Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout01 from City Manager David Timmons We look forward with anticipation to a new year - one filled with ongoing pro- jects and annual events that define our community. Port Townsend is renowned for its quality of life and we encourage you to invite your family and friends to come and enjoy our City with its many festivals, events, parades, sporting events, and one-of-a-kind presentations by our home-grown musicians and thespians. For a complete list, access the PT Guide event calendar through a link on our website under the “Visitor” tab. If you want to arrange your own event – be it a parade, family reunion, wedding, etc., and want to use a city facility or street, you will need to contact our Event Coordinator, Carla Abrams at 379-3951. She will coordinate the permitting and necessary insurance with you and make ar- rangements for any parking or policing that you will need to make your event a safe and pleas- ant one. As a reminder, we only allow one wed- ding per weekend at Chetzmoka Park during the wedding season from April through September. Forms for special events and facility rentals are available on our website under “Forms.” 2008 promises to be a year of positive direction as we move forward with Upper Sims Way, ob- serve progress with the Northwest Maritime Center and expand our investment in Fort Worden. Other ongoing efforts in 2008 will be directed towards our Library and schools, the pool and PTTV. Thank you to those who are vested in commu- nity projects. For those of you who want to get involved in 2008, we invite you to participate in public process or volunteer for any one of the many events that draw our community together. (360) 379-5047 (email: citycouncil@cityofpt.us) www.cityofpt.us January 2008 City of Port Townsend from Mayor Mark Welch This will be my last utility newsletter as Mayor. As of the first Council meeting this month I will be assuming my seat on the Council floor, and our next Mayor will take over this column. On a personal level, it’s been a remarkable two years. The learning curve has been steep, and its arc seldom what I antici- pated. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have taken time to share with me your thoughts and comments on the myriad is- sues, joys and challenges of living in Port Town- send. It has been gratefully appreciated. As a community we will face some fundamental and difficult decisions over the next few years. What we decide will determine the kind of com- munity we become. What services should we provide as a City? At what level? How do we pay for those services we choose to provide? As evidenced by this year’s budget process it won’t be either easy or painless. In many respects we’ve lived beyond our means for decades. As with most cities, and like our na- tion itself, we have borrowed against our infra- structure, through deferred maintenance, to pro- vide the services our citizen’s desire. As we wit- nessed with our steel electric ferries, at some point, the bill becomes due. Locally, we see this in our roads, our pool, and other public facilities like City Dock. As we move into this New Year, with a new Council, these and many other important issues will be under discussion. Informed citizen input will be critical to any positive outcome. This is your city; please take the time to be part of that conversation. Bonne Année Xin Nian Hao Akemashite Omedetô Ahana Tova A Gut Yohr Sretna Nova Godina Feliz Año Nuevo Gott Nytt Är S Novim Godom Bliadhna Mhath Ur Happy New Year! Library Events The Port Townsend Library and Jefferson County Library present Adventures with Home Design: From the Outside In. Jan. 16, 6:30 County Library-Jim Tolpin, “The Thing About Cottages: How to Create the Home You Long to Live In” Jan. 30, 6:30 PT Library-Carla Metcalf, “Color in the Home: As Individual as Those Who Re- side Within” Feb. 13, 6:30 County Library-Geoffrey Prentes, “Elements of Northwest Architectural Style” Feb. 20, 6:30 PT Library-Wayne J. Bingham, “Natural Framed Home: Building with Wood, Stone, Clay, and Straw” In addition, Jan. 9, 6:30 City Manager David Timmons will give a presentation on his recent trip to China and Tibet. And, Jan. 25, 6:30 is Knit Night. The Port Townsend Library values your opin- ion! This month we have a Survey Monkey link on our home page that asks five questions about your computer usage. This will help us determine schedules for computer use and the community’s computer equipment needs here at the Library. Your input is very important. Please take a few minutes to visit http:// www.cityofpt.us/Library/ and answer the com- puter usage questions. Town Hall Meeting February 7, 2008, 5:00 PM The Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues and Employment (GCDE) will be holding a town hall meeting in Port Townsend on Thursday, February 7, 2008. It will be held at the Port Town- send Senior Center at Lawrence and Tyler Streets from 5:00 - 7:00 PM. Organizers are interested in: ♦ What are the challenges persons of disabilities face? ♦ What are the local success stories for persons with disabilities? ♦ What creative ideas have been implemented to improve programs or services? The meeting is open to all persons of disability, fam- ily, friends, and all other interested parties. For fur- ther information please call or email: Melinda Johnson, GCDE Staff (509) 532-3148 msjohnson@esd.wa.gov or Gloria Tolaro, Community Outreach Chairperson (360) 273-6553 19gloria@sprintmail.com Recycling Christmas Trees DM Disposal will be picking up christ- mas trees with your normal yard waste collection on the following dates: Jan. 2, 3 and 4 Jan. 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 Remove all tinsel and ornaments and cut the christmas tree into four foot sections prior to pick-up. Welcome New Council Members! Our first Council Meeting for 2008 will be held on Monday, January 7 starting at 6:30 PM in Council Chambers of Historic City Hall. New Council Members Brent Butler and David King will be sworn in prior to the meeting and an election of officers will be held. City Council business meetings are held on the first and third Monday of each month. Study sessions are scheduled on the second Monday of each month. Any additional meetings are usually held on the fourth Monday of each month. Comments regarding consent agenda items or items which are not on the agenda will be taken during the "general public comment" period which occurs near the beginning of each meeting. If the comment applies to an item that is listed on the council agenda (with the exception of the consent agenda), you may address the council during the time allotted for public comment when the item is addressed. The Council meeting schedules, calendar updates and agendas are available on the City’s web site.