Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I hope you enjoyed the nice weather last weekend...it looks like more will be coming our way soon! I wanted to remind you about the South Sound 911 public safety building meeting coming up tomorrow night. I hope you all can come out to listen, learn more about the project and voice your opinion.

Also, we're just over a month away from the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay in west Pierce County. The USGA is building a tent city on the site right now and we expect the world's best golfers to be practicing in the days leading up to the week-long event.

Finally, I'm pleased to report that the expansion of Ashford Park is now complete and we'll be dedicating the second phase early next month. You can read more about that below.

As always, it remains my honor to represent you on the Pierce County Council. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, comments or concerns about county government, or if you just want to share your thoughts on the issues we face today.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

South Sound 911 meeting tomorrow night at 6 at Graham Fire and Rescue

You're invited to a public meeting on the new Public Safety Communications Center on Thursday, May 14th, at 6 p.m. at Graham Fire & Rescue Station 94, 23014 70th Ave. E. in Graham. The center was approved by Pierce County citizens in 2011.

The vote authorized a 0.1 percent sales tax increase to fund both the consolidation of six disparate 911 centers and create a reliable, regional emergency communications radio network. To accommodate this integration, a new public safety communications center will be constructed over the next two years.

Ashford Park's "Phase 2" dedication set for June 6

If you are looking for a day of family fun, please mark your calendars to attend the celebration for the completion of Phase 2 of Ashford County Park. The dedication will be held in conjunction with the third annual “Rods to Rainier – Jazzin’ it Up” car show.

The celebration is Saturday, June 6 at 12:15 pm. The show runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and includes live music, food and activities.

Small city goes up at Chambers Bay

Many of you are excited that the 2015 U.S. Open will be played at Chambers Bay Golf Course in Pierce County in just over a month. The USGA is constructing dozens of huge tents on the property which they'll fill with spectators during the week of June 15-21.

You can click here to watch a video about the latest construction going on at Chambers Bay. When completed, Chambers Bay will have approximately 18,000 bleacher seats on site...6,000 surrounding the 18th green.

If you're planning on attending the U.S. Open next month, there are some dos and don'ts that you'll likely want to know before you go. Watch this video and be prepared!