A community bulletin board for Western Pierce County · April 12 The Fircrest City Council will hold a special meeting on April 14 for the sole purpose of discussing the HB 1110 exemption application at Fircrest City Hall These meetings are open to the public. Please visit www.cityoffircrest.net for the calendar and agenda updates please contact 253-564-8901 or aburkhart@cityoffircrest.net The post Notice of Special City Council Meeting appeared first on City of Fircrest DISCLAIMER: The above news, information, and opinions are the author’s own. If you have news, information or an opinion you’d like to share with 50,000+ monthly readers, click here to learn how FREE EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION: Join 50,000+ readers each month and get the latest news and information from Western Pierce County direct to your inbox, daily, free of charge. Sign up here COMMENT POLICY: If you care to comment on the above story/announcement, feel free. Review our comment policy and please Copyright © 2025 · The Suburban Times · Log in The Sound Transit board of directors has a new voice representing Pierce County who has served on the Fircrest City Council since 2012 joined the 18-member Sound Transit board in early February after tapped by Pierce County’s new Executive and is now the member of the board representing the smallest jurisdiction with just over 7,000 residents currently living in Fircrest That at-grade line is set to run along S 19th Street which is the border Fircrest shares with Tacoma Two stations are planned along the city line construction is a ways off — a grand opening isn’t likely until 2039 at the earliest George isn’t alone in being a relative newcomer to the board, with five other positions turning over since the beginning of last year While Fircrest has skin in the game when it comes to ST3 George’s interests aren’t confined to the city’s borders he described a long background in policy work in Pierce County and experience working across multiple levels of government By day George currently works at Metro Parks Tacoma a parks district serving Tacoma and nearby unincorporated areas with its own independently elected board Previously he worked as communications director for Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy after a long career as a journalist at outlets like the Tacoma News Tribune But first questions first: Hunter George a transit rider But he hopes that he can bring a fresh perspective to the board as someone who’s not super familiar with the regional transit system but pledging to become a more regular rider “You certainly can describe me as an infrequent user because I’m using it now,” George said “I’m on the rider experience committee I asked it to be on [that committee] and what I hope is that my perspective… I sort of view it as if I just moved here and I’ve got to figure this out I had a lot of trouble getting my first ORCA card and Combine those issues with the fact that the 2016 Sound Transit 3 ballot measure was underwater in Pierce County and passed on the strength of support in King and Snohomish counties and the result is a lot of transit frustration in the South Sound George asked transit advocates in the rest of the region to keep this in mind as board members in Pierce County — as well as in Snohomish County — continue to emphasize completing the “spine” that will deliver light rail to Tacoma and Everett “The bulk of the service is in King County They don’t love it here because there’s not enough of it I hear hatred of Sound Transit from many of my constituents — not all,” George said “You’ve got people who should be really cool with it While neither George nor Mello was on the board at that point that seems to be a big reason that he was tapped to join the board “Ryan was looking for someone with skin in the game And he knows that I think regionally,” George said and you’ll be able to help us think about Fife and Tacoma and train service through Puyallup and into Lakewood and all that.” As for the CEO selection process, which has proven controversial, George ultimately defended the way the board has conducted its interviews behind closed doors. With the news in mid-February that King County Executive Dow Constantine had not only submitted his name into the mix but also advanced as one of five finalists the agency faced strong criticism for a lack of transparency The agency also used a nearly identical process for its last two CEO hires Constantine, meanwhile, has faced charges of a conflict of interest, given his long history with many board members, as the board’s longest-serving member who appointed half of the board in the first place. Meeting critics head-on, Constantine has defended his behavior as above board and I’m not criticizing anyone for that,” George said I think they were at five right before that and then I got on and now there’s three And it sounds like we would have only had one if we hadn’t promised the confidentiality in the process — the other two we interviewed would not have applied but I think it was a necessary thing to do that’s the only way to get a national search So if you’re in a major role somewhere you don’t want to lame duck yourself.” What does Sound Transit’s newest boardmember want to see from the next CEO “Seeing the whole board,” George said “The CEO is not going to be the engineer who designs the thingamabob that makes the one train go faster That’s not what you’re there for it feels like there’s just so much going on and you gotta be able to balance that.” George said a priority of the board’s Pierce County delegation is turning the agency’s focus toward operations A disconnect between the segment of Sound Transit that builds new transit facilities and its transit operations division has been something transit advocates have been bringing up for a long time but it looks to be coming to a head as the agency starts to stretch the light rail network into Snohomish County and East King County and more people start to use the system “It sure feels like there’s a universal recognition that we’ve spent a couple decades building and building and building but we’re really focused on the building and with all the operational issues they’ve had — this came up quite a bit in the [CEO candidate] interviews — it’s got to be 50/50 we need to be equally as focused on building as we are on operating,” George said This article was made possible by the generous support of The Urbanist Fund. The Urbanist Fund is a 501(c)(3) organization that supports local, public-interest journalism. See theurbanistfund.org for more information or to make a tax-deductible gift Ryan Packer has been writing for The Urbanist since 2015 and currently reports full-time as Contributing Editor Packer has also reported for other regional outlets including Capitol Hill Seattle They live in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle The Urbanist hosts social hour meetups every month. In April, we’re hosting four social events and kicking off our urbanism-themed walking tours starting in Kirkland on April 26 we’ll be hosting a booth at the opening celebration at Downtown Redmond Station Check our urbanist events calendar to see everything happening this month, including events hosted by partner organizations. You can submit your event for inclusion Westamerica Bank's sign with time and temperature.Friendly Fircrest Market in new handsDave and Mark Hoffman, the twin brothers who have owned and managed independent grocer Fircrest Market for nearly thirty-one years, have sold the store south of town to Lawrence Jacobs and Eric Meuse. The good news is that the new owners are local and both have been working at Oliver’s Market for many years. The sale is still pending, waiting on Health Department review to close. Lawrence Jacobs, one of the new owners of Fircrest. (photo by Dale Dougherty0I caught up with Lawrence Jacobs at the store on Friday. Originally from Crescent City, Jacobs went to Sonoma State University where he started working at Oliver’s Market in Cotati to pay for school. “I started off as a bagger, and then moved to many different positions,” he said. “They were very flexible with my school schedule, which was nice and allowed me to complete my degree.” Twenty-six years later, after gaining a lot of experience at Oliver’s, Jacobs felt “it was time to move on and take everything I’ve learned and flip it into something else. Independent markets are getting gobbled up. I feel really lucky that Dave and Mark gave us an opportunity to further their legacy and hopefully strengthen one of the long-term independent markets in Sebastopol.” One of the challenges of running an independent market is retaining the staff. Jacobs said that’s not an issue at Fircrest. “When we walk in here, we can see the relationships they have with the customers. I’m really excited because I think a big value of this transaction is the people, the friendly staff. ” Jacobs’ partner, Eric Meuse, was his boss for twenty-two