Thank you for your interest and involvement in your local government. Your input and ideas help me represent Council District 1.

As your County Councilmember I have been working to ensure the interests of District 1 are heard and action is taken. Whether it is trails, infrastructure improvements, or flood control projects I am actively making sure that District 1 is being represented.
So far 2016 has been a dynamic year at the Council and as you will read below there is still a great deal of work to accomplish before year’s end. I appreciate that you trust me to represent you on the County Council!

To learn about events happening in our area, visit my webpage.

2017 Budget

The County Council has begun work on the 2017 budget. As we embark on this process I will work for the citizens of District 1 to ensure that public safety is maintained as a top priority. You can also expect that behavioral health, public safety and balancing the budget will be significant topics of conversation during this budget season. I encourage you to follow the budget process and provide feedback to me as we make decisions for next year’s budget. You can see the schedule of meetings at piercecountywa.org/budget2017 or email me.

South Prairie to Buckley Trail construction

A groundbreaking ceremony for additional trail improvements on the Buckley to South Prairie section of the Foothills National Recreation Trail took place on June 7, 2016.

This unimproved section of the Foothills Trail opened in 2008, but has remained unpaved. Construction work includes paving and installing a walking bridge over wet portions of the trail alignment. Once construction is completed in 2017, trail users will have a much improved trail experience, replacing the current muddy conditions along the trail with a solid surface suitable for pedestrians, bicycles, equestrians, and other non-motorized trail users.

The construction project is funded by Pierce County taxpayers, a grant from Federal Highways Administration/Washington State Department of Transportation, Puget Sound Regional Council, Rural Town Centers and Corridor, Washington Recreation and Conservation Office WWRP trail grant, and the Foothills Rails to Trails Coalition.

Partial completion of 198th Street corridor

I was honored to be part of the ribbon cutting celebration for the partial completion of 198th Avenue East near Bonney Lake. The .75-mile extension, at a cost of $7.7 million, creates a new alternative to accessing Hwy 410 from Tehaleh and nearby neighborhoods, relieving some traffic on South Prairie Road, Angeline Road and Sky Island Drive. The road extension is part of the development agreement with Newland Communities to mitigate traffic from Tehaleh.

The partnership between Pierce County, Newland and The City of Bonney Lake has brought substantial funding to the 198th Avenue East Corridor extension to 120th Street East. This project is the first in a series of Pierce County road projects that will ultimately result in 198th Avenue East, becoming a four-lane road from the intersection with 120th Street East, south to Tehaleh’s first roundabout at Cascadia Boulevard East. The entire 198th Avenue East project is projected to be completed in late 2018.

Newland has contributed $11.8 million to road projects in Bonney Lake, and Pierce County will spend an additional $11.7 million for traffic mitigation by 2019.

Parks Improvements Study

Pierce County Parks and Recreation is looking for public input on potential park improvements to Sprinker, Lake Tapps Park and Frontier Park through an online open house at piercecountywa.org/parkimprovements which will be up until Friday, Nov. 4, 2016.

The open house provides individuals with the opportunity to view potential improvement design options, costs and descriptions to these particular parks. The Parks Department is asking for participants to prioritize improvements. Additionally, the online open house provides insight into funding and how these improvements can be funded. Feedback from the open house will help parks prioritize improvements as funding becomes available. Let us know what you think!

Thun Field Improvements

Thun Field is one of Pierce County’s two airports and is located in the Council District 1. The airport is getting repairs to some of the outdated electrical systems such as;
•   New wiring, runway edge light lamps, light
   transformers, new energy-efficient runway end
     identifier lights on both Runway 17 and 35,
•   Refurbishing the lighting on the existing wind tee with energy-efficient LED lights,
•   Replacing the constant current regulator for the airfield lighting system.

The project cost is approximately $415,073, and is funded with grants from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Washington State Department of Transportation, as well as real estate excise taxes dedicated to the airport.

The Council just passed a resolution, R2016-109, extending the gate hours. This is in response to airport businesses and tenants in order to be more responsive to their customers.