A founder of the Newcastle Historical Society, Swanson knew more about Newcastle’s history than anyone, because he actually lived it. Swanson died at the age of 95 in January 2014. In this month’s history feature, Newcastle City Councilman, and history buff, Rich Crispo recalls his favorite Swanson stories.

I had the good fortune to know Milt and spend almost every Wednesday afternoon with him during the two years prior to his death. I was thirsting for information about our city and Milt was always willing to share his personal experiences.

By Greg Farrar
Milt Swanson, recalling the happiness and the hardship of a lifetime lived in Newcastle, poses in a 2012 photo, sitting among the artifacts of local history that he had collected and stored in a makeshift museum building on his property.

Milt was born in a house near the current Coal Creek Family YMCA and lived in the house at the corner of Newcastle Golf Club Road and Lakemont Boulevard since 1922, when his father rented the property from the Pacific Coast Coal Co. Milt told me many stories. Here are two of them:

1.) Did you ever wonder about the slight dips in Newcastle Golf Club Road as you drive over them? The topography along Coal Creek was very different in 1863, when coal production started, than it is today.

South of the creek was a flood plain, and a series of small ravines fed ground water and rain water from the hills to the south into the creek. The first dirt road above the flood plain and along the ravines included a series of bridges made from cedar logs.

Over time, mine waste was dumped along the road, and the ravines and the flood plain were filled in. When it came time to pave the road, the path went right over the existing bridges. Eventually the logs rotted out and the road surface dipped a bit.

The next time you drive along the road, count the dips. Some are obvious while others are subtler.

2.) All of the mine tunnels had air shafts reaching to the surface. One such shaft is located where Newcastle Golf Club Road meets Lakemont Boulevard.

During a heavy rainstorm in the 1960s, a stream of water came down from Cougar Mountain and crossed the covered shaft. The top covering collapsed and dammed up the hole well below the surface. As a result, the hole filled up with water.

A Boeing employee driving his station wagon on the way to work tried to drive across the “puddle.” His car started falling down into the hole, but luckily hung up on the edge.

He called for a wrecker and one came from Renton and stopped on the other side of the puddle. The driver walked around, attached a pull chain, and proceeded to pull the wagon completely into the hole and beneath the water.  The car was removed with the help of another truck.

Shortly after the car was removed, the dam in the hole broke and fell into the abandoned mine far below. The hole was eventually closed using concrete, cedar logs, mine rock and asphalt. That fix has lasted for 50 years and the next time you drive that route look for the circular indentations in the road surface near the curve.

Want to hear more about Milt’s stories and the history of your city? Email me at crispo@comcast.net.

Newcastle pioneer Milt Swanson passes away

Family, neighbors and community leaders gathered Jan. 25 to honor the life of Milt Swanson, a titan of Newcastle history and a man with an unceasing, warming smile.

The Newcastle pioneer, born and raised in this community, spent all of his 95 years in the same area, 90 of which were in the same company house that still stands at the edge of town near the Cougar Mountain trailhead.

Swanson died Jan. 20 after a Jan. 14 fall sent him to a hospital, where he lapsed into a coma.

He knew more about the city’s vast coal-mining history than anyone, because he actually lived it. He worked in the mines, as his father and grandfather did before him, and it was vital to him to tell his story, making sure the history of Newcastle never died.

“It was important to him to allow as many people who were interested to understand the beginnings of the city they live in,” Newcastle City Councilman Rich Crispo said. “He loved this community.”

Council elects new mayor, deputy mayor

The Newcastle City Council ushered in 2014 with elections for the mayor and deputy mayor positions at its Jan. 7 meeting.

Steve Buri was elected mayor, while newcomer John Drescher is the new deputy mayor. Both will serve two-year terms.

Buri was elected to the City Council in 2007 and re-elected in 2011. He served as deputy mayor from 2008-2011.

Drescher was the new face on the council, having defeated opponent Mark Greene to fill the seat vacated by retiring Councilman Bill Erxleben in the November election.

Prior to that, he served on the Newcastle Planning Commission for four years, and as the board’s chairman for the past year and a half.

Neighbors voice concerns about Energize Eastside

A Puget Sound Energy project to bring higher capacity electric transmission lines to a growing Eastside caused controversy across affected cities, including Newcastle, in 2014.

