In case you missed it, Pierce County’s Chambers Bay golf course was awarded the 2015 U.S. Open. Last summer the U.S. Amateur came to town to test the waters and everyone was pleased with the course. So, preparations are starting to host one of golf’s biggest events. First up? A logo of course.

The logo, which features Chambers Bay’s trademark sails, will begin appearing on select pieces of merchandise in the Chambers Bay golf shop in October, with more expected to be available by Christmas.

Chambers Bay, a publicly owned golf course, will host the first U.S. Open in the Pacific Northwest from June 18-21, 2015. They say each day will draw as many spectators as the Superbowl.

Woah Nellie.

The City Council was all business tonight. Not even some public comment or public forum could derail them. A quick and efficient meeting.

Proclamations
October 2011 is Crime Prevention Month. Hilltop Action Coalition and the Tacoma Police Department received the proclamation and all are called to “invest in the power of prevention”.

October 2011 is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month. A number of agencies were recognized for their hard work. The City’s Human Rights and Human Services department, the YWCA, the Korean Women’s Association, and the Crystal Judson Family Justice Center were all on hand to receive the proclamation.

Appointments
Resolution No. 38343 appointed a variety of citizens to serve on the Planning Commission, Citizens Recognition Committee, Tacoma Area Commission on Disabilities, Human Services Commission, Human Rights Commission, and Conservation Futures Program.

Resolutions
Purchase Resolution No. 38344 awarded a variety of contracts. One caught my eye: a $30,890 increase in the contract for design services for the Old Town Dock and additional reports required by the Army Corps of Engineers. This project seems to be continuing to move along.

Resolution No. 38345 authorized $29,300 to the Pierce County AIDS Foundation for the operation of the Rapid HIV Testing Program.

Ordinances
Ordinance No. 28023 amends Chapter 6B.70 of the Municipal Code, relating to entertainment/dancing-alcohol served, to remove duplicate language, update criminal background checks per state law, and update the reasons for denial of a security personnel license.

Ordinance No. 28024 amends Chapter 6B.80 of the Municipal Code, relating to entertainment/dancing or skating rinks – all ages, to require written safety reports to be provided annually to the Fire Marshal and Police Chief, require all security personnel working at such establishments to receive City-approved training, amend license fees and exemptions, and delete the “Smoking Prohibited” section.

Want to attend the next City Council Meeting? 747 Market Street, Tuesdays at 5 p.m. See you there?

The Grand Cinema is the spot for some family fun on October 29. Two family friendly Halloween movies will be shown: Hocus Pocus and Buck.

The shows are a fundraiser for Ladies in Pink, a local Breast Cancer Support Group,and will benefit the Breast Cancer Resource Center in Tacoma. Donations for the movie at the door are greatly appreciated and tax deductible. There will be raffle items, baked goodies and other items for sale.

Sounds like fun to me.

Details

October 29th- doors open 9AM, movie begins 9:30AM
Choice of “Hocus Pocus” or “Buck”
The Grand Cinema – 606 S. Fawcett Ave, Tacoma

If 100+ year old Victorians make your pulse race, you might like this North Slope Historic District house that comes complete with a turret, wraparound porch, and a slice of Tacoma history.

It was originally built in 1890 for the president of the Bank of British Columbia Frederick Low.  The architect was August Darmer and the builder was J.C. Ward.  Here are the deets:

• Price: $388,722
• Bedrooms:  4
• Bathrooms: 3.25
• Square Footage:  3,014
• Lot Size: .149
• Neighborhood: North Slope Historic District

Listing Courtesy of Michael McNeil at Windermere Professional Partners.

Have you decided what to do this weekend? No? Never fear because there is a lot going on. And most of it is inexpensive or free! Here are a few ideas:

• St Nicholas’ Greek Orthodox Church hosts the 50th annual Greek Festival this Friday – Sunday. If you haven’t been before I highly recommend it. There are traditional Greek dance performances, but the real draw is the food. Admission is free, so just pay as you eat. The News Tribune had a great article on the food in yesterday’s paper. To read their story click here.
• The Broadway Center is continuing to be a hub of community and the arts with the Fall Free For All. The event is spread out over downtown, features 75 (!) events and activities, and did I mention it’s free? You do have to get a free wristband from the BCPA will call window. With only a quick glance at the line up I found ballet, giant puppets, ukelele, lectures and some fabulous music performers. For all the details, including how to get a wristband, click here.
• The Marine View Church in NE Tacoma is hosting a Jazz LIVE series. The concerts are free, and a partnering with several local restaurants for a discount after the show. This Sunday the Matt Jorgensen Band will be playing. Visit the church’s website here for more details. The News Tribune also has more info here.