years at Oliver’s Market. “I started talking to him a few years ago about us working together if we found the right opportunity,” said Jacobs. “We found this location here and it really seemed to fit what we want to do very nicely. It feels like home.” He said that the plan is “to get to know the customers and the staff more, and the operation and then apply some our skill sets to improve incrementally what’s here.” He suggested that they might update the product mix and try to attract new customers. “(Fircrest) is already doing amazing things here and we want to make sure that we don’t screw that up.” —H/T to reader Bleys Rose for alerting us about the sale. While the salary schedule is too complex to publish here, here are a few points: Step increases for teachers are 2.6% year over year. The new salary schedule only has 3 columns: BA+0, BA+30, and BA+60 (down from five) and every column sees a 7.12% increase. The top salary in the district increases 9.7% to $115,921 The letter said that “This change will put our average member’s salary at around $98,000, which is ABOVE the State of California average teacher salary!” Asked for comment, Superintendent Chris Meredith said that he wanted to wait until the school Board had the opportunity to vote on the Tentative Agreement. Sebastopol Botanicals opened three weeks ago on Burnett Ave. When I asked owner Jenna Cash how she would describe her store, she said “it has everything that puts me in a good mood — herbs, plants, crystals and candles. I think of Sebastopol Botanicals as the good mood store.” Customers in the store on Saturday morning seemed to be in a good mood after smelling scented candles or opening jars of aromatics. Jenna Cash, Sebastopol Botanicals (photo by Dale Dougherty)Jenna said that she expects to have a grand opening this summer after a new awning arrives. Note: the office of Sonoma West Times & News was at this same location from 1989 to 2013 “The final scene of Golden State’s dynasty will play out in the most enjoyable way, with relevance and resurgence. And also a refusal. While others can see the end is coming, the Warriors, the NBA’s maestros of joy, are still evolving,” writes Candace Buckner in the Washington Post in the article “‘Golden State University’ offers a lesson in how to stay relevant.” Just a reminder to vote in the March 5th election You can vote in person at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts though March 5th and you can also drop off ballots at the location The news of the sudden closure of SAY’s Dream Center and its filing for bankruptcy is sad indeed especially because it required a last minute re-location of the vulnerable youth it served No one should think this turned out alright — moving young people from SAY to group shelters like Sam Jones Hall is only better than putting them back out on the street There’s plenty of blame to spread around — misappropriation of funds and mismanagement by SAY staff; lack of supervision by the SAY board who also gave mixed messages about whether SAY could be saved or not; lack of oversight by county agencies that provided funding for services; and the federal government which passed a new regulation limiting the number of youth that can be served in a group home to 20 (A similar change in government policy was responsible for the closure of Children’s Village in October 2015, which provided group homes for children in foster care and was intended to keep siblings together. Link to PD article.) My worry is that all parties involved in SAY are as much in a hurry to run away from this mess as they were to see young people move out this week What hard lessons can we learn from these events SAY’s main focus was providing housing services for youth who had aged out of foster care the federal government changed its group-home policy to limit the number of youth under one roof to 20 SAY had to reduce its capacity by 40 at its facility Stripped of funding needed to pay for the facility and staff the direct cause of its closure was the change in government policy no doubt intended to improve conditions for homeless youth The unintended consequence of this policy was that SAY’s remaining youth were moved out of a suppotive facility for youth and some of them were placed in an adult homeless shelter with 188-beds a facility that the Grand Jury report said was not suitable for homeless youth Neither SAY nor county officials made any apparent effort to push back on this misguided government policy According to the Press Democrat eleven youth were moved from SAY to Mickey Zane Place a former Santa Rosa hotel that in 2020 was converted into “long-term supportive housing solution for the homeless.” The youth from SAY are expected to stay there for 10 days before being moved elsewhere Mickey Zane Place is managed by DEMA and the former hotel must not be at full capacity if it has room to take eleven youth This week, the Board of Supervisors received its Auditor’s report on DEMA Consulting and Management, a contractor that came under scrutiny after a series of investigative reports starting in July in the Press Democrat The supervisors were meeting in private to discuss the report and one must assume that it’s another potential mess If the Supervisors were to hold DEMA accountable for any of the problems that the Auditor has found if the County has to decide that DEMA will no longer be a service provides are there alternative contractors to manage existing contracts for homeless and housing services DEMA ran Elderberry Commons in Sebastopol until it was closed in 2023 and its residents were moved out in a hurry is similarly struggling to re-locate its residents from Horizon Shine are promised housing assistance and services which are said to be long-term solutions but turn out to be temporary solutions that often fall apart The other pattern is that the County receives Federal and State funds which it passes on to a patchwork of service providers who are mostly non-profit contractors and who operate without adequate oversight by County officials and its various boards I recall the words of Kris Johnson who runs the Barnabas Ministry and serves breakfast to the homeless at Sebastopol Christian Church, and whom I interviewed a year ago Johnson said: “I see all the money the government is spending on the homeless It is heartbreaking to see this Press Democrat photo of staff helping youth move out of SAY on Thursday That’s the final image of SAY that will stick with me ReplyShareTopLatestDiscussionsNo posts People are happy to see that the WestAmerica Bank sign with time and temperature is operating again. Gwynn O\u2019Gara writes: \u201CI love that sign and took it as a bad omen when it was out for so long, like the fraying world had come a little too close.\u201D The sign does help you pass the time while waiting at the intersection of Hwy 116 and Bodega Hwy. Dave and Mark Hoffman, the twin brothers who have owned and managed independent grocer Fircrest Market for nearly thirty-one years, have sold the store south of town to Lawrence Jacobs and Eric Meuse. The good news is that the new owners are local and both have been working at Oliver\u2019s Market for many years. The sale is still pending, waiting on Health Department review to close. Lawrence Jacobs, one of the new owners of Fircrest. (photo by Dale Dougherty0I caught up with Lawrence Jacobs at the store on Friday. Originally from Crescent City, Jacobs went to Sonoma State University where he started working at Oliver\u2019s Market in Cotati to pay for school. \u201CI started off as a bagger, and then moved to many different positions,\u201D he said. \u201CThey were very flexible with my school schedule, which was nice and allowed me to complete my degree.\u201D Twenty-six years later, after gaining a lot of experience at Oliver\u2019s, Jacobs felt \u201Cit was time to move on and take everything I\u2019ve learned and flip it into something else. Independent markets are getting gobbled up. I feel really lucky that Dave and Mark gave us an opportunity to further their legacy and hopefully strengthen one of the long-term independent markets in Sebastopol.\u201D One of the challenges of running an independent market is retaining the staff. Jacobs said that\u2019s not an issue at Fircrest. \u201CWhen we walk in here, we can see the relationships they have with the customers. I\u2019m really excited because I think a big value of this transaction is the people, the friendly staff. \u201D Jacobs\u2019 partner, Eric Meuse, was his boss for twenty-two years at Oliver\u2019s Market. \u201CI started talking to him a few years ago about us working together if we found the right opportunity,\u201D said Jacobs. \u201CWe found this location here and it really seemed to fit what we want to do very nicely. It feels like home.\u201D He said that the plan is \u201Cto get to know the customers and the staff more, and the operation and then apply some our skill sets to improve incrementally what\u2019s here.