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Ruston police outline July 4 street closures to manage event traffic and curb car meet noise
Summary
Police Chief Bautista told the council the city will close 51st Street and North Baltimore around 9:30 p.m. on July 4 so event traffic exits via Ruston Way; the department said organized car meetups at local lots create brief, hard-to-trace noise and the city is pursuing regional task-force monitoring and interlocal agreement options.
Ruston Police Chief Bautista told the City Council on May 20 that brief, organized car meetups have generated intermittent noise complaints around Ruston Market, Dune Peninsula and Point Defiance, and that the city is working with a regional task force that monitors social media to deter illegal gatherings. He described the difficulty of tracing short, high-volume noise events and said officers are balancing enforcement with officer safety when dispersing crowds.
Chief Bautista said the city plans to close 51st Street and North Baltimore Street at about 9:30 p.m. on July 4 so traffic exiting the event will be routed to Ruston Way; he added that attendees who park in Ruston will likely leave via Pearl Street. The chief also updated the council on a proposed district-court interlocal agreement (ILA) that would raise court fees “nearly double” what the city currently pays Fircrest, and said the City Attorney is reviewing the ILA and other options, including hosting some court proceedings locally.
Councilmember Huson said he supports the planned closures, calling the approach a way to be a “good neighbor,” while Councilmember Jensen pressed for consideration of signal timing and other adjustments to reduce residential parking impacts. Mayor Hopkins said Pierce County had provided data and that permitting and the Comprehensive Plan will examine traffic-calming measures such as raised crosswalks and speed bumps.