Olympus residents in particular voiced their concerns about Energize Eastside at City Council meetings and public forums.

PSE’s Community Advisory Group recently presented its recommended routes, and both include a line that goes through Newcastle.

This story appears far from over though, as affected cities, led by Bellevue, come together to hire an independent consultant to research the project, and work through the Environmental Impact Statement process.

Old Hazelwood comes down to make way for middle school

The Renton School District demolished the old Hazelwood Elementary School in 2014 to make way for a new middle school.

The district’s fourth middle school comes at an important time, given that Renton’s middle schools are among the largest in the state.

The new school is slated to open in fall 2016.

Newcastle Days celebrates 20 years

The city of Newcastle celebrated its 20 years as an incorporated city with a special Newcastle Days celebration.

New to this year’s annual festival was a parade featuring youth groups and individuals dressed as coal miners in a nod to the city’s history.

“Really, when you think about it, 20 years isn’t old for even a tree, but there’s been a huge amount of change here in Newcastle in the last 20 years,” said Community Activities Commission Chairwoman Diane Lewis, one of the festival’s organizers.

Newport Woods community concerned about proposed development

A proposed multifamily, mixed-use development along Newcastle Way, just beside City Hall, has Newport Woods neighbors wondering how much longer the city will remain the quaint Newcastle they fell in love with.

The application calls for a 76-unit, 64-foot mixed-use building set on just under an acre of land in what is now a wooded area next to Newcastle City Hall. A trail along the Olympic pipeline is about the only thing that would separate it from homes on the edge of the Newport Woods community.

If approved as is, the six-story building would be the tallest in the city.

Renton History Museum features Newcastle exhibit

The Renton History Museum partnered with the Newcastle Historical Society to create an exhibit dedicated to Newcastle’s past.

“Newcastle: Little Giant of the Eastside,” feature pictures, maps and objects from Newcastle’s coal-mining past. The exhibit has information about the cemetery, as well as the Baima House, a still-standing Pacific Coast Coal Co. house, considered among the oldest buildings in King County.

The exhibit will be on display at the Renton History Museum through February 2015.

In September, the council authorized City Manager Rob Wyman to enter into a purchase-sale agreement for the Coal Creek Utility District-owned property on 129th Avenue Southeast.

In exchange for the property appraised at $750,000, the city would agree to pay $250,000 and forfeit its legal right to assume the utility district for 10 years.

It’s the non-assumption clause, in particular, that has some current, and one former, council members questioning the logic of the agreement.

“I was perplexed by this decision from the start,” Deputy Mayor John Drescher said, “and it only gets uglier the closer you look at it.

“The need for the building is suspect, the cost is unnecessary because it would be zero if we chose to assume the CCUD, but most of all I cannot believe we would surrender a potentially valuable city right to assume the district for 10 long years.”

Drescher was one of three council members who voted against the initial agreement, along with Councilmen Gordon Bisset and Rich Crispo. It passed 4-3, though, Sept. 16.

The building would serve as a place to store and work on the city’s public works vehicles, which are currently parked at City Hall. It’s an ideal location, just down the street from City Hall.

The property wasn’t for sale, said Robert Russell, Coal Creek Utility District’s general manager, but the city of Newcastle expressed interest, so they entered into discussions about an agreement.

The utility district worked with the city to offer a budget-friendly price for the $750,000 property, Russell said. The result was the $250,000 price tag and the 10-year non-assumption clause.

The non-assumption agreement is important, he added, because it “gives the district assurance to be able to plan for the future and know we are going to be around.”

“It seemed like a win-win for us and the city,” he said.

The agreement unjustly binds the hands of future city councils, though, according to former Newcastle City Councilman Sonny Putter.

The longtime councilman spoke as a citizen during the council’s public comment period Nov. 3, and contended that the deal was illegal and a misuse of public funds.

“You’re going to spend $250,000 for an asset that you could get for zero cost, that, I maintain, is a violation of your fiduciary duty to the city,” he told the council.

The city does have the legal right to take over the utility district. All it would need is four votes of the council and approval from the King County Boundary Review Board to assume all of the district’s assets.

Newcastle is in no position to make such a move, though, Councilman John Dulcich said at the Dec. 16 meeting, after Drescher proposed rescinding the previous agreement.

