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HomeMy WebLinkAbout25_Mayors Newsletter_011317CONGRATULATIONS HARRY BARRETT IS NEW AIRPORT MANAGER Harry Barrett, Jr. is the new manager of the Renton Municipal Airport. Harry is a dynamic professional with extensive hands-on aviation experience with a strong focus on building customer relationships and the ability to enhance airport operations. He is a great asset to our management team and the Renton airport. JANUARY 13, 2017 This Week from the Mayor Denis Law, Mayor VOL. II, NO. 2 Feedback Comments, questions or suggestions, or just want to share all the great things that are happening in the city, please e-mail me. Thanks for reading. Creating a partnership with Renton’s Latino Community Last week I had the pleasure of inviting members of our Latino community to come together to discuss important issues that impact us. This is part of our effort to build a more inclusive relationship between the city and our community. We have over 14,000 people in Renton from the Latino community and many of them have expressed concerns regarding their status and safety following the national election. Deacon Ted Rodriguez, a well-respected leader in the community, co-chaired the meeting with me. We brought together a diverse group of people representing residents, businesses, educators, non-profit organizations, representatives from the Mexican Consulate, faith-based organizations, and the media as well as city councilmembers, the police chief and key city staff to have candid and open discussions. We hope to build a strong partnership and work together to dispel fears and create a safe and welcoming city for all. As a city, our goal is one of inclusion, to make all feel safe, welcome and wanted. As Police Chief Kevin Milosevich put it, “each of us has an essential obligation and unique opportunity to ensure fairness, eliminate bias, and build community engagement.” The group displayed a strong desire to tackle the issues and to seek out opportunities to strengthen communications and build bridges. I look forward to many more productive meetings and their recommendations. Renton receives millions for transportation projects Renton has been awarded a little more than $6.5 million for three major transportation projects that are integral to our on-going development of downtown and align with our goal of providing a safe and vibrant community. The funding, which comes from the Puget Sound Regional Council, allows us to proceed with our plans to change both Williams Avenue South and Wells Avenue South to two-way traffic. It’s our goal to make the downtown area a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly destination and diverting commuter traffic away from downtown streets is a major step towards that goal. The funding will also allow the extension of the Lake Washington Loop Trail from Renton Stadium to Airport Way and eventually to Rainier Avenue South. This will improve both pedestrian and bicycle safety. The third project is the improvement of sidewalk ramps on Rainier Avenue South, which will aid our physically challenged citizens. Design work for all three projects will start in 2017. The trail and Rainier Avenue projects are scheduled for completion in 2018 and the Williams & Wells projects in 2019. Renton PD welcomes new officers Renton Municipal Court Judge Terry Jurado swore-in two of our newest police officers. Officers Jesse Blanco and Lacey DelValle both worked for out-of-state law enforcement agencies.