\u201D He suggested that they might update the product mix and try to attract new customers. \u201C(Fircrest) is already doing amazing things here and we want to make sure that we don\u2019t screw that up.\u201D \u2014H/T to reader Bleys Rose for alerting us about the sale. The letter said that \u201CThis change will put our average member\u2019s salary at around $98,000, which is ABOVE the State of California average teacher salary!\u201D Sebastopol Botanicals opened three weeks ago on Burnett Ave. When I asked owner Jenna Cash how she would describe her store, she said \u201Cit has everything that puts me in a good mood \u2014 herbs, plants, crystals and candles. I think of Sebastopol Botanicals as the good mood store.\u201D Customers in the store on Saturday morning seemed to be in a good mood after smelling scented candles or opening jars of aromatics. The news of the sudden closure of SAY\u2019s Dream Center and its filing for bankruptcy is sad indeed No one should think this turned out alright \u2014 moving young people from SAY to group shelters like Sam Jones Hall is only better than putting them back out on the street There\u2019s plenty of blame to spread around \u2014 misappropriation of funds and mismanagement by SAY staff; lack of supervision by the SAY board who also gave mixed messages about whether SAY could be saved or not; lack of oversight by county agencies that provided funding for services; and the federal government which passed a new regulation limiting the number of youth that can be served in a group home to 20 (A similar change in government policy was responsible for the closure of Children\u2019s Village in October 2015, which provided group homes for children in foster care and was intended to keep siblings together. Link to PD article.) SAY\u2019s main focus was providing housing services for youth who had aged out of foster care The unintended consequence of this policy was that SAY\u2019s remaining youth were moved out of a suppotive facility for youth and some of them were placed in an adult homeless shelter with 188-beds According to the Press Democrat a former Santa Rosa hotel that in 2020 was converted into \u201Clong-term supportive housing solution for the homeless.\u201D The youth from SAY are expected to stay there for 10 days before being moved elsewhere This week, the Board of Supervisors received its Auditor\u2019s report on DEMA Consulting and Management, a contractor that came under scrutiny after a series of investigative reports starting in July in the Press Democrat and one must assume that it\u2019s another potential mess There\u2019s a pattern here: vulnerable people I recall the words of Kris Johnson who runs the Barnabas Ministry and serves breakfast to the homeless at Sebastopol Christian Church, and whom I interviewed a year ago Johnson said: \u201CI see all the money the government is spending on the homeless It isn\u2019t going to the homeless.\u201D  It is heartbreaking to see this Press Democrat photo of staff helping youth move out of SAY on Thursday That\u2019s the final image of SAY that will stick with me The Sebastopol Times ended the week with 687 paid subscribers New paid subscriber Juliet Rowe said that she supports Sebastopol Times: \u201CJust because\u2026\u201D Subscribe now living in the community is considered a civil right But what if an institution seems the safest place A new attempt by Washington state lawmakers to close Fircrest School in Shoreline — and reap millions from the property — shows the worry and divide among families Forrest Sargent waved his arms in front of his face It was his first response to the question: How does he like Fircrest School Sargent has spent eight years at the state-run residential center in Shoreline In that time, the 26-year-old has become a minor celebrity as a nature photographer which is devoted to artists with disabilities Washington state founded Fircrest School in 1959 with buildings that at various times housed a naval hospital and a tuberculosis sanitarium In the 1980s Fircrest served up to 500 people Legislators have considered closing the facility for years directed a downsizing that led 60 people to be moved he had chased a group-home manager down the hall and wound up in a mental-health facility who said they found him there in a freezing room he landed on Fircrest’s roughly 90-acre campus and in the middle of a debate that has lasted for decades and prodded the Legislature this year — for the third time at least — to consider phasing out the facility for about 200 people In an age when integration into the community is considered a civil right wooded parcel that could fetch millions in an overheated real-estate market Sargent and his family have unequivocal answers helping to explain why Fircrest has survived up to this point In a Fircrest activity room where Sargent meets with a speech pathologist held out a blue board bearing the letters of the alphabet he explained he has a delivery job on campus His parents have been saying the same thing to whomever will listen has their son gotten the all-encompassing care — including on-site medical treatment — that he needs “He’s doing way better here than he’s ever done anywhere else,” said his mom “I’m terrified,” said his dad of the notion Fircrest might close Some may already think the facility is closed so long has talk of shuttering the place been going on a retired lawyer and guardian of 20 Fircrest residents as is the union representing Fircrest staffers They are fighting a chorus of accepted wisdom “I believe everyone belongs in the community executive director of the Snohomish County chapter of The Arc a large advocacy group for people with developmental disabilities Case in point: her own severely autistic daughter who lived at Fircrest before moving into a home staffed by a private agency Nagel considers institutions the outdated product of a “warehousing mentality,” remnants of the days when doctors told parents to drop off babies with autism or Down syndrome at a place like Fircrest and not look back Fircrest and other institutions have changed a lot. Yet states have a mandate, under the 1999 U.S. Supreme Court Olmstead decision to rely on segregated facilities as little as possible when serving people with disabilities Tennessee in May joined the ranks of more than a dozen states that have closed all such institutions Washington inched in that direction in 2011 by shuttering the Frances Haddon Morgan Center, a Bremerton “residential habilitation center,” as these facilities are called. Four remain open, despite a 2013 recommendation by the state auditor’s office to reduce the number It costs $193 million a year to run all four institutions The recommendation cast the matter in terms of equity A minority of disabled clients served by the state Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) live in its institutions: roughly 700 compared to 33,000 who receive state funding to live in group homes or other private facilities or to get help like physical therapy and work training while living at home It’s far more expensive to support people at institutions The monthly cost was about $20,000 per person in fiscal 2016 half of which is paid by the federal government It’s hard to make an exact comparison with the cost of serving people in the community; advocates for institutions say those who live there have more profound disabilities and receive a greater level of care is clear: Thousands of people — nearly 12,000 currently — are not receiving any state services What’s more, some people who want to move out of institutions can’t, because there aren’t community services available for them. Disability Rights Washington is currently suing the state on their behalf “We’re a little behind the times here,” said state Sen Fircrest “is sitting on a valuable piece of ground.” He co-sponsored a bill this legislative session that would close about half of Fircrest serving residents in group cottages that comprise its “intermediate-care facility,” by 2022 would close when its number of residents falls to 16 Fircrest’s property (except for a small slice belonging to the Department of Health) would be sold or leased and the money put toward serving developmentally disabled people in the community The Kent Democrat wanted a softer phaseout and didn’t put an end date on an earlier bill she introduced by legislators wanting to squeeze out immediate budget savings Fircrest supporters held a protest outside the institution in May and lobbied legislators The bill still stands a chance amid ongoing budget negotiations “This is not going away.” She promised to be back next year with another bill Denny Sargent walked toward a cluster of cottages lining a manicured lawn on the Fircrest campus — whose various and aging buildings including a gym and lovely chapel with wooden rafters He pointed out patios with barbecues in front of the shingled units and a vegetable garden he had planted in front of his son’s residence “They make it sound like medieval dungeons,” he said the place really looks just like a bunch of group homes The younger Sargent shares his with about a dozen people has three of his photos hanging on the wall one an arresting shot of vivid orange poppies Sargent was a normally developing child until about 2 They tried group homes starting when he was about 9 One locked the boy in his room every night after dinner for years he ended up with a broken nose after a scuffle with a staffer Still, he made progress, especially after his parents trained with a woman who taught autistic people to communicate using a letter board one of his early requests was for a camera On outings with his father, he captured pictures of flowers, animals, trees and clouds His last group home didn’t want to keep him Then came the crisis that brought him to Fircrest One reason Sargent has succeeded at Fircrest in ways he hadn’t at group homes is that many more people are involved in his care Doctors found a cocktail of medications that address his seizure and bipolar disorders teaches Sargent to communicate with an iPad kept in place by a contraption the staffer has built out of brightly colored pipes staffers in the work-training program guide Sargent through his job as Sargent wheeled a big blue cart around campus picking up bags of garbage and taking them to dumpsters a staffer prompted him at key moments: “Do you want to pull the cart over to the dumpster?” “Do you want to throw the lid open?” a spokeswoman for DSHS’s Developmental Disabilities Administration said the guided work illustrates the “active treatment” the feds now demand of institutions like Fircrest Staffers once saw their role as doing things for residents employees are supposed to teach residents to do things themselves we’re planning to get you back into the community,” she said DSHS recently found that Fircrest’s Immediate Care Facility had inadequate active-treatment plans Fircrest has until July 14 to rectify the situation Nagel found herself in the uncomfortable position of placing her daughter the young autistic woman was going through a crisis Behaviors more or less under control at her group home suddenly got worse In the psychiatric unit of Seattle Children’s her mom demanded a battery of tests to figure out what was wrong and how to help Despite her professional and personal devotion to deinstitutionalization What would she have done if it didn’t exist If the state truly committed to putting money into community services Nagel said she found Fircrest staffers fine and the on-site services convenient the doctors there gave her daughter so much medicine that the young woman was lost in a fog Using a federally funded program called Roads to Community Living Nagel started planning to get her daughter back in the community Erin Nagel moved into a triplex run by Alpha Supported Living Services and at least two Alpha staffers with her at all times — care that her mom concedes doesn’t come cheap although she said she doesn’t know how much the state pays and DSHS did not provide figures for such an arrangement It’s one that Nagel said allows her daughter to make choices impossible in Fircrest’s group living When the now 25-year-old feels like plunking the piano her parents placed in the living room Ditto when she wants to immerse her hands in the backyard sandbox “She’s always got her music playing,” Nagel added recounting times she’s showed up to find her daughter dancing with staff She drifted back and forth from her bedroom where a teddy bear she likes to cuddle sits under a tent of green gauzy curtains It’s one of the few phrases that she speaks and eventually conveyed her frustration at waiting with a scream Staffers bundled her into their van and drove off Stay secure and make sure you have the best reading experience possible by upgrading your browser Dear Reader,Unfortunately our comment platform isn\'t available at the moment due to issues with our paywall and authentication vendor The owners of Fircrest Convalescent Hospital have opted to close the Sebastopol nursing home after it lost funding to care for Medicare and Medicaid patients Fircrest Convalescent Hospital is scheduled to close after the termination of an agreement that reimbursed the Sebastopol skilled nursing facility for services to patients insured through Medicare and Medicaid The California Department of Public Health said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services terminated the agreement because Fircrest did not comply with federal standards The state agency did not detail the alleged violations that prompted the federal agencies to cut off funding a crucial source of money for skilled nursing facilities and other types of hospitals declined to comment Friday about the closure which is listed as the facility’s owner in state audit records but one current resident estimated there were currently about 35 residents who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation said family members were sent a letter this month notifying them of the closure The resident said the hospital has scheduled a “community meeting” for residents and family members to discuss patient options for transferring to another facility The resident said the hospital has been losing staff in the past few months and the quality of patient care and attention has suffered Family members often call patients “and nobody answers the phone There can be two or three people sitting by the phone and it rings and rings and rings,” the patient said Some have complained about cooked food that is served cold because it is not delivered in a timely manner after it has been prepared The number of complaints about Fircrest has increased sharply over the past two years State regulators received 44 complaints last year that alleged Fircrest had not complied with state and federal laws or regulations There were eight complaints about the facility in 2015 and 2014; in 2013 the state issued a citation against Fircrest for failing to quickly notify a doctor after a patient suffered a stroke She was not taken to a hospital until nearly six hours after she told staff that she was having a stroke The nursing home was fined $20,000 for the alleged violation the nursing home was fined $2,000 for failing to report a case of alleged neglect a Fircrest employee was allegedly accused of refusing to help a resident get off the toilet and left her sitting for a “significant time period attempted to summon staff to help her,” according to the citation The citation states the neglectful care endangered the patient’s “safety if she had tried to get off the toilet by herself.” She later told investigators that she felt “she was going to die.” The delay in reporting the incident did not allow the state to do a prompt investigation You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com Restoring the original work of an admired predecessor can be a bit nerve-wracking; especially with a relatively famous photo of an incredibly dramatic design like Vernon Macan’s ‘volcano’ hole at Fircrest Golf Club in hand.  Macan’s early 1920s routing remains intact and makes excellent use of the property similar to most courses of the same vintage The volcano hole is the penultimate hole at Fircrest It’s also a microcosm of what’s happened throughout the rest of the course Trees have grown to narrow the fairway and impede stunning views of Mount Rainier The green has lost its original shape and contour The outside edges of the putting surface have been raised by decades of sand top dressing And three of the most dramatic bunkers ever built in the Northwest were replaced by shallow slivers of sand on each side of the green.  architecture critic Brad Klein uses the unfortunate evolution of Fircrest’s seventeenth as an example of how a golf course canal most imperceptibly lose its original character “it’s just another par four that could be anywhere in the Northwest.” I was hired to develop a restorative-based masterplan for Fircrest in early 2014 Not in my wildest dreams did I think restoration of the volcano hole and its massive bunkers would be approved When I presented my preliminary ideas to Fircrest’s green committee I suggested we leave restoration of the sixteenth and seventeenth until the end of what was planned to be a multi-year project with its green tipping from front-to-back and left-to-right there was originally a deep bunker cut into a hill short left of the green At some point that bunker was filled and replaced by a stand of fir trees Another bunker tight against the front right of the green was raised and made smaller Any semblance of the hole’s classic origins was lost Restoration of these dramatic features represents significant change at Fircrest where the bunkers hadn’t even received new sand in many years I was concerned that restoring the massive features of the Redan and volcano hole might derail the project I was pleasantly surprised when the club’s green committee disagreed John Alexander and I went to work at putting these incredible nearly century old holes back together in early November last year who’s spent the past 25 years building renovating and restoring courses in the Northwest Alexander is also a veteran of the Northwest golf scene who’s competed as a player on the national level and has been Fircrest’s golf course superintendent since 2010.  