Greater Renton Area community projects to receive county grants

February 22, 2017

Summary

“Thank you to the King County CSA Grant Program and Councilmember Dunn”

Story

Metropolitan King County Council Vice Chair Reagan Dunn announced today that five community projects in the Greater Renton area will receive a financial boost from King County’s Community Service Area (CSA) program. The grants awarded to the projects are designed to support programs that allow unincorporated county residents to become more connected in their communities.

“I was glad to have had the chance to work with my colleagues on the council to increase this year’s grant funds by 50 percent in order to better support unincorporated communities,” Dunn said. “These grants help to create more active and vibrant communities.”

Five projects in the Greater Renton area will receive a total of $7,250 to support their efforts:

• Maple Hills Maintenance Company will receive $1,750 for their National Night Out event, which helps build community and allow for outreach between public service providers and the public.

“The Maple Hills community thanks the CSA grant program for its continued support for our annual National Night Out festival at Maple Hills Park,” said Matt Nepsa, Maple Hills Park Trustee. “The grant has been a critical component to the success of our event, thereby bringing our neighbors and emergency responders closer together through community outreach and engagement.”

• The Four Creeks UAC also received a $1,200 grant for community safety and emergency preparedness, a $700 grant for water quality stream testing kit materials, and a $1,100 grant for their National Night Out event.

“The Four Creeks Unincorporated Area Council is pleased to receive CSA grants that help citizens engage with each other and King County to improve our rural community,” said Peter Eberle, president of Four Creeks UAC. “Our stream water testing project continues to expand and now will include locations on Issaquah, May, McDonald and Tributary 291. We continue to sponsor community safety and National Night Out events to our various neighborhoods. And a group of our neighbors are working on Emergency planning and safety projects with the help of these grants. We look forward to our continued partnership with King County CSA Officials and our Councilmember Reagan Dunn.”

• Lake McDonald Community Association has received $2,500 for the installation of LED lights improve neighborhood safety. This project will install Solar LED lights in areas near their clubhouse where there is no lighting or inadequate lighting, and where burglaries have occurred several times and burglars have used dark areas to park vehicles.

“Thank you to the King County CSA Grant Program and Councilmember Dunn,” said Kim Cramblet, Chairman of the Lake McDonald Community Association. “We are so thankful for the influx of funding for our Clubhouse remodel! Having grown up here at Lake McDonald, and knowing how strongly a well-connected community affected us, from youth to elder, in positive and delightful ways. I hope this grant will inspire more people to join in and create again, a thriving community center.”

There are more than 72,000 residents of Council District 9 living in unincorporated communities. Grants are available through a competitive application process. The grants must be used to fund community projects that offer unincorporated area residents an opportunity to participate and be more connected in their communities. A total of $90,000 was awarded for projects in 2017.

If you live in an unincorporated community and are interested in learning more about the CSA program and how to apply for future grant opportunities please contact Councilmember Dunn’s office at reagan.dunn@kingcounty.gov or visit https://www.kingcounty.gov/initiatives/community-service-areas.aspx for more information.