News from former Councilmember Randy Corman, your Renton City Hall insider. (All views expressed in journal entries are Randy Corman's personal views, and not the official position of the City of Renton or other city employees. Views expressed in reader comments are those of the commenter)

Monthly archives for August, 2008

Auburn’s Mayor Pete Lewis emails Tim Eyman back regarding his “red-light camera” request

Aug29
2008 Written by Randy Corman

—–Original Message—–
From: Pete Lewis [mailto:plewis@auburnwa.gov]
Sent: Friday, August 29, 2008 1:45 PM
To: Tim Eyman

Subject: RE: Eyman to red light camera cities: a formal request for information

The city of Auburn along with Lakewood was the original supporters of this life saving measure. We went to the state legislature with a particular focus in mind. We wanted to stop deaths and serious injuries caused by people running red lights. In addition we were concerned with the increasing speeds seen around our schools and our children’s safety. READ MORE »

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Jet City Tribute on All About Renton blog

Aug29
2008 Written by Randy Corman

For those of you that have not found it, Miss Lynar did a great tribute to Jet City Espresso on her All About Renton blog. Click here to read it

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Benson Hill house fire this morning; no injuries

Aug28
2008 Written by Randy Corman

From: “Denis Law” <dlaw@ci.renton.wa.us> [ Save Address ]
To: “Citizens to Council” <council@ci.renton.wa.us>
Subject: Fire
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:59:19 -0700

Renton Fire responded to a garage fire on Benson Hill on SE 123rd, which spread
to the house causing extensive damage. There were no injuries and the cause is
under investigation.

Denis

Posted in Uncategorized

Water Walking at Henry Mosees Aquatic Center

Aug27
2008 Written by Randy Corman


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Cathy, center of picture, makes her way upstream in the “not-so-lazy river”

My lovely wife discovered a fun work-out late this summer, water-walking in the “lazy river” of the Henry Moses Aquatic Center.

She has been enjoying it daily for the last couple of weeks, and she fully intends to enjoy it all summer in 2009.

She and her friends exercise by making like salmon, as they try to fight their way “up-stream” in the lazy river. She says the camaraderie is as good as the exercise. She gets in at no extra cost by using her regular swim pass; Renton residents without swim passes can get in for $3.00.

The pool has been open for water-walking Monday through Thursday in the mornings. Tomorrow is the last day this season.

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Renton products help lead the national list in durable goods orders

Aug27
2008 Written by Randy Corman

Renton and Everett aircraft orders lead the nations strong durable goods orders, providing great news for both Wall Street and Main Street. Record-breaking backorders of Renton’s own 737 aircraft, which promise years of production in the future, are clearly helping our NATIONAL economy. This Florida television station even featured a photo of our own Renton factory when reporting this news from the Associated Press. Here is the Link.

This is a great reminder how important aerospace is to our region and our nation.

In this May 20, 2008 file photo, Boeing Co. 737 airplanes are shown lined up during assembly in Renton, Wash. Orders for big-ticket manufactured goods turned in a second consecutive strong monthly performance in July, a far bigger-than-expected gain led by a huge jump in demand for commercial aircraft. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, file)

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Joe’s Sports at the Landing; ribbon cutting is tomorrow morning!

Aug27
2008 Written by Randy Corman

Joe’s Sports (formerly GI Joes) opens tomorrow at the Landing!

Here is the Company’s official announcement about the event.

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I’m enjoying this new “All About Renton” blog

Aug25
2008 Written by Randy Corman

A new Renton family, transplanted from Arizona, shares their first-hand discoveries of Renton in this this up-beat, artistic, and interesting blog.

The blog entries chronicle the experiences of “misslynar”, as she takes in our sights and entertainment, and writes descriptively about them. Her photography is very nice as well.

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Tim Eyman wants us to send Renton traffic fines to Olympia

Aug25
2008 Written by Randy Corman

Tim Eyman just sent our mayor and council members a question via email. In his email he explains that his latest initiative I-985 will, in-part, redirect any excess revenues from red-light cameras out of local cities accounts and into a state-wide “anti-congestion” fund, and then he asks “what is your city’s plan should voters approve I-985?”

I can’t speak for the rest of the council members or the mayor on this, and we do not meet again for two more weeks, but I know that this initiative would not change my position on red-light cameras. These cameras were not installed to raise money. They were installed to promote safety. While the speed cameras still have signage issues we are working to resolve, and both speed and red-light cameras may always seem Orwellian to some people (even though they do not capture the drivers identities), it’s not the money that led to the decision to install these cameras in Renton. It’s safety.

Currently, any revenues from the red-light and speed cameras in Renton are directed to Renton Police overtime to reduce speeding in neighborhoods.

So, Tim Eyman’s question is really one more for the voters. Do you want Renton traffic fines that are currently dedicated to traffic safety in Renton neighborhoods to instead be sent to Olympia and targeted for state-wide traffic congestion.

