News and notes for this week

There are several items of news and note for this week:

• Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream coming to the Foss Waterway!
  The Foss Waterway Owners' Association and the Foss Waterway Development Authority have teamed up to bring a Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream kiosk to the waterway this summer. The kiosk is approved to operate from June through September. Dock Street Marina has offered to provide all required amenities (restroom, water, garbage) and the vendor will be located on the esplanade near the Marina restroom.

• City of Tacoma establishes plan for homeless encampments
  During the May 9 City Council Meeting, the Tacoma City Council passed Ordinance No. 28430, which declared a state of public health emergency. The declaration was made in response to the growing health and safety concerns resulting from the increasing concentrations of people living in encampments in Tacoma. A cross-function team has been assembled to promptly develop and execute a comprehensive Emergency Aid and Shelter Program to address the growing visible homeless issue. The plan will have three phases to address encampments and provide additional services to people experiencing homelessness while reducing the impacts of homelessness on all citizens, businesses and property owners. Click on the image below for more details:

• Social Committee will host "Thirsty Thursday"
  The Esplanade Social Committee's next event will be "Thirsty Thursday," on May 25 at 5:30 p.m. The event will feature a happy hour, a potluck, and a movie. The committee is hopeful that "Thirsty Thursdays" can become a monthly event on the fourth Thursday of every month. The movie this Thursday will be the classic, "To Kill a Mockingbird."

• Community cleanup / free trash disposal on June 3
  A free community cleanup day will be offered on Saturday, June 3. Residents may bring unwanted items to the Tacoma Dome parking lot for free disposal, from 10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Click HERE for more information.

• Book Club returning from hiatus in June, seeking new participants
  After taking a break for a couple months, the Esplanade book club will meet next month at a new time. The club will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 1st in the community room. The book for discussion will be Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, by J. D. Vance. Click HERE for reviews and more information about this interesting memoir. All are welcome to attend book club discussions, whether you have completed the book or not. Wine and snacks are also on the agenda; feel free to bring something to share if you like. At next month's meeting, club members will also discuss books for future reading.

• Traffic re-routing for the Festival of Sail
  On June 15-18 the Foss Waterway will host the Festival of Sail. Thousands of visitors are expected every day of the festival; residents should expect parking issues and lane closures on Dock Street. For specific information on traffic re-routing, click HERE. The Esplanade HOA board has suggested these would not be good days to have contractors working in the building.

• New "Downtown to Defiance Trolley" service to begin
  A Pierce Transit pilot project connecting downtown Tacoma to Point Defiance Park is slated to begin on June 2, running through Sept. 3. Route 15 will feature special trolley buses that will run from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays with a new trolley arriving every 30 minutes. Trolleys will run from downtown, along Ruston Way, to Point Defiance Park. Click HERE for more information.