News and notes for this week

Sorry for the blog being so quiet the last several weeks! My day job has been keeping me very busy, and it seems as though many news items are being adequately communicated through emails to all residents (window washing, summer concerts on the esplanade, etc.).

A few items of news and note:

• Cruise ship on the Foss Waterway this summer and fall
  Alert Esplanade residents may have noticed a cruise ship docked at the Maritime Museum on the Foss Waterway in the last few weeks. This was one of five visits this season by the "American Constellation," as part of its 8 day / 7 night Puget Sound cruise itinerary. The ship provides accommodations for 175 passengers. The Foss Waterway Seaport Maritime Museum and the Museum of Glass are providing discounts to the passengers, while charter buses take the guests to these and other local destinations in Tacoma. The Constellation should make its next visit on Wednesday, June 5.

• Two opportunities for cleaning up and de-cluttering:
  
• Free trash disposal at the Tacoma Dome
  Here's a great opportunity to clean out those communal storage closets on your floor! A free community cleanup day will be offered on Saturday, June 22. Residents may bring unwanted items to the Tacoma Dome parking lot for free disposal, from 9 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Almost all items will be accepted, including tires, old furniture, mattresses, doors, etc. A mobile paper shredder will also be on hand. Click HERE for more information.
  
  
• Esplanade litter patrol
  The "Esplanade Neighborhood Litter Patrol" will meet Saturday, June 15, to clean up the area directly across Dock Street from our building (between the railroad tracks and Hood Street), as well as the A Street sidewalk leading up to the locomotive sculpture. Meet on Hood Street at 9 a.m. For more information, contact Lynn at lynnrdutton@aol.com.

• Improvements to elevator on the Murray Morgan Bridge
  City officials have recently considered closing the elevator on the Murray Morgan Bridge during late-night and early-morning hours, in an effort to curtail illegal activity. However, in a recent communication to Esplanade resident Tom Ebenhoh, a city official noted that ADA regulations prohibit the elevator from being closed. The city is therefore looking into other improvements, namely:
• Installing new flooring that is easier to clean and virtually indestructible (i.e. diamond plate). Anticipate that the flooring to be installed within the next three months.
• Changing lighting to make it brighter.  If the elevator electrical wiring and lighting fixtures will support an increase in wattage, brighter lighting will be installed by the end of Fall.
• Adding signage that indicates the area may be under surveillance; expect the sign to be installed in the next month.
• Exploring the possibility of adding sound deterrents to the elevator such as classical music or overhead messaging to discourage encamping in the elevator.  Still determining whether the wiring in the elevator will support the installation but if so, expect to complete that by the end of Fall.  
• Working with Road Use Compliance and TPD to increase the presence of enforcement personnel in the area to address concerns.

• Summer concert series on the esplanade!
  
  Despite the cloudy weather, the first summer concert on May 19 was well-attended, and larger crowds are expected at upcoming events. Click on the image below for more information regarding the summer concert series. Note that on June 16, the main act will be the Esplanade's own Tara Tinsley!