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Resident raises parking sightline concerns; Puget Sound Fire reports EOC activation for high flows
Summary
At the Dec. 9 Covington council meeting, resident Kevin Hagen urged the city to address parking that blocks sightlines at 278th Place and SE Wax Road; Deputy Chief Kelch (Puget Sound Fire) reported an emergency operations center activation because Howard Hanson Dam was at capacity but said Covington was not expected to flood.
Kevin Hagen, a long‑time Covington resident, used the public comment period to describe what he called a hazardous parking situation at the corner of 278th Place and Southeast Wax Road, between a memory care center and an apartment building. Hagen said cars have begun parking along his fence line and that parked vehicles block sightlines when visibility is poor; he said an officer issued a ticket for one vehicle and advised him to raise the issue with city staff and council.
Hagen said he can provide the incident report number to staff for follow-up. “I’m a proactive person…we need to fix the problem now before it becomes a problem,” he told council.
Separately, Deputy Chief Kelch of Puget Sound Fire told the council the fire district had stood up an emergency operations center because Howard Hanson Dam had reached capacity and a large downstream release was expected. Kelch said neighboring jurisdictions had closed some roads, Kent had activated its EOC, and Puget Sound Fire staff would be available through the night to assist if needed; he added there were no reports of significant impacts in Covington at that time.
Council and staff acknowledged both concerns; the mayor asked staff (city manager Regan) and police to follow up on the parking complaint. Puget Sound Fire and public works were already monitoring localized flooding points.