If so, I don’t have a problem with that. But Just like Tim Eyman, I don’t have a lot of faith in Olympia lately. Additionally, I think statewide congestion relief should be paid for with state-wide funds, not with funds coming disproportionately from Renton drivers. So I will personally cast my vote to keep any Red-light funds here in Renton for neighborhood safety.

See his email by clicking here

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My son is buying a Smart Car

Aug23
2008 Written by Randy Corman

The one-and-only smart car dealer in Western Washington is located just a stone’s throw from Renton, just east of South Center.

The cars, made by Mercedez, provide great gas economy (40 MPG highway), great parking advantages, and surprisingly good safety thanks to very good safety-cage design.

My son put down his 99 dollar deposit, and now has to wait 14 months for his car to come in. While the cars are 10 years old in Europe, they are only available in the US recently and I think there are about a quarter million on back order now.


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IKEA Boxes go here!

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Rash of residential burglaries; report any suspicious behavior to police

Aug23
2008 Written by Randy Corman

Councilman Rich Zwicker forwarded this today:

FYI. This is an e-mail I sent my North Renton e-mailing list.
—– Original Message —–
From: Rich Zwicker
Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2008 12:52 PM
Subject: Residential Burglaries on the Upswing

I spoke with Mayor Law this morning and he asked me to assist the City in getting the word out about a rash of residential burglaries that are taking place in the Benson/Cascade area and the Highlands. For reasons unknown, there have multiple burglaries throughout these areas and they are consisting of the usual MOs–occurring during the day; entry through open windows or smashing doors or windows to gain entry.

While this is not a North Renton problem, let’s make sure it does not become one. And encourage your friends and neighbors in the impacted areas to be especially vigilant.

The best way to fight these burglaries is to keep an eye out for each other. So, please keep a sharp eye on your neighborhood and do not hesitate to contact 911 if you see anyone or anything out of the ordinary–strange vehicles; unknown youths, door-to-door salespeople, etc. If you notify the police, they can determine if someone has bad intentions, so just take a moment to report the out of the ordinary and we can help stop this disturbing trend.

– Rich.

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Libraries…. what do YOU think we should do?

Aug22
2008 Written by Randy Corman

A Renton Citizen and frequent reader has suggested that I should get a discussion started about the future of Renton Libraries; do you think we should join the King County system, or show we remain independent.
A recent article on the Renton Reporter gave the background on this issue. In short, we commissioned a new Master Plan, to help us figure out the future of the libraries. In particular, this issue becomes important because our city has been growing so much, and if Fairwood decides to annex it becomes even more urgent….Fairwood includes a King County Library.

The Renton Reporter article quoted a council member as saying that the Renton Council initially prefers to stay independent, but there are some council members that have not really formed an opinion on this issue yet. If anything, I am probably leaning toward joining the King County System. I would be very interested in this option if we could get King County to build a new Library in our downtown. Seattle Water utility and the Department of Fisheries have shown some interest in a Salmon/rivers education facility in the past…. maybe our existing library over the river could be converted for this use. Or maybe it could become a new event center.

Most of us have not really decided what we should do with our library system.

So we would love to get your input on this.

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Bike Racks at the Landing

Aug22
2008 Written by Randy Corman

A bicycle commuter has been spearheading a push for additional bike racks at the Landing. It sounds like some additional racks should be going in shortly.

Here is the email chain (the oldest email is at the bottom).

Thanks to Steve Crandall, the Aerospace Manager/Bike Commuter (and old friend) that brought this to my attention. READ MORE »

Posted in Bike Trails - Tagged ,

Fourth Grade

Aug22
2008 Written by Randy Corman

I’ve been reconnecting with my high school and grade school friends lately, on Renton-grown Classmates.com and other social networking sites.

Two of the people I’ve been chatting with are shown, along with me, in this fourth grade picture. Can you find me?

Click to enlarge it:



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Northwest residents are really getting a summer this year

Aug16
2008 Written by Randy Corman

Today was a beautiful day for picnicking!

Wow, what a warm, pretty Saturday today. August is turning out to be a great month for outdoor activities.


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My son and daughter in law are having fun with balloons. (My wife and I are in the backround in the bottom picture.)

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Malls in America; the future of Factoria Mall

Aug16
2008 Written by Randy Corman

My friend Rose spotted a very interesting article about shopping malls, with some details on the plans for Factoria Square.

I noticed the new renderings look a lot like what we are trying to achieve at the Landing upon buildout.


Factoria Mall Today



Factoria Mall in the future

Click here for the article

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About the author

Hi, I’m Randy Corman. Welcome to my blog!  I served on Renton City Council for 28 years, 1994-2021, with six years as Renton Council President.  I’m also a mechanical engineer and manager, and worked for the Boeing Company for 33 years, from 1984- 2017.  My wife and I have five kids and five grandkids, and we all live in Renton.  I’ve kept this blog for 17 years, and get thousands of readers each month. Please share your feedback, ideas, and opinions in the comments.

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