“We heard our city manager the other day talk about how full up the staff is, how there’s not another thing they can do,” Dulcich said. “For people to think that we could assume the district and it’s a plug and play, is wrong. It’s going to take time and effort and we don’t have the capacity in-house at this point.”

Dulcich added that he felt the initial agreement was a good deal, and didn’t see the non-assumption clause as an “egregious or errorful action.”

Drescher’s Dec. 16 attempt to rescind approval for the agreement automatically failed when the vote ended in a 3-3 tie, with Councilwoman Lisa Jensen absent.

“I am not currently advocating the need to assume, but I believe it is my responsibility to maintain and strengthen the financial tools at our disposal — not surrender them,” he said. “I also believe that compelling future councils to uphold the surrendering of this right is far from clear in the law.”

The agreement has not yet been finalized, Russell said, as legal counsels on both sides work through it. He said he had hoped it would get finished before the end of the year, but that is no longer possible.

The City Council will have at least one more chance to vote on the agreement’s funding, though it is unclear when that will be, as both sides continue to work on it.

By Greg Farrar
Rich Crispo, Newcastle councilman, stands next to a display case with Milt Swanson’s coal miner helmet and an information poster honoring the late 95-year-old Newcastle native’s contributions to preserving the city’s history. The Renton History Museum’s Newcastle retrospective exhibit is on display until Feb. 7.

The first thing visitors see upon walking into the Renton History Museum’s Newcastle exhibit is, appropriately, a tribute to a man that means so much to the city’s history.

Milt Swanson’s mining helmet emblazoned with his name along the side greets museumgoers while sitting in a clear display case.

It’s appropriate because Swanson, the Newcastle pioneer born and raised in the community, spending 90 of his 95 years living in the same company house that still stands at the edge of town near the Cougar Mountain trailhead, cared immensely about Newcastle’s history, and made it his mission to preserve it.

Swanson passed away in January, but his memory and coal-mining history are preserved in the new exhibit, featuring many of his own artifacts.

“Milt would’ve been really, really happy,” Newcastle City Councilman Rich Crispo said of the exhibit. “It really honors not only his memory, but the memory of the city. I think it’s just great.”

“Newcastle: Little Giant of the Eastside” debuted Sept. 9 and is set to run at the Renton History Museum until Feb. 7. It features pictures, maps and objects, most on loan courtesy of the Newcastle Historical Society, from Newcastle’s coal-mining past.

It’s the first time the museum has collaborated with another historical organization, collections manager Sarah Samson said.

“Mostly, what we were trying to convey is what it was like to live in Newcastle during that time period,” she said. “It was pretty much strictly a mining town, so a large part of the exhibit focuses on the mine and life in a mining town.”

There are features about the still-standing Baima House and the Newcastle Cemetery, as well as a wall-sized present-day map pinpointing several historical locations.

“People can figure out, my house is here, but this is what used to be here,” Samson said.

The artifacts range from mining tools to wine-making devices, because, as Samson noted, “there were a lot of Italians” in Newcastle. But it’s not the exhibit objects that stand out, Crispo said, it’s the history behind them.

“The artifacts themselves are not as important to me as the stories that they tell,” he said. “The best part about all of this for me, is that if somebody were to say, ‘Tell me a little bit about this picture,’ I can tell them a story. I learned so many stories from Milt that I’m able to do that with just about everything that’s in here.”

It made sense to do an exhibit about Renton’s Newcastle neighbor, because there is so much shared history among the cities, Samson said.

“The exhibit is a really good comprehensive introduction to Newcastle history,” she said. “Personally, I am a history person, but I think it’s really important to understand the history of where you’re living.”

The Newcastle City Council explored the possibility of adding a youth voice to its government structure at its Sept. 16 regular meeting.

The discussion comes after Newcastle teen James Ricks approached Mayor Steve Buri about the feasibility of creating a youth advisory board to the council.

“I want youth to care about Newcastle,” Ricks said. “Whether that’s evident in service projects, involvement in planning activities or tutoring, I want youth to be involved because they care about the city they live in.”

Ricks met with Buri, City Manager Rob Wyman and Community Activities Liaison Wendy Kirchner in July to hammer out a vision for the city’s youth involvement.

It’s not yet clear how exactly it would look — some suggested a youth spot on the Community Activities Commission, others mentioned a separate youth advisory committee — but all council members agreed there was value in hearing from the city’s adolescents.

