PHOTO CONTEST: ‘IF PETS HAD THUMBS’

As everyone already knows, March 3 was national “If Pets Had Thumbs Day.” So that seems as good a reason as any to have a pet-themed photo contest this month.

The rules are simple. Just send in a photo of you and your pet(s), or one just of your pet(s), with a caption of what you think the pet is thinking and what it would likely do if it had thumbs. Only submit one photo of your pet, although you can submit multiple photos if you have more than one animal in your care.

The deadline to send in your photo(s) is March 8. The photos will then be posted online and on Facebook. The photo with the most votes, either through “likes” or comments, by March 15 will be the winner. The winners will be announced March 18. The top winner will receive four tickets to the Andre Rieu concert at KeyArena on March 19. The second and third place winners will receive two tickets. Admission is regularly $72 each.

Rieu, one of the best-selling live acts in the world, is a master of the violin and his international “And The Waltz Goes On Tour” is an ode to the waltz and named after his successful album, for which he collaborated with Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Send images to Steve Dunkelberger at stevedunkel@tacomaweekly.com. Tacoma Weekly will be the final judge on all submissions.

COMPANY FINED FOR PESTICIDE VIOLATIONS

Gardner-Fields, Inc. of Tacoma and IBC Manufacturing Co. of Memphis, Tenn. will pay fines for violating federal pesticide laws, according to separate settlements announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“Companies that sell or distribute mislabeled pesticides put people’s health and the environment at risk,” said Ed Kowalski, director of EPA Region 10 Compliance and Enforcement. “Without proper labeling and safety instructions, users can unintentionally misapply pesticides and may lack important information for emergency first aid.”

Gardner-Fields, Inc. produced, sold, and distributed four IBC Manufacturing Co. wood preservatives under its own brand names with outdated labels. The four products are ATCO Woodlast 1420, ATCO Woodlast 2c 1423, ATCO Woodlast 2 RTU 1422 and ATCO Shakelast 1441. Gardner-Fields agreed to pay a penalty of $35,336 to settle the violations.

IBC Manufacturing Co., the owner of the products, allowed the wood preservatives to be distributed and sold with outdated labels, by failing to inform Gardner-Fields, Inc. of important label changes required by EPA. IBC Manufacturing agreed to pay a penalty of $265,000 to settle the violations.

During an inspection in September 2008, EPA found that IBC Manufacturing and Gardner-Fields had produced, distributed and sold four wood preservatives with outdated labels in violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.

Under this law, wood preservatives are considered pesticides that must be registered with the EPA. Pesticides must also be distributed and sold with proper labeling and instructions that include important warning and caution statements about the product and detailed directions on the proper use of the product.

Before a pesticide is registered, the producer must provide data from tests conducted according to EPA guidelines to ensure that the product will not harm people’s health. The EPA examines the ingredients, how the product will be used and its potential human health and environmental effects. Distributors and retailers are responsible for ensuring that all pesticides distributed and sold fully comply with the law.

‘TODAY IN AMERICA’ FEATURES LAKEWOOD

The City of Lakewood was featured on a segment of “Today in America” with Terry Bradshaw as part of the “America’s Hidden Gems” series. The video can be viewed on the City of Lakewood’s website homepage at http://www.cityoflakewood.us.

The show highlights Lakewood’s investments in infrastructure and transportation, as well as its supportive community for youth and the city’s recreational and cultural opportunities. The segment draws attention to the city’s great amenities for residents and visitors alike. Many the local business industries are highlighted in the piece, as is Lakewood’s role as the host community for Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Camp Murray.

COLLEGE FACILITY NAMED TO TOP 10

Clover Park Technical College’s Health Sciences Facility was recognized as one of the Top 10 economic development projects at the Tacoma/Pierce County Economic Development Board’s annual meeting at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center on March 1.

The group’s annual Top 10 list names the most notable economic development projects or investments. CPTC’s facility was included in a group of health-focused projects occurring in the Tacoma area in 2012.

