• 2023-08-20 00:00

    Air Quality Map – Des Moines, WA Area

    PurpleAir air quality monitoring map showing PM2.5 AQI readings in the Des Moines, Washington area. The map displays various sensor readings with a highlighted sensor showing an AQI of 234, indicating very unhealthy air quality conditions with health alerts for the area.
  • 2021-10-07 00:00

    Metro Community Shuttle Project Agreement Extension

    City Council agenda item for approving an extension of the Community Shuttle Project Agreement with King County Metro to continue operation of Route 635 through December 2022. The document outlines the background of the shuttle service connecting Des Moines Marina District to Angle Lake Light Rail Station and requests authorization for the City Manager to
  • 2021-10-07 00:00

    Metro Community Shuttle Project Agreement Extension

    City Council agenda item for approving an extension of the Community Shuttle Project Agreement with King County Metro to continue operation of Route 635 through December 2022. The document outlines the background of the shuttle service connecting Des Moines Marina District to Angle Lake Light Rail Station and requests authorization for the City Manager to
  • 2020-12-09 11:33

    Community Mitigation Efforts Around Sea-Tac Airport For 2021

    A speech to the Des Moines/Normandy Park Rotary Club December 9, 2020 By JC Harris You know that old aphorism “Fish don’t know they’re wet.”? That’s kinda how it goes for airport communities. And especially Sea-Tac Airport. Background Before I moved here in ’94, I worked as a consulting engineer in Detroit for many years.
  • 2020-07-12 15:52

    Letter Of Resignation from Des Moines Aviation Advisory Committee

    Des Moines Ad Hoc Aviation Advisory Committee Re: Resignation and Recommendations Friends: The undersigned tender our resignations from the Des Moines Ad Hoc Aviation Advisory Committee (the “DMAAC”), effective immediately. We have greatly appreciated the opportunity afforded to us, through this Committee, to work on behalf of the citizens of Des Moines in relation to the significant environmental and public health challenges presented by Sea-Tac Airport operations. Our aviation committee has played a valuable role for the City in terms of collecting information, monitoring significant developments, formulating policy recommendations, and taking actions. However, our conclusion after observing the July 9, 2020, City Council meeting, is that the City is moving away from placing reliance on citizen input and leadership from this DMACC, and transferring its work to the City Manager and staff. We recommend that the City continue forward with a strong, and more independent, DMACC. Like the City of Burien, a strong aviation committee can yield significant results. However, our assessment is that our own service on the DMACC has not engendered the Council’s confidence to the extent that the Council would have required consultation on matters that are core to the DMACC mission and that are vital to the long-term interests of our City in relation to aviation. This must change if the DMACC is to have value. At the July 9, 2020, City Council meeting, the decision to rejoin the Seatac Airport Round Table (StART) was briefed to the Council and confirmed by motion. Although the DMACC…
  • 2019-08-22 00:12

    A Letter To Tina Orwall re. Stakeholder Meeting

    Tina Orwall is a State Representative For the 33rd District. This letter is in regard to a Stakeholders Meeting she convened at Kent City Hall on August 15, 2019. Dear Tina, I wanted to share my thoughts on your Stakeholders Meeting last week. The Politics My objection to your support of my opponent is exactly
  • 2019-06-09 18:09

    Des Moines, other cities, hire consultant to seek ways to control airport noise

    By Jack Mayne At Thursday night’s (June 5) Des Moines City Council study session, lawmakers heard from aviation consultants the city has hired to help steer the city through increases in aviation traffic noise and pollution affecting Des Moines and the other Sea-Tac Airport concerned participants, Burien, SeaTac and Normandy Park. The consultants’ major point
  • 2019-06-06 23:58

    Study Session: Collaborating With the consultants

    I’m not sure if visitors to tonight’s Des Moines City Council Study Session realized that they were attending something of a performance. I’m not sure most of the City Council did either. But the meetings (and the meeting before the meeting with the DM Airport Committee) were carefully stage-managed by City Manager Michael Matthias to
  • 2019-04-12 12:00

    Mayor, Council strongly support City Manager pay raise despite social media flak

    By Jack Mayne City Manager Michael Matthias’s pay raise got unanimous Des Moines City Council approval Thursday night (April 11) as Mayor Matt Pina defended the action after a minor storm on Facebook criticized the actions of a week earlier. A week earlier Matthias’ salary was approved to increase to $199,000 at a meeting that