Winnifred Street Construction

The reconstruction of the tree-lined Winnifred Street boulevard started in earnest yesterday with the removal of several trees, some of which were dead or diseased. The project includes new streets, sidewalks and upgrading the medians. Construction is expected to last through early fall.

Not all the neighbors are happy with the scope of the project. The city council decided that the tree in the yard at N. 52nd and Winnifred would be removed as part of the work, over the protests of the home owner.

New Look Around Town

Thanks to The Commencement condominiums, the Ruston school landscaping is now complete and beautiful. In addition, the aging street lights along Pearl Street have been replaced. Along with a new restaurant opening on our signature corner at N. 51st and Pearl, things are looking up around here!

Another Sewer Rate Increase

Ruston officials will consider passing along a sewer rate increase to its customers that hit from Tacoma on January 1st. First reading of the proposal is scheduled for the council meeting tonight. This increase comes on the heels of a major increase for rate payers last year as the sewer replacement loan repayment began.

Newest Ruston Road Opened - Then Closed

The newest road in the Point Ruston development at Baltimore and 51st Street was open for a few days last month and then closed again by Ruston officials. Despite repeated requests for the reasons justifying another road closure, city leaders have remained silent. Baltimore Street faced a similar process where the road was completed by Point Ruston, opened and then closed again by Ruston, closure that lasted another year (details here).

The minutes for the November 19th council meeting include a mention by the mayor that the road was closed because "permits had not been issued." The mystery surrounding the closure remains and no word on when Ruston will open the road.

$33 to $58 Monthly Sewer Rate Increase

Ruston has a new sewer system after decades of debate and hand-wringing. It took about a year to install all the lines and there are several shiny new streets as a result (along with a functioning sewer system). It's time to start paying back the $4.1 million loan that paid for the project, which equates to every residential connection being charged an additional $33 and each business $58 per month for the next 40 years. The increase will be begin next month. More details about this decision are available on the council meeting minutes from August 20, 2013 (link here).

Baltimore Street Open

After years and years, Baltimore Street is open, connecting traffic to Ruston Way and both Ruston's south side and Tacoma. The town just completed repaving the western side of the street and replacing the sidewalks that were in bad shape this month. Even though the new Ruston Way has been open over a year, this final link is shiny, new and now open for traffic.

Almost But Not Quite

This week marked another big step forward for our local streets. Tacoma Water completed their line repairs and repaved the roads they worked under. Along with the repaving needed for last year's sewer project, all of 49th is now new pavement from Pearl to Baltimore, and the new pavement continues north on Baltimore to Commercial Street.

But don't expect to see the link between Baltimore and Ruston Way open quite yet. Ruston has hired a contractor to replace the old sidewalk and curb on the west side of Baltimore from the train tunnel to Commercial, and repave this section of roadway. When this final section is complete by the end of August, the road will reopen with brand-new everything.

Final Baltimore Street Work Finally Begins

The long-awaited water line work underneath Baltimore and 49th Streets has begun. Although it means gravel and messy roads again, once the water line is complete, the new road surfaces go in, Point Ruston can install the curb and gutter along the east side of Baltimore and the Baltimore connection to Ruston Way can finally open. All work is scheduled to be completed by June 30th at the latest.

Lights Out In Ruston

The central part of Ruston has gone dark, for the time being at least. The lights on the Winnifred Street bridge are not working, most likely related to the under-grounding of the electrical lines in the area. No word on when the lights will be back on.

But new lights are shining along the as-yet-unopened Waterwalk thru Point Ruston. Small halos of light line the water's edge out there, a beacon of good things to come!

More Underground Utilities

Mayor Bruce Hopkins has been very vocal about his goal to underground utilities in Ruston. It's a costly proposition, but the council has expressed agreement. With the current budget running at a deficit, everyone agrees the full project will have to wait.

In the meantime, Hopkins has his staff working on plans to accomplish the task (priority areas, preliminary engineering, etc.) - which may lay the ground work for grant applications. And smaller sections of line are going underground whenever finances or other work create an opportunity. One such small section at Commercial and Winnifred is just about complete. Baltimore Street from Commercial to N. 49th was completed late last year. Folks in the area get a preview of the enhanced views that will eventually be seen all over town.

Baltimore Finally Opening?

The Ruston council will hold a special meeting at 7pm tonight to consider a revision to the Stack Hill plat that lays out a specific schedule for completion of the Baltimore Street connection to Ruston Way.

Even though Ruston Way has been open since last summer, Ruston officials have kept Baltimore Street closed, citing safety concerns (first due to the sewer replacement project - link here, now the staff report says the closure is because of alignment concerns - link here). Regardless of the reasons, tonight's action will set enforceable deadlines for Point Ruston to complete the required street improvements. Tacoma is scheduled for waterline work along the same stretch of road in March. The goal is to coordinate both projects and finally have Baltimore Street open by this summer.

Turning The Corner

This may be the week things finally start to feel different around here. We start to put things back together, paving-wise at least.

