Putting people back in People’s and other Tacoma community centers is aim of new program
Let the people decide how they want their community centers to serve them.
That’s the idea behind a series of collaborative sessions between the public and Metro Parks Tacoma staff who run the People’s, Eastside, Norpoint and STAR community centers.
It might seem like an obvious concept, but People’s/Eastside supervisor Antonio McLemore said those who run the centers aren’t always in the same room with the public when crucial decisions are made.
“My people want to provide responsive programming that reflects the need or the desire or the wants of community,” McLemore said.
The year-long series of public meetings is called “Co-Create to Recreate” and kicks off March 23 at the People’s Community Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Each meeting features ice-breaker games, art activities and a chance to meet and collaborate with staff.
The first Co-Create meetings at People’s and Eastside will be catered by food trucks. STAR and Norpoint also will feature free food.
“We want to hear from everyone in that community,” says Meagan Kula, supervisor at STAR and Norpoint. “We want to connect with folks, hear ideas about what they’d like to see and how we can be better in what we do.”
POST-PANDEMIC RESET
When COVID-19 shut down the community centers, it allowed Metro Parks staff to take a long look around, Kula said.
“It does give that opportunity to re-imagine what these centers can look like and what our programs can look like,” she said.
When they reopened, Metro Parks offered free membership to all people 18 and younger. It’s something they’ll continue to offer at least through 2022, Kula said.
As a result, youth membership is up 44 percent compared to pre-pandemic numbers.
Adult membership is $25 per month. It allows members to visit any of the four centers — a new feature since reopening.
Metro Parks isn’t looking to change the basic structure of the buildings. Pools will remain in place along with fitness centers, rock climbing walls, playgrounds, kitchens and other features.
It’s how those can be used along with new programming that the public can have a say in, Kula and McLemore said.
“STAR Center, while it doesn’t have a pool, does have the playground,” Kula said. “And it’s often rented for all different events, even weddings.”
Classes offered at the centers range from fitness to cooking.
MORE THAN JUST MEETINGS
The meetings won’t be glorified suggestion boxes, Metro Parks said. If a quick fix can be made or idea implemented immediately, it will be.
“But, if it’s a larger recommendation, we can dig in on that and get other people at Metro Parks or other partners,” Kula said.
Already on schedule this year at People’s Center are four community events. A Black History Month festival was held in February. Coming up next is Spring Fling followed by National Night Out and Harvest Fest.
One goal of the Co-Create meetings is to involve citizens in planning for those festivals, McLemore said.
“The goal is to create these big community engagements,” he said.
Center-recruited citizens also can be involved in the larger, district-wide events, including the newly renamed annual Ethnic Fest, now called MOSAIC: Tacoma’s Arts and Culture Festival. The free event will be held July 23-24 in Wright Park.
There’s even a need for community help with hiring, McLemore said. “Everybody’s having issues with hiring,” he said. The centers will need to hire about 100 summer staffers, he said.
Metro Parks partnered with a teacher at a local high school to review its hiring process. The teacher found it unnecessarily difficult for a seasonal hire.
“It’s really hard to get entry-level positions from a 15-, 16-year-old when the process is the same for the CEO,” McLemore said.
The public will also have a say in budgeting, which begins in summer, Kula said.
Ultimately, Kula said, people should feel they have ownership of their centers.
“I think our community center should be a place where people feel at home and that it’s their center and it’s there,” she said.
Community Center meeting schedule
▪ People’s Community Center: 6:30–8 p.m. March 23.
▪ Eastside Community Center: 6:30–8 p.m. March 30.
▪ Star Center: 6:30–8 p.m. April 5
▪ Center at Norpoint: 6:30–8 p.m. April 12
