The Point Ruston development in North/west Tacoma

[PG77]

I lived there a little over a year ago. I used to watch the guys in their white suits walking around testing. It reminded me of ET.

[Fulcrum22]

Here is a little video about Point Ruston construction and cleanup. You can see some of those little white suit man walking around.
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjDXfscn4GY[/url]

[Luke9686]

I drove down by there a couple months ago. It looks good.

[LauraEarles]

My family moved to this area intending to live here and grow a business. We always visited Tacoma, through good and bad and really liked it and spent many hours down in Ruston at local haunts and Pt Defiance Zoo. We are native Seattlelites and definitely Northwestcentric and we considered Tacoma and then Ruston a pretty quaint get away town. Now we live here and we really like it especially the lack of traffic on most days and the cool houses that are closer to being affordable for your average family.

We purchased a house on Pearl Street and an old fixer in University Place.
(Not a good idea...too much work at once) We like Tacoma alot. UP is a bit too constrained and conservative for us. Frankly you will all laugh but we did not realize it was a separate city.

We are average people who work all the time and hope our son can go to college. We joined the Ruston Business Association and we thought everything was hunky dory.

Not so. We are environmentalists and have major concerns about Ruston Area. We think developing this property correctly for the people and the benefit of the community is the best way to go. What upset us is that we saw trucks carrying contaiminated soil all through town past our property blowing dirt into the wind. Then we heard about undocumented workers being poisoned by arsenic. Now I am really confused because I spoke to a woman who claimed she was on the original project as a landscape architect and environmentalist over 15 years ago. She told me that the original plan was to 1. remediate soils in the area and take soils off of the site to Oregon to a reclaimation plant. 2. Cap the soil with clay to help runoff. 3. Put 6-12 inches of topsoil down (new and clean) 4. Create a special water treatment plant for water coming through the area because it would contain heavy levels of arsenic. Too heavy for the water to be safe to use. 5. Limit area to open space and light industrial commercial so as to avoid liability with Tacoma.

We have been in the area now for 4 years and we see how the problem of clean up has affected the community. We wonder about things like the drug use and problems of neighbors close to the plant because the arsenic did not just go into the soil it did go into peoples bodies and brains and heavy metals DO have an affect. We do not understand the PUSH to gain PROFIT over making sure the neighboring communities do not suffer anymore and when we hear the stories about the history of the plant and the activities we wonder about higher cancer rates and other things.

This area developed well and green will be such a boon to the Ruston and Tacoma economy. I well recall driving down to the zoo, under the old plant when green slimey water dripped on our car. The plant was pretty gothic to me but it did not affect my liking Tacoma. I was thrilled when this clean up occurred but now I am not so confident that things are being done right and not in a rush and I am totally confused about the differences in plans.

When we moved here were threatened for speaking up and out but everyone MUST be concerned that things are being done right and safely and what is best for the community and long term health. We see the development being advertised on late night cable t.v. in other states so we know that much money is being spent on marketing and to outsiders as well. Why? Locals are not buying into the program and we see much of it has to do with what appears to be lack of credibility and we frankly are concerned about the safety as well.

I personally went through a deep depression due to the fact the soil in Unversity Place has arsenic in it. I am a natural-organic gardener and it really freaked me out...at first. Now I am working on some techniques to deal with it and starting an organic gardening club. "http://www.gardenoforganicdelights.org" The thing is...it is better to "deal" with the arsenic and heavy metal problem then to try to hide it. I frankly do not trust all the sources regarding this matter because I received conflicting information. Real estate profits should not come ahead of peoples' health and safety especially children. If we are open and transparent about it then we can fix it by working together. Greed is not the way to go.

Just want to let everyone know that wants to send me and my family hate mail regarding this project and our opinions: Think about your family, your children, your health being affected. I believe everyone has the right to clean air, clean water, safe and nutritious food. Go visit Children's Hospital and see kids dying from cancer. Environmentalists have FOUGHT very hard to protect us and this was the spirit of "Superfund" created by the efforts of a mother "Lois Gibbs" in Love Canal. We are long term members of Washington Toxics Coalition, (listed on our website) and have met her personally and we can tell you doing the right thing is always the way to go.

This whole development is very political and people get really angry...but the truth is...we all want our children and families to be safe. I am not so sure things are being handled properly. Blessings to all. Laura Earles

[Ira500]

Great post, Laura. Real Estate should not come ahead of people's health, and ultimately won't. Doing the right thing is almost always more profitable over the long term, but too many folks connected to the real estate industry don't have a long term perspective, and want to make money immediately.
The arsenic in the soil is actually pretty common in a lot of places downwind from the smelter, including Vashon Island. I know people there who removed topsoil and brought in new dirt...but i don't think this lack of environmental insensitivity/ greed syndrome is limited to Tacoma. I think it's more famous neighbor to the north is just as guilty. There were several instances that Gasworks Park was reopened early after finding toxins ( was it lead?) in the soil because they didn't want things to look bad. They just kind of glossed over the seriousness of the problem and congratulated themselves on how great they were doing.

[XXclimberX]

Seriously sometimes I think the only hope for Tacoma is a 5 megaton nuclear device. hehe. just kidding.

But I think this project is great. I really hope Tacoma can get its act together.

[rj2ch714]

Hi--My name back then was Janet L.Clark I went to Ruston Elementary School I had blond hair and was into sports and the spelling bee. I remember the Smelter. I miss that school. I moved to Fresno Ca. in 1976 I was in The Brownie troop. Were you?
My friends were: Best friend Laurie Rubatino she had long black hair and was dark skin. I knew: Jennifer Beardemphl ,Lisa Bryant she had white hair. Cheri Estep who lived on North 47th street ,Dennise Johnson and more. Please e-mail me if you have any photos of the old school. I cannot find any pics of it.
I live in Fowler,Ca. My husband Rick Darling is on the fowler City Council.
I also knew Lee Giles. He has a facebook.
We have a Facebook-Rick Darling

My e-mail is----> rj2ch714@comcast.net