“I think it’s terrific when we have young folks that really want to participate and get involved,” Newcastle City Councilman Rich Crispo said.

Buri and Kirchner also talked about somehow partnering with the already established Teen Leadership Board jointly facilitated by the Newcastle Library and the Coal Creek Family YMCA.

A few obstacles remain. For instance, the four-year term that Community Activities Commissioners serve isn’t ideal for a youth representative that will most likely graduate and leave home at some point.

That rule could be changed, though, Buri noted, reducing a youth seat term to one or two years.

Deputy Mayor John Drescher suggested an internship-style appointment, wherein a youth representative would sit in on Community Activities meetings and participate, but not serve as a full-voting member.

Councilwoman Carol Simpson said she was concerned about the length of service requirements and the breadth of students’ involvement, but overall applauded the suggestion.

“Our education system and our youth are the future,” she said. “If we don’t have you sitting in the seats here, finding out about your government and being a part, we are not grabbing the future.”

The discussion was particularly relevant as two vacancies on the Community Activities Commission opened due to term expirations. Longtime Commissioner Angela Ursino and Commissioner Vicki Hupf elected not to continue their service.

Ricks, a junior at Liberty High School, said he’s flexible in how a youth voice is added to the city.

“I think it’s just good to let the youth in our community know that they can make a difference if they feel so inclined,” he said.

The Newcastle City Council made no final decisions on the matter, electing instead to send the issue to the Community Activities Commission for discussion and final recommendation.

By Greg Farrar
Immigrants from around the world, who passed citizenship tests and renounced allegiances to the countries of their birth, take the oath of allegiance from officials of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services July 23 during a naturalization ceremony at the Newcastle Library.

July 23 is an important day for Newcastle resident Hui Russell.

On that day, four years ago, she relocated to the United States from China to marry and spend the rest of her life with then-fiancé Michael Russell.

On July 23, 2014, her link to the United States became forever cemented when she joined 10 others at the Newcastle Library for a special naturalization ceremony.

The 11 Eastside residents walked into the facility as citizens of China, Indonesia, Jamaica, South Korea, Taiwan, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and emerged as American citizens.

“It means that I can vote,” Hui said. “It means that I can get a U.S. passport. It is a great honor to be an American citizen.”

Representatives from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services administered the oath ceremony for new citizens in front of a crowd that included state Rep. Judy Clibborn, Newcastle Mayor Steve Buri and City Councilmembers Lisa Jensen, Rich Crispo and Carol Simpson.

During the administration of the Oath of Allegiance, new citizens “absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance” to their past country, and in turn promise to “support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States.”

In one of the more poignant moments of the ceremony, the USCIS representative told the candidates to stand before they took the oath, thoughtfully reminding them that “the next time you sit, you’ll be an American.”

Several thoughts were running through Hui’s mind at that point, she said, but mostly, it represented the fulfillment of a dream that began when she first came to the states.

“I thought, ‘My life is going to change. I’m going to be an American citizen forever.’ That’s the moment you know that I’m getting there. I’m finally getting there,” she said with a smile.

It was just as satisfying for her husband Michael, as he sat in the audience. The couple, who met in China several years ago when he went there to teach English, has been married almost four years now. They moved to Newcastle in November 2013.

It was the first such ceremony at the Newcastle Library, though Linda M. Dougherty, USCIS field office director, noted that her department had wanted to hold one in Newcastle since construction began on the library.

It was quite an honor that the library had the opportunity to play a part in such a significant life moment for the 11 attendees, King County Library System cluster manager Amy Eggler said in her welcome remarks.

And Newcastle Library staff members took that to heart, decorating the building’s main meeting room with red, white and blue wall coverings. They also ordered a special congratulatory cake for attendees.

Hazen High School junior Arnelie Dela Cruz opened the festivities with a soulful rendition of the national anthem. Dela Cruz was crowned “The Voice” of the Newcastle Library on July 12; she defeated eight other competitors to get the chance to sing at the ceremony.

During the half-hour ceremony, attendees and their families were treated to a taped video from President Barack Obama, congratulatory remarks from Buri and a speech from Imelda Dulcich, Newcastle Chamber of Commerce executive director.

Dulcich is a naturalized citizen herself, having come to America from Ireland. She told a story about what she called an “embarrassing” family tradition, when her parents would make her and her siblings give concerts and sing traditional Gaelic songs after coming to the States.

