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Special Announcements

These special notices will announce new services, programs, or issues of concern to local residents.  Most of them will be announcements about short-term community concerns and will be removed when the situation has passed.


The new sign visible from Hwy 12 at the Rochester Community Center

 

New 08-04-15    ROOF School Supplies Needed ROOF is asking for donations of school supplies and money to help low-income Rochester children.  Donations may be dropped off at ROOF Community /services, 10140 Hwy 12 SW.  Checks may be made out to ROOF.

School Supplies will be collected now thruogh August 21st and will be handed out at ROOF to low-income students on August 26th & 27th from 10:00-12:00 & 1:00-4:00.  Items needed are: pens, pencils, 3-ring binders (1" & 2") Crayons-24 count, folders, colored pencils, college rule paper, pink erasers, spiral notebooks, glue sticks, supply bpox, backpacks, scissors.

New 08-04-15 Horizons Community Appreciation Day  The Rochester Grand Mound Horizons will be having a Community Appreciation Day at Swede Hall on Sunday August 23, 2015 at 2:00 PM.   It is to honor local people who have exhibited leadership in taking action to make our community a better place to live. There will be a light refreshment served and everyone is encouraged to attend this free event. 

Updated 04-03-12   Rochester Community Closet  The Rochester Community Closet washing machine has died and they desperately need a replacement.  If anyone has a used one in good shape they could donate it would be very much appreciated.  Some generous person has donated a washer - Thank You.  They also are in need clothes, especially kids sizes.  There are about 400 individuals who visit each month for clothing needs.  If you or someone you know would like to donate gently used or new clothing & shoes, you can drop them off at the clothing bank at 18206 Corvallis Street, Monday 4-6 pm, Wednesday 3-5 pm and Friday 10-12 noon

If you or someone you know would like to donated gently used or new clothing & shoes, you can drop them off at the clothing bank at 18206 Corvallis Street, Monday 4-6 pm, Wednesday 3-5 pm and Friday 10-12 noon.  
Country Real Estate is also accepting donations all week,
Monday through Saturday from 9:30 am to 6 pm.

The Rochester Clothing Closet contact is:
 Susie Hawes, 360-280-7797 or June Gelvin 360-350-8443.

New 03-15-12   Rochester Community Gardens  Garden plots to raise your own vegetables are available for rent.  They are located in "Independence Park" behind Rochester Community Center.  View the flyer for additional information by clicking here.

New 02-08-12   Thurston County Solid Waste  Ever wonder what to do with those old vitamins or that prescription you no longer need?  Law enforcement offices throughout Thurston County will accept your unwanted medications for free.  Group Health also accepts medications but cannot take controlled substances. Locations and hours are listed at www.co.thurston.wa.us/solidwaste/publications/medicine-return.pdf

Only 17 of 39 counties in the state have take-back programs available.  Many of those are in jeopardy due to a lack of local funding.  Currently, our state legislators are deciding on a bill that will provide a statewide collection program, funded by the manufacturers. 
A similar and very successful program is in place in Vancouver BC, which has not caused an increase in drug prices to consumers.  It is estimated the Washington program would cost manufacturers two pennies per $32 prescription.

New 10-21-11   Stone Soup Ministries   Free Soup Supper every Saturday evening starting September 17th from 5:00 to 6:30 PM.  The location is   18214 Corvallis St. SW in Rochester, WA.  (the yellow house next to the United Methodist Church).  For more information, or to volunteer or make donations contact Sue Boyd at 360-259-1857 or Honey Neeely at 360-273-9424 or e-mail: stonesoupministries@hotmail.com 

New 04-06-11   Rural & Tribal Transportation (R/T)  R/T is a transportation program that offers service in the Rochester, Tenino, Tumwater, Centralia, and Bucoda areas. R/T provides transportation to the communities to link with Intercity Transit in Olympia and with Twin Transit in Centralia.  Any one who lives in Rochester is eligible to use the services provided by R/T.   You can learn more about the Rural &  Tribal Transportation program by visiting their website at:  www.Transpro.org  On the Transpro website, the R/T link is on the left hand side of the screen listed as RT Transit.

New 02-17-11  The Freedom Foundation   The Freedom Foundation is looking for property owners who have stories to tell about their experience with Thurston County. If you have a story to tell, call Scott Roberts at 360-956-3482

New 12-07-10  Gate City Globe - Issue 10  Issue 10 of the Gate City Globe can be viewed and/or printed by clicking here.  The Gate City Globe is a publication about the Historic Gate area of Rochester.  This is a PDF file and you will need the Adobe Reader on your computer to open this document.  If you don't have Adobe Reader you can download a free copy from the Adobe.com website at:  http://get.adobe.com/reader/?promoid=BUIGO

New 03-11-10  "Swede Hall" Calendar  The Grand Mound Rochester Citizens Group's facility known as "Swede Hall" can be rented for special occasions such as meetings, wedding receptions, memorial services, etc. A calendar of the events happening at Swede Hall can be viewed by going to: http://calender.yahoo.com/swedehall to see if the building is available for the date you might wish to rent it.  For more information phone 360-273-7974 and leave a message or e-mail SwedeHall@yahoo.com

New 05-28-09  Rochester United Methodist Church Closet   The Rochester United Methodist Church has just started a "Clothing Bank" they are calling the Rochester Community Closet where they are receiving clothing donations to be given to those who are in need.  The Closet is located just north of the church on Corvallis Street.  They are open Wednesday's between 3:00 and 5:00 PM and on Friday's between 10:00 AM and 12:00 Noon.  They can available at others times by calling 273-500 for an appointment.  They are still in need of good used clothing donations, especially children's sizes.

