HomeMy WebLinkAboutKorvas 11.24.20From: PAUL KORVAS <pkorvas@gmail.com>
To: apavone@rentonwa.gov
Cc: eprince@rentonwa.gov; rcorman@rentonwa.gov; rperez@rentonwa.gov; rmcirvin@rentonwa.gov; diane@goren
ton.com; abenedetti@rentonwa.gov; Kvan@rentonwa.gov
Date: 2020-11-24 13:10
Subject: Council meeting regarding ordinance / homeless hotel / shelter.
CAUTION:ThisemailoriginatedfromoutsidetheCityofRenton.Donotclicklinks,replyoropenattachmentsunlessyouknowthecontentissafe.
Mr. Mayor, City Council members, and Chamber president,
I've been watching with dismay over the past few months, the degradation that has been occurring in our city since since the takeover of the Red Lion Hotel by
King County.
Since I receive the city / mayoral email letters, I was hoping to see some sort of notice regarding a hearing and or public input into the status of the hotel. I was
surprised to see the Seattle Times article this morning.
I was very sorry to have missed the council meeting where the problem was discussed and addressed with a potential new ordinance. If I was at that meeting I
certainly would have testified in favor of any ordinance that abolishes this type of facility in our city as well as the way King County dropped this problem in our
laps without consultation and permission. It's sad the hearing was stacked with homeless advocates and not the actual citizens of the city of Renton.
While I do see the need for facilities to assist people in distressed situations, the state of affairs at the Red Lion is certainly not a step in the right direction for our
city.
If the "residents" were staying there, getting help and bettering their circumstances, that might be one thing. But that certainly isn't the case. All Dow Constantine
and the county have done is take a rather large scoop of the city's mess and dump it in the City of Renton with the scarcest amount of supervision, care and
programs for life improvement.
The result is a large uptick in criminal behavior. Excessive shoplifting, panhandling, vagrancy, and much more. Stealing at the Fred Meyer in downtown Renton
is so common, I wouldn't blame them if they searched everyone coming in and out.
We now have shopping carts abandoned and in use all over town. I stopped at the Dollar Store for cleaning supplies just yesterday, and was told they have no
shopping carts because the homeless have stolen them all...except they aren't homeless, are they? They are the guests at the Red Lion. Now there are security
guards at the stores. Beer and liquor has to be removed from shelves due to theft.
We did not sign up for this.
Constantine didn't buy a facility close to his house in West Seattle. I know because I spend a lot of time over there. I don't see this type of activity on California
Avenue between the junctions. He didn't put one near Bellevue Square, or Medina, Kirkland, or Broadmoor. No, Renton and Kent are the lucky recipients of
Seattle's mismanagement, malfeasance, impotence and incompetence.
We did not sign up for this.
Renton has fought, what seems like forever, for it's own status and recognition. With the new facilities and office space at by the lake, and with the coming
improvements to the downtown core, we were so close to attracting some new, diverse, tech and professional businesses for our town. There's really no where
else to expand. Renton's location is a "no brainer".
But Covid has put a rather wet blanket on things. The business climate should and will improve in time, but it won't when this situation with the hotel continues to
exist and grow.
Our city didn't sign up for this. We didn't ask for this. It was literally dumped on us by a county executive who thinks it's convenient to use the south end as a
dumping ground for Seattle's mess.
Any of you reading this can call me heartless, compassionless, racist, bigoted, or anything else you wish. I do not care in the least. I'm speaking out for the
quality of life for the citizens of our town. The ones who get up every single day in the dark, fight the traffic, go to work, and pay the taxes, so they may be
protected, have clean streets and have a city to be proud of and call home. We value that, we pay for that, and we deserve that. Nothing less is acceptable nor
negotiable. With the exception of a few years, I've lived in Renton since the age of 7. I'm now 56. I'm a resident of this town, and this in not acceptable.
I urge and hope the council will act quickly and forcefully to eliminate the situation at the Red Lion so our city can get back on track to it's road of improvement
and success.
Paul E. Korvas
pkorvas@gmail.com
PS Please forward this email to councilmember O'Halloran, who does not have her email address posted.
Thank you.