City of Tacoma Washington sent this bulletin at 09/29/2023 11:37 AM PDT
Dear Neighbors,
Happy fall! As I say every year, fall is my favorite season. Whether it is the return of football season (Go Hawks!), the start of the Major League Baseball postseason (Go Mariners!), or just the changing colors, I always love this season. The Hines family has been happy to get back to school, soccer practice, and swim lessons.
This past month, I was very excited to be joined by a few of you at my “Coffee with a Council Member” event at the Swasey Library in the West End. With COVID restrictions limiting many of my past opportunities to have larger events with the District 1 residents, I was very happy to have my first coffee chat in the West End and the opportunity to share what I have been working on. It was also great to hear from residents and answer their questions.
I am planning to do regular coffee chats in the future, and I am already preparing to hold the next one at the Wheelock Library in December. I'll share more information about it soon. If you were unable to join me at Swasey Library, hopefully you can come out to the next one!
Beyond the coffee chat event, September has been off to a busy start. I am excited to share some of the highlights from this month, and I am looking forward to some great events to come in October. Hopefully I will see you at one of them!
Scenes from the City of Destiny
Celebrate Tacoma Arts and Culture in October
As many of you know, I love how vital our arts community is to our city. From our museums and cultural spaces to our amazing public art and our community arts organizations, Tacoma celebrates and fosters creativity. For that reason, I look forward to October and Tacoma Arts Month.
October 2023 marks the 22nd anniversary of Tacoma Arts Month – a community celebration of the arts that includes many community-hosted arts and culture events, exhibits, and workshops for all ages taking place throughout the month.
Programming includes music and dance performances, hands-on experiences, visual art exhibits, film screenings, literary readings, lectures, cultural events, and workshops. All events are open to the public and many activities are free.
At our September 19 Study Session, the Tacoma City Council and the Pierce County Council held a joint meeting for the first time in recent memory. The topic for the meeting was homelessness and how we can align our efforts to address this ongoing issue regionally. Both the City of Tacoma and Pierce County have plans to address homelessness and continued collaboration is required to address an issue like homelessness that knows no border.
During the past budget cycle, the City Council allocated $35.7 million for homelessness services and programs for the biennium. This level of funding recognizes that addressing homelessness in Tacoma will require short-term assistance, such as temporary shelters, and long-range solutions, such as addressing housing affordability in our community. The City’s Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness is aligned with the Affordable Housing Action Strategy, and we are working on multiple areas to help people move off of our streets, into shelter, and on to housing.
At the same time, Tacoma cannot achieve our goal of fewer people living on our streets without collaborating with our regional partners. As I said during the meeting, addressing homelessness on a regional level is a trust-building activity between the County and the City, but also between all the other cities of Pierce County, our collective governments, and our residents.
Homelessness impacts everyone in our community, and we owe it to our residents to show clear and visible progress in getting more people into shelter and housing. This is an issue I have been passionate about and remain committed to addressing. This meeting was just a start, but I am optimistic about where we go from here.
West End Neighborhood Council Meeting
If you are interested in hearing more about the City’s Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness, I would encourage you to join the West End Neighborhood Council (WENC) at their October 11 meeting. During their October meeting, the WENC will hear about the City’s strategic plan and efforts to address homelessness in Tacoma from the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services. It will be a great chance to learn more and ask questions about this important community issue.
WENC meets on the second Wednesday of each month (except for August and December) at 7:00pm at Tacoma Fire Station 16 at 7217 6th Avenue. You can find out more by visiting their website here.
Green Day Tacoma is one of my favorite annual events in our community. Green Day Tacoma is an annual day of service that offers great opportunities to get to know each other and our local green spaces. This year’s celebration will be on Saturday, October 14. Participants are encouraged to take individual actions and participate in volunteer activities to help protect and restore natural spaces in their neighborhoods.
There are many opportunities to get involved in Green Day Tacoma right here in District 1.
