GRANT FUNDS AWARDED FOR PORT ROAD REPAIR
The City of Tacoma’s Public Works Department in partnership with the Port of Tacoma recently received a $5,940,700 grant from the Transportation Improvement Board to renovate Port of Tacoma Road from East 11th Street to Marshall Avenue.
This grant provides the remaining funds needed for design and construction costs for the project. Other funding partners include the City of Tacoma, Port of Tacoma, Tacoma Rail, Puget Sound Regional Council and Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board.
The repairs will include replacing approximately 7,800 feet of road surface with concrete to meet heavy haul corridor standards, with a goal of keeping industry rolling during construction. The project is expected to begin in April and is estimated to be completed in November.
“Port of Tacoma Road is more than an arterial through the Tideflats. It is the gateway for international commerce, jobs for our local economy and an integral component in what makes the Pacific Northwest competitive in today’s global market,” said Port of Tacoma Commission President Clare Petrich. “The City of Tacoma and all of the funding partners recognize the importance of this project. We acknowledge and appreciate their support of this statewide economic development project.”
Contact City of Tacoma Project Manager Tom Rutherford with questions or concerns at trutherford@cityoftacoma.org or (253) 591-5767.
HARMON BREWING CRAFTS NEW PT. DEFIANCE IPA
Harmon Brewing Company has announced that their Pt. Defiance IPA recipe has undergone an exciting change. The new brew is an updated version of their iconic classic, without straying from the roots.
"Bright, clean, crisp and hoppy, the iconic PT. Defiance IPA is re-born,” said Head Brewer Jeff Carlson.
Originally brewed in 1997 to commemorate the opening of the Harmon Brewery, the Point Defiance IPA was crafted to encompass what Tacoma stood for, a no fuss, palate quenching brew.
The improved version uses five different malted barleys to accommodate the boatload of Pacific Northwest hops.
“The combination creates the classic West Coast hop aroma and flavor that we all crave, while maintaining drinkability,” added Carlson. “In keeping with tradition we left the hoppy backbone unchanged, but added some Citra to give it that edge. Hop in your Kayak, pour yourself a glass and enjoy.”
FILM FESTIVAL COMPETITION ISSUES CALL FOR ENTRIES
Announcing the second annual Destiny City Film Festival, scheduled to take place Aug. 29-30, 2015, and hosted by the historic Blue Mouse Theater. DCFF is a homegrown, true-Tacoma community event, inspired by our city’s nickname – The City of Destiny – and built to showcase the best independent films from the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
This two-day fest is organized by people who believe at the heart of every great movie is a great story, one that is destined to invigorate an audience through the art form of film. Building off the undeniable success of its inaugural year, organizers are looking forward to sharing even more top-quality film programming, panel discussions, and a celebration of screenwriting through Tacoma’s first short screenplay competition.
DCFF was created to enhance support for local independent filmmakers and to showcase the thriving talent of the Northwest cinema landscape. Audiences deserve to see great movies, and our filmmakers and writers deserve to be held to a higher standard. The experienced and devoted DCFF staff is thrilled to be the middleman. Our mission is to enhance the vitality of independent filmmaking by showcasing vibrant films to curate an engaged and supportive community audience.
Our call for submissions is now open and we’re staying true to our roots and passion for great stories by inviting Tacoma filmmakers and DCFF alumni to submit films for free! Plus, we’re offering discounts for Film School students and Washington state residents.
Visit http://www.DestinyCityFilmFestival.com to submit your film or screenplay, and to learn more about the festival. Connect with us at http://www.Facebook.com/DestinyCityFF and on Twitter@DestinyCityFF.
TIME AGAIN FOR ‘TWELVE BEERS OF CHRISTMAS’
Yes, it’s time again for Harmon’s annual Twelve Beers of Christmas. The daily festivities, held at the Harmon Tap Room, begin on Dec. 13 and end on Christmas Eve. To get people in the spirit of the holidays, the first beer, a delectable Candy Cane Porter will be served Firkin style just as beer was quaffed back in the mid-15th century.