Do you have any additions to our list? Or have an event coming up? Let us know in the comments or via the contact page!

The City Council meeting last night was quick and efficient. Councilmembers Fey and Campbell were absent, but the rest did a great job with the business at hand.

Proclamations

Mayor Strickland read two proclamations last night. One declared October 2011 “Find an Hour Month” in honor of a new program to foster reading skills in at risk kids. Their motto is “1 great kid + 1 caring adult = one life changed”. The Mayor herself committed to volunteering in our schools one hour per week and challenged Tacomans to join her. To find out more about the program click here. The second proclamation decreed that October 9, 2011 will be History of Rock and Roll Day in Tacoma, in honor of our strong history and contributions to the rock and roll movement. Most notably the Wailers are originally from Tacoma.

Resolutions

Resolution No. 38339 awards a number of purchasing contracts. One of them caught our eye: Westwater  Construction Company, in the amount of $55,000, sales tax not applicable… for a cumulative total of $444,312.00, to increase the contract for additional work on the Commerce Street Light Rail Station.

Resolution No. 38340 authorized the execution of a Multi-Family Housing Eight-Year Limited Property Tax Exemption Agreement with Encompass Property Management, LLC, for the development of ten new market-rate, rental housing units, to be located at 630 North Trafton Street in the Sixth Avenue Mixed Use Center. The report given by City staff provided a few details: the approximately $900,000 project will be constructed between Fall of 2011 and Summer of 2012, it will feature 1 bedroom 600 square foot units from $700 and 2 bedroom 900 square foot units units for $850, and 5 parking spots will be built in.

Resolution No. 38341 declared surplus and authorized the conveyance of City-owned property located at 323 Puyallup Avenue, to SOTTOBOSCO, LLC for the amount of $100,000. This building is sandwiched into the corner of Puyallup Ave and D Street, and was acquired as part of the D Street overpass project. It is being sold to the folks who own the rest of the block and they have plans to renovate it.

Resolution No. 38342 authorized the execution of the Tacoma Link Joint Operating Agreement with the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority for the use of the public right of way by the Sound Transit Link Passenger Rail System. This resolution is related to the new city owned LINK light rail stop at 11th and Commerce.

Final Reading of Ordinances

The one really interesting one was:

Ordinance No. 28021 adopted the findings of fact to justify continuation of the emergency moratorium enacted by Ordinance No. 28010 on the acceptance of applications for the establishment, location, operation, licensing, permitting, maintenance, or continuation of medical cannabis collective gardens or medical cannabis dispensaries within the City; and amending Ordinance No. 28010 to extend the moratorium for a period of one year to August 1, 2012, all as recommended by the Planning Commission.

That’s all folks!

UWT started the new school year last week and students got a chance to use the new Joy building for the first time. With that in mind, the below post was written by Whitney Rhodes, a UWT graduate, as a nomination for the Tacoma Pierce County Chamber of Commerce’s New Tacoma Award. The Joy building won the Ghilarducci Award for the best successful new development, renovation or beautification. This was first posted on the Downtown Merchants Group blog here. Enjoy!

20 years ago 4 students became the first graduating class of the University of Washington Tacoma. Since it’s humble beginnings in the Perkins Building, UWT has grown exponentially. Over the years they have transformed a vacant warehouse district into a vibrant, thriving urban university. Retail has flourished. Visitors flock to the area. Residents have moved in. Tacoma has received national attention for it’s reuse, revitalization and innovative model in creating this area.

