A Kent man will soon have an easier and safer time getting around his home in his wheelchair, thanks to the 19th annual Rampathon event Saturday.

Steven Wangsness, who has been wheelchair bound for five years and has been using an unsafe ramp, w has been chosen as a recipient of the wheelchair ramp, which will be built by volunteers ramp captain Rob VanHouten, of Powell Custom Homes and Renovations.

“Builder captains will lead their teams in constructing access ramps giving recipients the ability to get in and out of their homes with greater ease and flexibility,” says Art Castilleja, the 2012 Rampathon chairman. “For many of them, it will be the first time in years they have not had to rely on family or friends just to get in and out of their homes.”

Since 1993, teams from the Master Builders Association have constructed 320 wheelchair ramps for those in need.
 

Learn about creating a safer community with the Kent Police Department this month.
The department is hosting two informational meetings this month to provide residents with information to make their neighborhoods safer.

Community Education Specialists will host a “Blockwatch 101” meeting on Wednesday, May 16th.

The program is designed to teach or refresh community members about the purposes, strategies, and outcomes of effective community block watch programs. The class is an excellent opportunity for community members to learn more about the Blockwatch program, whether starting a new program or joining in an established Blockwatch.  Blockwatch 101 will be held in the City Council Chambers at Kent City Hall. Class starts at 6:30 p.m. and runs to 8 p.m. Interested persons are asked to RSVP Sara Wood at 253-856-5851 or by email at swood@kentwa.gov. 

The second meeting will be May 30 at 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Panther Lake Elementary School, 10200 SE 216th Street.

Today, King County’s flood control district meets to decide what to do with thousands of sandbags left along the Green River.

An extensive run of sandbags were stacked up when the river threatened to cause devastating flooding, but since the Howard Hanson Dam was fixed, the bags are no longer needed.

Removing the bags isn’t cheap. The total cost is expected to be more than $7 million.

Today’s meeting could determine who will have to pay that bill.