The Twelve Beers of Christmas lineup, including everything from barrel aged imperial stouts to blondes and sours, is subject to change. Here is the lineup in no particular order:
Ivan Russian Imperial Stout - 2013
Apricot Tart - 2012
Casper’s Revenge Ghost Pepper Peach - 2012
11th ST. +1 IPA
5-Mile Drive IPA
Old John Barrel Blend
One Hop Wonder
Columbus Candy Cane Porter Firkin
Honey Blonde
Dry Fly Barrel Aged New West CDA
Farmhouse Blonde
Whiskey Soaked Oak Aged Steep & Deep
FORMER FIRE CHIEF LEADING 911 FIRE SERVICES
Ken Sharp, retired West Pierce Fire & Rescue fire chief, is South Sound 911’s first deputy director of fire services, Executive Director Andrew Neiditz announced. The interim appointment, effective Dec. 1, marks a significant, official step toward the merging of fire/EMS dispatch services under South Sound 911, as directed by voters in 2011.
“It is with great satisfaction that we welcome Ken to help us form the fire services division,” Neiditz said. “There is significant work ahead to integrate fire and EMS dispatch services, but with Ken’s proven record of leadership, planning and partnership, we look forward to a smooth and productive transition.”
In addition to his fire/EMS leadership experience, Sharp brings with him a skill in navigating public safety mergers and a thorough understanding of South Sound 911. As the Lakewood Fire Department fire chief, he successfully merged the Lakewood and University Place Fire Departments into what is now West Pierce Fire & Rescue (WPFR). Working alongside county and municipal leaders, Sharp was also instrumental in bringing Proposition 1 to voters in 2011’s general election; its successful passage created South Sound 911.
“I’m excited to be a part of this collaborative effort and looking forward to tackling the challenges that lie ahead,” Sharp said.
After a nearly 36-year career in fire/EMS, Sharp retired as WPFR Fire Chief in March 2013. He will serve as South Sound 911’s deputy director of fire services in a part-time interim capacity until a permanent hire is made.
SURVEY TO DETERMINE SPACE NEEDS FOR THE ARTS
The City of Tacoma, in partnership with the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation and Artspace Projects, has launched a comprehensive online artist market survey that will help the City and local developers understand the needs of the creative community in Tacoma.
“Space for creative activity is an important ingredient for flourishing neighborhoods and cities,” said Tacoma Arts Administrator Amy McBride. “The arts are key to Tacoma’s innovative and authentic nature. This survey will ensure that we include the voices and needs of the people who bring talent and innovation to our community as we move into the next phases of growth and development.”
Funded by JPMorgan Chase, this survey will be available at http://www.creativespacetacoma.org now through Feb. 9, 2015. Survey results will be shared with local developers and creative space providers like Spaceworks to help them make decisions that best benefit creative use within existing and future developments.
The survey is being conducted by Artspace, the nations’ leading non-profit developer of affordable artists’ live/work spaces. Artspace has been hailed by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ford Foundation and others as an inspiration for the emergent creative placemaking movement. For more than 30 years, Artspace has brought its expertise to more than 200 cultural facility planning efforts from coast to coast.
EVERGREEN LONGHOUSE HOSTS NATIVE ARTS FAIR
The Evergreen State College’s award-winning Longhouse Education & Cultural Center will host its 18th annual Holiday Native Arts Fair on Friday, Dec. 12 and Saturday, Dec. 13, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The fair will feature nearly 40 Native artists from Washington and Oregon, as well as Alaska Native and First Nations artists from British Columbia. Among the items for sale are original carvings, woven textiles, prints, basketry, jewelry, clothing, musical instruments and more.
Artists include Peter Boome of the Upper Skagit Tribe, a carver, painter, printmaker and Evergreen graduate student, who recently won awards in several categories at the Santa Fe Indian Market and was featured at the National Museum of the American Indian.
Evergreen student and artist Joe Seymour of the Squaxin Island Tribe will be selling prints and original designs on jackets, as well as drums. Malynn Foster of the Squaxin is also a vendor. The Hazel Pete Institute of Chehalis Basketry will have works by the daughters and granddaughters of the late Evans Chair Scholar and Evergreen graduate Hazel Pete. Additionally, artists Phil and Brenda Hamilton of the Muckleshoot, Andy Peterson and Denise Emerson of the Skokomish and Paul Kungi of the Yakama tribes will be selling their arts at the fair.
More than a holiday sales venue, the Longhouse, with support from the Ford Foundation, provides Native arts programs that have expanded beyond the Northwest into a national program for American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian artists. The Longhouse has also established an international indigenous residency program with the New Zealand government’s Ministry of Culture.
