This link is the report from the Pierce County Hearings Examiner on the development at the Brookdale Golf Course. It is a PDF file.

Brookdale PDD Hearings Examiner 2 21 2019

How about a bit of Fa, La ,La, La, La at the Prairie House Museum in Spanaway? On Sunday, December 1, 2019, the Spanaway Historical Society will open the Museum for some old fashioned Christmas fun. Come celebrate from 1-3 p.m. when Prairie House Museum will be open for their annual Christmas Open House. 

The museum is an 1890’s farm house with the halls all decked for the season. The tree is trimmed, the cookies are baking, the garland all hung and the lamps are lit. They even decorated the dollhouse for the holidays.

Bring your family to take a step back in time to celebrate an old fashion Christmas and enjoy being with neighbors and friends. It is also a perfect place for a holiday photo opportunity.

Our beautiful Christmas Wreaths will be available for sale.

There is no admission fee, but as any museum,  they happily accept donations.

The Museum is located at 812 E 176th St, Spanaway, next to Fir Lane Memorial Park.

Do you speak Norwegian and love their Christmas traditions? The Scandinavian Cultural Center at Pacific Lutheran University hosts a Norwegian language Christmas service inside the Ness Chapel (3rd floor) in The Karen H. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (Eastvold). This year, the service will be held on Wednesday, December 4 at 6:30 p.m. This event is free.

Then on Friday, December 6 the Swedish celebration, Sankta Lucia will be held in the Scandinavian Cultural Center, in the lower level of the Anderson University Center at 7:00 p.m. This will include singing, dance and the crowing of this year’s Lucia, which also includes some scholarship money at PLU. Many young children in adorable costumes participate in this event and have been practicing for several weeks. The Sankta Lucia evens ends with the arrival on Santa Claus, dancing around the Christmas tree and cookies, cocoa and coffee.

“God Jul” to all!

The development of the Brookdale Golf Course and its associated historical assets has been controversial for many years. The presence of wagon ruts on the property was preserved by the golf course management, as well as the cemetery of its early settlers. Now officially sold to Ichijo USA Co. LTS of Redmond, the golf course developments is beginning to take place.

One of the issues with golf courses, is in their efforts over the years to maintain beautiful grass, they have likely employed many different chemicals to prevent pests of various kinds. Translated, that means the possible use of toxic chemicals. The Brookdale Golf Course soils were found to contain dieldrin. The state ecology department has offered a voluntary cleanup to the owners. {Link to documents.] In short, that means the state is not monitoring how the work is done or where the toxic soils are being disposed.

If you live close to the course, or care about the possible contamination of the Clover Creek water from stirring up this dieldrin, you may want to do a little reading on what this compound means in the air and water to which local humans and animals are exposed and the process they are proposing.

Here are some bits of information on dieldrin. First, the PDF file regarding the proposed voluntary cleanup plan: 2019-03-18 FINAL CAP On page one, 4th paragraph: “Surface and shallow subsurface soils on portions of the subject property are contaminated with the organochlorine pesticide dieldrin. It exceeds cleanup levels (CULs) on the greens, tees and around the trees on the property. Due to its higher prevalence than other toxics, it is considered the indicator hazardous substance (IHS) on the property. There will be a Health and Safety Plan for the property available to visitors to the site.  The  documents states the soil will be removed to “Hidden Hills Landfill” in Puyallup. (They obviously mean Hidden Valley Landfill, LRI.)

The report says they are not anticipating the need for any dewatering or storm water runoff issues, in spite of a nearby creek. This will be surface excavation as soil removal is required. It is toxic by contact with humans, so humans cannot live on it. [Sorry golfers, you may want to look dieldrin up too.]

In regard to the disposal, site: “At waste disposal sites, where bioremediation techniques are proposed to reduce the mass of carbon-containing contaminants, there is the potential for augmenting the leaching properties of organochlorine compounds such as aldrin and dieldrin.  The lipid materials in bacterial cell membranes may lead to a repartitioning of aldrin and dieldrin sorbed to soil colloids.  This can lead to a phenomenon called facilitated transport where the mobility of hydrophobic pollutants adsorbed to soils may be enhanced by biosorption on bacteria and move into aquifers along with the bioremedial bacterial cultures (Lindqvist and Enfield 1992). ” [From ASTDR, Agency for Toxic Subdtances and Disease Registry]

What that said is – LRI will have to store it carefully as it could be released to the environment with indiscriminate storage procedures through exposure of this soil to lipids (fats). The lipids make it unbind from the soil and free itself into the environment.

As far as affecting humans and animals exposed through skin or respiratory exposure, the principal issues seem to be central nervous system and possible blood related anemic impacts on high exposures. Here is the detailed report. Exposure to moderate levels of aldrin or dieldrin for a long time causes headaches, dizziness, irritability, vomiting, or uncontrollable muscle movements.

To make this long story shorter, Dieldrin is nasty stuff that is now banned and they have to remediate it from the property. This is a self-monitored remediation, not government monitored. if  you live in the vicinity, you may want to do more research and ask question on your behalf as it can get released into the air and water if not handled properly, here or at the dumping site.

Editor: Marianne Lincoln

50 years ago today in the United States, we held the very first Earth Day. I was 13 years old and in 7th grade at Bethel Junior High.

We cleaned up landscaping and planted flowers. We drew pictures of Earth and other planetary art work. We heard the new movement of environmentalists talking about Saving Our Planet! There were slogans, buttons and bumper stickers reminding us, this is the only planet we have.

It was during the Nixon Administration, this wave of environmental concern blossomed. The Great Lakes were so polluted that the Cuyahoga River caught fire! Our military was spraying the defoliant, Agent Orange in Southeast Asia, something that years later caused a friend of mine (and many others) an early death. Industries were spewing millions of gallons of waste into our waterways causing massive de-oxygenation. Fish and fowl were dying by the millions. DDT was still being used (banned in the USA in 1972). Eagles, the symbol of our country, were an extremely rare sight. Smog in the big cities was thick and choking, truly clear days were rare. There was a major oil spill in Santa Barbara.

Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin recruited Rep. Dennis Hayes and they started a public awareness campaign. The story is here. And the first Earth Day was born.

Please do something today – or this week – to make your corner of our planet a bit better.

There is a National Historic site in Parkland of which not many are aware. No, not the Oregon Trail marker at the former Brookdale Golf Course, although that is significant too. The historic designation is at is the former home of Emma Smith DeVoe at 133rd and B Street East.

Born in Illinois, Mrs. DeVoe moved to Washington State in 1905 with her husband, John Henry DeVoe, who was an agent for the Chicago and Alton Railroad. Emma first met Susan B. Anthony when she was eight and her parent’s took her to a speech in Illinois. Later, when the DeVoe’s were living in the Dakota Territory, Emma was recruited by Anthony to become an organizer for the suffrage movement. Emma worked on suffrage campaigns in the Dakota Territory, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, then became a national figure in the effort. Her style and cheerfulness were considered trademarks of her work. DeVoe gave speeches in 28 states and organized rear platform speeches across the country from the train. Much more about her life can be found on History.org at the link in the first paragraph.

August 26, 1920, was the formal enactment date of the 19th Amendment. It is also known as Women’s Equality Day as that is the day women of the U.S.A. were formally granted the right to vote after the 36th State (Tennessee) ratified the Amendment on August 18th 1920.

Villa DeVoe(Emma’s home) is in the Elmhurst area of Parkland, a couple blocks east of the Shell Station on Pacific Avenue. The Pierce Prairie Post and Spanaway Community Association reached out to the classic car gathering that meets Wednesday afternoons in the summer at Godfather’s Pizza in Spanaway for help is a tribute. The current owners of the DeVoe Mansion also agreed that locally we should have some recognition of the Centennial this August week of 2020.

Wednesday, August 26, 2020, at the end of the drop-in classic car meet, members have agreed to drive their classic cars past the DeVoe Mansion as an informal Tribute to the Centennial. Cars generally leave between 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. and will randomly drive past the mansion. This is not organized as a formal parade. They have been welcomed to enter the circular driveway a the rea of the property and circle the 1926 Dodge Sedan that is the same model of car that the DeVoe’s owned in their last years at the home. There will be banners located on the home to identify it.

Emma Smith DeVoe was born August 22, 1848 and passed away on September 3, 1927. Her gravesite is unknown. She left a permanent legacy for women in several western states. She held posts nationally in the Suffrage Movement and the Republican Party. She also wrote a column in The News Tribune in 1923-24. Emma Smith DeVoe was elected to the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York in 2000.

PIERCE COUNTY — The Pierce County Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission will accept applications for the 2021 Preservation Grant Program through Jan. 8, 2021. These grants assist in funding preservation efforts in Pierce County. The program’s goal is to distribute small, yet meaningful, grants to help promote historic preservation throughout the county.

Application details

Grant requests can be made for two types of proposals:

• Historic preservation: (maximum $25,000) for stabilization, restoration, or rehabilitation of properties, buildings or structures listed on national, state and local historic registers.
• History-related project proposals: (maximum request $10,000) for photograph or document preservation, history research, historic markers, and public events and programming promoting local history.

Owners of properties listed on historic registers, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, museums, historical societies and other community-based organizations are eligible to apply. All applicants must provide matching funds.

The commission will accept applications until 3 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2021. Applications will be evaluated by the commission, which administers the grant program. The commission then forwards project and funding recommendations to the Pierce County Council for approval.

Project activities must be completed by Nov. 10, 2021. The grant guidelines and application form are available on the Pierce County Landmarks and Historic Preservation website. The program is funded by HDOC (historic document) money. The funds come from the $1 recording fee collected by the county auditor for each document recorded, per RCW 36.22.170 as appropriated by the Pierce County Council.

[Editor note: If you are not located in a city of Pierce County, do not e deterred, but plan on working twice as hard for one of these grants. Of the meetings I have attended, I have yet to see an organization in the unincorporated south county granted one of these. That is my message to the historical preservation board that has left us hanging, even when additional funds were available.]

We are happy to be finally be open to the public!

Our hours and policies are a little different now as the museum will be opened Thursday-Saturday from 9:00am-5:00pm and Sunday 12:00pm-5:00pm. Last tour of the day is at 3:00pm to ensure that everyone has adequate time to see the collection.

Please read through our COVID policies on our website to help us keep everyone safe and healthy!

We are asking everyone to please book in advance on our website or to call and schedule a date and time. Book now for a self-guided tour and receive the union station building as an add on free of charge! Offer valid until the end of March 31^st, 2021.

Book a Historical Tour

Here at the LeMay Collections at Marymount there is more to us than just vehicles. Learn about the history of life at Marymount on our historical tour. Take a walk-through time to see a glimpse of what life was like for the boys attending a military boarding school in the 1920’s through the 1970’s. This guided tour takes you through the boys’ dormitory, Nuns’ room, classrooms, and the 1920’s chapel. Historical Tours are available Thursdays and Sundays see our website to schedule online at www.lemaymarmount.org. 

[Editor Note: In honor of Women’s History Month, Pierce County Councilmembers Jani Hitchen and Amy Cruver prepared two proclamations for the March 9th, 2021 meeting. The following is from Councilmember Cruver, photos from editor, Marianne Lincoln.[

The first proclamation brings attention to March as Women’s History Month and was read by myself and Jani Hitchen, the Council’s two female members.

Through this designation, Council showcased the contribution of women as leaders locally, nationally and internationally and highlighted the unique role women played throughout history both by providing the majority of the volunteer labor force, and through their role in establishing early charitable, philanthropic and cultural institutions in America. The proclamation also recognized last year’s 100^th anniversary of the passage of the 19^th Amendment, which guaranteed and protected women’s constitutional right to vote.

