You Can Help

The police are asking for our help in their investigation into the death of Sarah Contreras at the Ruston Point condominium building on the 5300 block of N. Pearl. Her body was discovered at 9:45 am today. Anyone who saw visitors at Sarah's residence or any suspicious activity near her home are asked to call Sgt. Lawler at 253-830-5011.

Ruston police are being assisted in this death investigation by the Cooperative Cities Crime Response Unit. The following flyer has all the details:

Death in Ruston: Circumstances Unknown

There is a lot of police activity in the parking lot under the condo building at N. 54th and Pearl. Our Ruston police cars and other unmarked police cars there, and crime scene tape. There has been lots of people coming and going from the police department this afternoon. The Puyallup crime scene van is parked on Shirley Street.

The police have told me that a body has been found and they are investigating. I don't know yet the who, when or where. I don't know if this was someone local, what this person's age or gender was or the circumstances of the death (if this is a natural death or suspicious).

There will much more to tell. I've asked our police to call and sent an email to the chief with follow up questions. They are busy right now, but I'll have more information as it becomes available.

How The Numbers Compare

Since there is so much discussion, I took a couple of hours to pull together some cost comparisons between Ruston and Tacoma:

Police

Tacoma
Ruston lies within Tacoma's Sector 2-4. Sector 2 is roughly South 15th to Sprague Ave. and north. Subsection 2-4 is northwest of about N. 21st and Proctor. According to Tacoma Police Department's web page, there are an average of 6 patrol officers per sector on any given shift. Each officer responds to an average of 18 dispatches and writes 6 reports per shift. The total Tacoma 2009 police budget is $144,989,227 or $738 per citizen.

Ruston
Ruston is situated between N. 49th to 54th and Pearl to Orchard Streets (about 5 square blocks). There is generally 1 officer on patrol at any given time. The department has 8 officer. The number of calls per shift varies greatly, from 0 to 25 with more calls during the summer. Many non-urgent calls are made directly to the office rather than through the 911 system. Many reports are officer-initiated rather than waiting for someone to report a problem, again not tracked through 911. The total Ruston 2009 police budget is $427,699 or $586 per citizen.

Fire

Tacoma
Tacoma Fire is not broken into clear sectors, but the closest fire station to Ruston is Station 14 at N. 41st and Gove (near Jane Clark Park). In the event of an emergency, appropriate equipment and personnel are dispatched depending on the nature of the call. About 80% of all calls are medical emergencies. Tacoma has 5 medical aid vans (6 if it gets busy) to cover all of Tacoma. If they are not available or the call is not an acute emergency, a private ambulance is dispatched. First responders are Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) trained and the aid van/ambulance drivers have a paramedic on board. The total Tacoma 2009 fire budget is $84,360,279 or $416 per citizen. Average response times for Engine 14 to fire calls only in 2008 was 5 minutes, 44 seconds plus time to put on gear.

Ruston
Ruston has a volunteer fire department, where neighbors receive both fire and medical aid training. These trained volunteers respond to emergency calls. Ruston has a 20 person roster, most of whom are EMT trained. The department meets weekly for on-going training. The house next to Town Hall on Winnifred Street serves as a bunkhouse where fire fighters in training at Bates Fire Academy reside to provide additional daytime coverage. While not dedicated only to Ruston, Rural Metro Ambulance has an ambulance stationed in Ruston on the 5200 block of Pearl Street. The total Ruston fire 2009 budget is $41,742 or $56 per citizen. Average response times for all calls in 2008 were 2 minutes, 53 seconds including time to put on gear.

On a side note, a citizen's committee reviewed both the current fire department structure and future needs in a report available here and an additional report here....

Tax Rates

Property
9.7138 per $1,000: Ruston
11.6206 per $1,000: Tacoma

Power
4.03%: Ruston
6.00%: Tacoma

Sewer
4.00%: Ruston
8.00%: Tacoma

Garbage
3.75%: Ruston
8.00%: Tacoma

Natural Gas
None: Ruston
.669%: Tacoma

Water
Unsure: Ruston
8.00%: Tacoma

Cable TV
None: Ruston
8.00%: Tacoma

Telephone
Unsure: Ruston
8.00%: Tacoma

Utility Costs

Power
Ruston:
$0.062 per KWH (multiplier of 10)
plus $10.40 base rate per month
Tacoma:
$0.31081 per KWH for energy use (multiplier of 10)
plus $0.30981 per KWH for delivery (total of $0.062062 per KWH)
plus $5.50 customer charge per month

Garbage (per 60-gallon can)
Ruston:
$19.85 per month
Tacoma:
$45.35 per month

Sewer
Ruston: for 3 person family, March 2009: $45.71 per month
Tacoma: for 2 person family, July-August 2008: $31.71 per month

Storm Water
Ruston: $5.00 per month
Tacoma: $17.25 per month

Water
Tacoma and Ruston presumed to be the same since Tacoma provides water service to the town.

Ruston Lawsuits

Someone complained when I posted notice about another lawsuit Ruston is facing with a developer recently. They thought I should post all the current lawsuits. A check of the superior court web page showed 9 lawsuits filed against Ruston from 2008-09 compared to 69 in Tacoma. One of those was a lawsuit brought by Jim Wingard about the town not following public disclosure processes correctly. A settlement on that issue was approved at the council meeting last Monday.