Clover Park Technical College instructs the largest number of health care related programs within Pierce County. The school’s 11 health-training programs have outgrown their current space, built in 1981. The new health sciences facility will be 55,562 square feet on two floors in order to accommodate the more than 2,166 full-time equivalent students whom the college currently educates in health care training programs that vary from surgical technician to registered nurse.

Students will have the opportunity to learn in a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver, modern facility that includes laboratories that resemble current health care industry standards.

Health occupations continue to see job openings and represent one of the better pathways to prosperity for Pierce County residents. Since they also pay family level wages, they are equally critical to individuals seeking economic self-sufficiency.

More than six years ago, college staff submitted a request for a new health sciences facility to house growing health care training programs. The college received construction funding during the 2011-13 biennium. The Legislature funded this project solely out of the capital budget – no operating funds were used by the state to fund this project.

When completed this summer, the facility will be building 21 on the Lakewood campus of CPTC and will be situated between buildings 16 and 23. It will house two general science labs in addition to laboratory spaces dedicated to career training programs. It will also have 10 classrooms and three computer labs.

This is the college’s first LEED silver project. In order to meet the LEED standards, the college included features such as a patio/roof garden, herbal garden, landscaping using native plants, energy efficient lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning and plumbing features.

The program laboratory learning spaces will reflect current industry standards. These spaces will also include learning spaces that operate simulation mannequins (“SimMans”) and capture this instruction on a live feed that is shown to a larger student audience elsewhere in the facility. Two classrooms will include interactive television capability and wireless Internet access will be available throughout the building.

The facility will also have state-of-the-art security and remote lockdown capability in the event of an emergency.

For the complete list of Top 10 projects, visit http://www.edbtacomapierce.org.

SUBMISSIONS BEING ACCEPTED FOR TOLLBOOTH GALLERY

Be a part of reviving one of Tacoma’s unique outdoor art spaces!

Organizers of Tollbooth Gallery are looking for quality film submissions by Tacoma artisans at all levels of experience. This includes writers, directors, actors, composers, editors, grips, make-up artists, photographers, live performance artists… yes, all of you! Organizers want to represent the amazing film work that is created by Tacomans, from students to hobbyists to professionals.

Films will be screened at the Tollbooth Gallery, an outdoor film kiosk located in the heart of downtown Tacoma. The audience is the public, varied and mobile – the customers of local businesses, restaurants and theaters. The space is designed for short or experimental works shown on a loop, though submissions of long format in clips, for example, or still photography set to music will be accepted.

The Tollbooth Gallery is a designated public art space, located on the corner of South 11th Street and Broadway. Created in 2003 and billed as “The World’s (or at least the South Sound’s) Smallest Art Gallery,” the original mission was to be an art space dedicated exclusively to experimental video and paper fine arts.

In this new project, Tollbooth Gallery is being re-imagined to be a space that incorporates the evolution of film into digital media and short format while retaining its founder’s beliefs in the power of experimental art and also introducing an emphasis on narrative storyline. Learn more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tollbooth_Gallery

The curators are professional artists living and working in Tacoma. They are working with the city government to restore the Tollbooth Gallery as a venue for highlighting Tacoma video art. They are looking for films that show the breadth of experience and imagination in the Tacoma film community. Organizers are hoping to screen films around a specific theme for each month… open to your creative interpretation! Submissions for each month will be due on the 15th of the previous month. April theme: “April Fools” due March 15. If you have something amazing that does not suit the theme, send it anyway.

Submission notes and criteria:

E-mail submissions to: thetollboothgallery@gmail.com Subject line must include your last name and submission title.

Include your first and last name, e-mail address and telephone number on all correspondence.

Submitting artist must be able to provide proof of copyright and/or permissions

Content must be suitable for an open air audience (it runs in public)

Submission format: initial submission via links to Youtube or Vimeo. Selected works need to be submitted via looped DVD.

Curators will contact selected artists to request looped DVD and proof of authorship/involvement.

Contact thetollboothgallery@gmail.com with questions or for more information.

