By Marianne Lincoln Flooding continues to plague the Pioneer Valley area in Spanaway/Frederickson. Fir Meadows, which was built in 1968, has closed roads and swift water flowing in from the flooded playfield near the railroad tracks on Knoble Road. Electric vaults are underwater, yet people are still driving through the closed signs and even wading…
Category: Government
OK Highway Floods at Thrift
By Marianne Lincoln UPDATE 3/21/17: The OK Highway is still closed. Crews were working on a big hole in the ground, so they most have gotten the pole removed and are repairing the pipes. Vactor trucks are still removing material around the drainage pipe. — THRIFT, WA — Since Friday March 17, the Orting-Kapowsin…
Pioneer Valley Oxbow flooding
By Marianne Lincoln FREDERICKSON, WA — Near Liberty Middle School and Pioneer Valley Elementary School there is a wetland that crosses under 204th Street and under Eustis Hunt Road. This area, called an oxbow has a rising water table when the groundwater reserve is full. The heavy rains we have had this winter, combined with…
Annual county roadside herbicide applications start March 28
[Editor note: I would rather title that, annual poison application on the roadside plants, just keep that in mind for your pets & children. Also, if you see the county contractors spraying where they should not, like in wetland areas, please photograph and/or report it!] County roadsides will get an annual makeover this spring and summer….
Growth – Is it managed in Pierce County?
Back in the early 1990’s the Washington State legislature passed the Growth Management Act. Since that time in Pierce County lot sizes have grown much smaller, there is more traffic congestion in unincorporated areas and now there are restrictions on who can get a well put on their property in rural areas. Did ‘we’ preserve our…
Pierce County Elections changes ballot system
PIERCE COUNTY — Aftera year-long search and selection process, the Pierce County Auditor’s Office has purchased a new election system. The purchase of the Clear Ballot system is Pierce County’s first major investment in a new tabulation system in over 20 years. The purchase was fully funded with a restricted election replacement account authorized by…
Sheriff Pastor: on Civil Disobedience
From a Facebook post – Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor In America today, we are seeing an increase in social activism and direct action politics. There is nothing wrong with this in a nation which values freedom. But recently, we have seen instances where fringe elements of anarchists and rioters run lawless and wild. And we…
Well water? HB1382 might affect you
House Bill 1382 is a response to the Hirst Decision from the Washington State Supreme Court last year. That decision made new rules for tapping underground water for property owners in Washington State, effectively slowing development in rural areas by controlling whether or not a well could be drilled based on a required professional assessment…
Sheriff statement on immigration
PIERCE COUNTY — The issue of immigration and securing borders is currently a controversial topic with the new Presidential administration. Some people have reacted with fear and anger, others with celebration and others with confusion. This issue matters to local law enforcement even as we are confronted by people showing all the emotions and political…
Surface Water Management Advisory Board
Pierce County is seeking applicants for the Surface Water Management Advisory Board (SWAB). The appointee will fill a term that lasts two years. This position is unpaid. To learn more about the board and access an application, visit http://www.piercecountywa.org/swab. The county is building a registry of applications to fill future vacancies. Applications may be made…
Community safety – Sheriff & Prosecutor talk
TACOMA, WA – At the City Club of Tacoma’s monthly dinner in February, two of Pierce County’s top crime fighters had a lively conversation about community safety. Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor and Prosecutor Mark Lindquist took part in a nonpartisan forum. “With our Prosecutor Mark Lindquist and Sheriff Paul Pastor leading the way, justice…
Annexation to a city WITHOUT a vote proposed by local legislators – updated
UPDATE: I attended the hearings and spoke on both HB1683 and HB1681. Apparently the provision to do an interlocal agreement has been in the law for some time. But they are broadening the application. Further discussion with Randy Lewis, Tacoma’s Lobbyist is currently they are focusing on the little areas that are still unincorporated that…
Pierce Prairie Post 