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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07_Mayors Newsletter_082516First KC-135 Tanker “City of Renton” retires with honors Mayor proclaims August 31 “City of Renton KC-135 Day” Renton is well known as the home of the Boeing 737, the most popular airliner in the world. But did you know we were also home to the KC-135 tanker, the bell cow of the Air Force’s tanker fleet? The Renton factory built the entire 723-plane fleet from 1955-65, peaking at 100 aircraft a year. The tanker is still in service today. The first of the 723, appropriately named the “City of Renton,” emerged on July 18, 1956, and was christened by Sarah Baxter, wife of Renton Mayor Joseph Baxter. The christening forever linked this aircraft to our city and citizens. Next week, Boeing is donating “The City of Renton” to McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas, in honor of the plane’s 60th anniversary. McConnell is home for the Air Force’s 22nd Air Refueling Wing. The plane will be permanently and prominently displayed at the main gate. Just think: two of the longest serving airplanes in aviation history, the KC-135 and the 737, were built right here in Renton. Quite an achievement and quite a testament to the strong 75-year partnership between the city and Boeing. AUGUST 25, 2016 This Week from the Mayor Denis Law, Mayor VOL. 1, NO. 7 If you have comments, questions or suggestions, or just want to share all the great things that are happening in the city, please email me at communications@ rentonwa.gov. Thanks for reading. FEEDBACK A great city needs a great school district We have several great projects in Renton designed to improve our quality of life. One of the reasons for our success is our strong partnership with the Renton School District. Working together with the district resulted in the Meadow Crest Accessible Playground, part of our reinvestment in the Sunset area. The project was built on land owned by both the city and the district and is a great example of a collaborative project that benefits the entire community. We are currently working with the district and Doug Baldwin of the Seahawks on the Family First Community Center. The center is designed to be a multi-purpose facility that will provide valuable services for kids and families in the Cascade/ Benson community. No wonder Renton is such a great place to live, learn and play. DID YOU KNOW? Valley Comm celebrates four decades Almost every night on the news we see the result of a successful 9-1-1 call: a fire is extinguished, a life is saved, a criminal captured. While all this makes for good television, often there is little or no credit given to the operator who received the call, processed the information (sometimes from a hysterical caller) and dispatched the appropriate response. Renton is fortunate to be a founding member of Valley Communications Center, dispatcher of our police, fire and EMS. Valley Communications is that indispensable link between the public and the assistance they need. What started in 1976 with an agreement between Renton, Auburn, Kent and Tukwila and 16 employees has grown to include nine cities and 11 fire districts/ departments and over 130 employees. For over four decades, Valley Comm has provided that valuable assistance to our community and for that we are extremely grateful. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work at a 9-1-1 dispatch center like Valley Comm, this video gives great insight. DUTCH BROS. COFFEE Dutch Bros. Coffee is building a drive-thru at 735 Hardie Avenue SW, near 7th and Rainier. Dutch Bros. started in 1992 and is headquartered in Grants Pass, Oregon. They have over 250 locations in Oregon, California, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado and Arizona and are the country’s largest privately held, drive-thru coffee company. SOUTHPORT FEATURED The Southport project on Lake Washington is featured in the August Seattle Business Magazine. The project is called a possible “game changer” for the city. I agree and will have more on this exciting project in a later newsletter. STARBUCKS Starbucks is planning to build a restaurant with a drive-up window at 64 Rainier Avenue South in the Airport Plaza shopping center. This is near Banner Bank. Design work is currently underway.