CITY DECLARES ‘UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND DAY’

The City of Tacoma has declared March 17, 2013, as University of Puget Sound Day in honor of the university’s founding on that day 125 years ago.

 At the Tacoma City Council meeting on Feb. 19, Mayor Marilyn Strickland read a proclamation detailing the rationale for a commemorative day to mark Puget Sound’s founding in 1888.

Puget Sound President Ronald R. Thomas thanked the council for the honor and expressed appreciation to the city of Tacoma and its residents for the critical support they have given the university for more than a century. He said this included Tacoma citizens’ participation in a $1 million dollar-for-dollar fundraising, backed by the Methodist Church, that allowed the purchase of the first 40 acres of the university’s campus site in the North End and the 1924 construction of Jones Hall, the first building on the current site.

“They knew a great city needed a great university,” Thomas said. “Railroad men and timber men, nurses and pastors and politicians all contributed to that effort. This city over the last century and a quarter has become a great city, and we, thanks to you and the work of many who valued and supported us, have become a great university.

“All of us at Puget Sound are deeply honored by your proclamation today, as we are honored by the history of cooperation and commitment between the city and the university...that has been a hallmark of our achievements for the last 125 years together.”

Councilmember Ryan Mello (UPS class of 2001) spoke up about Puget Sound’s service in attracting and educating students from around the world, many of whom fell in love with Tacoma and stayed here. Strickland commended Thomas on his commitment to involve Puget Sound in the community, through activities including student volunteerism, public speakers and the Race and Pedagogy Initiative.

Councilmember Victoria Woodards said that Tacoma’s investment in the university was far outweighed by all Puget Sound has given back. She cited the example of the university’s 1968 financial support for the founding of the Tacoma Urban League, where Woodards is currently CEO and president.

Strickland presented Thomas with a mounted copy of the proclamation recognizing March 17, 2013 as the commemorative day. Each of the council members was given a University of Puget Sound 125th Anniversary T-shirt.

The anniversary is being celebrated on campus through numerous events for the public, alumni, and campus members and their families. On March 17, the University of Puget Sound 125th anniversary Internet pages will come alive with a video montage of students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, lecture guests, musical artists and others in the community wishing Puget Sound a happy Birthday.

FORBES AWARDS HOTEL MURANO FOUR STARS

Forbes Travel Guide has unveiled its 55th annual list of Star Award-winning hospitality establishments and Hotel Murano, with four stars, joined the elite ranks of properties receiving the coveted designation. Forbes Travel Guide’s star ratings have, since the company’s founding in 1958 as Mobil Travel Guide, been the gold standard for hospitality excellence. The first-ever hotel in Tacoma to be recognized by Forbes and one of only four in Washington to receive four stars, Hotel Murano will be showcased with all of the 2013 winners on www.Startle.com, the online home of Forbes Travel Guide.

Located in the heart of Tacoma’s rejuvenated downtown museum district, Hotel Murano offers a world-class hotel experience with an artful, only-in-Tacoma twist. Complementing the city’s status as the epicenter of the American art glass movement, art is deeply integrated into the function and design of the hotel with works by more than 45 glass artists from around the world showcased throughout the public spaces and on every guest room floor. The property is a member of Provenance Hotels, a collection of award-winning urban boutique hotels based in Portland, and features the brand’s signature lifestyle amenities – such as a comprehensive pet program and innovative spiritual menu – for fanciful whims and practical necessities.

“We are incredibly honored to be the first to bring an award of this caliber home to Tacoma,” said Bashar Wali, president of Provenance Hotels. “The hotel is a beautiful and unique but, in reality, the professional dedication and irrepressible passion we have for providing unbeatable customer service day-in and day-out are what earned this award.”

“The Forbes Travel Guide annual Star Awards represent the best in class in luxury hospitality. Travelers seeking exceptional experiences rely on our ratings to guide them to the world’s finest hotels, restaurants and spas,” said Michael Cascone, president and COO of Forbes Travel Guide. “By continuing to evolve our ratings categories, we are establishing a global benchmark for the highest standards in hospitality service and facilities.”