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Tacoma Councilman Marty Campbell called the 2011-2012 biennium budget “a lot of moving targets” at a meeting held at the Portland Avenue Park and Community Center on Jan. 4.  One of those moving targets involves the Lighthouse and Beacon Senior Centers.  The City of Tacoma needs to make up for a $31 million shortfall on top of the $40 million dollars worth of cuts the city made last year. At  $1.7 million per biennium, the two senior centers budgets make up a tiny portion of the city’s budget, however, the city hopes to reduce that expenditure to something in the neighborhood of $700,000 by merging the two senior centers.  Campbell said that he would like an extension of at least three months (until March) to entertain some options although in his discussions so far he felt the director was leaning on keeping the Beacon open and closing the Lighthouse.

The footprint of the Lighthouse Senior Center is around 7,000 square feet while the Beacon Senior Center is 13,000.  This would seem to indicate a logical choice however; the parking at the Beacon leaves a lot to be desired as it is in an area of downtown Tacoma with limited parking and extremely steep hills.  One recommendation Campbell had entertained prior to the meeting was to have seniors park at the parking garage across from Freight House Square and take a shuttle bus from there but Campbell said it wasn’t a good option.  Community members were quick to ask Campbell if it was even possible to fit all the members into just one facility should the parking consideration be resolved.

The Pt. Defiance/Ruston Senior Center operates through a shared program with Franke Tobey Jones, a retirement community near Pt. Defiance Park and one community member asked if there were any talks with organizations willing to share costs with the city.  Campbell admitted that the city was in talks with a few organizations that might be willing to “adopt” a senior center and carry half the costs for one or both of the centers.

“These are the only programs we do for seniors in the city and that’s such a fraction of the budget,” said one community member who advocated that the city find other options aside from closing one or the other senior center.  Another added, “They have so much to offer it’s amazing.  It’s a life saver.”

Campbell offered that the seniors were very effective at calling him but suggested that calls also be made to the rest of the council and the mayor.  “Be your own best voice,” he said.

Name Position E-mail Address
Marilyn Strickland Mayor Marilyn.Strickland@cityoftacoma.org
Anders Ibsen Position 1 Anders.Ibsen@cityoftacoma.org
Jake Fey Position 2 Jake.Fey@cityoftacoma.org
Lauren Walker Position 3 Deputy Mayor Lauren.Walker@cityoftacoma.org
Marty Campbell Position 4 Marty.Campbell@cityoftacoma.org
Joe Lonergan Position 5 Joe.Lonergan@cityoftacoma.org
Victoria Woodards At-Large Position 6 Victoria.Woodards@cityoftacoma.org
David Boe At-Large Position 7 David.Boe@cityoftacoma.org
Ryan Mello At-Large/ Position 8 Ryan.Mello@cityoftacoma.org

To contact the mayor or council members via snail mail, write to:

747 Market Street, Suite 1200
Tacoma, WA 98402-3766
To contact the mayor or council members via phone:  (253) 591-5100

Bonnie Dickson by — January 5, 2012 in Everything Else
Free Tax Sites Throughout Pierce County

Tax season startsYou know what they say about death and taxes.  Don’t put off doing yours until the last minute.  If you need help the Pierce County Asset Building Coalition helps working and low-income individuals and families save money through free tax preparation help.  Volunteers assist in the preparation of simple federal tax forms and file the returns electronically to speed the receipt of refunds.  Credit unions and banks are also present at some of these sites to give tax filers who do not have existing checking or saving accounts the opportunity to establish one prior to filing their returns.  By having an account, filers can receive their refunds faster through direct deposit.  The PCABC cannot prepare taxes for individuals who own their own business, received any capital gains or losses in the sale of stock, or own a home and paid in excess of $5,000 in mortgage interest.  The list of free tax preparation sites is available at here.  Days and operation of sites vary. Please call the site nearest to you to confirm hours of operation.