It appears that all Ruston's cases have been settled or dismissed from what I can tell except for three: 1) the on-going lawsuit over the casino gambling taxes (available on Ruston Reports), 2) the Baumgardner suit and 3) a suit brought by from Laura Brooks, the mother of Brandon Brooks. Brandon was killed on 51st Street when his motorcycle collided with a dump truck.

It's important to note that only the complaints are available right now, which tell only one side of the story. There will be more information and other points of view to be heard.

Echo Of The Past

It was dejaveu reading about Puyallup's City Council meeting this week where council members were shouted at by audience members. Ruston had one such rowdy meeting a year ago January when Council Member Stebner led a move to disband our fire department. The meeting got out of hand due to a variety of reasons, but things have thankfully calmed down. Somehow its comforting to know Ruston is not the only place that has to deal with this issue.

Point Ruston Sues Carpenters Union-Others

UPDATE: Thursday, April 30th: The Tacoma Weekly has an article today with a few more comments from the parties involved.
_________________________

UPDATE: Tuesday, April 28th: The Business Examiner has a response on their blog from the Carpenters Union on this lawsuit.
_________________________

UPDATE: Wednesday, April 22nd: The News Tribune has an article on this issue today...
_________________________

This letter arrived today via email.... Karen
_________________________
April 21, 2009

Dear Friends,

Today, Point Ruston LLC filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the Pacific Northwest
Regional Council of Carpenters, Jobs With Justice Education Fund, and individual
representatives of both organizations. I wanted you to hear this news from me before you read
about it in the newspaper.

The lawsuit alleges that the Carpenters Union, and Jobs With Justice, have violated federal
labor laws prohibiting threatening activities, interfered with contractual relations and
prospective business expectancies, trespassed, engaged in property damage, and made false
and defamatory statements regarding on-site environmental issues and the health and safety of
working conditions.

The last thing that we wanted to do was to file a lawsuit against the Carpenters and Jobs With
Justice, but we had no choice. Their on-going and escalating activities have fostered
misinformation, damaged our company, and spread fear among the community about the
environmental effects of the site.

We are a labor-friendly company and we have been taken aback by the activities of the
Carpenters Union and Jobs With Justice. We take our commitment to organized labor seriously
and have very good relations with trade unions in Pierce County.

We are also concerned about the misinformation spread by the Carpenters and Jobs With
Justice about the environmental effects of the site on workers and neighbors. Numerous state
and federal agencies are involved in oversight of this project and we are in 100% compliance
with all EPA regulations related to this site.

The remediation and redevelopment of Superfund Sites is complex and costly. However, we are
committed to completing this project and creating an exceptional space for the community.
Once completed, for the first time in 100 years the public will be able to step onto this site to
walk, live, shop, recreate, and experience the breathtaking beauty of this waterfront property.

We appreciate your support and will keep you posted on further developments.

Sincerely,
Mike Cohen

More Egg Hunt Fun

Sherri Forch sent along these pictures of the Easter festivities last weekend, along with her thanks to all who helped. She'll have copies of pictures available after the council meeting on Monday night.

Get Ready For Summer

A friend sent along this open invitation to the Tahoma Fuchisa Society's sale this Saturday. Stop by if you can... Karen
________________________________
The Tahoma Fuchsia Society is having its annual plant sale this Saturday, an event not to be missed! (Well, if it is snowing, like last year - - -) This is where you get the best fuchsias for your yard and your baskets. Plants to put on a wonderful show of flowers all summer long. My fuchsias were still blooming after Thanksgiving last year.

Date: Saturday, April 18
Time: 9 AM to 2 PM
Place: NORTH 12th and Stevens in Tacoma - The AmVets parking lot across from Jefferson Elementary School. (Not south 12th - there is nothing there for a sale!)

The weather should be great, lots of plants to choose from - not just fuchsias - and experienced gardeners to answer your questions.

Ruston Budget = Fun Reading

Ian Demsky posted a follow up to his last story on Ruston after reading through the town’s budget line by line. Read his comments here…

Ruston has now posted its current budget on the town web page, available here…

Ruston Does It Right

I happened across Ruston, Louisiana's new web page today focused on their citizen-led planning effort called Ruston 21. I discussed the process they were embarking on last October when they held a series of "community visioning" meetings. The ultimate outcome will be three documents; a community and economic development plan, a comprehensive land use plan and a capital improvement plan.

The community input was quickly translated into what they call "Quick Response". The set of initiatives begins by noting; "Perhaps the single most important plan accomplishment is the cooperative spirit and energy the community has brought to the plan. This is a plan that truly belongs to and embodies our community." I found this list of responses especially interesting:

• Downtown Revitalization Plan: to "improve pedestrian access, relocate overhead utility services and improve the visual impact of the downtown district"
• Upgrade Web Access
• Public Saftey Initiative: "performance-based management plan, increase transparency..."
• Leadership Development: "identify, recruit and engage civic leaders"
• Business Retention Initiative
• Sidewalk Improvement Plan
• Annexation: they are looking to expand their boundaries
• One Book Initiative: the whole community reads the same book once a year and has a series of forums to talk about it - the goal is positive community connections and support for education, reading and libaries
• Substandard Housing Removal
• Junk Vehicle Removal

Ruston, Louisiana is a much bigger city than Ruston, Washington. But we are both made up of people who want the best for our community. I think our southern counterparts are moving in the right direction. It's not too late for the northern, smaller Ruston to engage its citizens and provide a positive forum for building our future together.

Karen