Government News Briefs

City offers parks plan for review, seeks candidates for commissions

Gig Harbor parks plan ready for public comment

The city of Gig Harbor’s draft 2022 Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan is now available for review and comment. There will be two opportunities for public comment as it moves forward toward approval.

The first will be the parks commission meeting Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. where the commission will take comments via Zoom before making its recommendation to the City Council. Instead of speaking live, comments can be submitted in writing before the meeting. Input and questions must be provided to Terri Garrison by 3 p.m. Written comments must be able to be read in 3 minutes or less to be included in the record and have the title: FOR PUBLIC COMMENT included.

The second will be at the City Council meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 28 when the Council is scheduled to review and adopt the plan. Public comment can be made via Zoom or by submitting comments in writing by email before the meeting. Comments must be provided to the city clerk by 3 p.m. They must be able to be read in 3 minutes or less to be included in the record and must state “FOR PUBLIC COMMENT” in the subject line.

Also, the Council will be reviewing the plan in a study session on Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. Public comment will not be accepted at the meeting.

The draft plan can be viewed here.

City seeks commission, board members

The city of Gig Harbor is seeking citizens interested in serving as volunteer members on its parks and arts commissions, and design review board.

The parks commission advises the mayor and City Council on park and recreation facilities, open space acquisition and development, maintenance and operation of parks and recreation public facilities, and operation of parks and recreation programs. More information on the parks commission can be found here.

Commissioners must live within city limits or in the city’s urban growth area.

The design review board is charged with the interpretation, review and implementation of the city’s design manual. It also acts on behalf of the state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation to review properties that apply for listing on the city’s Register of Historic Places. For more information, see the design review process and requirements and the design review board bylaws.

Members must live on the Gig Harbor side of the Tacoma Narrows and Purdy bridges. They serve three-year terms. Applicants must fall into one of these categories: city resident with demonstrated interest and knowledge of urban design; possess a professional background relating to urban design such as a professional artist, civil engineer, planner, building contractor or professional building designer; have a demonstrated interest and knowledge of landscaping, horticulture, arboriculture or forestry; have a background in identifying, evaluating and protecting historic resources, selected from among the disciplines of architecture, history, architectural history, planning, prehistoric and historic archaeology, folklore, cultural anthropology, curation, conservation or landscape architecture, or related disciplines.

The arts commission provides guidance and recommendations to the City Council on public art. Meetings are conducted on the second Wednesday of every month at 10 a.m. More information can be found here.

Members are chosen from the community at large. Preference may be shown for city residency. They serve three-year terms.

Persons interested in serving on either commission or the board should submit an application online by Feb. 18. For more information, contact the city clerk’s office at [email protected] or (253) 853-7613.