News and notes for this week

A few items of news and note for this week:

• Board meeting rescheduled: The Esplanade HOA has regularly scheduled board meetings on the second Thursday of every month, at 6 p.m. in the community room. These meetings are open to all residents, and a public question and comment section is always part of the meeting.
  
  This month's meeting, originally scheduled for this Thursday, March 10, has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 17. Su Dowie will be present to answer questions and give information about developments on the Foss Waterway. Su is the Executive Director of the Foss Waterway Development Authority, although she will be retiring from that position in the next few months.

• Tahoma to Tacoma: There will be a public meeting on March 24 at 6 p.m. to hear about a potential connected trail system from Mt. Rainier to Point Defiance Park. The meeting will include updates on local trail projects an opportunity for local residents to find out how they can help make this trail network a reality. The meeting is sponsored by the Puyallup Watershed Initiative.
  
  The meeting will be held at the Historic Tacoma Post Office at 1102 A Street, a.k.a. "Courthouse Square."
  Incidentally, if you have not heard of or seen the plans to transform the front of the post office building into more of a pedestrian mall, with dining, shops and patios, you can see their plans HERE and HERE. (Editorial comment: this is another project that falls into the "I'll believe it when I see it" category.)

• Are you ready for The Big One? The sky may not be falling but the earth may be shaking. By many estimates Pierce County is likely to experience a major earthquake in the near future. That historic event – a possible 9.0 quake – could be tomorrow or 100 years from now, no one knows. A presentation titled, “Surviving the Really Big One” examines what a 9.0 earthquake will look like and its aftermath in Pierce County, with a specific focus for older adults and individuals with disabilities. The presentation will review how roads, utilities and services will likely be interrupted and will also present important tips on surviving such a catastrophic event. The presentation will be held three times in Tacoma:
• March 14: 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. (Pierce County Annex, Main Meeting Room, 2401 S. 35th St. in Tacoma)
• March 15: 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. (County-City Building, Rainier Conference Room 7th floor, 930 Tacoma Ave. S. in Tacoma)
• March 19: 10 to 11 a.m. (Sound View Building, 3602 Pacific Ave. S. in Tacoma)