She remembers those times fondly, now, and understands the importance of those concerts, she said.

“That’s my heritage I bring with me and all of you have that heritage, too,” she told the new U.S. citizens. “Even though you’re embracing your new country, you always will have the old country in your heart. So, combine them and go forth with your future.”

The Newcastle City Council approved a six-month moratorium on marijuana-related business activity within Newcastle, at its July 1 meeting.

“A moratorium is simply a procedural mechanism this council can adopt to literally hold the status quo as is, meaning, it gives you six months to review something,” city attorney Dawn Reitan told council members. “Nothing comes in while that happens.”

Councilman Gordon Bisset made the motion instituting the moratorium. It passed 4-3, with council members Lisa Jensen, Carol Simpson and Rich Crispo dissenting.

Mayor Steve Buri called the moratorium a “sensible mid-step,” and Deputy Mayor John Drescher supported it, too, even though he said he would eventually like to pursue a ban on marijuana businesses in Newcastle.

“We are taking the opportunity to try to say not in the 4.4-square miles of Newcastle do we want to in any way encourage this use or business,” Drescher said.

A moratorium didn’t quite seem necessary, Crispo said, given the low probability a business could legally operate in Newcastle.

City staff considers the potential for any marijuana-related business activity in Newcastle very low due to state Liquor Control Board rules on where marijuana facilities can set up shop.

The board requires a 1,000-foot separation between marijuana facilities and places such as parks, libraries and schools. Only the Shell gas station, the Coal Creek Utility District building, and the Hansen Moving and Storage Building could facilitate that.

Also, the state’s marijuana retail license lottery came and went without any impacts on Newcastle.

“It’s not that I’m voting for marijuana in Newcastle, because I don’t want to see it necessarily, but I don’t believe in voting for things that don’t make a lot of sense to me, and this doesn’t make a lot of sense to me,” Crispo said.

City staff will now craft a work plan on how the city will use the six months and bring it back to the council for review.

About 130 residents armed with electronic voting clickers responded to poll questions at the city’s annual town hall meeting held June 3 at The Golf Club at Newcastle.

Unlike the town hall in October, this meeting was less presentation-based and more about soliciting resident feedback on a variety of topics, including marijuana and Lake Boren Park improvements.

The electronic voting devices allowed residents to offer real-time responses, and gave City Council members and staff a better idea of their citizens’ priorities.

At the town hall, the majority of residents polled expressed hesitancy about extra pay structures to fund Lake Boren Park and road improvements.

When asked if they would support a bond to upgrade or add improvements to Lake Boren Park, 54 percent of attendees responded no, while 62 percent said no to the establishment of a $20 car-tab fee to help maintain the city’s road system.

Sixty-five percent of those polled said they were not in favor of seeing marijuana processing, production or retail establishments in the city. The Newcastle City Council has considered a marijuana moratorium in the past, including shooting one down in December. The board took a look at it again in the May 6 meeting, but had tabled the discussion until July 1.

City staff considers the potential for any marijuana-related business activity in Newcastle very low due to state Liquor Control Board rules on where marijuana facilities can set up shop. Also, the state’s marijuana retail license lottery came and went without any impacts on Newcastle.

In what was the most one-sided response of the evening, 92 percent of those polled said they would be in favor of a distinct ZIP code for Newcastle.

“That result does not surprise me,” Mayor Steve Buri told the audience. “Since I’ve been on the council, and in many years prior, there have been various attempts to get Newcastle a ZIP code. We’ve obviously not been successful, but there are some new ideas that are being considered and it’s something we can continue to pursue.”

The city last petitioned for its own ZIP code in 2009, but the local U.S. Postal Service denied it. At the time, the city’s formal presentation to postal service managers cited delivery issues and a loss of sales tax based on improper coding as reasons a unique ZIP code was necessary.

Newcastle also applied for a ZIP code in 1994 and 2004. Cities must wait five years between ZIP code requests.

After the poll questions, residents had the opportunity to take to the microphone and ask questions and provide comments.

More than a few residents had concerns about speeding on their streets and asked the city to consider speed bumps in their neighborhoods.

Councilman Rich Crispo pointed out that the residential speed limit in the state of Washington is 25 mph, and encouraged citizens to make sure they adhere to it.

