May 15, 2013 @ 12:40 pm
The Tacoma City Council is looking for 11 members for the yet-formed Transportation Commission.
The Transportation Commission will advise council on transportation-related matters, such as short-term and long-range transportation planning, compliance with local, regional and federal transportation regulations, bike, pedestrian and mass transit-related planning initiatives, and parking and capital improvement plans.
The commission will consist of 11 members - nine voting members appointed by the City Council who are city residents, with representatives from each of the city’s five council districts, who bring a range of perspectives and expertise that focus on the city’s long-term vision for mobility options throughout the city, and two non-voting members appointed by the city manager.
Members will hopefully reflect special interest or experience in: professional engineering sector, construction/private business sector, bike and pedestrian/mass transit sector, planning/urban growth sector, environmental/sustainability sector, general community and ADA community.
Regularly scheduled meeting dates and times have not yet been established for this commission.
Applications must be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office by Friday, June 21. To apply, visit cityoftacoma.org/cbcapplication or contact April Larsen at (253) 591-5167, City Clerk’s Office, Room 220, Municipal Building, 747 Market St., Tacoma, WA 98402.
By Published in the Tacoma Weekly
May 15, 2013 @ 11:38 am
Coming on the scene last year, the Tacoma Playing Cards are a handheld exhibition and souvenir featuring 14 local artists illustrating 54 locations, icons and Tacoma stories.
Through sales during the past year, enough funds have been earned to create a second deck. Dubbed “The Red Deck” by co-founders of Tacoma Makes Maija McKnight and Amy McBride, the new deck of Tacoma Playing Cards will feature new artists and all different Tacoma locations, icons and stories.
“We were thrilled at the positive response that the playing cards received last year” notes Maija McKnight “and are excited to be able to create a second deck of cards”.
Fourteen artists have been invited to participate and are already working to create their artwork, and estimated arrival of the cards will be in October 2013 along with an exhibition and opening celebration showcasing all of the original artwork.
This second deck of cards will have a red box and back of the cards, with the same unique design (with some slight changes) that graced the blue deck of cards.
Tacoma artists participating include Rick Matthies, Sean Alexander, Karen Doten, Maria Jost, Chuck Knigge, Noah Struthers, Mary Mann, Jeremy Mangan, Stan Shaw, Marit Berg, Betty Ragan, Michaela Eaves, David Boe and Chandler O’Leary. Chandler O’Leary is the designer of the playing card box and back of the cards as well as the only artist that also participated in the inaugural blue deck of cards.
Pre-sales of the red deck of cards are available on the Tacoma Makes website as well as a limited pre-order of an uncut sheet of the cards (22” x 26.5” in size) from the US Playing Card Company. An uncut sheet is pulled straight off the printing presses before being cut into a deck and is a unique collector’s item as well as a great way to display all of the cards. Additionally much of the original art from the Blue Tacoma Playing Cards is still available as well as several that are available for purchase in a giclee fine-art quality print.
Images of the artwork will be posted as they are completed both on the Tacoma Makes website at www.tacomamakes.com.
By Published in the Tacoma Weekly
May 15, 2013 @ 10:04 am
State Fire Marshal Charles M. Duffy announced today that the annual Fire Fatality Report for 2012 is now available on the web.
“Washington continued to see a decrease in fire related fatalities during the past two years, with a total of sixty three fatalities reported. This downward trend is a positive step in reducing these tragic losses within our communities,” says State Fire Marshal Duffy.
The data used for this report was received from fire and law enforcement agencies throughout Washington State and collected into a centralized database for analysis and report development in accordance with Revised Code of Washington 43.44.060.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal is a Bureau of the Washington State Patrol, providing fire and life safety services to the citizens of Washington State including inspections of state licensed facilities, plan review of school construction projects, licensing of fire sprinkler contractors and pyrotechnic operators, training Washington State’s firefighters, and collecting emergency response data.
By Published in the Tacoma Weekly
May 15, 2013 @ 10:02 am
When the 1.8-mile SR 99 tunnel opens to traffic in 2015, it will rely on the strength of 1,450 precast concrete rings fabricated with pinpoint precision at a newly expanded plant in Pierce County.
Dozens of community and business leaders gathered May 15 at the FPS EnCon Precast plant in Frederickson to hail the collaboration that will create more than 130 jobs.
“Replacing Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel requires expertise and resources from around the world, and a key portion of that work is coming together in Frederickson,” said Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy. “My administration assisted FPS EnCon with its permitting, ensuring there were no delays in getting this job-creating project moving forward. It will be fun to think about Pierce County’s contribution to this incredible engineering achievement when we drive in the tunnel.”
FPS, an affiliate of global civil construction giant Dragados SA, signed an agreement with EnCon Washington, LLC to form FPS Encon Precast, LLC. Under their joint venture, the tunnel lining will be cured at the Frederickson plant, which was expanded in recent months to accommodate the work.
“This facility is the result of extraordinary collaboration among business and government leaders,” said Steve Harding, business development manager at Dragados USA. “We are grateful to Pierce County’s economic development and planning staffs for expediting our permit review so we can remain on time and on budget. We look forward to working with our business partners to build a world-class tunnel that serves a world-class region.”
Each tunnel ring is composed of 10 concrete segments that weigh approximately 37,500 pounds apiece. When the segments are connected, the ring has an outside diameter of 56 feet and will encase the double-decker roadway and provide resistance against external pressure.
“Each segment is poured and cured in Frederickson, but the process is the product of a true international partnership,” said Tom Pierson, president and CEO of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce. “This is a great example of our region’s valuable role in the global economy.”
The molds for the concrete segments, the carousel to carry the molds, and the “flying bucket” to pour the mold come from France and China. Spain-based Dragados is the premier builder of tunnels in the world. The batch plant was purchased from Germany-based Wiggert & Co. Western Trailer, which is based in Idaho and has an office in Tacoma, is building special trailer sets to transport the segments from Frederickson to Seattle.
Segment production began in March. Project managers expect it will take 14 months to produce the 1,450 rings. Before the tunnel ring project, the 20-acre EnCon plant primarily produced noise walls and retaining walls for the state Department of Transportation, as well as commercial wall panels and deck panel products.
By Published in the Tacoma Weekly
May 15, 2013 @ 9:59 am
On Thursday, May 16, 21 fire and police agencies will be conducting training exercises involving water rescues in the Puget Sound at Sunnyside Beach Park in Steilacoom.
The goal of the exercise is to evaluate both individual agency capabilities and their ability to effectively communicate and work together.
These exercises will focus on dive rescue and surface water rescue efforts and is being conducted for training purposes, as well as building interagency partnerships. Marine units will train using different vessels simultaneously during the water scenarios. There will also be an evacuation of a Pierce County ferry.
Participating agencies include Anderson Island Fire Department, Browns Point/Dash Point Fire Department, Central Pierce Fire & Rescue, East Pierce Fire & Rescue, Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One, Gig Harbor Police Department, Graham Fire & Rescue, Key Peninsula Fire Department, Lakewood Police Department, Orting Valley Fire & Rescue, Pierce County Emergency Management, Pierce County Incident Management Team, Pierce County Regional Air Support, Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, Port of Tacoma, South King Fire & Rescue, Steilacoom Police Department, Tacoma Fire Department, Tacoma Police Department, United States Coast Guard, and West Pierce Fire & Rescue.
By Published in the Tacoma Weekly
