Talk Tacoma with the Tacoma Public Library

Rec’d via email:

What do you talk about when you talk about Tacoma?

That’s the intriguing question the Tacoma Public Library, State Representative Dennis Flannigan and others are asking Tacomans to think about, and then talk about, at a series of community conversations on Wednesday and Thursday, December 5 and 6 in locations throughout the city.

“We are inviting people to come and talk about everything Tacoma. We are asking what people rant about? Rave about? What keeps people here? What makes them think about leaving?” explained Tony Hudson, president of the Library’s Board of Trustees. “The conversations are scattered around the community to make it easy for folks to attend and all but two begin at 7 p.m.” A morning conversation, beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 6 is set for the downtown Beacon Senior Center, followed by afternoon conversation at 2:45 p.m. at Lincoln High School, especially for the city’s middle and high school students.

While many organizations conduct focus groups to discuss specific planning issues, said Hudson, these conversations have a much broader scope – anything and everything Tacoma. The conversations could identify who are we as a community, what we value, what we need, and our challenges… as individuals, families and as a community. While the Library has embarked on a strategic planning process, Library Trustees believe that it is important to place that developing plan into a much larger community context. Says Hudson, “We want a snapshot of our community. What better way to get that snapshot than to ask Tacoma residents?”

The Library will share the results of the conversations with the community and other organizations, Hudson explained. The collected data will be posted online at the project’s website – www.talktacoma.org to provide easy access to all the information and ideas generated at the conversations.

Project organizers have recruited a host of community ‘doers’ to get the conversations up and running, including Philip Chang, Melanie Cole, Michelle Douglas, Dennis Flannigan, Alexa Folsom Hill, Joyasri Ghosh, Stephen Hill, Linda Ishem, Mark Lindquist, Penelope Loucas, Pat McCarthy, Melissa Moffet, Ron Powers, Geoffrey Proehl, Sondra Purcell, Julio Quan, Dr. Al Ratcliffe, Michael Robinson, Jacalyn Royce, Willie Stewart, Joseph Stortini, Marilyn Strickland, Dorothy Wilhelm and Victoria Woodards.

Talk Tacoma Community Conversations schedule

Wednesday, December 5
7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Mason Middle School
3901 North 28th Street

Manitou Elementary School
4330 South 66th Street

Hunt Middle School
6501 South 10th Street

Blix Elementary School
1302 East 38th Street

Thursday, December 6
10:30 a.m. – noon.
Beacon Senior Center
415 South 13th Street

2:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m
Lincoln High School Cafeteria
701 South 37th Street
Especially for middle & high school students

7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Moore Library
215 South 56th Street

Meeker Middle School
4402 Nassau Avenue NE

Stanley Elementary School
1712 South 17th Street

For more information about the Talk Tacoma community conversations telephone the Tacoma Public Library at (253) 591-5688 of check out the project’s web site at www.talktacoma.org.