Prevent Street Flooding

Each year, Tacoma gets about 40 inches of rain, with nearly 4 inches of it falling within just 24 hours. When that much rain comes down that fast – the City’s stormwater system can get overwhelmed and some city streets and low areas can flood.
 

What can you do about street flooding? If your street is flooding, it is usually caused by a storm drain that is covered with leaves, plastic bags or other debris.

The City Streets and Grounds department suggests using a rake, broom or blower to regularly remove debris from the street storm drain grate near your home or business. With more than 17,000 storm
drains to manage, the City can’t get to them all during heavy rains – citizens must do their part.

If the storm drain in your street is clear and there is still street flooding, call the City Sewer Utility Department at (253) 591-5585.

A North Slope Secret...Revealed!

Learn "The Secrets of the Garfield Gulch!"

You may walk through it everyday--or your house might even sit on top of it.  We promise you'll learn at least one thing about the North Slope you didn't know before, when you: click here.

Make a Difference in Your Neighborhood

Get Involved with the North Slope

Do you have an idea for a future neighborhood event?  Looking for a way to make a positive impact on your community?  Consider joining one of our North Slope committees.  The time needed to be involved is minimal but your contribution could be huge!  Current committees are: 

-         Social

-         Communications

-         Public Works/Historic Preservation

-         Park/Beautification

-         Safety

For more information, e-mail us at: news@tacomanorthslope.com.

Download Your Very Own Walking Tour

of the North Slope

Prepared in the summer of 2008 for visiting dignitaries from around the state, now you can download your very own walking tour of the North Slope Historic District.

This project was funded by Historic Tacoma, the North End Neighborhood Council and your very own, North Slope Historic District.

Our thanks to everyone that worked on this including the researchers; Brian Kamens, Marshall McClintock, Kim O'Rourke and Caroline Swope of Historic Tacoma. It was designed and edited by Erin E. Clarkson.

To download your copy, just click here.

Bring On Your Questions.....

The North Slope House Doctor Is In!

Q: I’d like to repair  -- rather than replace --  my wood windows.  Any ideas?

A: Excellent choice!  Replacement windows are called that because you keep replacing them!  Restoring and maintaining your original wood windows makes sense in a number of ways.  Contrary to what window manufacturers advertise, you lose relatively little energy through windows and tuning up your old sashes will stop most of that energy loss. 

The density of the wood in your old windows can’t be matched today, which means they are stronger and more rot resistant.   As well, it is generally less expensive to repair wood windows than to replace.  Even windows that are quite deteriorated can be repaired with excellent results.  It’s also not environmentally responsible to replace old windows with new ones that will have to be junked and replaced every decade or two. 

Finally, once original material is removed from a building, it’s gone forever.  If you don’t’ want to do the work yourself there are local firms that repair old wood windows.  I’ve heard good things about Legacy Windows (474-5175).  If you would rather do the work yourself there is an informative article in October’s 2008 issue of This Old House Magazine that describes the process.  Also—get on the internet and google “repairing old windows” for a number of articles that show the process, step by step, with photos. 

Interested in attending a workshop on repairing wood windows or do you have a question for the North Slope House Doctor?  Send your comments or questions to news@tacomanorthslope.com.

Browse As You Wish

New Features Added To North Slope Website

No--we can't claim to take credit for inventing the Internet, but every once in a while our untrained, unpaid staff of one has some time to make improvements to this very website.

Here are some of the new features (all areas appear in the far-left column):

Historic District:

Learn how the North Slope became a nationally recognized historic district

Maintaining Our District:

It's a great start to help you learn the advantages, resources and responsibilities of living in the North Slope.

In The News:

Read articles that have written about the North Slope as well as some of our favorite pieces that have run in "The Trolley Times" and other publications.

Find Your Home:

Find the description of any North Slope property listed in the National Historic Register.

Past Events:

Find recaps of some of our popular events and programs over the years.

Call Before You Hammer!

Exterior changes to your house or garage, other than painting and minor repair, must be reviewed by the Tacoma Landmarks Commission. This includes:

-changing or replacing windows.

-changing siding.

-adding, replacing or changing a porch or deck.

Before starting any exterior work, contact Reuben McKnight, our city Historic Preservation Officer, at 591-5220 or Reuben.McKnight@ci.tacoma.wa.us. He can tell you if your project needs a design review and how to proceed if it does.

Click here to download the guidelines.

Would you like to be notified via e-mail

when the North Slope Historic District

has new educational or social events ?

Sign up here and we’ll e-mail you the latest

North Slope news as it happens!

Sign up for North Slope Email Updates Here!

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Of course, we completely respect your privacy and will not share your personal information or e-mail address with anyone.