Yesterday's post on the need for a common strategy around 9th & Commerce has already engendered at least one response.The New Tacoma Neighborhood Council and the Downtown Merchants Group have taken up the challenge by organizing a community forum where they will be examining the current conditions and their social and economic impacts:
October 17th
6:00 p.m.
Sanford & Son Antiques (734 Broadway) - Library Room
Attendees will be asked to explore both short and long term solutions--the goal will be the elimination of nuisance behavior in the neighborhood.
Please RSVP to:
Marty Campbell
Chair, New Tacoma Neighborhood Council
E-mail: Tacoma1@Gmail.com
Phone: (253) 376-3774
Patricia Lecy-Davis
President, Downtown Merchants Group
E-mail: DMGpresident@gmail.com
Good idea.
ReplyDeleteThis is also a chance to review the changes in conditions during the last 18 months on 9th and Pacific since the report from the New Tacoma Neighborhood Council Forum on March 30, 2006.
What problems/conditions have improved?
What problem have stayed the same?
What problems have gotten worse and what new problems have arisen?
Perhaps someone will make up a grid with conditions on the left column with the 3/30/06 compared with 10/17/07. Blue for better. Red for worse. Green for no change.
Here I am in Bellingham in the field doing research for the possible betterment of Tacoma.
ReplyDeleteBellingham recently rebuild their bus terminal downtown which is on Railroad Avenue which has had crime and drug problems for the last 50 years. Has always been a bad corner. Not too dissimilar to the situation on 9th and Commerce in Tacoma.
Here's what they did:
1) Added a police substation to the bus terminal. (Community policing).
2) Removed numerous planters people were sitting on.
3) They now pipe in classical music and play it pretty loud.
Here's a picture of
Bellingham's new bus-transit station with the police substation.
Result: The efforts seem to work and do not require the constant police presence, thus, they are very cost efficient.
The problem at 9th and Commerce is that the police need to be called in and cannot do much unless there is a serious crime being committeed. The police need a more efficient way to have a presence downtown.