A look at the Meet Me on Meeker sidewalk upgrades completed last year looking east in front of the Riverbend Driving Range on West Meeker Street in Kent. The sidewalk project will be extended another 750 feet on the south side of the street to the Midtown 64 Apartments. COURTESY PHOTO, City of Kent

A look at the Meet Me on Meeker sidewalk upgrades completed last year looking east in front of the Riverbend Driving Range on West Meeker Street in Kent. The sidewalk project will be extended another 750 feet on the south side of the street to the Midtown 64 Apartments. COURTESY PHOTO, City of Kent

City of Kent accepts $1.2 million federal grant for Meet Me on Meeker project

Promenade construction from Russell Road to Midtown 64 Apartments

The city of Kent recently accepted a $1.2 million federal grant to pay for the Meet Me on Meeker promenade under construction on the south side of the street from Russell Road to the Midtown 64 Apartments to the east, a distance of about 700 feet.

The project includes a two-way shared use path, streetscape amenities, wider sidewalk, street trees and vegetated buffers, pedestrian-scale lighting and curb extensions at the intersection with Russell Road.

Crews began work on the project in November after the City Council in October awarded a a $1.4 million contract to Maple Valley-based Axum General Construction Inc.

“The project should be completed around the end of February or early March depending upon weather and other factors,” said Mark Madfai, city engineering supervisor, in a Jan. 11 email.

The city applied for grant funds for construction through the Puget Sound Regional Council and was successful in receiving grant funds in 2020, which were officially accepted by the City Council on Dec. 15. The council at that meeting also accepted a $235,280 federal grant for the design portion of the project. Those funds also were awarded to the city through the Puget Sound Regional Council.

The city’s Meet Me on Meeker project is an effort to improve the safety, identity and connectivity of the historic core of Downtown Kent to the Green River. Sidewalk improvements also were made as part of the Ethos Apartments project across from the 18-hole Riverbend Golf Course. The developers of the Ethos and Midtown 64 apartment complexes paid for the improvements along their property as part of a city requirement for the Meet Me on Meeker standards.

City leaders have asked the state Legislature this year for $5 million to help complete the sidewalk connection from Kent Elementary School to downtown.




Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in News

t
Four new crosswalks with flashing beacons in Kent under construction

Improvements along SE 240th Street, 104th Avenue SE and Central Avenue North

t
Kent Police investigate homicide at homeless encampment

Man, 54, had obvious trauma to his head; found in 10900 block of SE 256th Street

t
City of Kent hires firm to design new maintenance, operations facility

Shop to be built on East Hill within the next few years

t
Clark resigns as Kent School Board president but retains his seat

Decision comes after public outcry over an insensitive comment by Clark about Somalia families

t
Soos Creek Water & Sewer District corrects billing errors

One customer received a bill for $9,000; district serves parts of Kent, Auburn, Renton and other cities

Washington State Capitol Building in Olympia. File photo
Schools, housing, salaries score big in Senate Dems $70B budget

The proposed spending plan also spends money to fight climate change, help abortion providers and study police pursuits

t
SeaTac girl pleads guilty to hit-and-run murder of Maple Valley man

Judge sentences the 17-year-old to remain in custody until she turns 21; maximum allowed by law

File photo.
Audit finds accountability issues in King County’s equity and social justices programs

Auditors say the county lacks progress tracking, clearly defined roles and accountability measures.

t
Northwest Kidney Centers opening Panther Lake location in Kent

Open house set for 2-4 p.m. Thursday, March 30

Most Read