“It’s not a thoroughfare, it’s not a highway, and you only have a speed problem or a requirement of speed bumps because people in our own towns don’t recognize that this is for a safety reason,” he said. “We do not have a right to go five miles over the speed limit in a neighborhood. You just don’t.”

I’m used to being the only one at Newcastle City Council meetings.

I sit there, alone, as the council conducts its business in front of an audience of one.

Christina Corrales-Toy

It can get lonely, I’ll admit, watching council members deliberate as I sit surrounded by a sea of empty chairs.

Imagine what a thrill it was for me, then, when City Hall was packed for the April 1 City Council meeting. There must have been about 50 residents there, mostly from the Olympus neighborhood, to hear what Puget Sound Energy representatives had to say about its Energize Eastside project.

It was the most well-attended council meeting I have ever been to in my nearly two years with the paper. It was so packed that reinforcements were brought in, in the form of extra chairs I had never seen before.

There was also a buzz and anticipation in the room I had never encountered. It was refreshing to see neighbors interact before the meeting and exciting, for me, to have someone to strike up a conversation with as I sat in the audience.

I understand that hot-button topics, such as the one that night, naturally attract more of a crowd, but it’s a shame that a constituent-packed council chamber doesn’t occur more often.

I’ll be the first one to admit that council meetings aren’t the most exciting affairs, especially at 7 on a weeknight. They’re not all bad, though. The council deals with important business, and along the way, you get to learn a thing or two about the people you elected.

For example, did you know that Councilman Gordon Bisset and his wife Diane recently celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary? You would if you went to a meeting.

So, come out to a meeting and see council members Lisa Jensen, Carol Simpson, John Drescher, Steve Buri, John Dulcich, Rich Crispo and Bisset in action. They meet at 7 p.m. the first and third Tuesday of every month at City Hall.

While you’re there, say hi to this lonely reporter, too!

The council voted down a motion, 4-3, seeking to extend the liaison through the end of the year.

A council liaison was appointed last year to help the volunteer board as it transitioned from the Parks Commission to the Community Activities Commission.

Councilman Rich Crispo, who led the changes to the commission, was chosen to serve as the liaison. The council representative acted as a nonvoting member of the advisory board; the position was set to expire at the end of March.

Prior to the vote, Linda Newing, vice chairwoman of the Community Activities Commission, addressed the City Council, speaking on behalf of the board in saying that the liaison was an appreciated addition.

“We feel an extension of this position is value added and it’s not an expenditure to the city,” she said. “It’s just another communication tool that really helps in getting our progress moving.”

The commissioners’ own desire to keep the position was the main reason Councilman Gordon Bisset and Councilwoman Lisa Jensen said they supported an extension for the liaison.

“I believe the Community Activities Commission has requested this just about every meeting that I’ve gone to. They’re in agreement 7-0 that they need this position and it’s really helped,” Bisset said.

After a year of transition, though, and with the new addition of a city staff member whose responsibilities include working with the Community Activities Commission, the majority of the council felt it was time to let the council member liaison position expire.

The city staff welcomed new addition Wendy Kirchner in February. Kirchner’s official title is community activities liaison. She works closely with the Community Activities Commission.

“It’s important to learn that the staff person is there to assist the Community Activities Commission and to support the commission and to report back to council on what the commission’s recommendations are,” Councilwoman Carol Simpson said. “At this time, I’d like to see our staff person be given a chance to take that role.”

Deputy Mayor John Drescher also added that with the progress the commissioners had made since the board’s shakeup, the extra crutch of the council member liaison wasn’t really necessary.

“They were crawling and walking, and now I think with Wendy in place, and with the quality of people on the Community Activities Commission, they’re ready to run on their own,” he said.

The decision to axe the council member liaison, though, was another example of the City Council ignoring a commission recommendation, a disturbing trend, according to Crispo, who supported extending the position.

Earlier this year, the council decided against the commission’s proposition to extend Newcastle Days to two days and change the date, due to a lack of time to acquire sponsors and manage logistics. Newcastle Days 2014 will occur the first Saturday of September, as it has in the past.

“You have the right to make this call, make the call,” Crispo said, “but just recognize that you’ve got volunteers out there that are trying to do the best they can for the city, and when they’re asking for something, they probably should be respected.”