[Featured Speakers included Cynthia Stewart from the League of Women Voters, Marianne Lincoln, who organized the 100th Annivery of Suffrage at the DeVoe Mansion, and Cheryl Teifke, owner of the DeVoe Mansion, home of local national suffragist Emma Smith DeVoe.]

The second proclamation passed celebrated five Pierce County young women who achieved a once-in-a-lifetime milestone of being part of the inaugural class of female scouts to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.

The women include:

• Allie Smith
• Colleen Fanning (District 3 resident)
• Mackenzie Ward
• Amy Miseli
• Kaitlin Riggan

This historic accomplishment demonstrates the commitment these young women hold to better their communities, their servant leadership and their embodiment of the values of Scouting, including truth, honor, partnership, critical thinking, planning, respect and hard work.

Congratulations to all these young women, and specifically Colleen Fanning, who lives in District 3 and who constructed a bench for the Tunnel of Trees in Steilacoom, providing a place to take a break after hiking through the area as her Eagle Scout project.

By Marianne Lincoln

For those of you who are attending, will attend or have attended Bethel High School in the past, the Bethel School Board may soon consider a new logo for the school at the mandate of state law.

House Bill 1356, now Substitute House Bill 1356 (SHB1356) has passed both houses and will be placed with the Governor for his signature sometime in the near future.

At Tuesday’s Board meeting (4-13-21) Superintendent Seigel stated they would not be addressing this change until after the end of the school year. There has been enough challenges for the time being. He also indicated the sports team coaches are working on new logo ideas.

It is a done deal at the legislature, but If you are interested in weighing in on the issue, you can write to the board or to the Superintendent:

Superintendent Thomas Seigel   tseigel@bethelsd.org
District 1, Marcus Young  myoung@bethelsd.org
District 2 John Manning  jmanning@bethelsd.org
District 3 Roseanna Camacho rcamacho@bethelsd.org
District 4 Cindy Henry-Young  Open seat
District 5 Brenda Rogers  brogers@bethelsd.org

The following is the current content of SHB1356:

SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1356

AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE

Passed Legislature – 2021 Regular Session

State of Washington 67th Legislature 2021 Regular Session

By House Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Lekanoff, Dolan, Davis, Ramos, Fitzgibbon, Callan, Simmons, Lovick, Berg, Ormsby, Bateman, Bergquist, Goodman, Macri, Ramel, Harris-Talley, and

Pollet)

READ FIRST TIME 02/15/21.

1 AN ACT Relating to prohibiting the inappropriate use of Native

2 American names, symbols, or images as public school mascots, logos,

3 or team names; adding new sections to chapter 28A.320 RCW; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

4

5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

6 NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that the use of

7 racially derogatory or discriminatory school mascots, logos, or team

8 names in public schools is antithetical to their mission of providing 9

 an equal education to all, and contrary to the goal of making schools

10 safe and respectful learning environments.

11 (2) The legislature finds also that certain mascots, logos, or

12 team names that are or have been used by schools and other entities

13 are uniquely discriminatory in singling out the Native American

14 community for derision and cultural appropriation.

15 (3) Although the inappropriate use of Native American names,

16 symbols, or images may be premised on the promotion of unity or

17 school spirit, their use fails to respect the cultural heritage of

18 Native Americans and promote productive relationships between

19 sovereign governments. Furthermore, numerous individuals and

20 organizations, including the United States commission on civil

21 rights, have concluded that the use of Native American images and

1 names in school sports is a barrier to equality and understanding,

2 and that all residents of the United States would benefit from the discontinuance of their use.

3

4 (4) The legislature therefore, recognizing that no school has a

5 cognizable interest in retaining a racially derogatory or

6 discriminatory school mascot, logo, or team name, intends to prohibit

7 the inappropriate use of Native American names, symbols, or images for those purposes.

8

9 NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.320 RCW to read as follows:

10

11 (1) Except as provided otherwise by this section, beginning

12 January 1, 2022, public schools may not use Native American names,

13 symbols, or images as school mascots, logos, or team names.

14 (2) Subsection (1) of this section does not apply to public

15 schools located within, or with enrollment boundaries that include a

16 portion of, “Indian country,” as defined in 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1151, or

17 public schools in a county that contains all or part of a tribal

18 reservation or tribal trust lands, if the tribe or tribes having

19 regulatory jurisdiction over the territory within that boundary have:

20 (a) Been consulted by the appropriate school, district, or both.

21 Consultations under this subsection (2)(a) must include summaries of

22 completed and ongoing district and school actions required by RCW 28A.320.170; and

23

24 (b) Authorized the use of the name, symbol, or image as a mascot,

25 logo, or team name through an appropriate enactment or resolution.

26 (3) A public school may use uniforms or other materials after

27 January 1, 2022, bearing Native American names, symbols, or images as

28 mascots, logos, or team names if the uniforms or materials were purchased before January 1, 2022, and if:

29 30 (a) The school selects a new mascot, logo, or team name by

31 December 31, 2021, to take effect in the 2021-22 school year;

32 (b) Except as provided otherwise by this subsection (3)(b), the

33 school does not purchase or acquire any uniforms or materials that

34 include the discontinued Native American name, symbol, or image.

35 However, a school using the discontinued Native American name,

36 symbol, or image may, until January 1, 2023, purchase or acquire a

37 number of uniforms equal to up to twenty percent of the total number

38 of uniforms used by a team, band, or cheer squad at that school

1 during the 2021-22 school year solely to replace damaged or lost uniforms;

2

3 (c) The school does not purchase, create, or acquire any

4 yearbook, newspaper, program, or other similar material that includes

5 or bears the discontinued Native American name, symbol, or image; and

6 (d) The school does not purchase, construct, or acquire a

7 marquee, sign, or other new or replacement fixture that includes or

8 bears the discontinued Native American name, symbol, or image.

9 (4) A public school that does not meet the geographic

10 requirements in subsection (2) of this section is exempt from subsection (1) of this section if:

11

12 (a) The school is located in a county that is adjacent to a

13 county that contains all or part of a tribal reservation or tribal trust lands; and

14

15 (b) The tribe that is consulted with and determines to authorize

16 the use of the name, symbol, or image as a school mascot, logo, or

17 team name as provided in subsection (2) of this section is the nearest federally recognized Indian tribe.