Patience is a bit rare among profit-driven contractors but Kalbrener showed a lot of it as the scope of work required to restore the volcano hole grew by the day his patience and willingness to do everything required to get it right was key to the success of the project Many superintendents would be intimidated by the depth and scale of Macan’s bunkers A superintendent’s buy-in to this type of vision and confidence in maintaining what’s been restored is absolutely critical.  Over a quarter century working with many architects on a number of courses throughout the Northwest Kalbrener says he’s never built anything on the scale of the Fircrest volcano hole When we finally got the dirt where we wanted it at the seventeenth he looked at me and said: “Good thing we have that old photo to fall back on we’d probably be fired!” This speaks to Vernon Macan’s grand vision Fircrest’s volcano hole will be admired and endure · September 27 We’ve got some exciting news about the athletic fields at Fircrest Park we’ll be fencing off the south end of the park stretching from between the baseball fields to the Community Center Plaza Our contractors will be hard at work restoring the natural grass athletic field at the south end of Fircrest Park This project has three primary goals: achieving a uniform field surface establishing an even stand of natural grass and addressing the field lighting at Fircrest Park Here’s the great part: Thanks to the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office This funding is evenly split between the City and RCO We appreciate your patience as we strive to make Fircrest Park an even better place for play If you have any questions or need more information don’t hesitate to reach out to Jeff Grover Your feedback and inquiries are always welcome a state-run center for developmentally disabled people left his cottage without the knowledge of workers there and walked away into the dark That tragedy is one of the latest examples documented in a report by the advocacy group Disability Rights Washington (DRW) as it again calls on the state to shutter its residential habilitation centers Titled “Shut Them Down,” the report is the latest in a yearslong campaign by DRW seeking to close the Rainier School in Buckley Fircrest School in Shoreline and Lakeland Village The facilities have struggled for years with safety issues and reported deaths and serious accidents. Federal regulators in 2019 decertified part of Rainier School because of problems leading state officials to transfer scores of residents out into the community a staff attorney with DRW and co-author of the latest report called the facilities “historic institutions that were created to segregate people with developmental disabilities.” “We have the capability to serve people in the communities … so people can live in neighborhoods and near their families,” she said But the push to close the facilities have come as families of some developmentally disabled people believe those institutions remain the safest place for their loved ones the parent and guardian of Sergei Whaley-Taub a longtime resident of the Fircrest School who has experienced a lifetime of multiple disabilities She said she and others believe that larger institutions are the best way to make sure people get the daily help they need and making sure they don’t harm themselves or wander off that’s the type of setting that he needs,” said Whaley of her son “And it’s where he thrives.” after years of mediated talks between the state and elected officials advocacy groups and people within the community of disabled people lawmakers are again proposing a plan to close most of the facilities The recommendations come out of a work group mediated by the Ruckelshaus Center in late 2019 and call for gradually replacing the large residential facilities with housing in communities across Washington It also recommends building a new skilled nursing unit at Fircrest School in a move that would keep part of that campus open Jay Inslee are considering both of those moves this legislative session Senate Bill 5268 would lay the foundation for a transition away from the residential centers It would require the state to forecast and then budget for the number of people requesting supported-living services That would allow state officials to plan for supported-living homes in communities around the state “It is a slow process,” Keiser said “You just don’t turn out people who have lived there for 40 years.” Co-sponsored by GOP Senate Minority Leader John Braun the bill also has the support of the state Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) lawmakers on the Senate Committee on Health & Long Term Care voted to advance the proposal Asked about the DRW report and the incidents it documents a spokesperson for DSHS cited the agency’s current work of shifting more residents into the community Some have been outspoken in opposing the closure of the facilities saying they have provided a good home to family members with severe disabilities whose son Whaley-Taub has spent years living at Fircrest School Whaley-Taub came to Fircrest about a dozen years ago after going through nearly two dozen caregivers in the community over a six-month period he started eating better,” Whaley said “He starting healing better.” But the new DRW report documents other recent problems Just days before the disappearance of the Rainier School man in 2020 “An off-duty staff member returning from lunch happened to spot him walking in heavy rain nearly a mile from campus,” according to the report a Fircrest resident reported being hit by a staff worker and the resident told at least four other employees about the incident “No one at Fircrest reported the incident to law enforcement or to the State Complaint Resolution Unit in violation of mandatory reporting requirements.” Legislators and Inslee are also considering approximately $120 million for a new 120-bed skilled nursing-care unit at Fircrest School Inslee included that funding in his new proposed capital-construction budget Keiser said the state would always have a need for skilled services for aging individuals with disabilities who “need 24/7 nursing care.” moving people into community homes wouldn’t necessarily solve the problems reported at the larger facilities Keiser suggested that stricter reporting and oversight might mean that problems at places like Rainier School are just more visible than elsewhere “There is no way to absolutely eliminate all personal risk to vulnerable people,” Keiser added Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the cost a of new proposed skilled-nursing unit at Fircrest School The cost would be approximately $120 million The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times the Pierce County community still prohibits the sale of alcoholic beverages by the glass A proposition to change that is on the Nov Pierce County — Ninety years of being “dry.” The last town in this state where you can’t buy liquor by the drink You just keep going right out of the city limits But modern mores have sneaked up on this bedroom community of 6,500 just west of Cheney Stadium If a proposition to allow sales of liquor by the glass passes in the Nov that remnant of the old Blue Laws will be gone in Washington state (“Blue” most likely a reference to the disparaging 18th-century term for rigid morality and less chance of a restaurant opening up “We’re stuck back in time,” says Matt Jolibois an accountant and City Council member here Fircrest is the kind of place where another council member He says it’s a reference to the town’s reputation as a speed trap besides the 900-plus who signed the petition the city couldn’t find anyone to write the “argument against” the liquor proposition in the voters’ pamphlet That certainly was a change from 40 years ago when a similar measure was put before voters and rejected by more than 60 percent about how folks felt back then: “This was a planned community with contoured streets They were making it into some kind of utopia They had little vases and stands on every corner Surina has collected historical photos of the town in an image right out of a Norman Rockwell painting The town strove to separate itself as special by naming many of its streets after top universities: Princeton The town was founded by Edward “Major” Bowes and other investors Bowes was famous in the 1930s and ’40s for a national radio program called “Major Bowes Amateur Hour” that featured such future stars as singer/actor Frank Sinatra and opera soprano Beverly Sills Those investors originally named it Regents Park — as in the regents at a university — because they wanted to connect their planned community to education the most direct beneficiary will be the Spring Lake Café says it has no plans to sell liquor by the glass the owner says she would contemplate selling alcohol Jill Absten says she’s had zero customers for the past hour and a half “There’s no dinner crowd in Fircrest at all,” she says 12-table place in the center of Fircrest offers everything from the Home Town Breakfast ($7.95) to an Oktoberfest menu that includes such selections as Wiener schnitzel ($15.95) The latter was an influence of a Bavarian waitress at the cafe what you want with German food is German beer,” says Clement Clement says that if the initiative passes he wouldn’t stay open much past his current weekdays closing hour of 7 p.m But he wants an even playing field with restaurants a short distance away that aren’t affected by the ban “When I explain to customers that they can’t get a glass of wine or a beer attending nearby Foss High School and working in his younger days washing dishes at the private Fircrest Golf Club where the chef taught him the basics of cooking but it has always served liquor by the drink but only after a special state law allowed alcohol to be served within Fircrest annexations Two other areas later annexed got the same deal It was three neighbors who eventually banded together to write the “argument against” the initiative right behind the Town Center mall that’s on the main drag of Regents Boulevard An empty supermarket that closed years ago is its most prominent feature says he was at the meeting where it was announced that nobody had signed up to write the “against” part What happens if a brew pub goes in that empty supermarket some type of violence taking place,” he says maybe this new brew pub would serve booze “out on the patio.” Then you’ve got another 15 feet to the building” across from his home “I could be 75 feet away from a drink-by-the-glass situation.” that Fircrest should be more like British small towns they call them neighborhood gathering areas,” says Jolibois “It’s about actually coming out of the house at 6 o’clock at night drinking by the glass fosters a closer-knit community that leads Brannon to discuss the garbage-can issue that has been bothering him The Fircrest city code states that garbage toters (the big garbage cans with wheels) can be placed at curbside “no earlier than 5 p.m the day before pickup” and retrieved “no later than 10 p.m “They sit on the street for half of the week So now what if the hypothetical brew pub comes in Brannon knows he’s fighting a lonely battle He says he talked to residents a block away from where the hypothetical brew pub could go in and found out he has few allies “They don’t care about what happens on this block,” Brannon says Food Poisoning Outbreaks and Litigation: Surveillance and Analysis We received new reports from people who said they got sick with norovirus-like illness after they ate at Poke Pop in Fircrest we received 9 more illness reports for a total of 26 The illness reports fall into 2 categories: People got ill about a day and a half after exposure Reports of illness have decreased so this will be our last regular update on the suspected norovirus outbreak. Read our previous posts below and go to www.tpchd.org/norovirus to learn more We cleared Poke Pop to reopen late this morning Employees met the required preopening steps to clean and sanitize the restaurant We inspected the food establishment to ensure conditions did not pose risks to public health we closed Poke Pop because of a suspected norovirus outbreak we received 11 new illness reports for a total of 17 People got sick about a day and a half after exposure If you ate at Poke Pop and became ill, we want to hear from you. Contact the Health Department at food@tpchd.org, report online, or call (253) 798-4712. Find 2-year inspection reports for food establishments in Pierce County at www.tpchd.org/foodinspections Read our previous post below to learn more Our Food & Community Safety staff are working with Poke Pop We closed the restaurant late Tuesday morning (Nov Employees will clean and sanitize the food establishment to ensure the public is no longer at risk Six people who were part of a group of 8 said they got sick with norovirus-like symptoms after they ate at the restaurant Nov They came down with symptoms between a day and a day and a half after they ate there nausea—lasted from a day to a day and a half The meal they ate at Poke Pop is the only one the 6 customers have in common during the period they got sick In addition to cleaning and sanitizing the restaurant staff will throw out all ready-to-eat food ingredients like produce We are interviewing employees to determine who worked the day the customers visited and if any employees worked while ill 6 to ensure it is safe for the public before it reopens Norovirus is highly contagious and always around us. It can cause diarrhea and vomiting, often at the same time. Symptoms typically last a day or 2. It’s the same virus often related to cruise ship illness. Learn more at www.tpchd.org/norovirus We need to keep norovirus out of food establishments to prevent outbreaks ready-to-eat foods that requires lots of hands-on preparation—sandwiches fruit cups—have a higher chance of involvement in a norovirus outbreak To protect customers from norovirus and other foodborne illness: The state’s Paid Sick Leave Law means food workers don’t have to face financial hardship when they take time off from work to care of their health. Learn more at www.tpchd.org/paidsickleave Clean vomit or diarrhea accidents immediately If you ate at Poke Pop and became ill, contact the Health Department at food@tpchd.org, report online Norovirus:  Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Norovirus outbreaks. The Norovirus lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Norovirus and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $650 million for clients Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation Our Norovirus lawyers have litigated Norovirus cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a number of food products and restaurants If you or a family member became ill with Norovirus after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim contact the Marler Clark Norovirus attorneys for a free case evaluation earned a BA in philosophy from Seattle University and his law degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison He graduated from both schools with high honors and won numerous awards for service and academic excellence Denis worked as one of the lead attorneys on the defense team that represented Jack in the Box against the hundreds of claims and lawsuits arising from the historic 1993 E he obtained extensive knowledge of the meat and foodservice industry He is a frequent speaker and writer on issues related to food safety law The nation’s foremost law firm with a practice dedicated to representing victims of foodborne illness This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Timberlake x Nike shoe collab early access Learning how to hit off tight lies is important in order to shave strokes and avoid blow up holes Welcome to Shaving Strokes a new GOLF.com series in which we’re sharing improvements learnings and takeaways from amateur golfers just like you — including some of the speed bumps and challenges they faced along the way Although I haven’t played much golf since my daughter was born a month ago my most recent round presented a challenge that caused me quite a bit of anxiety But this is where my mind began to wander and doubt creeped in My ball was sitting on an extremely tight lie stacked bunkers staring me right in the face on the front left of the green and another massive bunker that dropped down about 15 feet on the right side of the green So I had to hit this shot nearly perfect, making sure it was a high, soft shot that stuck on the putting surface this isn’t a shot that I often practice Making sure I did my best to avoid the front left bunkers and found myself in the worse bunker on the right side of the green but the damage was already done; and I walked away with bogey after a brutal 2-putt This is where having help from a GOLF Top 100 Teacher like Kevin Sprecher is clutch as he’s capable of explaining exactly how to chip off tight lies without the fear I experienced So take a look below to see what Sprecher has to say about these type of shots from tight lies and learn how to hit them safely near the pin Sprecher says he witnesses mishits from amateurs all the time — often from the fairway He even saw a playing partner in a recent Pro-Am struggle with shots within 50 yards over and over throughout the round together “When they played shots from the same distance “So why do amateurs struggle from the fairway a player can hit slightly behind the ball and still end up on the green as you’ll lay sod over the ball.” To help amateur players