March 31, 2020
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MARCH 31 COVID-19 UPDATE
A Video Message From Mayor Newing and Deputy Mayor Ventrella
In a video message to the community last week, Newcastle Mayor Linda Newing and Deputy Mayor Tony Ventrella encouraged you to Stay Home and Stay Healthy.

"Remember, six feet is a short distance that goes a long way."

Stay Home, Stay Healthy
The governor's "stay home, stay healthy" order requires you to stay home as much as possible and only go out for essential services. For instance: Go to work (if it's an essential employer). Go to the grocery store. Donate blood. Go home. Walk your dog. Just don’t go on vacation. Don’t take a trip to the beach. Don’t visit Grandma. Don’t play basketball with friends. Don’t have a neighborhood picnic. Don’t have kids over to play with your kids. Have more questions about what you can or can't do? Click the button below for more information from the state on what it means to stay home.
Virtual Coffee With a Cop
Have you completed every puzzle in your possession? Finished binge watching “Tiger King” on Netflix? Need something new? Join our Newcastle Police Department for Virtual Coffee with a Cop on Thursday, April 2, at 9 a.m.

Newcastle Police Chief Jason Houck will answer your burning questions. Click the link below to access the Zoom video meeting using any web-enabled device. Once logged in on April 2, you can type your questions using the chat feature at the bottom of the screen and Chief Houck will answer them live.

Bring your questions or email them ahead of time to christinac@newcastlewa.gov by 5 p.m. April 1.
Newcastle's April Public Meeting Schedule
The City of Newcastle is making changes to its public meeting schedule for the month of April, following new guidance issued from state officials. The April 7 Newcastle City Council meeting is canceled, as are the April meetings of the volunteer Community Activities and Planning Commissions.

To protect the health of our staff, public officials and residents during the COVID-19 outbreak, the City transitioned all public meetings to the video-conferencing platform Zoom. Under new policy direction from the state, online meetings are still permitted, however, Cities can only conduct business that is considered essentially urgent or related to the COVID-19 response.

The Newcastle City Council will next convene on April 21 for a regularly-scheduled meeting. The agenda and information on how to participate in the Zoom video-conference meeting will be released closer to April 21.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. 
King County Postpones Property Tax Deadline
Individual residential and commercial taxpayers who pay property taxes themselves, rather than through their mortgage lender, can delay payment until June 1, 2020, due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. Banks and other financial institutions that pay property taxes on behalf of their lending customers will still need to meet the original April 30 deadline. Click the button below to read the full press release from King County.
Waste Management Service Alerts
At this time, collections continue on regular service days. However, WM has temporarily suspended the bulky waste collection so all available resources may be dedicated to regular curbside collection. Please do not place bulky items at the curb as they will not be collected. Bulky waste collection will resume at a date yet to be determined – after the COVID-19 crisis passes.

Additionally, Waste Management's call center has reopened and customer service agents are now working remotely.

For more information on any service changes, please go to http://servicealerts.wmnorthwest.com/newcastle .
Special Hours: QFC and Safeway
In case you missed it, the Newcastle QFC has joined Safeway in offering special shopping hours for at-risk members of our community.

  • Safeway: 7-9 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday
  • QFC: 7-8 a.m. Monday through Thursday

Please avoid shopping at these times so that the stores can be available for senior citizens (60+) and other higher-risk customers, as defined by the CDC.
Reporting Business Violations
We've received several messages from concerned Newcastle residents regarding local businesses and/or citizens not complying with Gov. Inslee's Stay Home, Stay Healthy order. Yesterday, Gov. Inslee established a new online form to report business violations directly to the state. Please note that the form is only to report suspected business violations. Businesses operating in violation could receive citations or lose their business license.
Newcastle To Go
Newcastle Mayor Linda Newing made it  #NewcastleToGo  and picked up dinner from one of Newcastle's newest eateries this week. Support Newcastle businesses during this difficult time! View a full list of delivery/takeout options for local Newcastle restaurants at  newcastletogo.com.
Helpful Newcastle Links
City of Newcastle |  newcastlewa.gov  

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 .