18

19 NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 28A.320 RCW to read as follows:

20

21 (1) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall

22 create a grant program to provide transitional support grants to

23 school districts to support schools that incur costs as a result of compliance with section 2 of this act.

24

25 (2) Costs eligible for use by grants provided under this section

26 are costs resulting from the replacement or redesign of items and

27 materials that display Native American names, symbols, or images, including, but not limited to:

28

 29 (a) Uniforms and equipment used by a team, band, cheer squad, or other extracurricular activity;

30

31 (b) School signage, including reader boards and score boards;

32 (c) Floor designs in gymnasiums or other flooring or surfaces;

33 (d) School letterhead and other office supplies;

34 (e) School spirit store supplies and items; and (f) School web pages.

35

36 (3) In administering grants under this section, the office of the

37 superintendent of public instruction is encouraged to incentivize

38 schools that use Native American names, symbols, or images as school

1 mascots, logos, or team names to select a new mascot, logo, or team name by September 1, 2021.

2 (4) This section expires August 31, 2023.

3

4 NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. If specific funding for the purposes of

5 section 3 of this act, referencing section 3 of this act by bill or

6 chapter number and section number, is not provided by June 30, 2021,

7 in the omnibus appropriations act, section 3 of this act is null and

8 void.

— END —

By Marianne Lincoln

It wasn’t called South Hill years ago, the community was referred to as Firgrove. The pond near 144th Street and Meridian is no longer visible or flooding the roadway in rainy Spring weather. The area is now dotted with strip malls, not tall firs. The Puyallup School District has planned expansions for sport fields and larger schools to accommodate exponential population increases. In the path of all this growth, a small brick schoolhouse at 13918 Meridian E., built by the Public Works Administration in 1935, may fall victim.

From 1974 to 1993, Pat Drake was a teacher at Firgrove School. She is a passionate support of the “Save the School” Committee. Ms. Drake worked at the the Puyallup Herald for several years. In a recent post, she suggested, “Why save Firgrove for a museum? It can store archives —maps, documents, video events, interviews, presentations— a list nine pages long about South Hill archives.”

John Joseph Patzner arrived in the South Hill area in 1892. He donated land for the creation of a school in 1895, insisting they name it Firgrove, after the surrounding trees. The original school was made of wood and the site was was at 136th. With the influx of population to the areas, the community needed a bigger school. In the early 1930’s, Patzner was chairman of the school board and secured funds totaling $11,600 from the Public Works administration for a two classrooms and an auditorium. Over the years, the school expanded to 19 classrooms.

In 2015, district voters approved a bond that included a new Firgrove Elementary that will be located on a different portion of the district property and the old brick Firgrove School is slated to be demolished.

Ms. Drake and other community members have been trying to save the school building and have it host a museum for the community. The South Hill Historical Society is an active organization that recently published a book on South Hill history. The group had a Facebook page, Save Firgrove School. You can read about the Save the School project in on of the South Hill Historical Society Newsletters.

A few years ago, The News Tribune posted a story about Firgrove: Former Firgrove teachers and students have come together to save the brick building that was built in 1935 in South Hill. | Tacoma News Tribune (thenewstribune.com) (You may need TNT access to see this article)

The Bethel School District saved the 1935 portion of the Elk Plain School, my best wishes that the Puyallup School District will have a change of heart before it is too late.

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – – On July 31and Aug. 1, the Lewis Army Museum on Joint Base Lewis-McChord will host its annual “Living History Weekend” event featuring historic military vehicles, living history displays and activities for all ages. The two-day event will coincide with the museum’s grand reopening and is open to the general public.

Access to the event will be through the Lewis Main, Lewis North or DuPont gates (for Department of Defense ID card holders) and through the museum’s Civilian Access Parking Lot and Pedestrian Gate.  The parking lot and gate are located off the DuPont-Steilacoom Road at Pendleton Avenue. Take Exit 119 off of Interstate-5 and follow the DuPont-Steilacoom Road to Pendleton Avenue and turn right.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days

Beginning Aug. 4, the Lewis Army Museum will resume regular public open hours of 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays (closed on federal holidays). The museum will continue to be available to all JBLM organizations seven days a week with prior coordination.

Every year, the County Council has meetings in each district instead of the Council Chambers. The 6th District, which includes West Parkland, Lakewood and Anderson Island, has a meeting May 25, at 6 p.m. at the Lakewood City Hall Council Chambers, 6000 Main Street SW, Lakewood, WA 98499. It is also available on Zoom at:

http://www.piercecountywa.org/council
Web ID 976-6178-7423

For those that have an interest in the Parkland School de-listing and demolition, the Citizen’s Forum at the end of the meeting gives anyone 3 minutes to discuss any Council topic. (The Council does not respond to these, however.)

The Parkland School is currently a State listed historic site, State Historic Register Property # 29536.

Here is the demolition application for the Parkland School.

Link to meeting agenda.

Councilmember Jani Hitchen has reserved a room at the James Sales School to have a community discussion about the fate of the historic Parkland School. The meeting will be held June 6. 2022, at 6:30 p.m. at 11213 Sheridan Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98444.

It was only May 15, when a group of people in Parkland learned of the permits that Pacific Lutheran University’s potential buyer was seeking to de-list the school and demolish it for a high-rise apartment complex at the “east campus” site. There is the rub. It was referred to as a PLU historic structure, not the Parkland School, so it was not obvious to the public what was being demolished. On March 15, 2022, a poorly advertised meeting was held by the Pierce County Landmarks and Architectural Preservation Commission regarding the de listing. Not a soul from the public was present and the meeting barely had a quorum of members. On May 17, 2 days after learning of the plans, the community stepped up!

This is the commission membership, showing how few are currently even appointed to the commission. District 6, which includes the Parkland School has no member.

