South End Neighborhood Council

Hi Neighbor!

At our meeting this month, in addition to reports from the following liaisons…

• City Manager’s Representative
• Tacoma Fire Department
• Metro Parks
• Tacoma Public Utilities
• Tacoma Public Schools
• Safe Streets
• Pierce Transit
• Tacoma Police
• Port of Tacoma
• Health Department

…we will hear from the Palmer Scholars Outreach & Recruitment Specialists Team, as well as the Mayor’s Youth Commission regarding upcoming changes to Gas Station Park.

We’re also having our General Elections! If you’re interested in joining the SENCo team, you can download an application here, and email to senco253@gmail or snail mail to SENCo at 4911 S Alaska St, Tacoma WA 98408.

We hope to see you there! Don’t forget to send in your fabulous photo from around the neighborhood to be entered into our photo contest, winners announced at every meeting!

❤

Your SENCo Team

 

Fern Hill Mural by Lead Artist: Kelda Martensen with team: Dionne Bonner & Brad Pugh

Fern Hill Photo Credit: Athena Brewer 2019

SENCo Regular Meeting

Monday, October 21, 2019 at 7PM

4911 South Alaska St, Tacoma, WA 98408

Agenda

1. Call to Order
Welcome
Roll Call
Approval of Last Meeting’s Minutes
Approval of Tonight’s Agenda

2. Guest Speakers (Limit 10 minute presentations)

• Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney: Mary Robnett
• YWCA: TBA

3. Community Concerns (Limit 3 minutes each)

4. Liaison Reports (Limit 3 minutes each)

• City Manager’s Representative
• Tacoma Fire Department
• Metro Parks
• Tacoma Public Utilities
• Tacoma Public Schools
• Safe Streets

• Pierce Transit
• Tacoma Police
• Port of Tacoma
• Health Department

5. Committee Reports:
• Treasurer • Outreach • Bylaws

6. Old Business
• Grand Pacific Updates
• SENCo Funding Updates

7. New Business:
• November General Board Election
-Candidate Questions
• First Inaugural City-Wide Litter Pick-Up
• September Photo Contest Winner

8. Adjournment

Next SENCo General Meeting at 7pm on November 18, 2019

CCOT Meeting Every 4th Thursday at 6pm. Next one: October 24 at Urban Waters in downtown Tacoma

Photo: Manic Mermaid October holiday window; Used by permission of owner Janelle Elms

Do you have a litter cleanup project your neighborhood has been wanting to tackle? If so, the City of Tacoma and Neighborhood Councils are organizing the first annual Litter Pick-Up Event, happening October 26^th!

The City will provide:

– Cloth gloves and high visibility vests

– Trash bags

SENCo will have a supplies pickup station at Tacoma Fire House #8, located at 4911 S 49th and Alaska. Any neighborhood group interested will need to organize their own projects and pickup sites. Here’s what we need from your group to get adequate supplies ready for the morning of the 26^th:

Essential first step, due this Friday 10/11 by 3:00 PM: Your neighborhood group will need to call 3-1-1 and let them know you have an organized Litter Pick-Up event on 10/26. Specifically identify a street corner or nearest address where the collected trash will be bagged for Environmental Services to pick up after the event has finished at 1:00. **If requests are not in 2 weeks prior bags may sit until the next regularly scheduled pickup that following week.**

Step two: Let SENCo know how many bags, vests and gloves you’ll need for your project. Email us at senco253@gmail.com. We need to know your supply count by this Sunday 10/13 so we can call in the order through 3-1-1.

We’ll have supplies ready for pickup at TFD House #8 starting at 7:30 AM on 10/26. Please let us know the name of the person who will be picking up supplies. If you want to provide extra protection for your hands, consider wearing either industrial grade leather, rubber garden, or disposable medical gloves. Unfortunately, we do not have funds to provide gloves other than those provided by the city.

Step three: Day of the event, be sure to take pictures of the following:

– the area before cleanup

– the work party in action

– the area after cleanup

– the amount of bags collected

Other notes:

– If there is “heavy rain or inclement weather” the event will be cancelled – keep an eye on our Facebook page for details.

– The lead of each group is responsible for going over safety procedures during the event.

If you have any questions, please reach us through email at senco253@gmail.com.

Let’s get it done Tacoma!

We have seen a lot of new faces, heard a lot of great ideas, and still have a lot of work to do to help make the South End Neighborhood a better place for all. Come join us!

SENCo will hold our annual General Elections on November 16^th, 2019. This year there are 5 positions available for election/re-election to the South End Neighborhood Council. Interested? See below for a description of board member responsibilities.