• The mayor announced at the last council meeting that the street re-paving for the sewer project is scheduled to start tomorrow, June 26th. With the savings achieved by not doing any temporary patching, the repair paving will cover more street. The plan is pave from the center line to the curb rather than just cover the trench. The streets will be re-paved first, then the alleys.
• Ruston Way may be opened by Friday. The council approved the concept of allowing the road to open after the town engineer certifies the work is complete. The actual process of taking ownership of the road will take several more weeks, but the council agreed with the mayor to expedite the road opening once the "punch list" of final work items are done and approved. The mayor and Point Ruston say things should be done by the end of June.
• Parking around the Ruston School will be challenging for a couple of months. Mayor Hopkins confirmed that the paving on the north lot should be completed by July 9th. Once that lot is done, work then begins on the south lot, lasting until sometime in August. The retaining wall and fence will be removed around the south lot as part of that project. The alley behind the school is scheduled for paving from August 9th to September 10th.

Here's to new roads, less dust and turning the corner without hitting another "road closed" sign!

New School Parking Lots

Years of driving on the thin layer of asphalt coating either side of the Ruston School building have taken their toll. Add to the mix a large construction project a few feet away across the alley and here we are. The town and new owners of The Commencement building negotiated an agreement where The Commencement would repave the school lots in exchange for release from some previous obligations.

Construction equipment showed up Monday morning and started work. It appears the project includes removal of at least some of the old rusted fence. I have asked the Mayor Hopkins to confirm how long until completion and what the plans are for the rest of fencing. No word from him yet. But hopefully a new driving surface will be installed soon.

Repaving On N. Winnifred - But Not In Ruston

The mayor and council are asking for patience as Ruston roads continue unpaved throughout town due to the sewer replacement. Just to try our patience a bit more, the City of Tacoma announced today it will be paving Winnifred between North 44th and 45th, just outside Ruston boundaries.  The Tacoma project starts tomorrow at 9 am, expect detours around the area...

No point in washing the cars just yet, it's not quite our turn.

Taxes Set To Go Up Again

Pierce County Council voted last week to form a flood district that will tax all of Pierce County, including Ruston (read The News Tribune's story here). The money raised will go towards flood control measures in the county. The last time this issue came up, Ruston joined several other cities appealing the move (previous story here).

It does not appear Ruston will be joining any appeal this time. Mayor Hopkins responded to an email inquiry to say that the issue had been to the hearing examiner already. He said it appears Gig Harbor is considering appealing the council's decision. So taxes will go up by January 1st at earliest on this new measure, even in Ruston.

All Main Roads to Ruston Closed

UPDATE @ 2 pm: Chief Kunkel reports that the northbound lane of Pearl Street is open as of about 11 am, the southbound lane is still closed from 49th to 51st.
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Pearl Street is completely closed down for at least a couple more hours according to Ruston Police Chief Jeremy Kunkel. The water main beneath the street has broken and is undergoing repairs. No reports of the residential water supply being impacted yet.

In addition, the sewer replacement project has 51st Street closed intermittently for excavation at the alley (one lane open at times). The tunnel remains closed for construction as well. For the time being, the only way to get in or out of town is using side streets or coming in from Baltimore to 49th. Good luck out there!

Construction Season

There are a couple of road construction projects around town this week:

• 51st and Bennett: Teresa Dressler from the City of Tacoma reports that about 500 feet of 24 inch PVC sanitary sewer main line will be installed from behind the pond between N. 51st and Bennett to just before the tunnel. 850 feet of iron water mains will also be installed in the 51st, Bennett and 52nd Street area.
• The water mains on Bennett and 52nd are done, the current work on the sewer lines is scheduled to be done by August 17th. The water main on 51st will be next, done by September 8th and the road restored by the 15th. The old lines will be abandoned when Point Ruston completes the new lines through their property.
• N. 49th and Baltimore: The long-anticipated sewer replacement work has started with a mini-project. The main line on 49th is being extended so that one of the new houses in the area can hook into the main line rather than continue to pump up to the alley behind the house.

New Street Lighting

CORRECTION: I just confirmed with the mayor that the USDA loan was for the sewer project, not for the street lights. The project will be put out to bid both as 4 separate areas (by streets) and as a whole. Those bids will be the basis for seeking financing in the future for new street lights.

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Here are a few more details about the new street lighting project. I believe the USDA loan was going to cover at least some of this project, but I am waiting for confirmation from the mayor. The first picture below is of the new lights that will be installed along Pearl Street. The second is the light for Highland, Winnifred and Shirley. The locations for these new lights are on the maps(click on it to enlarge). The lights along Winnifred will move to the sidewalks rather than in the median.

I recall asking one of my professors who had some expertize in urban architecture several years ago what he would suggest Ruston do to improve. His immediate response was to put in new, pedestrian friendly street lights. Its nice to see that finally happening.....

New Sewers ~ Hurray!

I never thought I'd be one of those crazy people who got excited about sewers, but with the long, long, LONG struggle Ruston has faced to get this important piece of infrastructure repaired, I find I am just crazy enough to let out a little whoop when Mayor Bruce Hopkins emailed this map today.

I've only posted the meat of the picture in hopes it will show up better. The red lines are the Phase 1 new lines going in as soon as the Town can secure financing. The design is now complete and the project is 'shovel-ready' if a another round of stimulus money comes through. The issue was discussed at the last council meeting; read more here if you want details.

Even if you're not crazy enough to smile at a sewer map, just know Ruston is moving ahead to better days where we can finally flush with confidence. ~ Karen