see more success on tight lies use a less-lofted club and try to roll the ball onto the green — it’s even easier to use a hybrid or an 8-iron to roll the ball to the green and the mishits tend to be thin or drop kicks; which will still advance the ball to the green place the ball in the middle of the stance and lean your body and the club shaft towards the target Use your upper body to move both your arms and club I teach my students to have three different length swings with their wedges: half The key to swinging at different lengths is to maintain your normal swing tempo Most amateurs use the same length of swing So be sure to practice half and three-quarter swings using your normal full swing tempo I recommend practicing from different lengths and learn what swing length and wedge loft is best for you If you don’t know how far the ball flies And while it takes time to learn how far the ball flies it can make all the difference on your scorecard when you master it I highly recommend spending half of your practice time on the short game area, making sure you dial in your distance control All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team KTTH OPINION 10:00 AM | Updated: 10:29 am Brown's Flowers (Photo obtained by The Jason Rantz Show) BY MAX GROSS As Tacoma business owners struggle with widespread violence and homelessness add local officials to the list of obstacles One council member had choice words for a departing florist Theresa Wolland, who owns Brown’s Flowers — a South Tacoma staple for more than 90 years — reached her breaking point with the city and announced she’s leaving Tacoma for Fircrest Wolland sent this email, obtained by The Jason Rantz Show on KTTH to members of the South Tacoma Business District Association (STDBA) and members of the Tacoma City Council:   “It is with great sadness and excitement that I announce after “90-plus years” we have decided to move Browns Flowers We need that walk-in business to stay afloat We have had numerous customers state that they don’t come in due to the neighborhood a new bullet hole all the way through the glass doors not to mention the new neighbors on Washington and their aggressive dogs makes it hard for customers to want to visit us “I hope to see y’all in Fircrest once our move is final.” Gross: Can anti-intrusion fog system stop Seattle crime in its tracks? She received a surprising response from Tacoma City Councilmember Sarah Rumbaugh (D-2) I think your neighborhood has changed a lot over the last 10 years,” Rumbaugh replied “I am not sure that the homeless issue is the only thing impacting that location Thank you for what you have meant to Tacoma.”  Wolland responded with a defense of her treatment of the homeless in the area She mentioned a machete-wielding man among other various crime problems she and other area businesses have tirelessly endured “Your response to my email has me a little frustrated Nowhere in my email was I blaming the homeless that’s what you read into it,” Wolland responded I have and will never say it’s the homeless! It’s the lack of support and the criminals I have issues with.”  Rumbaugh then came back with a rather surprising retort You obviously have a belief that your business will do better in Fircrest Good luck,” Rumbaugh wrote back in an email obtained by The Jason Rantz Show on KTTH “I only buy flowers here in District 2 You will not see me supporting your business and I find it intriguing you think that crime is just in Tacoma Wolland said she chose to leave the exchange at that She said Rumbaugh was never among the 18,000 customers they served over the years at the South Tacoma location “I was extremely disappointed that a city official would address me this way,” Wolland said during an appearance on the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH “It doesn’t really matter how long my business has been here Fircrest will be a welcome change for the business The new location already has the owner “smelling the roses.”   “The neighborhood is just different,” Wolland said I have yet to see a drug deal happening in front of my store.”  More Tacoma businesses have followed suit in closing their doors The STBDA has lost multiple members and the trend is likely to continue if local officials continue to take them for granted The STBDA even hired a private security guard to monitor the area and help protect businesses the security company said the violent and racist threats were too much “We have been begging for help for two years and our pleas have gone unanswered,” Michael Johnson if you complain about the onslaught of drug-fueled crime and violence now plaguing our community you are simply labeled anti-homeless and your concerns are ignored.”  More from Max Gross: Sound Transit project threatens century-old church in Lynnwood Tacoma is coming off a year with its highest homicide mark ever Tacoma Police Chief Avery Moore stated all is well “Crime is not out of control in this city,” Moore said during a presentation to the City Council in mid-February And I’m proud to say we’ve made a reduction.”  Decreasing crime numbers still have left these businesses feeling damaged and unheard Not to mention a near tripling of the city business licensing fees in recent years City officials have a serious problem on their hands and they don’t realize it Tacoma’s business district will soon become a ghost town More proprietors will come to the realization that Tacoma just simply isn’t worth all of the hassle Already have an account? Log in here The newest Chick-fil-A franchise opened at 6 a.m The first Chick-fil-A franchise in Fircrest officially opened its doors at 6 a.m a corporate sponsored incentive program offered the first 100 visitors the opportunity to receive free Chick-fil-A for a full year Patrons had to live within a three-mile radius of the location and camp overnight outside the eatery for 12 hours — from 6 p.m They then were among the first to enter the establishment and receive their “First 100” card granting them a year’s worth of chicken sandwiches prior to the new location on South 19th Street across from Tacoma Community College Schneller’s 8-year-old son was so excited about the campers that he convinced his mom to camp out in the restaurant’s play room overnight Schneller and her son set up a cozy pile of blankets between big toys and woke up to the staff prepping for the big opening day When the corporate restaurant development team was researching areas to open up a new Chick-fil-A in the Tacoma-area Schneller — who grew up in Fircrest — jumped at the opportunity “I loved doing the first franchise,” she said said she’s excited to bring jobs to the region The establishment has already brought 100 new jobs to the region on top of the 110 jobs at the Tacoma location The newest franchise is the 13th in Washington Get to know this year's Best of the South Sound cohort learn more about a new swim school in Tacoma Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Two buildings that housed laundry facilities were destroyed The Shoreline facility is home to about 200 people with developmental disabilities Fire crews from several cities, including Shoreline, Seattle and Kirkland, fought a fire Thursday at Fircrest School a state-run residential center in Shoreline for about 200 people with developmental disabilities according to Shoreline Fire Department spokeswoman Michelle Pidduck Authorities said the fire started in a dryer vent at the 88-acre campus a spokeswoman for the Department of Social and Health Services said the fire affected two buildings that house laundry facilities An investigation into the fire’s cause has begun MYNORTHWEST HISTORY 8:21 AM | Updated: Nov 18 A recent view of the exterior of the chapel from the old U.S Naval Hospital Seattle in what's now Shoreline BY FELIKS BANEL Tucked away in a forested part of Shoreline is a unique artifact dating to World War II and a once-sprawling U.S a group of neighbors is working to raise the profile of this forgotten – yet sacred Janet Way is a member of group called the Shoreline Preservation Society. Like many who live in Shoreline, she spends a lot of time on publicly accessible parts of the grounds of Fircrest a Washington State Department of Social and Health Services residential school for disabled people located on Washington Department of Natural Resources land north of 145th not far from Shorecrest High School and Hamlin Park at its peak around the end of the war in 1945 was a 2,000-bed facility for wounded sailors staffed by hundreds of medical and other support personnel when a very special building was dedicated there that building – a small Tudor Revival style chapel – is still standing which we can go around the other side and see and then all the woodwork,” said Janet Way on a recent visit to the brick and wood chapel “There’s a whole lot of beautiful woodwork inside that’s all original and then Fircrest was established a decade or so later Shoreline Preservation Society successfully