New 03-29-09  Library Volunteers Needed   The Rochester Library needs volunteers!!!  Currently the library is open only two days a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) because so few Rochester residents have volunteered to keep it open.  During the month of April there is a 2 1/2 hour period during the middle of each Tuesday when it must close because no one has volunteered to to be there during that time.  Volunteer shifts are only for 2 1/2 hours with eight to ten shifts per month.  That means there is a need for a minimum of ten people to volunteer 2 1/2 hours of their time each month for the library to remain open.  The Library is a valuable resource for Rochester and it would be a tragedy if you residents of Rochester failed to make such a small sacrifice of volunteering 2 1/2 hours of your time once each month.  The work is not difficult and training is available.  Come on Rochester residents - step up to the plate and make a commitment to your community to keep this valuable resource open.  For more information about volunteering at the library please call Gabrielle at 273-6375 or e-mail gdavis@roofcommunityservices.org

New 12-23-08  Thurston County Solid Waste Recycling Program    Thurston County Solid Waste has additional information on the new, free, statewide electronics recycling program.  Please note that the new E-cycle recycling locations listed will not accept items until after Jan 1, 2009. The materials exchange websites we regularly promote, as well as our new and improved "Where should I take my" database on our Thurston County Solid Waste website, are also listed in the brochure.  Please click here to view the brochure.  t is in PDF  format so you will need the "Adobe Reader" to open the file.  If you do not have "Adobe Reader" on your computer you can download a free copy from this website:  http://www.adobe.com/  Reuse is always better than recycling and there are many local opportunities to donate or sell working electronics.  Many of our residents, especially now, cannot afford a computer or a TV for their family.  While Santa may be bringing a super new model to many of our residents....there are others in our community that would gladly welcome an older working item.  Data removal from computers and the new digital TV conversion are also mentioned in the brochure.

The main website for the statewide program  is http://www.ecyclewashington.org  Please contact me if you have any questions (email is best as I am out of the office until  Dec 29).  Thank You and Happy Holidays  Terri Thomas, Education and Outreach Specialist, Thurston County Solid Waste, mailto:www.co.thurston.wa.us/wwm/
Visit our FREE materials exchange at www.2good2toss.com

New 10-13-08  Electronics Recycling in Thurston County  This year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, consumers will retire 2 million tons in e-waste, or “tech trash” – old or obsolete cellular phones, rechargeable batteries, ink jet cartridges, televisions, computer components, monitors, appliances, etc. The good news is that working items can be reused and that many of the materials in e-waste can be recycled or refurbished.  Please click here to view the poster.  It is in PDF  format so you will need the "Adobe Reader" to open the file.  If you do not have "Adobe Reader" on your computer you can download a free copy from this website:  http://www.adobe.com/

 New 10-03-08  Compact fluorescent light disposal in Thurston County  As you know, compact flourescent lights (CFL) contain mercury.  There has been a lot of press lately about proper disposal.  Home Depot is now taking them for free.  http://www6.homedepot.com/ecooptions/stage/pdf/cfl_recycle.pdf

Please see our website for more local locations that accept the bulbs and info on what to do if a bulb breaks in your home.
http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/wwm/Recycling_and_Disposal/Recycle/Hazardous/Fluorescents.htm

New 10-03-08  Free battery recycling at Batteries Plus in Olympia  Many locations accept rechargeable batteries and cellphones through RBRC. Go to http://www.rbrc.org/consumer/index.php to find locations.  Batteries Plus is the only store we are currently aware of in Thurston County that accepts and recycles alkalines as well. They utilize a program called Big Green Box.
 http://www.biggreenbox.com The Big Green Box is a program that offers to companies, consumers, municipalities and other generators a low cost and easy way to provide electronics and battery recycling for themselves as well as their customers. Once The Big Green Box is purchased all shipping, handling and disposal fees are included. The Big Green Box includes a United Nations approved transportation container, pre-paid shipping to our recycling facility and all battery recycling fees. With The Big Green Box it is no longer necessary to pay large fees to waste management companies, nor fill out complicated paperwork, just to manage your hazardous materials.

Updated 09-11-08  Rochester Community Library Has New Hours  The Rochester Community Library’s new summer hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 am-6:00 pm.  The Rochester Community Library has a Timberland Regional Library Kiosk where patrons can place holds and pick up materials from any TRL branch; a collection of materials for check out; and a computer lab.

“The Library is really a unique partnership between the community and TRL,” explains Gabrielle Davis, Volunteer Coordinator.  “The Library is completely staffed by volunteers.  It is really up to the residents of Rochester how many hours we are open and what activities we can offer.  The Library has a great group of dedicated volunteers, but we need the community’s help in order to keep the Library open and growing.”

The Rochester Community Library is located in the Rochester Community Center at 10140 Highway 12 SW.  For more information, please contact the Library at (360) 858-7086 or rochestertrl@hotmail.com.  You can also find more information on the website rochester-wa.com.

Rochester Community Center Facility  There are three areas of the Community Center facility which are available to the public for community use such as meetings, parties, events and other functions. 

The following guidelines have been established for prioritizing of Community Center use.  First priority will be given to permanently housed Center programs.  Second priority will be youth and family activities.  Other uses fall under the third priority.  Four levels of charge have been established for the use of the facility.  The cost to rent one of the areas, for up to 4 hours, ranges from janitorial fees up to $60, depending upon the organization and type of event.   Call the ROOF Community Services Office at 273-6375 for more information.

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