Residents look forward to a bright tomorrow

By JACK HOPKINS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Mayor John "Wally" Rants envisions the day when his city's high-crime area is "a pleasant boulevard that has thriving businesses on each side of it, has nice housing, the criminal element is gone and the people are very proud of their neighborhood. We'd like to see it become a family oriented, pedestrian-friendly place to be."

The city is drawing up a revitalization plan to accomplish just that.

Tukwila residents are hopeful of success because they have seen other problems solved -- the rendering plant, for example.

Located across the Green River from the Foster Golf Links, a city-owned golf course, Seattle Rendering Works generated more than its share of citizen complaints in years past.

Rhonda Berry, assistant city administrator, says one of the first duties given to her when she was hired eight years ago was to handle complaints.

"I don't think there was a day that went by that I didn't get a complaint about the rendering works," she says.

City Administrator John McFarland says the stench was something fierce. "It would drop you to your knees in the summertime," he says. "There were times I would race to my car with my handkerchief over my nose."

Not anymore.

Baker Commodities bought the rendering plant, put in scrubbers and an air filtration system and resolved much of the problem. Complaints are infrequent now, say city officials, and the company is now a valued part of the community, says Berry.