KP Community Council Elects New Directors

Sara Thompson, KP News

The Key Peninsula Community Council elected officers and welcomed recently elected directors at its meeting Dec. 12. Jeremy Larcom will serve as president, Marcia Harris as vice president, Irene Torres as secretary and Robert McCrossin as treasurer. 

Directors are elected by geographic location, as determined by census tracts, for two-year terms. The areas are named from north to south, with Area 1 northernmost. The number of directors from each area is determined by population, with four directors from Areas 1 and 2, and three from Areas 3 and 4.

The directors elected at the November meeting are:

Area 1: Robert McCrossin (new) and Robert Anderson (incumbent)

Area 2: Irene Torres and Cindy Worden (incumbents) 

Area 3: Don Swensen (incumbent)

Area 4: Marcia Harris and RoxAnne Simon (incumbents)

Newly elected directors join those whose terms end next year. They are Leona Lisa and Chuck West from Area 1; Matthew Dean and Jeremiah Saucier from Area 2; Constance Harris and Jeremy Larcom from Area 3; and Kristen Augusztiny from Area 4. 

McCrossin, owner of Bayside Animal Lodge, said he was asked to consider joining KPC by Danna Webster, a long-serving director. He attended a meeting and decided to throw his hat into the ring. “They were talking about strategic planning, and I thought, from my experience with my business and with my role on The Mustard Seed Project board that I could offer some valuable input. And this gives me another opportunity to help my community,” he said. 

The KPC was incorporated as a nonprofit in 2004. Its primary roles, as described on its website, are engaging in activities that support the interests and wellbeing of Key Peninsula residents; conducting assessments of community needs; monitoring the revision and implementation of the Key Peninsula community elements contained in the Pierce County Comprehensive Plan; advising and influencing government officials, private enterprises and others in ways to improve the Key Peninsula and meet community needs; and promoting positive publicity for the Key Peninsula.

KPC runs School Bus Connects, the Farm Tour and the Youth Advisory Council. Together with the Key Peninsula Business Association, the Key Peninsula Civic Center and KP News, it coordinates the election season candidates forums. It also currently serves as the fiscal sponsor of the Key Peninsula Partnership for a Healthy Community and for the Gig Harbor Key Peninsula Suicide Prevention Coalition. 

Incoming board president Larcom, who is entering his fourth year on the KPC, is a general contractor and father of four elementary school-aged children. He was introduced to the KPC when he met Torres at the Farm Tour and joined the council several months later. “It’s been a really exciting time for the group,” he said, “with all the work with the Partnership for a Healthy Community, making connections and making a difference. The work has been on a much larger scale than in the past, and we will be working soon in strategy sessions to make sure all the good ideas move forward.”

Marcia Harris recalled the early days. Initially there was money available for an office from the Pierce County Council, but that funding ended, and until they opened the office in the KC Corral they did not have space to call their own. Outgoing president West said, “Now that we have the dedicated location, I wonder how we got along without it. We went from begging our directors for money to pay mailing costs to where we are today in just three years.” 

Funding comes largely from grants and rental income. “We interact with government agencies and speak for residents about safety and transportation, and we bring resources to the community,” Larcom said. The KPC has a contracted administrator and volunteers often staff the office to answer questions. 

KPC business hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Meetings, open to the public, are held 7 p.m. every second Wednesday at the Key Center Fire Station. For questions or information, call 253-432-4948, email keypencouncil@gmail.com or contact them by mail at P.O. Box 13, Vaughn WA 98394.