Feb. 1, 2019
CrossTown Trail Opens at Risdon Middle School
A new segment of the CrossTown Trail is now open to the public! The long-awaited section, which is the CrossTown Trail's westernmost segment, is located along the eastern edge of Risdon Middle School. This new segment is a highly anticipated addition to the city’s prized trail system, as it reroutes that portion from a stretch of sidewalk to a more natural, wooded environment.
Community News
Coming Soon: Traffic Lane Striping at Newcastle Elementary School
The city has developed a traffic paint striping plan in an effort to make school drop-offs and pick-ups safer for children and to reduce traffic conflicts near Newcastle Elementary School. This project will create a designated lane for vehicles lining up to pick up and drop off kids for school on 136th Avenue Southeast.

It is anticipated that the project will be implemented this month, depending on the weather.

May Creek Trail Closure
A section of the May Creek Trail will be closed intermittently for maintenance work. The closure will occur from Jan. 30 to Feb. 18. Click the map to view the area of the closure. 

We apologize for the inconvenience! Find alternate trails on the Newcastle Trails map at  newcastlewa.gov/trailsmap .
City Council Roundup | Jan. 15, 2019
Can't make it a Newcastle City Council meeting? We post recaps online after each one.

During the first meeting of 2019, the Newcastle City Council reviewed a draft of a new city sign code. Some major updates are coming to the code that regulates signage in our community. A 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision is driving jurisdictions to re-evaluate their sign regulations to ensure they don’t violate the freedom of speech.

PSE Meter Upgrades
Puget Sound Energy has begun upgrading electric and natural gas metering equipment in parts of Newcastle.

They are changing the meters out in phased geographic areas. Customers will receive letters, emails and automated calls from the company in advance, notifying them when the technicians expect to be on site.

AJI Sushi & Grill Now Open!
AJI Sushi & Grill is now open! Visit the new restaurant at The Shops at Newcastle Commons.
The Newcastle Police Blotter features selected crime reports and traffic citation statistics from across the city. Starting with this edition, there's a new author! Police Chief Jason Houck takes over the duties himself.

The City Council will continue reviewing some major updates coming to the code that regulates signage in our community. They'll also discuss parking regulations at the Feb. 5 meeting.

Escape Room! Tech Talk! Sketching Class! Here's what's happening at the library in February.

Voters who live in the Renton School District received ballots for the February election. The Newcastle City Hall ballot drop box is now open 24 hours a day until 8 p.m. Feb. 12.
The date of the Hazelwood Elementary School pancake breakfast and book fair has been rescheduled to the morning of March 16. The entire community is invited to come enjoy all-you-can-eat pancakes!

Aegis Gardens' Stan Head Cultural Center is a public space where the greater community is invited to attend special seminars, college prep lectures, music recitals, tai chi classes and much more. See what's happening in February!

The Hazelwood Community Association's annual meeting is 7 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Hazelwood Elementary Library. Newcastle Mayor Allen Dauterman will talk about what’s happening in the city, Public Works Director Jeff Brauns will offer updates on projects and Chief Jason Houck will discuss police activities and safety tips.
The next film in the Newcastle Arts Council's Winter Film Series is "Avalon," the 1990 film that tells the touching multi-generational story of a Russian-Jewish family’s life in Baltimore. The film starts at 7 p.m. Feb. 16 at Aegis Gardens. The movie is free, but please email newcastlewaarts@gmail.com by Feb. 9 to RSVP and ensure a spot.
Photo of the Week
"Thank you for helping us ring in the Year of the Pig at Newcastle’s Lunar New Year celebration hosted at Aegis Gardens on Saturday, Jan. 26!  "

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The Newcastle email newsletter is published before every City Council meeting. Learn more about the newsletter, see an archive of past newsletters and sign up to receive it at newcastlewa.gov/newsletters .

Content submissions/ideas for the newsletter? Email  christinac@newcastlewa.gov .