City Council Meeting - Sept. 30 2008

Tonight’s hot discussion centered on the proposal to fund the second phase of the William Factory Small Business Incubator in East Tacoma. This topic becomes much less cool when you realize that it does not mean we’re developing a way to hatch tiny, optimistic entrepreneurs.

REGULAR AGENDA
Purchase Resolution 37603 Awards a $32,640 contract to Wm. Dickson Co. to continue work on the Downtown Storm and Sanitary Sewer Replacement project, and a $126,356 contract to Asphalt Patch Systems to rebuild sidewalks on E. 72nd St. from E. D St. to McKinley Ave., and on 6th Ave. from State to Alder St.

Resolution 37604 Designates the Ansonia Apartments on Tacoma Ave. North as a historic landmark.

Resolution 37606 Authorizes a $95,000 agreement with the Department of Ecology to provide a six-person crew to maintain 20 conservation habitats throughout the city. The crew has already been working in town for five years, and this resolution also authorizes four more one-year agreements.

Resolution 37607 Authorizes a $100,000 continuation of the agreement with DordonDerr for legal services relating to public works and land use. Tacoma currently employs only 2 out of a potential 8 city attorneys, so we need to contract out our legal work. Mayor Baarsma commented that this will be necessary until the city is in a “hiring mode” again.

Resolution 37609 Authorizes a $500,000 Agreement with the William M. Factory Small Business Incubator to partially fund a second incubator. The new incubator will focus on scientific and technical services. The hope is that it will help young, tech-savvy professionals to start new businesses in Tacoma. The first incubator was established in 1986, and several council members and public comments noted that it has brought many new jobs to East Tacoma. If all goes well with the second phase, the William Factory plans to expand to a third incubator to investigate alternative energy.

Resolution 37610 Purchases real property at 942 Pacific Ave. for $1,250,000 and authorizes a lease agreement with Associated General Contractors. This purchase was necessary to continue work on the Park Plaza South project because although the city owned the parking garage, it did not, apparently, own the ground underneath.

Resolution 37611 Authorizes a $1,500,000 short-term loan to Prium Olympus Building to develop the Olympus Medical Building. The new building will be built in the MLK corridor, and is projected to create 100 new jobs in that area. The facility will be built over a surface parking lot, but fear not: another is being laid down right across the street.

And there you have it. Tune in next week when the council faces off against a super villain on giant video screen (*fingers crossed*).