Current Membership

The Commission meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. At the March meeting, the commission had no public input before deciding to de-list the building to assist PLU in its sale. The agenda merely said, “Review proposed changes to historic structure at Pacific Lutheran University.”

In the two days before the meeting on May 17, the community got the word out enough for the meeting to have 41 participants instead of 4. One of the commissioners noted it was the largest turnout he had ever seen. Then, after the testimony of a number of upset Parkland community members, the Commission voted to revisit both the de-listing as an historic site and the demolition application at their June 21, 2022 meeting.

That gave the community time to organize a bit, hence the June 6 meeting and in the meantime, many calls to the County Council and articles here in the PPP.

The ordinance creating the historic Pierce County Schools was approved in 1986. Ordinance 86-84 was Signed by the Pierce County Executive, Joe Stortini on September 9, 1986. The following is a excerpt from that 31 page document.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: THEMATIC SCHOOL NOMINATION

PIERCE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS (RURAL/SUBURBAN)

The schools included in the Pierce County Public School (Rural/ Suburban) thematic nominiation (sic) are significant as symbols of Washington’s early emphasis on local school control and the role which schools played as the focal point for community development. Between 1853, when Washington became a territory, until the 1940’s, when rural school consolidation resulted in the construction of larger facili- . ties, these buildings were social, cultural and educational centers. In many cases, these are the only public buildings remaining in the once thriving rural settlements of Pierce County.

This area, like others in the Puget Sound region, was settled by immigrants from the East Coast and abroad and thus the social, cultural and economic developments were influenced by both traditional and ethnic factors. Transportation played an important role as Tacoma, the County’s largest city, became the terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Other communities developed along rail routes. Pierce County encompasses hundred of miles of waterfront and many people settled along the shores and inlets of Puget Sound. Here, the water offered the only means of transportation and was the major link between communities. The rich forests caused logging and timber related industries to develop. Shipping, fishing, mining and agriculture all contributed to the growth of the region. By the 1930’s, many other industries had appeared, but the economic climate was controlled by timber and water-related activities.

Within this general historical setting, Pierce County’s communities and neighborhoods evolved. Outside the incorporated municipalities, small activity centers grew around railroad or streetcar stops, areas of concentrated economic activity, or shipping points. Today, many of these places are still marked by grocery stores, service stations, and, on occasion, churches. They all at one time also had a school located nearby. The school was named for the settlement wherein it was located. Not all of these schoolhouses have survived over time. Some have been demolished; others are highly altered. Those that are included in this thematic nomination symbolize settlement activity within the following communities:

1. Waterfront communities: Glencove, Fox Island, Anderson Island, Arletta, Midway, Vaughn, Wollochet, Longbranch
2. Suburban communities: Parkland, Custer, American Lake, South Park Lodge
3. Rural communities: Woodrow, Weyerhaeuser, Collins, Elk Plain, Alder, Woodland, McMillin, Rocky Ridge, Alderton, Harts Lake, Manley-Moore, Kapowsin

In Pierce County, pioneers formed schools even before W. H. Wallace became its first superintendent of schools in 1857. By 1864, there were six school districts located at Steilacoom, near Steilacoom Lake, Puyallup, Elk Plain, Muck and Spanaway. The impetus to form these districts came from the settlers themselves: “a group of settlers interested in the education of their children would call a meeting of the heads of the families in the neighborhood, elect directors, secure a place for holding a school, raise money by taxation or voluntary contribution for the support of the school, employ a teacher, and open a school.” (Bowden. p.13) The group would then petition the county superintendent to form a district.

Territorial legislation encouraged local school control. The Territorial Organic Act set aside the federally mandated two sections of each township for the purpose of funding education; but, since the Commissioner of the land office had decided that grants from the sale of this school land would not be available until statehood, funding had to come from local sources, primarily an annual tax. Fines obtained from offenders of the law were also put into the school fund. By an 1854 act of the Territorial Legislature, the county super[1]intendent was the highest officer in the state school system.

The period between 1854 and 1874 has been called the “Dark Ages” of public education in Washington.

The lack of central authority made the schools a system in name only. Few county superintendents were seriously interested in their jobs; the difficulties of travel prevented many from making the required annual visits, and few submitted annual reports. (NEA. p.1320)

To remedy the situation, the 1877 Territorial Legislature set rules for governing the schools, including a requirement that county super[1]intendents must submit annual reports or be fined. By this time, Pierce County had fifteen school districts covering settlements from Wollochet to Wilkeson. There were forty-six districts maintaining schools in the county at the time Washington achieved statehood in 1889.

With statehood came a move toward greater standardization of the school system aided in part by the funds brought by the sale of school lands. The condition of school buildings came under closer scrutiny. A 1908 report noted that of the 2888 school buildings in the State, 2604 were of frame construction. The author lamented:

Not only does the erection of a frame building establish a serious fire hazard which menaces the lives of little ones, but when erected with borrowed funds, constitutes an unethical act, for it leaves a debt without a compensating asset. (Raymer. p.178)

In 1911, State School Superintendent Henry B. Dewey instituted recommended standardized rural school plans and specifications. While the use of wood in their construction was not prohibited judging from later school buildings constructed in Pierce County, the move toward masonry can generally be dated from this time.

Another change which occurred during this pre-World War I period involved a legislative act authorizing school directors to make school property more available for community purposes. Thus schools were encouraged to become centers of community social and intellectual life. This action symbolized the role which schools already played in rural community life. In Pierce County, these buildings were often the only ones centrally located and able to hold gatherings of people within a convenient traveling distance. Most of the schools included in this nomination represent communities which evolved around them and are often the only building remaining which suggests early settlement activity. It is interesting to note that of the seventeen buildings presently not used for school purposes, nine still retain their social purposes as a community/recreational center (two additional ones are museums).

