Improving our County, one resident at a time

Much of our work affects 820,000 people who reside in our County but some of the most powerful impacts we make can happen when we make something better for just one person.

For example, Terry Milstid in SWM recently received an email from a resident who requested an updated flood map. This note goes to show the powerful impact of great service delivered in a timely manner:

Dear Mr. Milstid,

Thank you very much for providing this flood information!

Your prompt response exceeds my highest expectations and deserves my highest appreciation. The quality of your service reflects highly upon the Pierce County staff.

Thank you again!

Keep up the great work, Terry!

In a similar manner, when Lauren Behm and Jay Simons in the Airport and Ferry Division found out that a propane supplier to Anderson Island missed the ferry designated for its scheduled delivery, they jumped into action to add a special nighttime sailing. This scheduling is critical because the propane must travel on an empty ferry.  (Did you know our ferry crew regularly transports cargo that is too dangerous for our citizens to be on the same ferry?).  Many thanks to Lauren and Jay for finding a solution that kept the propane tanks filled for the island residents!

Continuing the theme, after the recent fire, we learned that the residents surrounding the old Puget Sound hospital had become increasingly concerned about transients occupying the old structures and the impact on their neighborhood.  Bret Carlstad and Travis Wakefield in Facilities Management arranged to have Tacoma Police Department on site 24-hours a day, new fencing installed and metal doors welded on the first two floors of the buildings – ensuring the site is secure until it is demolished later this year.  I spent a sunny Thursday afternoon with Councilmember Talbert hand-delivering letters with these details to about 40 homes and discussing the neighbors’ concerns.

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In closing, I’d like to thank Diane Marcus-Jones, a senior planner in Planning & Public Works, for her work on the annual Farm Forum held this week in Puyallup.  I had the privilege to be the lunchtime speaker and it was a big crowd. As a failed summertime berry picker in my youth, I can appreciate the back-breaking work our farmers do so that we can enjoy local kale, rhubarb and eggs, and I look forward to partnering with them to keep their farms sustainable and successful.

Thanks for reading – and you can see we have a lot of folks doing great work!

Bruce

P.S. Just completed the exiting briefing from the State Auditor on our 2015 Financial and Accountability Audits. They examine practices in nearly every department and had no “findings” and a great report! Congrats to Tom Taylor, our Internal Auditor and the rest of the Finance Team!