News and notes for this week

Several items of news and note for this week:

• The Esplanade Book Club will meet tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. in the community room. The book for discussion this month is Deep South, by Paul Theroux. Do come whether you've completed the book or not. Wine and snacks are also on the agenda; feel free to bring something to share if you like. At tomorrow's meeting the club will also set the reading schedule for the next several months. Books under consideration include:
• The Collectors, by David Baldacci

• Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson

• The River of Doubt, by Candace Millard

• Astoria, by Peter Clark

• To Kill a Mockingbird / Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee

• Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow

• Board meeting next Thursday: The HOA board will meet on Thursday, August 11 at 6:00 p.m. in the Community Room. There will be committee reports, budget updates, and time for resident questions. To see an unofficial summary of the last meeting click HERE.

• Train noise and homeless encampments under I-705: Both of these issues continue to be hot topics for some Esplanade residents. (See the blog post below for some of the latest thoughts on the train noise, and feel free to add your voice to the comments section.) It has been noted that calling and reporting issues to the appropriate agency may, over time, produce limited results. However, it may take more organized community activism to achieve long-term solutions. For homeless encampments and litter, call the City of Tacoma's 311 hotline: (253) 591-5000, or call WSDOT at (253) 983-7550. To add your voice to the train noise issue, email BNSF at Gus.Melonas@bnsf.com. 

• Fire safety inspection next Friday: On August 12 Smith Fire will be performing their annual fire inspection between 8 am - 3 pm. They will need access to every unit. There will be bells and whistles being sounded off during this time. For residents who won't be in the building, Karen will need a key or access code. If they can't gain access there will be a re- inspection fee charged to you.