Pierce County saw one more period of rural school construction before consolidation began. This occurred through Public Works Administration, Works Progress Administration and the State Department of Social Security programs in the 1930’s. The impact of this activity statewide was tremendous:

The generosity of the federal government in its work-creating activities has given the school system of Washington approximately $13 million worth of new buildings at a comparatively small cost to the school districts. Very few of these buildings involved any bond issues on the part of the school districts. (NEW. p.1329)

Four known school buildings, all located within the Peninsula area of Pierce County, were constructed with the use of these federal funds.

Not all educators appreciated the community values of a rural school. In 1921, Ross Finney argued for their demise:

In many districts, the schoolhouse was a social center where the neighborhood gathered on winter evenings …. Many a romance has been woven around these social events, and many a tender sentiment associated with this dearly remembered institution is celebrated in song or verse. But the sentiments, however tender, have now become obsolete to progress …. The present is a new age; and the new age has no more urgent need than for a new rural school. (Finney. p.136)

Instead, schools should be consolidating. Local rural schools permit too many localities to have poor schools and fails to provide for national unity. (Ibid. p.208)

Finney was not alone in his condemnation of rural schools. Mrs. Josephine Corliss Preston, Washington State School Superintendent from 1912 until 1928, was also a proponent of consolidation as a means of improving rural education. In 1922, she advocated enlarging school districts to coincide with “natural” neighborhood centers. These centers were to be communities and the surrounding rural areas which were tied to the community economically and socially, as well as educationally.

The Washington State Legislature passed the first measure leading to rural school consolidation in 1933. Others were to follow in 1941 and 1955. While local consolidation studies were begun in 1935, major consolidations occurred in Pierce County following the 1941 act. With this a new era of school planning began as improved transportation brought students to more recently constructed enlarged facilities. Of the twenty-four buildings included in this nomination, only four continue to function as public schools.

Pierce County rural and suburban schoolhouse construction paralleled three general periods of development. At the beginning, on land usually donated by the first homesteader, a log school house was constructed. Sometimes, if children were few and resources meager, school would be held in a private home. As the community grew, a larger wood frame schoolhouse was constructed symbolizing increased community stability. Schools constructed between statehood and World War I represent this latter period of growth.

It is not possible to associate a pure architectural style with any of these school buildings. They can best be labeled “carpenter puritan.” Their charm lies in their simple, straightforward design and craftsmanship. These single story, one and two room utilitarian buildings have primarily gable roofs, with shed or hipped roof front porches. They have wood shingle roofs, horizontal siding, multi-pane double hung sash windows, and are symmetrical in form and detail.

Some of the school buildings constructed during this early period of time survived until rural consolidation. Others were replaced by newer, more substantial, masonry school buildings following World War I. Two such schools, Weyerhaeuser and Collins, retained the earlier wood frame building as an outbuilding. Another, Parkland, chose to add onto the existing building rather than to build anew, probably because the building was already of masonry construction. The remaining were Works Progress Administration projects. A symbolic date for the end of this period of construction might be 1938, when the Arletta School was completed, and the move toward rural consolidation was underway.

Classrooms in these buildings were usually rectangular with high ceilings. Rooms were located along a central double loaded corridor. Some had basements used as playrooms. Cloakrooms were located off one end of each classroom. On the interior of earlier buildings of this type included in the nomination is wood detailing at the cornice, brackets and, occasionally, applied classical columns. Later examples are more sparsely decorated and are more easily recognized as school buildings. There are, however, hints of Georgian, Federal, Classic, bungaloid and Deco decoration.

Twenty-four school buildings and one historical archaeological site have been included in the Pierce County Public School (Rural/Suburban) thematic nomination. The Byrd School site has been included because its location has not been compromised by newer development. It is the only undisturbed period of Pierce site of a school representing the earliest settlement County’s history. No school buildings located in unincorporated Pierce County remain from this time.

The twenty-four school buildings possess the architectural integrity, design, workmanship, feeling and/or association required to place properties in a historic register. Historically, they symbolize the results of early local control, and the development of the many com[1]munities which have evolved in Pierce County over time. These representations parallel state trends in public education as this moved from an emphasis on local control, standardization and the use of schools for social purposes beyond education and, ultimately to rural and suburban consolidation. That so many of these buildings remain illustrates how important the activity taking place in them has been in the overall history of the county.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bowden, A. B. Early Schools of Washington Territory. Seattle, 1936.

Finney, Ross L. The American Public School. New York, 1921.

Pearson, Jim B. and Edgar Fuller, eds. Education in the States. Washington D.C., National Education Association, 1969.

Raymer, Robert G. “Educational Development in the Territory and State of Washington, 1853-1908.” Washington Historical Quarterly. Vol. XVIII, NO. 3 (July, 1927), pp.163-180.

CRP:HPRegister

Here is the ordinance from 1986.

Editorial, Marianne Lincoln

In many places in recent issues of “Resolute,” the magazine sent to alumni and supporters of Pacific Lutheran University (PLU), the text says how the university works with their community. One article in particular: George Zeno talks Parkland, equity and community partnerships. (PLU Associate Vice President of Advancement) “No one organization is going to meet its mission by itself. A collective impact model is a community-centric partnership structure that convenes community stakeholders to co-design approaches to solutions of complex social and economic challenges.”

So if PLU is really interested in community partnerships, why have they been so secretive in the past four years about their plans to sell large portions of their campus real estate holding without consulting the Parkland Community? (i.e., their golf course, private homes, Gonyea House, Parkland School)

The answer is partly that Pierce County is allowing them to get away with that through their planning and zoning processes. If you do not know where to look through a computer, you will not find out what is happening.

Even the Scandinavian Cultural Center, housed in the ground level of the University Center has been severely cut back in their leadership and programs. On top of being closed for two years for the pandemic, this year, when it reopened, the new director was only part time with no additional paid help other than a little student assistance. The volunteer Council members for the Center have put in over 750 personal hours to compensate for the changes. Much of the SCC Council contacts and supporters are PLU alumni and donors. These are people that appreciate the University and have provided large donations and endowments.

