Many Thanks and Septic Support - jhitchen
Good morning, neighbors
I want to start with a giant thank you to all who showed up last night and to the many partners who tabled to provide resources and information. We had a great meeting, and I am excited to take all that we learned and put it together into a summary that will be sent out. Don’t worry if you didn’t make it; I plan to send the summary to my full list.
Murals and More
I volunteered in Lakewood to help set up for the Clover Park School District's Ready to Learn Fair on Friday, Aug. 7. The fair provides students with clothing, shoes, backpacks filled with school supplies, hygiene products, haircuts, and more.
Diane Formoso, Founder of Caring for Kids, began the Ready to Learn Fair more than 40 years ago, after a child boarded her school bus on a cold morning without a coat. Every year since, the fair has helped young people and their families start the school year off right. Clothing can mean a lot to students, especially teens, and access to clothes for P.E. or sports can be one less worry for a family trying to make it when things cost so much right now.
Though I wasn’t able to attend the actual fair, the volunteers — including high school students — helped sort clothing that filled the gym, set up stations for vaccinations, haircuts, and sports physicals, and pick up school supplies. The West Pierce Fire Department was on site to provide helmets and help fit them, so parents and young people knew they were fitted properly for protection.
The reason I couldn’t actually make the fair was that we finally cut the ribbon on the beautiful murals in Parkland, created through the Parkland Spanaway Blue Zones Project. If you have driven SR-7 (Pacific Avenue) in the last two months, you might have noticed one of the many amazing retaining walls.
A group of about fifteen people stands along a sidewalk in front of a long mural depicting a light-blue mountain landscape with large white lettering that reads "Proudly Parkland". The mural was completed through the Parkland-Spanaway Blue Zones Project.
The team with Blue Zones will be doing another wall in Spanaway, and between the community connection and the beauty of the artwork, it was wonderful to see it wrap up. I walked the length of the mural, and you can watch it here: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/14kWPSszTvN/
Septic Support
If you have a septic system in Pierce County, or maybe you have family or friends with homes on septic systems, please keep reading. If you only have sewer, then you can scroll down to community connections, but you never know when you might need this information.
Still reading? Then here we go!
The Tacoma Pierce County Health Department is responsible for reviewing and permitting septic systems. This means your home’s wastewater stays on-site and infiltrates back into the ground after cleaning through a septic system. Because the water goes directly back into the ground, often near wells and other water sources in our community, it is really important that we check they are working properly.
When they are working well, there is very little cost to homeowners, no monthly bill for use, and no expensive monthly services needed. However, they do require some care, maintenance, AND oversight, because when they go wrong, they can contaminate soil, water, and community spaces.
Staff at TPCHD are working to balance community health and the costs of maintaining septic systems and have recently launched two approaches to reduce costs while keeping people and water safe.
First is the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Septic Inspection. This program asks qualifying homeowners to do the lion’s share of the work. It means that you are inspecting and testing your septic system and filing some paperwork. It also means you learn how your system works and can identify issues early. To qualify for this program, you must:
Meet all DIY program criteria
Attend and complete an on-site septic course with Washington On-Site Sewage Association (WOSSA) and pass the course exam
Have up-to-date inspections with no deficiencies
Some additional conditions of the DIY program:
You must alternate DIY inspections with professional inspections. So, three years after your first DIY, you’ll need to hire a professional
You must get an inspection by a certified professional if you sell your home. The DIY route won’t be an option for your Report of System Status (RSS) inspection for property sales
Second is the Reduced Inspection Application. This is when you go through a formal inspection and then apply. It means you won’t have to have your septic inspected again for five years if you are successful, unless you sell your home. To qualify for this program, you must:
Take a training class on best practices for septic system maintenance
Monitor the health of your system
Have access to site-specific details based on our records
Both of these methods aim to reduce costs for homeowners and protect the health of our community. You can’t apply for both programs, so figure out which one will work for you and then learn more. Please reach out to our Health Department staff if you have any questions. You can email them at omseptic@tpchd.org
Transit Tour
I toured Pierce Transit’s base in Lakewood and learned all the ins and outs of running a transit agency with almost 1000 employees who help move people across our region every day.
This November, voters will decide on a Pierce Transit funding measure that would maintain and improve local transit service. If approved, the measure would increase the local sales tax by 0.3% (three cents on every $10 spent on qualifying purchases), marking the first increase to Pierce Transit's local sales tax since 2002.
The proposed improvements include
New routes
Seasonal and special-event service
More frequent buses
Later-evening service
Expanded paratransit
Fare-free bus service for adults aged 65 and older, and better connections to jobs, schools, healthcare, and other important destinations
To learn more about the proposed service plan, look for them at community events, as they always show up, or at their website at Pierce Transit – More Transit.
Community Connections
District 6 Library Events: Pierce County Library events and classes at the Anderson Island, DuPont, Lakewood, Parkland/Spanaway, Steilacoom, Tillicum, and Virtual libraries.
Steilacoom Town-Wide Power Outage: All power will be cut off to residents within the town limits on Aug. 13 and 14, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. I hope this is not a surprise to anyone, but the community center in Steilacoom will be open to all and will have power available for charging and other needs.
Pierce County Fair: Visit Frontier Park in Graham from Aug. 13-16 to enjoy fair food, vendors, rides, and of course the animals. Our 4-H youth put on quite the learning experience from cats and dogs to chickens and hogs; come out to the fair and enjoy the day.
Summerfest: There's something for everyone at Summerfest this Saturday (Aug. 15), and I hope you will take some time to stop by. Parking can always be a challenge, but they are running free shuttles once again.
SR 7 Updates & Improvements Community Conversation: Wednesday, Aug. 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Spanaway Middle School, 15701 B St. E., Tacoma you can meet with WSDOT officials to learn about what is coming to Pacific Avenue. Free to attend and the state is looking for feedback, so if you live on or drive that corridor often, it might be great to go and let your voice be heard.
End of Summer Bash & Movie in the Park: Saturday, Aug. 22, starting at 5:00 p.m. at Sprinker Recreation Center. Bring the whole family to play games and bounce around in a bounce house, visit vendors and food trucks and just enjoy community as you watch a movie under the stars.
Additionally, all the back-to-school events are starting to pop up, and you can feel the summer days starting to wind down.
I want to pause and share that my thoughts are with the thousands of families in the Spokane area that have lost their homes.
We have teams from Pierce County on the scene, and our hearts are with all the residents who have been impacted by these wildfires.
Wildfires can impact all of us, so if you are out recreating, please be mindful of chains hanging from a truck or trailer. Please refrain from throwing anything that is on fire or was on fire out your car window, and please follow all burn-ban rules for the area you are in. Lastly, while you might have fireworks left over from the 4th, please hold off on launching any of them. Along with it being illegal, the danger to our county right now is just too great.
You can learn more about how to prepare and prevent wildfires here: A Proclamation of the Pierce County Council and Executive Designating May 2026 as “Wildfire Awareness and Prevention Month” in Pierce County, Washington
Be safe, all, and thank you to all who attended the recent events.
Jani