This year is the closing of a chapter. The last vacant building on Pacific Avenue will be ready for activity. The Russell T. Joy building has been waiting a long time to become a part of the campus fabric. Built in 1892, the Russell T. Joy Building was vacant for 13 years before its renovation. Listed on the Tacoma and national historic registers, the Joy Building completes the Pacific Avenue frontage of campus. It will provide classroom space, labs, and faculty and administrative offices, including a new office suite for Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. Continuing UWT’s commitment to being an integrated part of our city, along Pacific Avenue the space will be leased to retail.

What is most remarkable is the attention to detail you find in the Joy Building. UWT has truly distilled all of the knowledge they have gained over the years into this project. With the exception of the unfortunate mural incident, this project celebrates and honors the history of this space and our city. The expected brick walls are easy to find but the salvaged fire doors are surprising. The interior is warm and inviting thanks to re-milled salvaged wood from the building that can be found in the counter tops, stairwells and paneling. Large support beams were saved and reused as benches. Thanks to large windows overlooking Union Station and the soon to be constructed Prairie Line Trail, you could never forget that you are in Tacoma.

The building is built to accommodate growth by being flexible. Smart classrooms utilize the newest technology. As you wander around the building, there is a surprise around every corner. Study areas, walls of windows that can be folded open in the summer months, and a glass walled conference room are sure to make this building popular with the expanding student body. Continuing UWT’s record of sustainability, the Joy Building is scored at LEED Gold right now, only a few points away from Platinum.

The Joy Building was constructed as part of the Phase 3 expansion of UWT. As they put the finishing touches on this building they are breaking ground for a new building. The Tioga Library Building will add a new structure connected to the Tioga Building, a historic brick structure on Jefferson Avenue. The four-story building will expand the Library, as well as provide classroom and office space. Only the first two floors will be built at this time. The upper two floors will be shelled in and not completed until funds are available to complete them. This part of the master plan involves developing the Northern Pacific Rail Line into a walking and biking trail (the Hood Street Corridor), in partnership with the city. Work is expected to begin by the end of 2010 and be completed in spring 2012.

I think the most dramatic change for our city will be the activation of this space. By finishing this building, UWT has fully engaged Pacific Ave for the length of its campus. Bringing life, retail and beauty to this end of their footprint will spill over into surrounding areas. As an alumni, neighbor and downtown business advocate I am thrilled to see UWT continue it’s stewardship and investment in our neighborhood. The Joy Building is the culmination of 20 years of dedication to Tacoma.

The annual Tacoma Film Festival starts this Thursday, October 6. Hosted by The Grand Cinema, this event is a favorite of movie buffs. A mix of local and international, known and unknown, long and short provides something for everyone. This year there are multiple venues all over the city.

A great write up on the films and this year’s festival can be found at Post Defiance.

More information and a full line up can be found on The Grand Cinema’s website.

At the last City Council meeting we covered, the Council adopted an emergency moratorium on “big box retail”. The moratorium is on the permitting of large scale retail establishments, defined as having a floor area greater than 65,000 square feet. The moratorium applies City wide and was enacted for a duration of six months. After hearing rumors of a possible Wal-Mart (which have since been confirmed) the Council decided this drastic action was needed to allow the City time to evaluate the impacts of these kinds of uses and consider potential changes to the applicable regulations and requirements.

The Council shipped this issue off to the Planning Commission, asking them to report back on their findings. The Commission will be taking public comment on Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 5:00 p.m., in the City Council Chambers on the 1st Floor of the Tacoma Municipal Building (747 Market Street).

You are invited to come and testify at the hearing or provide written comments using the return address below no later than 5:00 pm on Friday, October 7, or via e-mail at planning@cityoftacoma.org.

Details
Wed, Oct 7, 5 p.m.
Council Chambers
747 Market St

More info here (click on “Large Scale Retail Moratorium”)

After the Murray Morgan Bridge’s attempt at burlesque last weekend, many were wondering if the wrapping had malfunctioned and if it would be replaced. The answer is no to the first and yes to the second. Apparently the white plastic wrapping is designed to tear away if winds become too strong. If they didn’t the force of the winds trapped within could harm the metal structure.

Since last weekend crews have been working to replace the white covering. The below photo is from Friday, and as of today it would appear they have finished the section in the photo and moved on to the East side (far right) of the bridge.

The Murray Morgan Bridge is being refurbished after WSDOT declared it unsafe a few years ago. It is scheduled to be finished in late 2012.