South End Neighborhood Council

We are pleased to announce our newest South End Neighborhood Council board member, Elizabeth Armstrong!

Elizabeth is a lifelong Tacoma resident and homeowner in the South End who cares deeply about this great city of ours. As an Able Bodied Seaman who works for the the Washington State Ferries, she is also a member of the IBU, the Inland Boatman’s Union. As an avid sailor both on and off the clock, she is also involved in the Tacoma Women’s Sailing Association, and takes part in her new hobby of falconry with the Washington Falconer’s Association.

We are grateful to have Elizabeth aboard the goodship SENCo and we welcome her to the team! Please join us in welcoming her at our next meeting on February 24th at 7pm.

Hello and happy February, everyone! We hope you will come join us on Monday, February 24th for our next General Meeting!

We value your input, and want to hear your thoughts on improvements or ideas that would make life better in the South End. We’re always glad to hear about what makes you happy about living here in the South End, too!

In addition to reports from our valued liaisons from across the City, we are also looking forward to welcome Darian Lightfoot, Contract and Program Auditor for the Community & Economic Development Department in the Housing Division to talk about the 5-year Consolidated Plan for the City of Tacoma. This plan is important because it maps out how the City will spend federal funds from HUD in the next five years. We will also have an important update from Pierce Transit about the Bus Rapid Transit, or BRT. This is an issue many people in our area care about, and we look forward to hearing about the progress of this project.

We hope to see you there!

❤

Your South End Neighborhood Council Chair

Athena Brewer

 

Greetings!

You are all more than just cordially invited to join us at 7pm on January 27th for the first South End neighborhood council meeting of the new year!

We plan to have the Mayor’s Youth Commission in attendance to share updates and upcoming improvements with us about Gas Station Park, and we will also hear important information from Nora Doyle about the Tacoma Public School bond that is currently up for a vote.

At this upcoming meeting there will also be executive elections for Vice Chair and Treasurer, along with filling the vacancy created by the loss of our valued board member Chris Winters at the end of last year. Not to worry, though, as Chris is still very civically engaged and you can now find him every 4th Monday at 7pm at the IBEW (located at 3049 S 36th St # 101, Tacoma, WA 98409) presiding over the 29th LD meetings as their new Chair! We congratulate Chris, and wish him all the best in his new role where we know his skills will surely be put to good use.

Thank you all for being involved in this great community this past year, and thank you in advance for all of your efforts in the coming year. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Kindly,

Athena Brewer
she/her/hers
SENCo Chair

Photo:
Our new SENCo logo by Ervin Santiago, Freshman, Class of 2022, Lincoln High School.

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