nominated the chapel to the Shoreline/King County Landmarks Register in a process that began in 2020 and ended earlier this year regarding the boundaries of the forested land included in the designation Janet Way says there are several reasons why she and her group have devoted so much time and energy to getting the publicly owned chapel listed as a Shoreline landmark It’s the most beautiful building in Shoreline “And also because of its relationship with the forest It’s meaningful because we’ve lost quite a bit of forest in the north end here with development and light rail.” “It’s really valuable for that reason,” Way said the whole story of Captain Boone and what he did.” Captain – later, Vice Admiral — Joel T. Boone is the naval officer who was in charge of the hospital in Shoreline during much of World War II and who gets most of the credit for envisioning and building the chapel Boone is a larger-than-life figure and a highly decorated veteran of World War I who received the Distinguished Service Cross and the Congressional Medal of Honor for amazing battlefield medical heroics and who served as White House physician to Herbert Hoover in the late 1920s and early 1930s Janet Way says Captain Boone had a vision of the chapel being separated from the rest of the hospital complex and the chapel itself fitting into a special place on a hill – all in the spirit of helping patients recover from their war wounds That’s why the boundaries of the landmark designation got a little contentious because DSHS wanted to preserve their options on part of the land near the chapel for a possible future parking lot “The process itself was painful,” Hubenthal told KIRO Radio referring to the duration and intensity of the debate over the boundaries “[But] the end results are something that that we can manage and we can live with.” And what about that new parking lot near the chapel? Should Shoreline Preservation Society get ready to cue Joanie Mitchell and her “Big Yellow Taxi?” Paving that little corner of paradise in Shoreline but he says he wanted to preserve DSHS’ options should future construction affect vehicle capacity at Fircrest When the landmark designation was finalized and the small piece of land in question was not included “But if we do find denser development on the east side of our campus that eliminates our existing parking we may look to try to put something else in there.” One thing worth emphasizing is that the 1944 chapel is in really good shape This isn’t some derelict old structure that nobody cares about and that some public agency wants to tear down or otherwise neglect until it collapses In fact, Sarah Steen, landmarks coordinator for King County – which is the agency that oversees Shoreline’s landmarks program through an interlocal agreement – says that DSHS and DNR should actually get some serious credit for taking good care of the little chapel They’ve maintained the exterior and the interior quite well,” Steen told KIRO Radio and they’ve done a good job stewarding that building that “we actually landmarked a number of the interior features as well Steen also says community members like Janet Way and others not even affiliated with the landmark designation use the Fircrest grounds a lot interested and taking an active role in having a say about its future “That’s why they’re so involved because they do care about that site,” Steen said Way says the Shoreline Preservation Society may ultimately want to have some kind of memorandum of understanding or other agreement with DSHS so that the Shoreline community could have more regular access to the chapel and so that the society could offer history or other cultural programming inside the chapel while the history group offers public programming Hubenthal isn’t convinced that the chapel in Shoreline could be made available with a similar arrangement “I think the difference is Fircrest School still operates and programs and uses that building,” Hubenthal says referring to the weekly religious services held in the chapel the hospital has no interest and no programs in those historic cottages.” Hubenthal is also concerned that the recent landmark designation for the chapel has added another layer of bureaucracy to what has been a simple successful maintenance regimen carried out by DSHS if we want to replace the roof on the chapel — it currently has the cedar shake roof that is going to need to be replaced at some point in the future,” Hubenthal said but with an architectural quality asphalt shingle because you just can’t get good cedar anymore coming out of Canada.” “We would have to go through the whole landmark commission review to make that kind of a visible change to the structure because it is a listed historic structure,” Hubenthal said we would do what we believe is in our best interest to preserve the chapel Most preservation experts would say Hubenthal is correct about the required review but some would also likely point out that dozens of public buildings in Seattle and King County are listed as landmarks and routinely undergo similar administrative processes related to maintenance and proposed exterior changes while the current roof of the old chapel appears to be holding its own what could definitely use some maintenance and TLC is the relationship – or lack thereof – between chapel owner DSHS and chapel booster Shoreline Preservation Society we could have a conversation” with Way’s group who had not previously heard about Shoreline Preservation Society’s interest in an agreement until asked about the possibility by KIRO Radio “I don’t know if it’s a conversation about who manages the facility but the extent to which the facility might be more broadly available for public use I don’t think it’s appropriate to pursue that yet.” Until such a meeting takes place and unless and until they say otherwise a DSHS spokesperson contacted KIRO Radio on Wednesday afternoon to emphasize that the landmark chapel remains off limits to the public “due to health and safety concerns of [Fircrest] residents.” But Janet Way is already focused on the next step in the Shoreline Preservation Society’s effort to raise the profile of the old chapel “The plan is to go through the process for the National Register of Historic Places,” Way said “because it needs more respect and status.” Way says the recent King County/Shoreline landmark designation is powerful as a National Register of Historic Places [property] You can hear Feliks every Wednesday and Friday morning on Seattle’s Morning News, read more from him here, and subscribe to The Resident Historian Podcast here. If you have a story idea, please email Feliks here Follow @https://twitter.com/feliksbanel The significance of mobile home rent regulations for community stability Housing isn't just about buildings and land; it's about the people and communities they shelter Sebastopol is stepping up by revising its mobile home rent regulations This move aligns Sebastopol with other cities that recognize the importance of safeguarding the rights of mobile home residents Owning a mobile home while renting the land it is on presents a unique challenge points out that these residents are both homeowners and tenants a duality that demands tailored protections Sebastopol has a history of advocating for mobile home protections Annual rent limits: Unpredictable rent increases can be stressful Sebastopol is capping the annual rise for mobile home lot rents offering residents a sense of financial predictability Vacancy rent adjustments: This one's sparked some discussions Mayor Neysa Hinton views this as a balanced measure aiming to be fair to both tenants and landlords Maintenance concerns and the park's financial future are hot topics showing that both residents and park owners are deeply invested in the outcome a housing attorney with Sonoma County Legal Aid emphasizes that this goes beyond just rent It's about fostering and preserving stable communities By taking measures against sudden displacements we're also addressing the broader issue of homelessness The city plans to review the revised rent stabilization rules on Sept Sebastopol’s mobile home residents can anticipate a more stable housing environment in just 30 days 2019 at 11:53 am PT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Investigators are working to determine what caused the building to catch fire (Pierce County Sheriff's Department)FIRCREST WA — A large apartment fire tore through a Fircrest apartment building Friday morning Firefighters were called to the Wellington Apartments on Emerson Street after reports of heavy smoke and people potentially trapped inside Photos posted on social media show massive flames engulfing the structure's roof According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department everyone was able to escape without serious injury Tacoma Fire said six residents are displaced An investigation into the fire's cause is ongoing Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.