In the case of the Parkland School, the Regents made the decision to sell the property without posting a yellow sign that would have alerted the neighbors to the beginning of the process. The ad in the classified section of the Tacoma News Tribune elicited zero public members to testify at the hearing to remove the historic status from the building. In fact, it referred to the property as a PLU historic property, not the “Parkland School.” When the public, through a banquet at the Scandinavian Cultural Center, learned of the de-listing and demolition plans, within two days gathered 37 public to attend on the Landmarks Commission Zoom Meeting. The issues [de-listing and demolition] now have been moved to a new hearing on June 21 at the Pierce County Annex at 6 pm, an in-person meeting.

On June 6, Councilmembers Jani Hitchens and Marty Campbell held a Community Listening Session at James Sales School from 6:30 -7:30pm. Everyone wanted to talk about saving the Historic Parkland School. The community was begging for time. Two days notice, or even one month, is not enough time to organize alternative purchasers to save the school.

June 6, Councilmember Hitchen said, “I know that Councilmember Campbell and I are working on a letter along with [Washington State] Representative [Melanie] Morgan just to ask them to pause and see what we can do.”

PLU needs to quit hiding its plans from the neighborhood where it sits. It needs to engage this community in meetings, (they have meeting space) and get community participating and ideas about what they need. There is a Parkland Community Plan registered with Pierce County. One must wonder if it was ever considered. It appears all PLU is doing is searching for the top dollar, regardless of community need. This is not sitting well with long-time residents or PLU grads in the area.

A large number of Garfield Street businesses are also up for sale. The changes to the area could be significant and potential buyers need to be warned to consider the Parkland Community plan as it was in 2000, because that would give them a better idea of how to fit in with any new plans. The modified 202 Community Plan was hacked and modified by Pierce County Planning and not approved by the community, as evidenced by community testimony at every turn. Presided over by Executive Bruce Dammeier, a developer himself, the County 2020 Planning efforts benefited developers and growth, not community and environment.

PLU, as a private, neighborhood located institution, needs to recognize and truly act on involving the Parkland Community in major plans, not just write feel good quotes in a mailer. The success of their neighborhood directly reflects on the University. Right now, they can’t possibly like what they see in the mirror.

Letter to the Editor: Linda Carlson

The June 6 meeting with council officials regarding Parkland School confirmed what Parkland School alumni and supporters feared: what Pacific Lutheran University wants, it gets. Does what the community want matter? No way, no how.

We learn that for at least two years PLU has been quietly—let’s be honest and say “sneakily”—working with the county to remove this turn-of-the-century building and its 1937 Works Progress Administration addition from any landmark status so it can be destroyed. Obviously, there were university staffers who knew Parkland School was important to the community, and they have been devious in avoiding any public discussion of options that include retention of the structure.

Why is this happening? Five letters: M-O-N-E-Y. It’s no secret that PLU is cash-strapped, and is selling off properties, including the Gonyea estate, donated to the college for the president’s residence and now destined to be a housing tract.

Lots of talk at the June 6 meeting regarding how many upgrades the building needs to eliminate asbestos and lead paint and to provide ADA access. Of course, PLU found the dollars to provide all of these upgrades for secluded Harstad Hall…but not a chance that it will invest one red cent in a far more visible landmark, one that serves as a portal to the Parkland community.

I no longer live in Parkland, but I drive Pacific Avenue frequently, and am overwhelmed at how seedy the route has become: tattoo parlors, nail joints, pawn shops, fast food outlets. Parkland School, Parkland Lutheran Church and School are among the few attractive structures.

Undoubtedly, PLU will claim that its Garfield Station project and the proposed five-story apartment complex will revive the neighborhood—but how? It’s hard to patronize the merchants along Garfield, even the post office, due to parking spots being dominated by the students who live in the PLU apartments. Too many of the long-time businesses owned by neighborhood residents are gone—or going.

Destroying this building represents total disregard for what it means to the community, to architectural and school historians everywhere who value examples of early 20^th century school architecture,  and to local historians, who recognize it as one of the last vestiges of the origins of the Franklin Pierce School District. As a Parkland School graduate, I’m infuriated. As for those of you who do live in Parkland or are targeted by PLU’s fundraising appeals, I hope you’ll respond by pointing out to the university that it has betrayed the community and that it deserves nothing from you.

Linda Carlson
Now retired to Sequim

Saturday, June 11,2022, from 1 to 3 p.m., citizens of Parkland, Washington are waving signs and banners on Pacific Avenue at the corner of Pacific Avenue and 121st Street in protest of Pacific Luther University’s plans to un-list it as a state historic site and sell it to a developer who plans to demolish if doe a high-rise apartment complex.

Citizens have already raised concerns with their public officials at the County, State and Federal levels. They have also visited meetings of the Landmarks Commission and the County Council district meeting. The key meeting of the Landmarks Commission to decide the fate of this property is June21, 2022 at the Pierce County Annex at 6 p.m., in-person.

Parkland neighbors want to keep their historic school as it is a key to the beginning of the area. Built in 1908, the school symbolizes community. They are asking PLU to find someone who will help restore the building and bring community uses to the site.

Here are a few glimpses of their efforts.

The letter is in photo format. We did not attempt to retype it. It is a letter to Council members Hitchen and Campbell regarding the property.

PLU is saying it would cost $28.5 million to renovate the school to a useful building.

Pacific Lutheran University has added an article to their website about the Parkland School, also referred to was East Campus. This is copied from their web comments on 6-25-22.

East Campus / Parkland School Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Pacific Lutheran University is committed to the long-term health and vitality of Parkland, Washington. We’re proud of the 130+ years of connected history we share with our region, and we are committed to ongoing partnerships with Franklin Pierce Schools, local small businesses and nonprofits, Pierce County, the health department, and others. We’re proud to serve more students than ever from the Parkland, Spanaway, and Lakewood communities.

As a university, our priority is our students — to educate them for lives of thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership, and care – for other people, for their communities, and for the earth. This priority drives all of our decisions and is at the heart of everything we do, from increasing scholarship opportunities to investing in new academic programs and stewarding resources that support student and community thriving.

