City of Tacoma Washington sent this bulletin at 02/23/2021 08:50 AM PST
Introduction
Good Morning,
Recently, like many of you, I was out in the snow! As a teacher, snow has always been special for me, though this year I did not need to anxiously wonder what adjustments I would need to make as our family planned for work and school. Hopefully, you were able to enjoy the few days of our winter wonderland like me and my family!
I also want to thank our City of Tacoma crews who worked hard to clear our streets throughout the recent snowstorm event. During a snowstorm event, City crews plow and de-ice streets on a priority level, beginning with primary arterial streets, followed by secondary and auxiliary routes. The time required to clear these routes depends on the intensity and severity of the snowstorm. City crews do not plow and or de-ice residential streets. For more information on winter preparedness, visit cityoftacoma.org/inclementweather.
The Mailbag!
Click the link below to view the February edition of The Mailbag! A video segment where I read a constituent letter and provide an answer. This month's topic is on glass recycling. You can view the video here: The Mailbag! February
Catching Up With Council Member Hines
Crossing Division
This past month, I was a guest on two different podcasts. The first, Crossing Division, was to talk about the City’s response to homelessness. As many of you know, I have been very involved with the TEMS 3 site on 6th and Orchard, so I was happy to talk further about it and the other ways the City is responding to homelessness. If you would like to listen to the conversation, you can click here.
Sites like TEMS 3 and our warming centers at the Eastside Community Center, the Center at Norpoint, and The Salvation Army Site are critical during these winter months. To learn more about the City’s response to homelessness, please visit cityoftacoma.org/homelessness.
Citizen Tacoma
I was also interviewed on the Citizen Tacoma podcast, for an ongoing series they are doing about policing in Tacoma. As Tacoma, like many other cities across the country, takes a closer look at policing and community safety, this continues to be top of mind for me and I appreciated the opportunity to talk further. As I shared last month, I was recently appointed to the National League of Cities Public Safety and Crime Prevention Committee and it was a good chance to share some of my thoughts about community safety. If you would like to listen to the conversation, you can click here.
In addition to my interview, I encourage you to listen to the interviews of Deputy Mayor Keith Blocker, and Council Members Catherine Ushka and Kristina Walker. You can also stay informed on the City’s transformation efforts at cityoftacoma.org/transform.
Scenes From the City of Destiny
Rail Crossing Improvements Project
When I was out in the West Slope last summer, I heard from a few of you that were interested in potential improvements to railroad crossings at 6th Avenue and S. 19th Street. This past week, I attended an open house to talk about these improvements and I am excited that this project is moving forward. Be sure to check out the City’s website to learn more about the scope and schedule of the work being done by the City this year.
Home in Tacoma
This past month, I talked with a few of you about the Home in Tacoma Project. The City, as part of its Affordable Housing Action Strategy, is revisiting the rules for housing development to allow more diverse housing types, often called Missing Middle Housing. The intent is to increase housing supply, create affordable housing options, and increase the choice of housing types throughout our neighborhoods.
The challenges we are facing in Tacoma with COVID-19 are unprecedented, but I want to let you know that we are taking important steps to address it in our community. We are working hard to support residents, families and businesses as we continue to address this public health crisis.
Washington State/Governor Jay Inslee COVID-19 Response: coronavirus.wa.gov
Please be sure to check out cityoftacoma.org for updates and further resources and, as always, please email me at john.hines@cityoftacoma.org or call me at (253) 312-5620 if you have questions.
