Des Moines City Manager’s Report for week ending Sept. 13, 2024
New City Manager Contract Approved
The City Council unanimously approved the employment agreement with Katherine Caffrey for her to become the next Des Moines City Manager with a start date of November 1, 2024. Ms. Caffrey is in the process of relocating from Texas with her husband and son to our great community and we look forward to her arrival! Stay tuned for more updates!
Parks & Recreation to the Rescue
Earlier this week the Highline School District detected unauthorized activity within their technology system and took immediate action, which included closing all school activities, athletics and meetings during this period. Our Des Moines Recreation staff heard the call and took quick action to welcome students for a pop up break camp. Enrichment activities included arts & crafts, games, reading and plenty of outdoor activity to keep kids engaged and entertained. Great work by our team!
College Way Grand Opening
Join Highline College, the City of Des Moines and Sound Transit for the official opening of College Way and the new main entrance to Highline College.
- Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Wednesday, September 18 at 2:30 pm
- Location: Roundabout (traffic circle with Highline College sign) on College Way & Highline College
- Brief presentations by City of Des Moines, Highline College and Sound Transit
- Refreshments and information provided by City of Des Moines, Highline College Foundation & Sound Transit
FIFA World Cup coming – 2026
This week marked the first FIFA Ready Stakeholders Meeting in preparation for the 2026 World Cup in Seattle. As South King County gears up to host monumental FIFA events, it’s crucial to be aligned in regional efforts to maximize economic and infrastructural benefits. This meeting gathered key players from various sectors, including cities, partners, stakeholders, and the Port of Seattle, to strategize and synchronize readiness plans. The meeting was hosted by the Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce and Explore Seattle Southside.
We are thrilled to be a part of the orchestration to host FIFA World Cup and will continue to provide updates as the event approaches.
Harbormaster Report
Did you know you can learn about all things marina in our monthly Harbormaster Report? This information packed report is issued to keep tenants and the community up to date on Marina news, parking, permitting, and more. Visit the Des Moines Marina website here for general Marina info and a link to the September’s Harbormaster Report can be found here.
Costume Swap
No need to buy a new Halloween Costume this year, how about swap for one instead! Drop off your clean and gently used costumes and pieces by October 1st at the Field House. Then return on Friday, October 4th from 4-6pm to pick out a new one. There will be music, snacks and lots of fun to get you into the Halloween spirit.
All ages and sizes of costumes welcome from infant to adults.
The Harpoon is Back
Last year the sculpture Harpoon was damaged and had to be removed from its plinth in South Marina Park. The eight foot high wood and metal sculpture was created by the renown Portland artist Ben Dye. Ben is a former commercial diver and fisherman. He designed Harpoon with the Des Moines Harbor in mind. He enjoys combining different materials and has a fascination with tools and methods of the past. The Des Moines Legacy Foundation covered the cost of the repairs and over the last couple weeks Fred Andrews and his friend Doug Andrews (no relation) have been restoring the sculpture. With help from the Des Moines Marina staff Harpoon was returned to its former site on Tuesday, September 11th and is back in public view.
Meetings of Interest
In addition to day to day administrative duties, this week I met with the City’s Public Works Director to discuss on-going and upcoming capital projects. I met with Mayor Buxton to discuss topics of interest to her. I met with Mayor Buxton and Deputy Mayor Steinmetz to prepare for the week’s City Council meeting. I met with the City’s Executive Leadership Team to go over 2025-26 budget strategies and options. I met with Councilmember Harris to discuss topics of interest to him. I had one on one meetings with the Acting City Attorney and the Police Chief to get department updates and talk about upcoming issues. Finally, I attended the Council Committee meetings and the Council meeting on Thursday night.
City Council Meeting Summary
The City Council held a regular meeting on Thursday and highlights included approving the new City Manager contract (details above) and updating business license fees. The agenda and materials can be found here.
The Transportation Committee and the Environment Committee also met on Thursday. The agenda and materials can be found in the links.
There is no City Council meeting next week as the Council does not generally meet on the third Thursday of the month.
Sports Update
The Apple Cup is coming early this year! Due to conference realignment, our beloved Huskies are no longer in the PAC-12 with the Cougars, so the big game is being held this weekend during the non-conference portion of the college football season. But details aside, Washington takes on Washington State this Saturday (12:30 kickoff) at Lumen Field to determine bragging rights for the next 364 days. Both teams are currently undefeated and although the Huskies clearly have the better program, you never know when it comes to in-state rivalries. Best of luck to both teams, but go Dawgs! The unbeaten Seahawks head to Foxborough this weekend to take on the Patriots on Sunday at 10am, go Hawks! There are too many college and pro football games on TV this weekend to count, the Storm play the Wings tonight, the Sounders play Kansas City on Sunday and the Mariners continue to torment us all weekend. Enjoy!
Have a great weekend!
– Tim George
Interim City Manager
