Pierce County’s Non-Significance

One of the hallmarks of the past eight years under County Executive Bruce Dammeier was the prolific use of the DNS, Determination of Non-Significance. It is a term used in land development after an environmental review form is filled out and a plan for development is submitted. In the past eight years, I cannot recall…

County Council set to refill Marty Campbell’s seat in District 5

UPDATE: The Council conducted interviews on January 7, and went into Executive Session for about 45 minutes. When they returned a motion was made and passed to put the decision off to next week on January 14. ##### Resolution 2024-268: A Resolution of the Pierce County Council Appointing ________________ as Pierce County Councilmember, Representing Council…

Spanaway Lake, now it’s the beavers

Over the past several years Spanaway Lake has been having issues. For us swimming as children, it was the “duck itch” caused by a parasite getting under our skin if we didn’t dry off well with a towel after swimming. Over time, the swimming beaches became less popular, the diving docks were removed, and the…

Recounting eight years of Dammeier

By Marianne Lincoln Each new Pierce County Executive brings changes to the County. Although we have a County Charter, the Executive is the chief department head approving job and volunteer appointments and legislation from the Council. Thus, that person has a significant influence on who holds a job almost anywhere in County Government offices. Leadership…

Graham Solstice Event Dec. 21, 5-9pm

Join us as we welcome the Winter Solstice and the promise of longer days and shorter nights. Experience the magic at our warm and cozy Lodge, where you can shop for unique, handmade artisan crafts at the Night Market. Take a serene walk along our candle-lit Luminary Trail through the park and immerse yourself in…

Changes to application resubmittal upload process begin Dec. 13

PIERCE COUNTY PPW– As part of our commitment to improving the permitting process, Pierce County will implement changes to the online resubmittal procedure starting Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. What’s changing? Currently, applicants can resubmit or upload documents at any time in the review process via the orange “I Want To” dropdown menu in the online permits…

Unhoused people are like everyone else, until…

By Marianne Lincoln Becoming unhoused is a very difficult thing to experience. It happens to many very ordinary people. It could be a medical situation, a job loss, sale of a rental property, death of a spouse whose pension or income helped support the household, or many other traumatic life events. Many people have close…

New Councilmember for District #5 to be appointed

Since Marty Campbell has officially won the Assessor Treasurer seat, his seat, County Council District #5, is open for an appointment. Any registered voter that professes to be a Democrat can apply to the Pierce County Democrat Party for that opportunity. Here is the process: The Democrat Party of Pierce County will choose 3 people…

Aerial photos of the watershed in jeopardy

Spanaway Concerned Citizens got drone footage from the area where the Good Neighbor Village is being constructed under “Executive Privilege” in Pierce County. We all hope that there can be solutions for our unhoused citizens, but a wetland that is the watershed for Spanaway Lake is not popular with the community. To make it easier…

When the faucet is dry…

By Marianne Lincoln Where did the water go? That is a question a lot of us have been asking for years. It is the end of November. Clover Creek is still dry in From Brookdale Golf Course to Midland and Spanaway Loop Road. The Chambers Clover Creek Watershed is based on a Sole Source Aquifer….

BRT, Cross Base, and other fictitious creatures

EDITORIAL OPINION Around 1995, folks living on 174th Street wanted some traffic control measures added to their street due to high traffic and safety issues. The County Council promised to put $2 million into the issues. That $2 million was reallocated to a project in Gig Harbor a couple weeks later. Spanaway and Frederickson had…