Michael Robinson woke up one April morning wishing his house was better-suited for his elderly, handicapped mother. By that night, he had his wish.
“This is a dream come true,†Robinson said after volunteers spent the day replacing a downstairs shower stall, adding handrails in a stairwell, and repairing a second-story deck – all modifications that make the Federal Way residence safer for his mom, Ruth.
The Robinson residence was one of 26 that were selected by Rebuilding Together South Sound for the non-profit group’s annual Rebuilding Day, which was held this year on April 28. The projects in Pierce County and King County gave homeowners in Federal Way, Tacoma, Auburn, Roy, Graham, Eatonville, University Place and Spanaway free home improvements and upgrades that made their abodes safer and more adaptable for people living with disabilities or age-related limitations.
It’s a year-long process for Rebuilding Together South Sound. Between Rebuilding Days, representatives of the Tacoma-based organization visit the homes of applicants for repairs to start getting ready for the day when volunteers will show up and do the work. “House captains†consult with builders on the work and materials that go into projects ranging from plumbing, electrical and carpentry to fixing roofs, windows and flooring. Fund-raising, donations from individuals and organizations, and sponsorships by businesses and local governments help cover the costs.
Eligibility for homeowners is based on income and whether they’re elderly, disabled or a family with children.
For Michael and Tracie Robinson, the improvements at their home were a virtual godsend.
“It was such a blessing to be picked,†said Michael, a 51-year-old Navy veteran. “I’m overwhelmed by the generosity and the volunteers.â€
Rebuilding Together South Sound also offers a year-round program for home modifications and emergency repairs, a home-repair program in conjunction with the City of Tacoma, and education and resources with a goal of beautifying neighborhoods.
More information about the programs, including opportunities to volunteer and donate, is available at rebuildingtogetherss.org, info@rebuildingtogetherss.org, and 253-238-0977.
Power tools and the elbow grease of volunteers helped 26 homes get much-needed improvements during the annual Rebuilding Day.
Like many people in a military family, Warren Smith Sr. spent much of his childhood on the move. His family went from base to base, living in eight states and overseas in Germany.
The experience gave Smith perspective on public education. He attended schools in poor and affluent communities, and he learned that not all schools are created equally.
“What I got from that is that it’s very important for every student to have a high-quality, equitable education,†said Smith, who resigned in March from the Bethel School Board due to health issues. The remaining board members expect to appoint his successor in May.
Smith had two stints as a board member — from 1986 to 1999 and again from 2013 to 2018 – and served with a philosophy that “it’s amazing what kids can do when you give them a chance.†That attitude took on a more personal meaning when, in his second tenure as a board member, he presented high school diplomas to his grandchildren during their schools’ graduation ceremonies.
In addition to the big moments with his grandkids, presiding as a School Board member over his son’s high school graduation ceremony was a high-water mark in Smith’s life.
He also has had his share of grief. In 2011, his wife of 34 years died after a long illness. It was a devastating blow that Smith wasn’t sure he’d ever recover from.
“For the first four years after she passed away,” he recalaled, “it was like I was in a cave, but then I woke up one morning and I said, ‘Wait a minute, this is a beautiful world. There’s still life out there.’â€
He reconnected with an old high school sweetheart, and their engagement has rejuvenated him. “Our families say we’re like two teenage kids,” he said.
Warren Smith wondered if he’d ever recover from the death of his wife of 34 years. “Then I woke up one morning and I said, ‘Wait a minute, this is a beautiful world. There’s still life out there.” (Courtesy photo/Bethel School District)
The Pierce County Library System is asking citizens what they want from it as it goes about the job of prioritizing library services while dealing with a tight budget.
The public’s thoughts were invited at open houses at library branches countywide in February. Input was also accepted via an online survey through March 10. A second survey via telephone was launched in April.
Library leaders will share the public’s ideas with a community advisory committee, which is meeting to review and assess the level of funding of library services. The committee, appointed by PCLS administrators, is expected to make a recommendation to the Library System’s Board of Trustees. Options might include asking voters to increase property taxes – PCLS’ prime source of funding — to serve the area’s growing communities or making more cuts in library services.
In case they decide in the next few months to one before voters, the trustees have asked officials to prepare a possible tax proposal.
“We are talking with people about our funding constraints, which stem from costs to run the libraries growing at a faster and higher rate than revenues,†said Georgia Lomax, executive director of the Library System (PCLS). “In the past 12 years, our service area has grown by 82,000 people, straining resources to serve growing communities.â€
In recent years, PCLS costs have increased an average of 4 to 7 percent a year, while property tax revenues have increased at an average rate of 1 to 3 percent, according to Lomax. Property taxes make up approximately 94 percent of the Library System’s revenue.
