Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler publicly announced on April 10 that he will not run for a vacant legislative seat in the 33rd District.

Sheckler said last month he was exploring the possibility of running for the seat in the House of Representatives that is being vacated by five-term state Rep. Shay Schual-Berke, D-Normandy Park.

"I really, really love what I'm doing here," Sheckler said. "I couldn't say that about being a representative of the 33rd District. I can do much more for this community here."

Kent City Councilwoman Elizabeth Albertson and 33rd Legislative District Democratic chairwoman Tina Orwall have announced they are candidates for their party's nomination to succeed Schual-Berke.

Council members then discussed and approved a design for improvements on South 216th Street.

This is the fourth phase in a street improvement project to increase its capacity for carrying vehicles and to add sidewalks.

Phase four involves purchasing a car wash property, eliminating some on-street parking and relocating overhead utilities.

Two residential facilities will lose parking spaces as a result of this project, so the council will look into the possibility of developing parking on the car wash property.

"It leaves a seven-unit apartment building with 10 parking spots where otherwise it would have acquired, under our code, 15, and a 61-unit apartment building with 68 parking spots, which ordinarily we would require 128," said Mayor Pro Tem Dan Sherman.

The design alternative council approved is estimated to cost $2.8 million plus $468,000 to relocate overhead utilities.

Daniel Brewer, the city's assistant director of transportation and engineering, said the goal is to have this design for the South 216th Street improvements complete by the end of May.

In preparation for this project the city had to get a pre-application for construction funding in by last Friday.

"Hopefully we're looking at summer of 2010 for construction," Brewer said.

In other business, lawmakers decided not to bid on an old State Route 509 right-of-way in the city with an estimated value between $4.2 million and $5.6 million.

This property could sell for as much as $8 million at auction, they were told.

The Port of Seattle is a potential buyer and has entered into a tentative purchase agreement with the Washington State Department of Transportation.