Office of Jani Hitchen, Pierce County Council, District 6 announcement.
There are two community-specific changes that are happening in the 6th District. I mentioned above the Old Parkland School. For those that haven’t followed Facebook, or any of the local media stories, the building stands at the corner of Pacific Ave (SR7) and 121st Street in Parkland. It is on the Historic Registry for Pierce County, and it is privately owned by Pacific Lutheran University. Recently, the community was made aware of a proposed demolition of the school to build two apartment complexes. Many in the community reached out to me to understand what happened.
This site had been talked about for years as a location for a future community center or something that would benefit the entire community. It surprised a lot of people, and they wanted to be heard. The passion behind those that have shown up is heartwarming. Change is hard, and we know that an empty building on an empty lot is not going to add value to the Parkland area. Councilmember Campbell and I have heard you and have spoken with PLU and state Rep. Melanie Morgan, who also represents Parkland.
Also in the 6th District is the Lakewood Library. While not a historic building, there are a lot in the Lakewood community that are upset that this building closed. I spoke with Pierce County Library System’s new executive director to discuss the future and to clarify many of the questions and concerns I heard. The library system provided a wonderful resource that talks through what is happening, and myths vs. facts about the library site. PCLS is committed to continuing to support services in the Lakewood area, keeping staff employed, and working with the community to plan for the future of the Lakewood Library.
June 21, 2022, 6pm at the Pierce County Annex building is the meeting of the Landmarks Commission that will decide if the Parkland School is removed as a state historic site. It is an in-person meeting. Speakers get 3 minutes. If it stays historic, they cannot demolish it.
I have commented on this topic before but feel it is worth noting that Tacoma Public Library has preserved the Carnegie Library, as a part of the main library downtown, which was built in 1903 with funds donated by Andrew Carnegie.
Would be nice if the Tensler family could be rewarded the same way for the donation they made to build the Tenzler Library, which was build in 1963. Let’s preserve this structure and preserve the history of Lakewood.
By my math (1963-1903) the Tenzler Library has a good 60 years left in her!!