As Carnation grows and changes, there are many people who come and go, yet leave their touch upon the city.

The city manager for the last three years, Ana Cortez, completes her last day on Sept. 3. We sat down and talked about what she has accomplished during her term. She talked about how the city was transformed in many ways.

The entire city was updated with new curbs that were painted, while the crosswalks and the alleys were redone. Parks that had been neglected were updated and maintained to a higher level. The public right of ways were weeded, potholes were fixed and the basketball court at Memorial Park was updated with money from King County in 2021.

You can see the improvements clearly as you drive into this city with its updated and inviting and modern feel. She described the city as transforming from an ugly duckling to a prom queen. She worked on infrastructure and parks and public facilities.

You can see the fresh paint on City Hall after 20 years. She was thankful for the volunteer spirit in the city, which included Daniel Enciso, who painted City Hall as a volunteer — and the paint came to only $400.

It made me smile as 20 years ago, the county gave the city a grant that former Mayor Lee Grumman had requested. It was for much more than that. I remember Mayor Lee calling me to tell me she loved the color green, but it was much greener than she had anticipated. I told her she could either repaint the first side, adding more white, or wait for it to fade over time. So I was glad to see a new green to appear.

Ana Cortez also obtained a $1.5 million federal grant for the city emergency operations campus (EOC), which will be at 4001 Tolt Avenue. She also secured funds from the Department of Homeland Security for city asset protection. She has a wide range of professional relationships to collaborate with such as the cities of West Sacramento, Yakima, Leavenworth and Helena, who provided technical assistance pro bono so the tax dollars could be spent as wisely as possible.

The new EOC will also be a place for people to gather and share in community activities. In the Triangle, across from the current City Hall, there will be a design fire feature and an active rooftop garden. This is being designed by the same person who designed the spheres for Amazon. This facility will bring more people out in the winter time too. There will be a walk-in room for conferences that is not too small or too remote — it is just too good! Each of the three properties considered are now being evaluated for their long-term uses.

The Yoshimura property will be a parking lot until the council decides what the future use should be.

River’s Edge Park is getting improvements. There are investments in a playground to make it a more active park. The playground will be for all ability levels.

The Tolt Dam issues also were important to manage. The City of Seattle owns the dam and sells the water, but no money comes to Carnation — and yet the impact of the dam would be directly on Carnation. Many stories have been written about the traumatizing alarm going off unexpectedly and falsely several times. Seattle was reluctant to take responsibility for the impacts of their false alarms. There was much negotiation between the city of Carnation, the City of Seattle and the county.

These issues at the dam made national news. The City of Seattle did then make concessions and offer to assist with some of the evacuation hill issues and provide more data and maps. City Manager Cortez then worked to get the alarms fixed and get compensation for Carnation. The Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is now at the table negotiating. Her strength turned the tone of the negotiations, showing that this small city was mighty and would protect itself and its citizens.

The sheriff contract was another important issue as Cortez worked on the city’s concerns about staffing levels. Now the deputy and chief are very involved in the community meeting the needs.

Finances are another issues we discussed. She said the city is not rich like Bellevue. It does not have huge reserves, but it is not poor. She said that Remlinger Farms is the number one source of sales tax. These sales tax dollars allow the city to provide services at a higher standard, she said.

Cortez talks fondly about the things she learned about the city while serving in Carnation. She learned from former Mayor Kim Lisk how deep the community’s roots are, about the Fourth of July activities, and how current Mayor Jim Ribail has such a strong commitment to the community and brings joy to the city. She complimented many people, for instance:

Councilmember Ryan Burrell for his work on access to the trail and home designs and the impact of both to the city on a daily basis.

Former Deputy Mayor Tim Harris brought many ideas forward.

Councilmember Dustin Green provided much in-depth city history and insights.

Public Information Officer Ashlyn Farnworth, a native of Carnation who helped develop many partnerships.

City Clerk Lora Wilmes for her talent on money management and how she applies for grants.

Rhonda Ender for her talents in collaborating to get things done efficiently. Rhonda, the deputy city manager, will be the interim city manager. A search will begin for a new city manager.

The nonprofits in the community that add so much to the city in meeting the needs and making Carnation a very special place.

Cortez is proud of the management team she created and restructuring the city to perform like a corporation. She said she felt like she had a great team that added joy to the job.

During the next few weeks, she will complete the fiscal year budget amendment, sewer rate analysis and the community benefit agreement between the cities of Carnation and Seattle.

She plans to assist other small communities that need municipal expertise. Cortez thanks all the community and employees she has worked with and wishes the three new councilmembers the best of luck as new policymakers.

Kathy Lambert is a former member of the King County Council who represented the Snoqualmie Valley area.