South End Neighborhood Council Board Responsibilities/Description

A Board member is the representative of the community, SENCo, and the public at large. Board members assist the community and SENCo in accomplishing its goals and its mission within the SENCo boundaries.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop the policies and programs that guide the organization.
• Participate regularly in Board meetings.
• Review and vote on issues that are within our goals and plans to support the community and achieve our mission.
• Review and approve our strategic plan and goals of our Board.
• Serve actively on one or more committees and assist the Board in the accomplishment of its mission.
• Review annually the Board’s performance and take steps to improve its performance through education, outreach, and other great ideas you initiate.
• Assist the city in its efforts to support the community, and in building relationships that strengthen the objectives and mission of our community and SENCo.
• Assist in fundraising and community representation activities.
• Seek the support of others within our boundaries, and participate in responding to the community’s concerns.
• Act in the best interest of our community.
• Seek community input for decisions.
• Encourage the growth and development of other community groups.
• Appropriately use City and Government Agencies’ information and resources to help address issues.
• Support services that strengthen youth, family, and community.
• Advise and support community on pertinent issues.
• Work for the quality of life within our community and city.

 

Who Is Eligible?

All residents, property owners, business owners, and employees within the Neighborhood Council boundaries are members of the Neighborhood Council. All members of the Neighborhood Council may actively participate in its activities. However, members must be 18 years of age to vote and therefore, must be 18 years of age to hold a position on the Board of Directors. Those under the age of 18 can hold special positions on advisory committees such as Student Advisory.

 

If you want to get involved in local politics on a neighborhood scale, this is a great opportunity to learn, grow, and give back to your community. Please complete an application found under the Get Involved tab of the SENCo website (senco353.org) and email to senco253@gmail.com or through the mail and postmarked by November 6, 2019 to the address below.

South End Neighborhood Council

4911 South Alaska Street

Tacoma, WA 98408

 

 

 

 

 

Please join us in welcoming Tyler Whitemarsh to the SENCo Executive Board as our new Vice Chair! Tyler has served on the Board since May of 2018, and has been an engaged member on the SENCo team in advocating for the community in the South End, serving on both the Election and Bylaws Committees. He is also active in the neighborhood as the local leader of the HAWCS Safe Streets group, where he recently organized the National Night Out BBQ for the neighborhood, as well as the Giaudrone Neighborhood Clean-up here in the South End.

We are grateful Tyler has stepped up to take on the roll of Vice Chair for SENCo, where his skills as a community organizer and advocate for residents in the South End will be a great addition to the Executive team.

Thank you to everyone who came out to our recent meeting for this vote, and to all the nominees who volunteered for the Vice Chair position.

Congratulations, Vice Chair Tyler Whitemarsh! 

You’re all invited to join us at our upcoming August General Meeting where we will not only provide a lovely array of Teavana teas for you to enjoy during the meeting (courtesy of our friendly neighborhood Starbucks here in the South End, thanks to Store Manager Larissa Yuhasz and her team!) but we also have two fantastic guest speakers joining us this month:

Dan Enbysk from Earth Corps will give updates on current projects, and a representative from the Health Department will tell us about a Tacoma Creates initiative here in the South End.

We’re also looking forward to supporting the backpack drive at Giaudrone Middle School this year, and we will be collecting school supplies during the meeting if you’d like to contribute by bringing a donation in any amount of the following five items:

• 24-count crayons (Crayola required at many schools)
• #2 Ticonderoga pencils
• Composition notebooks
• Elmer’s glue (and/or glue sticks)
• Erasers (pink large and regular erasers, as well as pencil toppers)

All this in addition to regular reports from our local City of Tacoma liaisons who keep us all informed and are available to address any questions and/or concerns you may have. It’s going to be a great meeting, and we hope you will join us!

Kiddos are always welcome; coloring station in the room available for all to enjoy.

Your SENCo Chair, Athena Brewer

 

Photo credit: Athena Brewer, 2019

 

Your hardworking neighborhood council volunteer board members of SENCo have an exciting agenda planned for our upcoming Candidate Forum at our General Meeting on July 15th at 7pm. As always, our meetings are held every month on the 3rd Monday at Fire Station #8 located at 4911 South Alaska Street. Please come and join us! Hot tea donated by our local Starbucks at 38th & G is provided for us all, and children are always welcome; there’s even a coloring station set up in the back of the room.

This month we have quite an impressive line-up of guest speakers! Along with our own 27th Legislative District Representative Jinkins, who will be giving her constituents here in the South End a report on the most recent session, we will also have seven candidates running in four races that have a direct impact on SENCo neighborhood residents:

• City Council At-Large Position 7
• City Council At-Large Position
•  Tacoma Public Schools Position 2
• Civil Service Position 3

So far, we are pleased to announce the following candidates will be joining us Monday: Courtney Love for At-Large Position 7, Kristina Walker and John O’Loughlin for At-Large Position 8, Kristopher Kerns, John Marsden, and Incumbent Enrique Leon for TPS Position 2, and Amy Heller for Civil Service Position 3. All candidates will have five minutes to introduce themselves, followed by a question and answer period for community members at the end. It should be a lot of fun, and we hope you’ll join us in getting to know these candidates for our very important primary election coming up on August 6th.

You can sign up to vote until 8pm on election day if you go into the Auditor’s office at 2401 S 35th St #200, and you can sign up in advance online, or by mail (call 253.798.VOTE and they’ll send you a ballot) until July 29th, eight days before election day.

Thank you all and we look forward to seeing you this Monday at 7pm!

Your SENCo Chair, Athena Brewer

 

 

Photo credit: Athena Brewer, 2019