Population growth and use of libraries have outgrown many library buildings, officials said. At the same time, many of the buildings are aging. Since 2006, the population in the PCLS service area has grown from 518,000 to 600,000 people – an increase of 16 percent. The number of people with library cards grew 63 percent, so that at the end of 2017, 323,000 people were active cardholders.
The use of library materials – checkouts of books, movies, music and other items – has grown 33 percent since 2006. During those 12 years, attendance of library-hosted classes and events – such as story times and block play for kids, and technology and job-readiness courses for adults – has surged by 700 percent, officials said.
Meanwhile, the Library System has outlived its re-authorized levy that voters passed in 2006. Lomax said PCLS has met or surpassed all four levy promises – more books and materials, hours, services for children, and technology services. Officials projected that the 2006 levy would meet the public’s needs for up to six years. Lomax said that funding has been stretched for 12 years.
Since 2009, the gap between service needs and available funding averaged about $2 million a year, for a total of $20 million, according to library officials. To balance its budget and sustain overall services, PCLS has eliminated or reduced some of what it offers. For 2018, it has cut spending on books and other materials, deferred major facility investments and software system upgrades, eliminated a service that provided downloadable and streaming movies, TV shows and audiobooks, and ended the public’s use of meeting rooms in libraries when the libraries themselves are closed.
By state law, library districts such as Pierce County’s may receive property taxes for up to 50 cents per every $1,000 in assessed property value. PCLS’ current tax rate is 42.94 cents for every $1,000 of assessed valuation and is expected to decrease to 41.50 cents in 2019, officials said.
Nearly 3,000 citizens attended the February open houses at library branches, and more than 4,000 people completed surveys on what they want, need and value in library services. Their top four priorities were, according to library officials, “convenient library hours†(72 percent), printed and downloadable books, magazines, movies, audiobooks and music (68 percent) help from library workers (64 percent), and access to computers, wi-fi, printers and other technology (50 percent).
PCLS serves a countywide population of roughly 600,000 through its 20 branch libraries and online, making it the fourth-largest public library system in Washington. It has about 1.5 million books, e-books, audiobooks, movies and other materials to lend. It also has specialized services and programs for adult care facilities, homebound individuals, childcare centers and schools.
Pat Jenkins, who wrote this article, is editor of Senior Scene and program director of Senior Media Services. He is also a member of the Pierce County Library System Board of Trustees.
Classes on using technology devices are among the services provided at branches of Pierce County Library System.
Fred Oldfield, the venerable painter of cowboy and western life, died Feb. 24 in Tacoma at the age of 98.
He had been ill recently.
From the time he became a full-time artist at age 60, Oldfield was a well-respected painter and passionate about teaching aspiring young artists. He taught art at the Fred Oldfield Western Heritage and Art Center, on the grounds of the Washington State Fair in Puyallup. The center includes a museum with artifacts from the old West, along with displays of paintings and art by Oldfield and other artists.
On Facebook, family members described him as “the most amazing daddy, grandfather, husband, friend, artist and gramps to hundreds of children.†The latter reference was to the art classes for youngsters at the art center that bears his name.
In an article in Senior Scene last October, Oldfield had a ready quip when he was asked if he ever considered retiring: “From what? I paint and I fish. What should I give up?”
Oldfield first dabbled in painting at the age of 17. Among other things, he painted a flower on a bunkhouse wall.
He was raised on an Indian reservation in Yakima, and worked on tribe-owned cattle ranches.
“I basically rode with the Indians herding cows during cattle rounds,†he said while chatting at his booth at the arts festival in Eatonville last August. “I started painting western art scenes from what was seen on the reservation and during the roundups.â€
After serving with the Army in World War II, Oldfield attended art school in Seattle and began painting murals in Alaska, Canada and the Northwest. Since then, his paintings have been purchased by private collectors worldwide and displayed in art museums.
Oldfield, who would have turned 99 in March, was preceded in death by his wife. A memorial service will be held for him this spring at a date and location to be determined, according to his family.
As he did for all 45 of the annual Eatonville Lions Arts Festivals, artist Fred Oldfield last August displayed his western paintings and happily talked to visitors at his booth at about his days working on cattle roundups. The life he led was part of the inspiration for his western paintings. (The Dispatch)
