In observance of President's Day.  Monday garbage pickup will be Tuesday, February 21, 2012.  Recycle and yard waste pickup and Friday garbage pickup will not be affected.

Mark your calendars to attend the next CPR class to be held at Town Hall on Saturday February 25th from 1PM to 3PM. We will be teaching the “hands only” CPR technique for adults, children and infants as well as how to care for someone who is choking. These are the skills that could help you save the life of a loved one.

Town residents can register by email rustonfire@rustonwa.org or using the sign-up sheet at Town Hall. There are only 12 slots available for this month so be sure to get your name in quickly (ages 10 and up only please). If you miss it this time, don’t worry. We will have many classes this year.   

We look forward to seeing you.

We would like to wish everyone a happy new year and we hope everyone had a terrific holiday season! We want to remind everyone to stay vigilant and if you see something, say something. If something does not seem right, call us and we will check it out. We would rather be safe than sorry. Before you call, some things to make note of is a description of the subject. Race, approximate height and weight, clothing description, if they have any weapons, what they are doing that is suspicious, and a direction of travel if they have left the area. If there is a vehicle involved, the color, approximate year, make / model, size, anything that sticks out such as damage, stickers or accessories, and most importantly is the license plate number.  It is our philosophy that we can make it safer for everyone with the communities help and by working together.

Chief Jeremy Kunkel
Ruston Police Department

The dry winter continues as does the construction in and near our town. This is great for the progress being made on Ruston Way which could open as soon as this spring, truly remarkable, given the scope of this project. Our sewer project also continues to push forward with good progress.  

We have issued the building permits necessary to complete most of the remaining work on The Commencement and look forward to the project being completed by this August/September.

In approving our 2012 Budget council decided to face a very difficult issue head on. The issue surrounds the Ruston school building and the cost of maintenance.  We had to transfer $40,000 into the school fund in 2011 and 2012 we have a $50,000 transfer budgeted. The transfer of funds is coming directly from our surplus fund and is unacceptable. Currently we have one tenant in the building and we are nowhere near covering our costs. Council is evaluating shuttering the building and selling the asset. This is an extremely difficult decision and one that will involve a number of public meetings so we can hear from everyone their thoughts on this issue. Given the amount of time and effort that Mary Joyce spent getting the school back and all the hard work our volunteers put into making the Mary Joyce Center what it is today makes this very difficult. The building has special meaning to many people and council would hope those of you that can attend the meetings come and have your voices heard. Watch the town website for dates and times.

Thanks for reading – your mayor – Bruce Hopkins

The Pierce County Emergency Operations Center will continue collecting damage information from homeowners and business owners affected by the ice & snow storm beginning on January 16th.

Pierce County residents and business owners that suffered damage should call the Pierce County Damage Assessment Center at 1-866-798-6363 (toll free) Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Callers should have the following information available:

 *   Name and address of affected property
 *   Contact information
 *   Type of insurance (homeowners or business) and deductible amount
 *   A description of damage and losses, even if uninsured
 *   Estimates of the fair market value of the damaged home or business (it is not necessary at this point for property owners to have a contractor's estimate)
 *   Individual lost wages due to impact of the storm
 *   Business inventory and revenue losses

The findings from this assessment will be used by the Governor to request a possible disaster declaration and federal disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

This process could take up to a couple of weeks or more. FEMA disaster assistance, if and when it becomes available, only covers uninsured losses.

Among the immediate steps that individuals and families should take include:

 *   Call your insurance agent to check on your coverage
 *   Keep detailed records of all clean-up and repair costs, including photographs
 *   When the time comes to make repairs, be aware of local permit requirements and do a thorough check of potential contractors at https://fortress.wa.gov/lni/bbip/Search.aspx

Visit Pierce County's Blog for up to date emergency information: http://blog.piercecountywa.org/emergency/.



MEDIA CONTACT: Pierce County Emergency Operations Center, 253-798-7470.

In accordance with RCW 35.23.352 and as authorized by the Town Council, the Town of Ruston is now accepting applications for its 2012 Small Works Roster.  The roster will cover projects estimated to cost $100,000 or less.  Required application forms can be obtained from the Town Clerk by phone at (253) 759-3544, by email at townclerk@rustonwa.org, or by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.

In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.   Monday Garbage Pickup will be Tuesday, January 17, 2012.

Happy New Year!

Next Council Meeting will be held Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 7PM