PLU has been the proud steward of the East Campus site since purchasing it in 1990. We understand this site and building are significant to some of our neighbors in the Parkland community – particularly those with fond memories of Parkland Elementary. This page intends to give insight into why PLU is selling East Campus / Parkland School.

PLU is selling East Campus because we no longer have any university-related function for the property and building. For the past seven years, we’ve attempted to find a viable long-term tenant or owner for the site that would serve Parkland. Because of the building’s condition, lack of accessibility, and the numerous major repairs and renovations required, we’ve made the difficult decision to sell the property to a Pierce County group interested in developing a combination of market and affordable housing at the site — a project that would contribute to county and state plans to combat the housing shortage in our community.

As a university of Lutheran higher education, where we encourage the asking of big questions, we understand that conversations between collaborative partners can sometimes be challenging. Yet we also know that undertaking these conversations and doing purposeful work is always worth it.

This page will continue to develop with more FAQs and resources. (Last update: June 17, 2022)

Why is PLU selling East Campus / Parkland School?

We understand this site and building are significant to some of our neighbors in the Parkland community – particularly those with fond memories of Parkland Elementary. PLU has been the proud steward of the site since purchasing it in 1990. 

PLU is selling East Campus because we no longer have any university-related function for the property and building. For the past seven years, we’ve attempted to find a viable long-term tenant for the site that would serve the Parkland community have been unsuccessful, in large part because of the numerous major repairs and renovations and related costs it would require. 

Since 2015, PLU officials have been engaging state and county leaders, as well as a variety of education and healthcare organizations about this site in search of viable long-term occupants for the building. Despite our best efforts, tenable options have not emerged because of the cost-prohibitive challenges of the space.

Specific challenges presented by the site:

• The building is not safe, nor is it ADA accessible and the systems in the building have exceeded their expected lifetime. There are electrical needs, asbestos, IT requirements, old piping, structural integrity issues, roof replacement (lots of leaks), and lack of any seismic retrofitting. The early estimate for a renovation is $28.5 million dollars.
• In recent years, it has been the target of multiple arsons, copper wire theft, vandalism, and graffiti. Because it is a few blocks away from our campus, providing security for the building has grown challenging and resource-intensive for our Department of Campus Safety. 
• We are engaging a potential local buyer that approached us, and are insistent that any plans for the site serve the long-term health and vitality of the Parkland community.

Who have you talked to about purchasing the building?

We’ve been searching for a viable long-term tenant or owner for the site that would preserve the building and serve our Parkland community for at least the past seven years including conversations as recently as this month.

The search has included discussions with county and state leaders, local schools and school districts, leading South Sound private and non-profit community organizations, local healthcare systems, and many others. Ultimately, none of these organizations and businesses were interested in stewarding the next chapter of this property, largely because of the numerous major repairs and renovations required to make the building safe, usable, and accessible. 

Early estimates suggested a total cost of at least $28.5 million to bring the building up to code and improve its utility and safety.

PLU is committed that any sale of this site will be to an entity that has plans that will benefit and enhance the Parkland area. For instance, we’ve passed on fast food restaurants that inquired about the location.

What would it cost to renovate the building?

Early estimates suggested a total cost of at least $28.5 million to bring the building up to code and improve its utility and safety.

The building is not safe, nor is it ADA accessible and the systems in the building have exceeded their expected lifetime. There are electrical needs, asbestos, technology requirements, old piping, structural integrity issues, roof replacement (lots of leaks), and lack of any seismic retrofitting. 

In recent years, it has been the target of multiple arsons, copper wire theft, vandalism, and graffiti.

Why a possible housing development?

After years of efforts to find a tenant proved unsuccessful, we were approached by a Pierce County group interested in developing a combination of market and affordable housing at the site. This property is within the “Garfield Residential Target Area,” a targeted area permitted for multi-family housing incentives in Pierce County (Pierce County Code 18A.68, 2022, and Pierce County: Affordable Housing Incentive Evaluation, 2019). As such, the site is in a targeted Urban Growth Area that has been identified as urgently in need of additional housing. Adding upwards of 190 housing units, including at least 38 affordable housing units, would contribute to county and state plans to combat our county’s housing shortage in our community.

What about the history of the Parkland School?

We want the history of the Parkland Elementary Grade School to be preserved. The university is hoping to commission an oral-history project centering on Parkland Elementary Grade School alumni and their stories about the school.

We’re advocating for the preservation of some part of the physical building in an exhibition space within a new building.

What about a Community Center in Parkland?

We deeply recognize the need for a community center in Parkland, however, we think this building is simply not a viable, sustainable option.

We’ve been searching for at least the past seven years for a viable long-term tenant or owner for the site that would preserve the building and serve our Parkland community — including holding conversations as recently as this month. The search began in 2015 while researching the feasibility of a community center in the space. The Franklin Pierce School District, MultiCare Health System, PLU, and the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties commissioned a joint study to determine the demand for a community/wellness center to serve the Parkland community. While demand was high and the study highlighted the lack of community services in our region, the partners were not able to financially commit to the project due to cost. The search for another long-term tenant or owner continued through discussions with county and state leaders, the local school district, leading South Sound private and non-profit community organizations, local healthcare systems, and many others.

Ultimately, none of these organizations and businesses had the interest and ability to steward the next chapter of this property, largely because of the numerous major repairs and renovations required to make the building safe, usable, and accessible. Our early estimates suggested a total cost of at least $28.5 million to bring the building up to code and improve its utility and safety such that PLU would be willing to once again occupy the space. Since PLU has no programmatic purpose for the building, an investment of that scale is simply not feasible or prudent for us either. 

PLU’s other land development plans on the former golf course currently prioritize community-serving spaces. Community listening sessions and other engagement about these plans are ongoing. If we can align partnerships and funding we would like to co-construct a community center or other community-serving space, which might include a non-profit incubator space, after-school programming, etc.