But a check of the calender shows the Pacific Avenue facility adjacent to the Lacey Community Center opened in 2003. In the early years, about 250 seniors attended activities at the Senior Center. Today, the center serves the needs of nearly 1,700 seniors.
An expansion is sorely needed and the Lacey City Council is well down that path. The project got a jump-start in the summer when city officials received word that Lacey had been awarded a $1 million federal Community Development Block Grant to nearly double the size of the facility.
The city is providing an additional $1.6 million in 2012 budget to increase the capacity of the kitchen, dining and multi-purpose rooms, and add space for senior health, education and other services. Seniors got a first look at the expansion plans at an open house a week ago.
After seeing the three-dimensional presentation and looking at updated floor plans, residents were asked to weigh in on the 5,400-square-foot expansion. In a city with an aging population this is a great use of federal and city dollars.
Thumbs Down: One week ago the U.S. Army won its 11th conviction in its investigation of war crimes involving Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers. The latest verdict was posted against a sergeant who could have halted the wrongdoing that unfolded but instead tried to cover it up.
Staff Sgt. David Bram, 27, was sentenced to five years in prison. He was found guilty of assaulting the private who blew the whistle on drug use in their platoon, soliciting another junior soldier to join him in a scheme to murder Afghan civilians, impeding an Army investigation and disobeying a general order by possessing photos of casualties.
A five-soldier jury found Bram not guilty of abusing Afghan detainees and planting an AK-47 magazine near a corpse after a shooting in January 2010. Bram’s conviction means there is only one soldier from the platoon left to face a jury.
Spc. Michael Wagnon, one of five defendants charged with murder, is expected to have his court-martial in January. Staff Sgt. Bram said he understood his misconduct tarnished the legacy of his brigade and enabled the wrongdoing that resulted in 11 of his platoonmates facing criminal charges. They have disgraced the uniform and their nation by their horrific actions.
Thumbs Up: Third District Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, has not paid a lot of attention to the northern end of her sprawling 3rd Congressional District since her election last year, but we were pleased to see her name as a co-sponsor on a bill to prevent insider trading by federal elected officials and staffers.
The legislation was championed by her predecessor, former Rep. Brian Baird, a Democrat from Vancouver, Wash.
The “Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge,” or STOCK Act, would prohibit members and employees of Congress from profiting from nonpublic information they obtain through their positions where, Baird said during a recent CBS “60 Minutes” segment, “One line in a bill in Congress can be worth millions and millions of dollars,” to congressional members and staffers privy to nonpublic information presented to them during the course of their jobs in Congress, Herrera Beutler said, “There’s no place for insider trading in this country – not on Wall Street, and most certainly not in Congress. We’ve all seen the fallout when folks in privileged positions put their own profit above ethics. I hope we pass this bill to ensure Congress keeps its focus on serving the public good.” We agree.
Thumbs Up: Bill Williams has been a rock-solid trustee on the North Thurston school district board of directors for a little more than six terms. He has seen the district expand in the number of students, course offerings and facilities to serve those students and the community. He has racked up more than a quarter-century of memories. One favorite memory was being able to hand two of his three daughters their high school diplomas. Williams, 67, of Lacey, is retiring as the District 1 director, an area of the district that serves Thompson Place, Tanglewilde and the South Bay area.
“Bill is probably one of the most dedicated citizens to public education,” said board president Laurie Davies. “He’s given 25 years of his life to be a volunteer, and try to (improve) public education.” On Dec. 6, Williams’ board position will transfer to former school district employee Marcia Coppin, who secured nearly 60 percent of votes during the Nov. 8 election. As Superintendent Raj Manhas said, Williams’ commitment and devotion to public education for so long is truly extraordinary. This community owes Bill Williams a huge debt of gratitude. He embodies what a public servant should be.
