September 2007 Meeting Summary

Area Council September Meeting Highlights

By Peter Rimbos, Corresponding Secretary

The Greater Maple Valley Area Council held its regular monthly meeting on Monday, September 10, with 13 members present, two absent, and one position open. The following items were addressed:

1) King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention;

2) Proposed Regional Sports Complex at Ravensdale Park; and

3) November Citizen Advisory Survey.

The Area Council serves as an all-volunteer, locally elected advisory body to the King County Council and represents all unincorporated area residents living in the Tahoma School District.

Adult and Juvenile Detention

Mr. Reed Holtgeerts, Director of the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD), described King County detention facilities, services, and challenges.

The DAJD has four major goals: (1) provide adult and juvenile detention facilities that are safe, secure, humane, orderly and cost-effective; (2) support and be responsive to the public and other criminal justice and human service agencies’ interests and objectives; (3) provide a catalyst for change in the lives of offenders by providing cost-effective programs and community corrections alternatives to secure detention in the least restrictive setting without compromising public safety; and (4) promote the development of a professional, accountable and respectful work environment.

The King County Jail (KJC) is located at 500 5^th Ave in Seattle. The facility, opened in 1986, has a bed capacity of 1697 and a 350-person correctional staff. The King County Regional Justice Center Detention Facility (RJC-DF) is a direct-supervision jail located at 620 West James St in Kent. The RJC-DF opened in 1997, has a bed capacity of 1,388 and a 300-person correctional staff. Mr. Holtgeerts stated that the DAJD has an annual operating budget of $120 million. Thirty-seven of thirty-nine King County cities, including the City of Maple Valley) contract with the DAJD for use of facilities and services.

In his presentation, Mr. Holtgeerts cited some interesting statistics. Sixty percent of people brought to detention are in and out in 72 hours usually because all the evidence needed to detain them is not all put together or they make bail. Annually, it costs ~$500,000 to house and care for 50 inmates. Approximately 40% of people detained have some type of psychiatric condition and/or are on medication for it. There are acute housing problems for mental-related offenders when they are released. There are many repeat offenders for mostly petty crimes. There are very, very few violent offenders, as most offenses are misdemeanors or pre-trial felons.

The Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, Juvenile Division, is responsible for the care and custody of youth who are detained in the Youth Services Center. While detained, youth receive medical assessment to determine if there is a need for immediate medical or mental health intervention. Youth are also assessed to determine appropriate placement in detention and to identify special needs that may need to be addressed.

More information on the DAJD can be found at: http://www.metrokc.gov/dad/index.htm or by calling Mr. Holtgeerts at (206) 296-1268 or emailing him at kc.dad@metrokc.gov.

Proposed Regional Sports Complex at Ravensdale Park

King County Parks has proposed expanding rural Ravensdale Park into the Ravensdale Regional Sports Complex. The proposed facility would more than double the number of ball fields / soccer fields, add more and bigger lighting, use all artificial playing surfaces, and require a major parking lot expansion.

The Area Council’s Land-Use and Transportation Committees have jointly been studying these plans and have raised a number of concerns regarding the potential adverse impacts on many rural Ravensdale community residents. For more details please click here.

King County Parks is holding a public meeting on Wednesday, September 19, at 7:00 PM at the Gracie Hansen Community Center, located at 27132 SE Ravensdale Way at Ravensdale Park, to solicit community response to the proposed Regional Sports Complex and their preferred concept. We strongly encourage all interested local residents to attend and voice their opinions.

November Citizen Advisory Survey

In November of odd-numbered years rural unincorporated area citizens within the Tahoma School District participate in the Area Council’s Citizen Advisory Survey. Responses provide the Area Council information needed to support rural unincorporated voter interests.

The Area Council is finalizing the ballot issues and format. Rural unincorporated area citizens can fill out an Advisory Survey at the polls on Election Day. The Area Council also will publish a copy in a future issue of the Voice and on our web site. In this way voters can complete the Advisory Survey at home and bring it to the polls with them to save time. For those citizens who vote by Absentee Ballot, the Advisory Survey can be provided by mail. Contact information will be published in forthcoming issues of the Voice and posted on the Area Council’s website.