Titlow Park
Lend a hand, connect with your community, and steward the earth by celebrating Green Tacoma Day at Titlow Park! Enhance the natural beauty of the park by removing invasive species, mulching, and planting native species!
Kandle Park
Come join Metro Parks staff and volunteers at Kandle Park for a 30-tree planting event. We will be planting larger trees, staking, and mulching them throughout the park. We really appreciate your support and volunteerism for this tree planting project. This project is Metro Parks commitment to providing greenery throughout Tacoma for all to enjoy.
Volunteer to Plant Trees in Proctor
Want to help plant trees in Proctor to increase the tree canopy and help your local businesses and organizations get trees in the ground in the business district? Come join us at locations throughout Proctor on Saturday, October 14, from 9:00am-12:00pm. Fill out the volunteer form here!
North End Neighborhood Tree Walk
Following the tree planting, Sarah Low from the Tacoma Tree Foundation will be hosting a neighborhood tree walk to share information about significant “celebritrees” in the neighborhood. The walk is on Saturday, October 14, from 2:00pm-3:00pm and will meet under Wheelock Library’s Pin Oak on the corner of N 26th St and N Washington St.
If you are interested in any of these opportunities sign up as a volunteer for Green Tacoma Day today!
Tacoma Reads
As a former Library Trustee and book lover, I want to make sure I put in one more plug to join our Tacoma Reads 2023 conversation.
Tacoma Reads 2023 invites the community to explore the theme of “Home: Housing Insecurity in our Community” through reading common titles and attending themed events for all ages.
Join Tacoma Public Library and host City of Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards for a conversation with child welfare advocate and author David Ambroz. Ambroz’s book, A Place Called Home: A Memoir is the main Tacoma Reads title this year.
When: Saturday, November 4, 3:00pm – 5:30pm
Where: University of Washington Tacoma Library
Make sure to register here to save your seat at this event before its gone!
Catching Up with Council Member Hines
Historic Cushman Street Fair
This past month, I joined the North End Neighborhood Council and many of our neighbors at the Historic Cushman Street Fair. It was a great event again this year with family activities, music, fabulous balloon animals, and free ice cream (which was the highlight for my children). If you were unable to make it, I would encourage you to check out the background video on the Cushman and Adams Substations.
In 2018, a City Council resolution directed the City of Tacoma, including Tacoma Public Utilities, to work collaboratively and engage the community on the future redevelopment of the Adams and Cushman Substation properties. While the outreach efforts were paused in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, we are looking forward to restarting them next year.
In mid-2024, City staff will continue the project and resume community engagement to collect input on possible redevelopment options. TPU is still actively using the building and has plans to vacate and surplus the building by 2027, following construction of a replacement facility.
I would encourage you to check out the Cushman and Adams Substations page on the City website for the project timeline and how to get further updates on where we go from here!
Check out the video on the Cushman and Adams Substations by clicking on the picture below!
The Power of Community Luncheon
This past month, I was also honored to serve as the emcee for the Safe Streets Power of Community luncheon. It was a great event, and a reminder of the important role Safe Streets plays in our community to unite and inspire youth, neighbors, and businesses to build safe, healthy, and thriving communities.
Back when I was in high school, I got started on my path in public service with the Youth Leading Change and Safe Streets program. Community safety and community building were some of my earliest passions, and I continue to be passionate about them to this day. In many ways, it is why I focus on the areas that I do as your Council Member.
If you are interested in learning more about Safe Streets or starting a Safe Streets group in your neighborhood, I would encourage you to check out their website and learn more.
Please be sure to check out cityoftacoma.org for City updates and resources and, as always, please feel free to share your thoughts and concerns with me directly at john.hines@cityoftacoma.org. You can also call me at (253) 312-5620 if you have questions.
I invite you to tune in to the City Council’s Study Session or Council meetings every week on Tuesdays via TV Tacoma, Facebook Live, or Zoom. Access information is available at cityoftacoma.org/councilmeetings.
Also, if you enjoy getting this newsletter and regular updates from me, please feel free to share it with others who you think might find it valuable and encourage them to subscribe.
