Public hearing about park property and more community news

Public hearing regarding park property

The Covington City Council will be holding a public hearing Tuesday, Dec. 12 for consideration to surplus the city’s Cedar Creek Park property, a media release stated.

The public hearing will take place during the council’s scheduled meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The hearing, both in written and oral form, is regarding the surplus property and to transfer it to King County. The release added if transferred to the county, it would allow King County Water and Land Resources Division to become the owner and steward of the property.

Written comments can be submitted prior to the meeting by mailing it to: City of Covington, Attn: Ethan Newton, Parks and Recreation Director, 16720 SE 271st Street, Suite 100, Covington, WA 98042.

Ye Olde Lump of Coal gift benefits Vine Maple Place

The Palmer Coking Coal Co. has partnered with Vine Maple Place to provide lumps of coal to shoppers for gifts this holiday season.

The goal is to raise funds for Vine Maple Place, a media release stated.

If interested in giving a lump of goal, visit Palmer Coking Coal at 31407 Highway 169 in Black Diamond.

For directions call 425-432-4700 or visit www.palmercc.com.

City seeks library board volunteers

The city of Maple Valley is looking to fill three vacancies to serve on the city’s Library Advisory Board.

The city is accepting applications for two regular members and an alternate member as well as a youth-at-large member to serve on the board.

The regular members will serve a two year term from January 2018 through December 2019. And the alternate will serve a three year term starting January 2018 through December 2020.

While the youth-at-large member will serve a one year term from January 2018 through December 2018.

The board meets on the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. beginning in February.

If interested in serving on the board, stop by City Hall at 22017 SE Wax Road, Suite 200 or the Maple Valley Library to fill out an application. Applications can also be downloaded at www.maplevalleywa.gov.

Applications must be returned by Friday, Dec. 15.

City enacts interim zoning regulations

The city of Maple Valley passed an ordinance Nov. 27 enacting interim zoning regulations related to multi-family dwelling units including apartments and condominiums in the Town Center and Community Business zones, a media release stated.

The ordinance temporarily halts any permitting of new multi-family projects for a period of up to six months with the exception of a maximum of 200 new units in the Community Business zone.

During this interim period, the city’s Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to get citizen input. The public hearing is tentatively scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17 at the Tahoma School District Administration Building.

If you have questions, call Matt Torpey, Community Development Manager, at 425-413-8800 or email him at matt.torpey@maplevalleywa.gov.

District receives grant for homeless families

The Kent School District will receive a $175,000 for the next two years from Schoolhouse Washington, a release from the district stated.

The grant will assist homeless families with flexible funds that will help pay for initial rent/deposit to attain a home and provide mentoring services to students, the release added.

An adult will help mentor secondary students and assist the students in connecting to vital resources to achieve academic opportunities.

This is the first year of the grant, the release added, and the goal is to assist 50 or more students. Currently, the district has more than 238 students that identify as homeless for the 2017-2018 school year.

Shop with a Cop returns Saturday

More than 500 deserving kids are expected to receive a $50 shopping spree and the chance to Shop with a Cop this Saturday at the Walmart in Covington.

The King County Sheriff’s Office is hosting the event in partnership with the King County Sheriff’s Foundation and the Greater King County Police Activities League.

Funds from this year’s event came primarily from the Maple Valley Rotary Club, a media release stated.

The Greater Maple Valley Community Center and local school counselors helped to identify families in need.

The event will run from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 9 at the Covington Walmart.