Hello neighbors,

An opportunity to donate blood is coming to our area. On March 5, Cascade Regional Blood Services will be parked at 13612 224^th St. E. in Graham from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. There is life in our blood. Please donate.

If you haven’t driven through Frontier Park lately, please do (slowly) and check out the new digs for the horses. The installation of new footing, curb and fencing is nearing completion. It’s beautiful and a much safer environment for the users. Expect more improvements in the coming biennium.

We have an update from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department on the LRI Landfill:

LRI Landfill completed the drilling of 18 landfill gas wells on Feb. 11, 2022. They were unable to drill the 19th well due to spacing concerns in the area. LRI plans to drill the 19th well during next summer’s drilling. As of today, they connected 15 wells to the collection system. Work will continue this week to connect the remaining wells.

LRI plans to cover 6 acres on the top portion of the landfill with plastic cover. They plan to complete this by the end of this week. Covering areas with a plastic cover is an effective tool to help reduce potential offsite odors.

LRI feels confident these investments will help alleviate recent odor issues. They will keep us posted as they continue to expand the gas collection system.

If you smell odors in your neighborhood, contact LRI at (253) 847-7555 ext. 1022. They can send someone out quickly to assess.

Links to more information:

LRI created a video to explain how their landfill gas collection system works. Check it out here: LRI PROUD Video Series.
LRI’s Landfilling Permit requires environmental monitoring. For information on quarterly testing visit, LRI Landfill.
For questions about your drinking water and how to get your well tested. Test Your Water Quality.
For odor nuisance concerns, please file a complaint with the air authority for the area at: File a Complaint.

Convictions

What convicts you to believe in something or someone? How do you choose which expert to believe?

I bring up this question due to some differences of “personal convictions” that were expressed in last Tuesday’s council meeting during the public comment period. Specifically, I’m referring to the differences of personal convictions regarding the evidence of the effectiveness of wearing masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Our country is divided on this topic. Our governments follow recommendations from other government resources, namely the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the World Health Organization (WHO). The Washington State Department of Health refers to its partners, which includes educational institutions. The information from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) mirrors the state and federal protocols. Many constituents are convicted to wear masks according to their directives. As an FYI, the governor announced yesterday that the statewide indoor mask mandate will lift March 21st and the outdoor mandate for groups larger than 500 is no longer in effect.

In the spirit of fairness, or equity, I am sharing additional research on masking for you to ponder and discern for yourself what is right for you and your loved ones. Just Facts produced a very comprehensive report, complete with references, about masking. Thinking on this subject, I asked myself…who got rich selling masks? Forbes.com provides a very interesting report.

In conjunction with the theme of competing medical opinions and reports, the federal hearing led by Sen. Ron Johnson, Wisconsin “Covid-19: A Second Opinion” (Full 5HR version) brings out several experts who have compelling medical research and stories to share.

I believe in you to be able to compare and contrast the findings and determine what is right for you and your family. It looks like our weekend will be great for cleaning out closets and catching up on reading some good books.

Grateful for you!