March 15, 2019
And the Diamond Award Goes To...
The Newcastle Chamber of Commerce handed out the 2019 Diamond Awards during a special gala at The Golf Club at Newcastle the evening of March 14. The annual event honors individuals and businesses who give back to the Newcastle community. 

Congratulations to all of the Diamond Awards nominees, finalists and winners! Your contributions make Newcastle a truly special community. 
Community News
You're Invited: City Council Community Conversation
The Newcastle City Council wants to hear from you! Residents are invited to interact with members of the Newcastle City Council during the city’s next Community Conversation event from 6:30-8 p.m. March 21 at the Aegis Gardens Theatre. The new forum is a casual and convenient way for residents to ask their elected officials questions and learn what’s happening in the community.

This event offers citizens a chance to direct the topics of discussion in a more interactive venue than the council’s regular meetings or town hall event. The evening’s format mirrors the town hall’s question and answer session. There is no set agenda or presentation. Residents in the audience will simply have the opportunity to take turns asking councilmembers in attendance questions.

Public input is crucial as your elected officials look to make informed policy decisions in the year ahead. Make a difference in your community and voice your opinion. Bring your questions, ideas and feedback for the Newcastle City Council!
41st District Legislators Host Town Hall
The 41st Legislative District Town Hall featuring state Sen. Lisa Wellman and Reps. Tana Senn and My-Linh Thai is Saturday, March 23 from 10 a.m. to noon at Bellevue College, Room N201. Citizens are invited to come get an update on the 2019 legislative session, learn what's next in the legislative process, and share your comments, concerns and questions with elected leaders.
Get Involved: City Seeking HOA Presidents and Neighborhood Leaders
The city’s all-volunteer Community Activities Commission is working on a project to bring Newcastle neighborhoods together and explore ways the city can support HOAs. The first step is to create an updated master list of HOA/neighborhood contacts. We’re asking HOA presidents (or neighborhood leads, if you don’t have an HOA) to email your name, the name of your neighborhood, email address and whether you'd be interested in a community HOA meet-and-greet, to Community Activities Commissioner Nathan Stix at nathans@newcastlewa.gov .

Coming this spring, the CAC will organize a meet-and-greet of HOA presidents/neighborhood leads. Would you be interested in participating? Contact Nathan with any additional questions!
Spring Recycling Collection Event
Newcastle residents will have the opportunity to dispose of recyclable materials at a city-sponsored collection event April 6. Get a start on your spring cleaning and bring unwanted batteries, styrofoam, cardboard and more to Hazelwood Elementary School from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 
Your Newcastle Police Department is out there catching bad guys, making arrests and keeping the community safe! Read about the latest police happenings in our Newcastle Police Blotter.

On the agenda for the next City Council meeting: New park signs, the city's current standards regarding the expansion of non-conforming businesses in the downtown corridor and more.

King County Elections is hosting a series of candidate workshops for anyone interested in running for office. The free workshops take place at various places across the county through April 20. In Newcastle, four City Council spots will be on the ballot: Positions 1, 2, 3 and 4.

During the March 5 regular meeting, the Newcastle City Council continued discussing updates to the sign code and got a first look at a franchise agreement that would allow a company working on behalf of Verizon to install and expand fiber-optic lines in the city right-of-way.

Did you know Aegis Gardens' Stan Head Cultural Center hosts several events open to the community? The greater community is invited to attend seminars, lectures, music recitals, tai chi and dance classes, ping pong sessions and much more!

The Newcastle Trails annual meeting is Wednesday, March 27 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Newcastle Library. The public meeting is an opportunity for everyone to ask questions, make suggestions and learn about our local trail system and future plans.

Photo of the Week
Spring is really right around the corner! Did you hear? The Newcastle Fruit & Produce Garden Center is now open for the season! The fruit and produce section isn’t up and running just quite yet, but it’s coming soon!

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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 .

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