City hopes to keep hometown feel as it grows

Originally published Saturday, January 23, 1999

By TERESA TALERICO
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

City officials say they want to ensure that Fife maintains its folksy charm while reaping the benefits of industry and commercial growth.

The town currently has only one park, and it's only a small strip of grass on 23rd Street East. Plans are in the works to develop a park of 30 acres or more that would include ball fields and other amenities.

Indeed, recreation can be hard to come by. There's no movie theater in Fife. Residents don't seem to mind. They just head to Tacoma or Puyallup to catch the latest blockbuster.

The city is also trying to balance industrial and residential growth. If officials can work out sewer availability, up to 900 new homes could be built in Fife in the next few years.

Two housing developments have already been approved. Sheffield Place will build 40 homes for people 55 and older. Another development, Wapato Point, will bring in about 26 units. Both projects were approved in 1998.

Residents hope the developments will strengthen the town's sense of community and identity.

"I think it's been lost over the years, maybe because of poor planning," Rob Cerqui says. "Fife doesn't really even have a downtown.

Kathi Thornhill, a parish administrator at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, which boasts 600 parishioners, moved to Fife as an 18-year-old bride. Many of the roads she drives on today were once little more than trails.

The drastic growth concerns her, but Thornhill can't imagine living anywhere else.

"There are times we've thought about moving, but where would we go?" Thornhill says. "There's lots of convenient things here. We use the track, the pool to swim in. My kids grew up here."

Children continue to be a focal point in the town. A new community center includes a 25-yard-long indoor pool that attracts kids year-round. School events like ballgames and plays are a big draw as evening entertainment.

Nannetta Cruz, an assistant manager at the Montclaire Apartments, says the community is small and close-knit. She hopes it stays that way despite the industries squeezing out the farmers and blocking the mountain views.

"It's kind of a bummer that Fife is growing," Cruz says. "But I think it will hold onto its hometownness."

With that remains a healthy dose of small-town pride, something that doesn't get lost even in the shadow of Tacoma.

"Everybody always thinks, 'Tacoma, right?' " says Cruz with a sigh. "I always say, `No, we're Fife.' "