, since Boeing’s B-29 production here helped us win World War II.
I wonder if it is too late to get Paul Allen to reconsider? What do you all think?
______________________________________________________________________________
Airplane collection may move to Paine
By Christopher Schwarzen
Times Snohomish County Bureau
Looking to expand its activities for aviation enthusiasts, Snohomish County is offering another historic airplane group hangar space at Paine Field.
Possibly joining Paul Allen’s Flying Heritage Collection would be the Historic Aircraft Foundation, owned by Seattle attorney John Sessions.
Sessions, a past president of the Washington Seaplane Pilots Association, has been offered a lease agreement; approval by the Snohomish County Council is expected today.
The lease is similar to Allen’s, whose agreement with the county was approved last year. Allen plans to move his entire collection of historic warplanes from Arlington to Paine Field.
The agreements call for both to make improvements to current space at the airport. Sessions would be reimbursed for amenities totaling about $1 million that are the responsibility of the county, including the addition of taxiway and road to the hangars.
Under the lease agreement, Sessions and a company called Kilo Six would build three hangars on six acres. Two would be for private jets, but the larger space would house Sessions’ historic aircraft collection, which at one time has included an exotic Alpha Jet bomber trainer, an amphibious Beaver, a Grumman F8F military fighter, and a North American T-6 trainer used during World War II and the Korean conflict to train pilots.
Sessions has indicated to county staff members that he hopes to show the historic planes publicly, but Dave Waggoner, the airport’s director, said nothing has been put together yet in terms of a public program. Sessions declined to comment until the lease is approved.
It’s unclear when hangar construction might begin on the acreage, at the west side of the southern end of the runway, Waggoner said. But rent would be deferred for about seven years, at which point rent and fees would cost about $150,000 annually, according to the pending lease agreement. The lease would be for 40 years, with a 10-year option thereafter.
Regarding his collection, Allen has said that he likes the tie-in with the Future of Flight museum and the Boeing aircraft tour at Paine Field.
With a 10-year lease and options for 20 years, Allen is improving a 51,000-square-foot hangar at Paine Field at a cost of about $5.2 million. The county is reimbursing him about $2.2 million in rent credits. The annual lease is about $371,000.
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Work on the hangar is under way and should be finished by fall, said Michael Nank, a spokesman for the collection.
“We’re looking at opening near the end of the year or the beginning of 2008,” Nank said. “But it will be quite an extensive move, as some of the planes can’t be flown there.”
The Flying Heritage Collection focuses mostly on World War II- and Cold War-era planes from around the world, including England, Japan, China and Russia.
Waggoner said both leases, as well as the other options at Paine Field and nearby, make for a better tourist attraction.
“We feel this is a very positive step to have the additional aviation attraction at the airport,” he said. “[Paine Field] is a tremendous place for aviation enthusiasts.”
Seattle Times business reporter Elizabeth Rhodes contributed to this report.
Christopher Schwarzen: 425-783-0577 or cschwarzen@seattletimes.com.
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
More input on Airport issues….
May16
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
From Mark Hancock, Renton citizen:
Hi Marcie, Don & Randy –
Sometime back, I found a list of FAA/airport law cases, and finally relocated it tonight (it’s an eye opener):
http://home.netvista.net/hpb/cases.html
As we all know, the FAA is not easy to deal with, and usually wins. Even the City of Naples, Florida, famous for having beaten them in court, spent
$3.4 million in studies and legal fees over 5 years to justify and defend their ban on Stage 2 jets.
http://www.soundinitiative.org/documents/NaplesJetBanStudy.doc
Mayor Tanner reminded us all a few years ago that the FAA can require airport related uses, but they cannot tell us who we have to lease to. It is easier (and cheaper) to deal with things up front, than after we let businesses/users into our property and the FAA gets more involved and has more leverage.
Read the Rest of Mr. Hancock’s email, with his recommendations, by clicking here
Beyond charm and good looks, what do George Clooney, Tony Blair and I have in common?
May01
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
We share a birthday…May 6th. We’re probably not going to get together this year…I don’t think George could keep up with the pace of the celebration that my wife and close friends have planned for me, and I think Mr. Blair will be pretty busy with Iraq war politics.
But we’ll be thinking of them.
Incidentally, George, Tony and I share our birthday with some famous folks from history, including Sigmund Freud, Orson Welles, and Russia’s Tsar Nicholas II (a virtual “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” line-up of celebrities.)
Clooney is a year older than me, and Tony Blair is nine years older. Interestingly, I am the same age as the Space Needle, having been born May 6, 1962. Two days before I was born, Life Magazine ran a picture of the Needle on it’s cover, to document the opening of the Seattle World’s Fair. And I’m just two weeks younger than my wife Cathy, a beautiful woman who appears to have miraculously stopped aging in her twenties 🙂
My Mom once told me I was an early birthday present, as she turned 26 the day after I was born. Oh! That reminds me….I better wrap this up and do some shopping!…
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