The Normandy Park City Council convened on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, to address a diverse agenda that included community enrichment, civic engagement, public safety awareness, and regional housing initiatives.

Highlights from the meeting featured a presentation by the Normandy Park Arts Commission on their successful events and future plans, a reminder about the impending deadline for the citizen satisfaction survey, and the reading of proclamations for both Safe Boating Week and Affordable Housing Week.

The council also discussed the city’s financial contributions to South King Housing & Homelessness Partners and approved a bid for a collection of public works projects.

Normandy Park Arts Commission

The Normandy Park Arts Commission gave a presentation on recent arts events, as well as a preview of things to come. The Arts Commission is made up of volunteer appointees, who meet monthly and work to encourage and coordinate programs for cultural enrichment in the city. The Arts Commission partners with many agencies, including the Highline Heritage Museum, 4Culture, Friends of Normandy Park, The Cove, Empire Coffee, and Starbucks. In 2024, the many popular arts events were pulled off with the help of over 300 hours of volunteer service. Nearly 3,000 people attended these events.

Arts events include the Music in the Park summer concert series, weekly in July and August. Last year this series was upgraded with a multi-performer finale, which will be happening in 2025 as well. Several arts events happen during the winter holidays, including Light the Park, Santa Party, and the Solstice Soiree.

Arts Commission members felt they could use more events in spring, so this year they held three Spring Into Art events in April at The Cove community club. The free events included crafting with fresh flowers, block-printing, musical performances, and tea tasting.

Citizen Satisfaction Survey Deadline

City Manager Amy Arrington shared that they have received over 350 citizen satisfaction surveys, but there is a deadline for those who have yet to submit one. The survey link can be found on the city website, and Arrington said it must be submitted by Monday June 2nd.

Safe Boating Week

A proclamation was read in honor of Safe Boating Week, May 17th – 23rd. This proclamation was accepted by members of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCGA). They mentioned that boating accidents and fatalities have dropped recently after rising for a few years. Unfortunately, paddleboarding incidents have been on the rise. They stressed the need for paddleboarders to learn and follow safe boating practices, including wearing life jackets. The USCGA hosts a semiannual Safe Boating Class, in the spring and fall, to help everyone learn to be safe on the water.

Affordable Housing Week & SKHHP

A proclamation was also read in recognition of Affordable Housing Week, May 12th -16th. This proclamation was received by Claire Goodwin, Executive Manager of South King Housing & Homelessness Partners (SKHHP). Goodwin gave a brief summary of the finances of her organization, which receives money from 12 member jurisdictions in South King County, including Normandy Park. This money is collected with the aim of funding the construction and preservation of affordable housing in the region.

Some projects that have been chosen by SKHHP for funding include a new Habitat For Humanity development in Burien, and preservation of affordable housing units in Des Moines. However, Goodwin mentioned that 64% of the money received from partner jurisdictions goes to paying the salaries and benefits of the two full-time staff at SKHHP.

SKHHP’s total operating budget for 2026 is $501,975. Their policy is to increase member contributions each year by 15%, through 2026. At that point, Normandy Park will be contributing $8,045 annually.

Contributions are based on population size, and as Normandy Park is the smallest member city, it has the lowest contribution. Mayor Eric Zimmerman expressed frustration at the city being in a payment tier of its own, and wished to increase contributions. Deputy Mayor Sue Ann Hohimer countered that Normandy Park sets an example for other small cities, showing that we can contribute and make a difference even with a smaller population.

Goodwin said SKHHP will gladly take contributions from the general fund, should any city wish to contribute more than their allotted percentage.

Sidewalk Repairs, Basketball Court, More

The city received eight competitive bids for a group of 25 projects at six different sites throughout the city. Projects include a basketball court at City Hall, installation of guardrails at the south end of town, paving the parking lot at Marine View Park, and sidewalk repairs around the city. The winning bid came in around $35,000 below the engineer’s estimate. The total cost for all the projects is $876,000, including $30,000 for striping on the basketball court.