Press Release by — January 4, 2012 in Everything Else
Senior housing options in Pierce County

Senior Housing OptionsThe calls start coming into Lutheran Community Services as soon as the holidays are over.  Sometimes they are just concerned but often they are panicked.  Adult children spend a few days with mom or dad and realize the food in mom’s fridge is well past expired or the cupboards don’t have any food or dad drives with a lot less skill than he used to and they begin to have visions a whole lot less sweet than the sugar plums that danced there just weeks ago.

Perhaps it wasn’t the “kids” but rather you.  The holidays are here and the kids are too far away or involved with their own families and that big old house that used to feel so overflowing with love and noise and excitement was frankly too quiet, too big and too lonely.

What many people don’t realize is that there is an almost unlimited number of housing options these days. It’s not as simple as when there were really only three options: continue to live at home, move in with one of the kids or and this final option was dreadful, move into the nursing home.  That last went by several names (rest home, old folks home, etc…) but generally called up images of lonely old people sitting morosely in their wheelchairs in the hallways and hoping for any sort of company―even the kind of company that came to visit someone else.

Senior housing today can be as exciting as living on a cruise ship or as down to earth as a low-cost place filled with other seniors.  Options can involve daily activities, trips and learning opportunities or be as simple as a continental breakfast.  If you want it you can have housekeeping, daily medication reminders and spa-type facilities.  There are some amazing options for Alzheimer’s patients and options for people who are independent now but worry they might need more help later but don’t want to move again.  There are chef-prepared meals and amazing views at both ends of the price spectrum.

Finding senior housing starts with our housing guide.

Bonnie Dickson by — December 30, 2011 in Everything Else
Emergency management prepare in a year-part one

Picture of floodingMany people assume that when something major occurs that they can count on their local fire and police departments and other emergency personnel to rescue them but it’s not always possible.  Emergency crews perform a triage of sorts during disasters and respond to events based on that gathered information.  Triage is a term we hear most frequently in television or movies when doctors or other emergency personnel make decisions about caring for a person based on the severity of their situation.  This method of prioritizing care allows for the most efficient use of insufficient resources. This same method is used during major disasters.  That’s why Emergency Preparedness personnel recommend that everyone prepare themselves for emergencies rather than counting on outside help.  Preparing makes good fiscal sense for everyone.  According to economists every dollar spent on preparing for a disaster saves seven dollars in response.

The Washington State Department of Emergency Management has broken down the steps to being your own disaster preparedness resource into one-hour activities you can do each month.  In the next 12 months, we’ll cover each of those 12 steps.

During the month of January, consider what your immediate response will be to the natural and most likely types of disasters for your area.  According to the office of Emergency Management, what you do in the first hour after a major disaster can reduce the severity of injuries and save lives and property.  They provide a checklist of things to do in the event of earthquakes, tsunami, volcanoes and chemical release but most of these tips will also work for winter storms and floods (the disasters that strike most frequently in Washington).

If you’ve been in the Northwest for any time, you’ve experienced an earthquake.  Generally speaking our earthquakes have been relatively minor but we know historically we are overdue for a major event.  Should one occur:Pierce County Disasters 1980-2011

• Check on your loved ones.
• Dress to protect your head, hands and feet from broken glass and objects that might continue to fall after the event.
• Shut of natural or propane gas if necessary.
• Shut off your water at the house master shut-off valve.
• Post an OK/Help card in your front window or door.
• Place fire extinguishers where they are available in case of fire.
Until the recent Tsunamis in Asia, most people were unaware of their danger.  They move very fast.
• If you are at home, make everyone in your family aware of it and evacuate immediately.
• If you are at the beach or near the ocean, move immediately to higher ground if you feel the earth shake.
East Pierce County is at high risk for a Lahar or eruption.  During one of these events.
• Grab your 72-hour kit
• Evacuate immediately
• Listen to the radio.

Check Emergency Preparedness  or call 1-800-562-6108 for more information about preparing for emergencies.

Bonnie Dickson by — December 27, 2011 in Everything Else