Community Conversations in District 6

Office of Jani Hitchen, Pierce County Council, District 6 announcement.

Please join me and my colleagues for my formal District 6 Council Meeting on Thursday, March 7 at 6:30 p.m. We are going to hear updates on several projects happening inside the borders of District 6. 

The theme for this meeting is Improving Health. This includes food access, Blue Zones, and improving water quality in the Chambers Bay area with the proposed project to remove the Chambers Bay dam and bridge. There is also time set aside for those who want to address the Council on any topic relevant to Pierce County outside that day’s agenda. I hope you will join us.

Save the Dates

Virtual Community Conversation: March 23, 2024, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. I am hosting a Zoom community conversation. We kindly ask that you register in advance here. I want to use some of our time together to discuss what’s in our 24-25 Budget and some of the District 6 Projects happening. The time will also be for anyone to share ideas, concerns and ask questions. I hope you will join me. 

Register at www.piercecountywa.gov/District6Listens 

Virtual Islands Community Conversation: March 25, 2024, from 6 to 7 p.m. I am hosting a Zoom Community Conversation focusing on the islands I represent. While anyone can attend, we will focus on questions and concerns about Anderson and Ketron Islands and then open the floor for anything else.

Register at www.piercecountywa.gov/IslandsChat 

In-Person Community Conversation: April 24, 2024, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. I am hosting an in-person Community Conversation at the Parkland-Spanaway Library at 13718 Pacific Ave. S. We had a great meeting several months ago to discuss a variety of topics. We want to make sure we come back around and provide opportunities to build on those concerns and hear if there are new topics. 

A Guaranteed Income Project: Growing Resilience in Tacomat

In 2022, in Tacoma, the Growing Resilience In Tacoma (GRIT) program sent 110 recipients a no-strings-attached monthly payment of $500 for 13 months. All were employed, the sole earners in their respective households with children, and had annual incomes that placed them at, or two times higher than, the federal poverty line. What we found is GRIT dollars were spent on basic necessities. Nothing more.

Today, I’m excited to share that thanks to an appropriation in the state budget secured by Speaker Laurie Jinkins, Tacoma will once again partner with key stakeholders in the community to extend its GRIT program to reach new households and expand the program into the Parkland community! The application period opens on March 1, 2024, and ends on March 8, 2024. 

To apply, visit https://bit.ly/UW-GRIT when the application period opens. 

175 families will be selected by lottery out of those who apply by the deadline and meet the criteria. 

Community Connections

Spanish/English Story Time: Saturday, March 2, from 1 to 1:30 p.m., drop in for a Bilingual Storytime in English and Spanish. Tiempo de cuentos bilingüe en español e inglés.

Shamrock Search in DuPont:  You can participate as a family in searching for a Shamrock hidden by the volunteers with the DuPont Museum March 4-10 in DuPont Clues will be posted on the museum’s Facebook Page.

Greentrike Play to Learn: Tuesday, March 5, from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Parkland Spanaway Library. 

Family Story Time: Tuesday, March 5, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at Lakewood City Hall Council Chambers. 

Family Story Time: Wednesday, March 6, from 10-11 a.m. at the DuPont Pierce County Library Branch.

Family Story Time: Wednesday, March 13, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Steilacoom Library.

I focused on many of our events happening in our library locations within District 6 because we proclaimed March 2nd – 9th, 2024, as “Read Across America Week.” at our Feb. 27 Council meeting. I wanted to highlight some of the ways our Pierce County Library system helps get families engaged with reading to our youngest residents. 

We have three fantastic library systems in our County. If you haven’t checked out how to access our local libraries digitally, you can have a look here.  

There are a lot of dates and times in this newsletter, and there is no perfect time that would work for everyone’s schedule. I have tried to provide a variety of options, but if you have something you want to share or discuss, please feel free to reach out via email or call the office. We look forward to seeing you in person or virtually over the next two months.