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April 6, 2010 · Derek · archive: txp/article

Tacoma City Council Meeting - April 6th, 2010

Tonight’s agenda didn’t include too many opportunities for contentious debate. However, there was a rather sizable purchase resolution and the initiation of several big name projects.
Here are our notes:

PROCLAMATIONS

  • Mayor Strickland proclaimed April 24th, 2010 as Global Youth Service Day in Tacoma.
  • Mayor Strickland proclaimed April 13th, 2010 as Arbor Day in the City of Tacoma. … and with that, The City of Tacoma was presented with its 16th Tree City USA award on behalf of the Arbor Day Foundation, the Department of Natural Resources and the National Association of State Foresters.

PUBLIC COMMENT
Nobody came forward for Public Comment tonight. Where are all of you?

R E G U L A R A G E N D A

RESOLUTIONS
Purchase Resolution No. 38009 awards contracts to:

  1. Hewlett-Packard Company, in the amount of $1,907,240.22, plus sales tax, budgeted from the Information Systems Fund, for Hewlett-Packard workstations, desktops, laptops, monitors, and miscellaneous peripherals
    through August 31, 2012. These PCs are 5 years or older;
  2. Print NW, LLC, in the amount of $350,000.00, for a cumulative total of $1,750,000.00, budgeted from the Graphic Services Fund, for offset printing and bindery services for a one-year term, with the option to renew for four additional one-year terms;
  3. Insituform Technologies, Inc., on its bid of $1,355,309.44, budgeted from the Wastewater and Surface Water Funds, for sanitary and storm sewer rehabilitation throughout the city. According to Councilmember Boe this contract had come in 20% below the estimate; and
  4. David Evans and Associates, Inc., in the amount of $1,163,817.00, budgeted from the Streets Special Revenue Fund, for engineering services for Phases 1 and 2 of the Murray Morgan Bridge
    Rehabilitation Project.

Resolution No. 38010 designates the following projects as Special Projects of Limited Duration:

  • Murray Morgan Bridge Rehabilitation;
  • Cheney Stadium Expansion and Enhancement;
  • Streetcar Alternative Analysis, Design and Construction;
  • Theater District Pedestrian Improvements;
  • Sauro Site Improvements;
  • Historic Water Ditch Trail, Phases II and III;
  • Downtown Streetscape Improvements;
  • Puyallup River Bridge Replacement;
  • Tacoma Landfill, Transfer Station;
  • Tacoma Landfill, Landfill Administration and Shop Remodel and Addition;
  • Tacoma Landfill, Central Area Closure;
  • Eductor Decant Facility; and
  • Private Property Inflow and Infiltration Removal Program.

This resolution does not authorize the projects themselves, but it does allow the City to begin to put together the project team.

FINAL READING OF ORDINANCES
Ordinance No. 27817 amends Chapter 13.06 of the Municipal Code to reclassify the property located at 701 Sprague Avenue from a “R-4” Multiple-Family Dwelling District to a “C-2” General Community Commercial District, to develop a two-story retail and office building with associated parking. This site is the old Wonder Bread building. Councilmember Boe stated a big concern about our code. Redevelopment on this site requires parking. Because it isn’t in a mixed use center, it requires parking. Because of that, the building has to come down. Even though all the rules have been followed, the end result is not what “we” should want. The existing building could stay … but we’ll see. The developer images are apparently a lot of wood and stucco with 47 parking spots.

PUBLIC HEARINGS AND APPEALS
This is the date set for a public hearing by the City Council to consider the dedication of a 7,835-square-foot tract of frontage land to Pierce County, located along Canyon Road East for the Canyon Road East road improvement project. This is in the Frederickson Industrial Area.

Nobody in the audience came forward to speak.

CITIZENS’ FORUM
As it’s the beginning of the month, we had Citizen’s Forum:

  • Mike Price came forward to “bring the new Councilmembers up to date” on the City’s past environmental utilities billing practices.
  • Alton McDonald came forward to address two issues: 1. a public access channel for the City of Tacoma and 2. he accused the City Council of not caring about the African American men that were rounded up in the gang sweep a few weeks ago.
  • John Nickles came forward to speak about the Lariat Grant and how it relates to LESA … face recognition … central databases … He compares it to Orwell’s 1984.

That’s it for this week. Do you have any opinions?

Filed under: City-Council, Developments

9 comments

  • NSHDscott April 7, 2010

    I feel about the Wonder Bread building much like I felt about the Luzon: I’ve looked at that ugly duckling for so many years, always thinking it has such unfulfilled potential, that I really want to see it looking good some day. It kind of feels like we’ve put in our time tolerating that hulk this long that it would be unjust to tear it down.

    Of course, economics at play are rarely just, and projects have to pencil out and meet code and all, but do you know what I mean? Boe’s right that the code failed us here. That building could be something neat, though, couldn’t it?

  • dootdo April 7, 2010

    Wonder Bread building. So close to some schools…. as if it were meant to be a place for kids to be kids!

  • dolly varden April 7, 2010

    Save the Wonder Bread building! That intersection needs to hold on what little character it still has. Couldn’t it be used as artist workspace or something??

  • Mofo from the Hood April 7, 2010

    After everything Wonder Bread has done for Tacoma’s kids – building bodies 12 ways – razing the Wonder Bread factory is a half-baked idea!

  • crenshaw sepulveda April 7, 2010

    Seriously, it looks like the wonder bread building is a perfectly good building. Why on earth tear it down. I’d even accept condos in the building if it kept it from being torn down and you know how much I love condos. But for the love of jesus, no $400 a square foot condos. While I’d like to see the building devoted to arts uses I don’t see anyone doing anything like that to the building unless it was actually owned by an arts non-profit.

  • Razorhoof April 7, 2010

    tear it down…. and replace it with a giant statue of Calvin pissing on the space needle.

    seriously.

  • john Nichols April 11, 2010

    Look up LARIAT. Its on LESA’s website. Remember the movie ‘Enemy of the state’ with the control room with all the tv screens, and teams of guys watching video from across the city.

    That will be tacoma.

    No joke. -John Nichols

  • Tacoma1 April 11, 2010

    Since I’m a law abiding citizen, I’m not too worried about LARIAT.

    Criminals should be worried though.

  • joe-nate April 15, 2010

    Mayor Strickland’s Arbor Day proclamation is wonderful. With community activism, put it strongly into effect: reforest the 6.5 city-owned acres downhill from St. Joseph Medical Center once slated for a new public safety building. Tax-increment financing is illegal in Washington but a downtown park would do much to improve that neighborhood. Involve volunters through the Tacoma Garden Club, the Lincoln High forestry program and the Hoo Hoo Club. In the 1940s, Tacoma Mayor Harry Cain had a vision for such a major downtown park: make it real now. Arbor Day should be more than a proclamation and instead should be an act that promotes neighborhood improvement on public land. It certainly would add to property values and, therefore, tax revenues from that struggling neighborhood. It is a dream but make it reality. If Tacoma is going to change, bootstrap effort is needed. It does not happen by magic.