1. Council, executive to honor Daffodil Festival Royal Court

Daffodil Festival Queen Jessica DeWitt and other members of the 2005 Royal Court will be recognized by the Pierce County Council and executive during the April 12 council meeting. Council members will adopt a resolution honoring court members, festival organizers and volunteers for their community contributions. In response, Queen Jessica, who attends Mount Tahoma High School, will address the council.

Other court members are Princesses Cydney Anderson, Emerald Ridge; Katherine Barry, Franklin Pierce; Megan Bushnell, Orting; Denise Fernandez, Washington; Natalie Hanni, Sumner; Grace Hanson, Bethel; Laura Kelly, Fife; Bonney Lozada, Wilson; Karly McKee, Eatonville; Whitney Miller, Lakes; Serena Mitchell, Curtis; Vi Nguyen, Lincoln; Margaret Nivison, Stadium; Natasha Ratliff, Henry Foss; Brittany Schneider, Puyallup; Megan Slater, Spanaway Lake; Caseylie Talania, Clover Park; Chya Thompson, Chief Leschi; and Kellie Thompson, Rogers.

A reception in the court’s honor will be held at 2:30 p.m. in the council’s 10th floor offices at the County-City Building, 930 Tacoma Ave. S. The council meeting, at 3 p.m. in council chambers, will be cablecast live on CRCC Channel 22 on Comcast in Pierce County/Tacoma and Channel 86 on CLICK! Network. The meeting will be replayed on the channels several times during the week. For replay times, go to http://www.rcc.pierce.wa.us/ch22_86.htm.

2. Public workshops for updating Chambers Creek Properties plan to be held April 14-16

Pierce County will hold the first of a series of multi-day public workshops to gather input on the update of the award-winning Chambers Creek Properties Master Site Plan. Eight one-hour sessions will be held Thursday, April 14 through Saturday, April 16. April 14 sessions begin at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. April 15 sessions begin at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. April 16 sessions begin at 9:30 a.m. and a wrap-up session begins at 11 a.m. All sessions will be held at the Pierce County Environmental Services Building (9850 64th St. W., University Place). Citizens are encouraged to drop in at any time convenient to them. No registration is necessary. The second and third workshops in the series will be held May 5 – 7 and May 26 – 28.

The update of the Chambers Creek Properties Master Site Plan will set project priorities for the next 10-year development phase and consider potential new uses. County staff and consultants will lead participants
through an interactive one-hour session exploring in-depth the workshop theme of “Where Are We Now?” These small group sessions allow a more hands-on approach for participants.

“The public played such an important part in the development of the Master Plan 10 years ago,” notes Brian Ziegler, director of Public Works
and Utilities, “and we want to make sure that we hear from them again as we bring the plan up to date; that is why the workshops provide a variety of times, days and formats for people to choose from.”

The Chambers Creek Properties Master Site Plan guides the development of the 930-acre Chambers Creek Properties, located along Puget Sound in the city of University Place. The purpose of the 10-year update is to revise the Master Plan to incorporate projects implemented to date, to set priorities for the next 10 years, to consider potential new uses, and consider other technical information or changes in technology that may have emerged since the Master Site Plan’s adoption in 1997.

Information about the Chambers Creek Properties and the Master Site Plan can be found at the project Web site at http://www.piercecountywa.org/ccp.
For more information about the workshop sessions, call Anne-marie Marshall-Dody at 253-798-4140.

3. Foothills Trail Walk May 14 has health, charitable benefits

Pierce County Parks and Recreation is joining with Good Samaritan Hospital and Foundation May 14 to promote healthy living and to raise funds.
The 2nd annual “Walk for the Benefits” event will be held between 8 and 10 a.m. starting in Orting City Park. The walking route follows the Foothills Trail, which also accommodates strollers and wheelchairs. Walkers can set their own distances from 1 to 12 miles.

“We see this event as a way to encourage people to visit the Foothills Trail and go for a walk. “We’ve had so much success with the “Fantasy Lights Walk” that we look at “Walk for the Benefits” as kicking off the outdoor season,” said Cara Cross of Parks and Recreation.

Last year’s inaugural walk attracted 200 participants. “We’re anticipating 500 for this year’s event,” Cross said.

The 2005 Walk is dedicated to 15-year-old Amy Blair, a participant of Good Samaritan’s Children’s Therapy Unit. Selected because of her energy and participation in the Children’s Therapy Unit, she will lead a contingent of families who are involved with the CTU. Amy led a penny drive to help raise funds for a pool in the new unit.

Registration can be accomplished by contacting Cross at 253-798-4739 or ccross@co.pierce.wa.us. The fee is $4 for an individual walker, $12 for a family of four, and $2 each for members of groups of 20 or more. Registrations can be made at the event, starting at 7:45 a.m., at slightly higher individual and family rates.

“Walk for the Benefits” is a National Trails Day event. Net proceeds will benefit the Good Samaritan Foundation, Foothills Rails-to-Trails Coalition, and Thomas A. Cross Parks and Recreation Endowment Fund.