A public service center of The Evergreen State College, the Longhouse’s mission is to promote indigenous arts and cultures through education, cultural preservation, creative expression and economic development.
This event is free and open to the public. Parking is $2 Dec. 12, free Dec. 13.
SOUND OUTREACH APPOINTS NEW DIRECTOR
The Board of Directors of Sound Outreach has announced the appointment of new Executive Director Jeffrey Klein to succeed retiring Executive Director, Roberta Marsh beginning Jan. 5.
Klein comes to Sound Outreach with 20 years of experience in the nonprofit world, most recently serving for five years as Development Director at Emergency Food Network where he helped to raise awareness and funds for hungry people in Pierce County. Prior to EFN, he directed an independent school in Williamsport, Penn., worked in student affairs, supervised a program for street-involved youth in Eugene, Ore., and worked in programming and executive roles in student leadership organizations and summer camps.
He has a passion for finding collaborative solutions to complex issues like poverty in Pierce County. Says Klein: “Sound Outreach addresses poverty from a social justice angle with a community development approach. This organization helps provide stability to families and individuals through comprehensive services that remove barriers to help people succeed. It’s unique to find an agency that sends staff to food banks and other connection points throughout the community, and even more distinctive to employ staff specifically qualified to provide resources for just about any issue, some that people might not have known about. The capacity to identify and serve multiple needs through one agency – like enrolling to receive free healthcare, or receiving a tax credit that you might not have known you were eligible for, or learning how to manage your debt so you can buy a home and begin to build equity – this is why Sound Outreach has a multiplying effect on our community as a whole, making us all stronger. I believe that we can do a lot to help people shift the mindset from ‘poor,’ which is systemic, to ‘broke,’ which is temporary and fixable. It is a privilege to receive the baton from Roberta for the next leg of the race.”
Klein is an active member in several groups and committees in the community, including the Pierce County Growth Partnership, The Puyallup Watershed Initiative, Tacoma Rotary 8, and American Leadership Forum Tacoma Class XX. He also served on the Pierce County Unaccompanied Youth and Young Adult Steering Committee, and helped to drive the early development of the Swan Creek Food Forest. He lives in Tacoma with his wife Jessica and daughter Lily.
FAMILIES INVITED TO SALMON SATURDAY AT SWAN CREEK PARK
Friends of Swan Creek Watershed, Tacoma EnviroChallenger Program and the Tacoma Nature Center invite you to join them, along with Citizens for a Healthy Bay, Pierce Conservation District and the Puyallup Tribe Fisheries Department, in welcoming Swan Creek salmon as they return home to spawn on Dec. 13, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Swan Creek Park, 2820 Pioneer Way E. (Canyon Entrance/Parking Lot).
Experience the special wonder of watching salmon make their way upstream in an urban setting. The event includes tours of the park to see the spawning salmon, children’s activities, salmon-friendly home and gardening information and more. Learn what a watershed is, and what we can do to protect our valuable water resources, through hands-on activities for all ages. You’ll even be able to personally test water from Swan Creek and find out how its current conditions impact the survival of salmon in the creek. New this year, you’ll be able to learn about the annual fish counts and other work done by the Puyallup Tribe Fisheries Department.
Take a tour, stroll or hike on your own, or simply stop by to pick up free resource materials. But don’t miss this great event.
For more information call (253) 472-7264 or visit swancreek@prodigy.net.
UPCOMING MEETINGS, EVENTS FOR 15 NOW TACOMA
15 Now Tacoma, the campaign to raise the minimum wage, will hold the following meetings and events to which the public is invited and encouraged to attend.
Weekly Action Group Meeting: Saturday Dec. 13, 4 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 621 Tacoma Ave. S. (Parking around back)
Celebration Potluck: 15 Now Tacoma has submitted text for an initiative that will establish a $15/hr minimum wage in Tacoma. Come and join the celebration of the first major step toward making Tacoma the best place to work in the U.S. Families and all friends of 15 Now are welcome. Please bring food to share. Coffee, dishes, etc will be provided. A warming oven is available. Saturday Dec 13, 5 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 621 Tacoma Ave. S. (Parking around back)
Mass Signature Gathering Event: Join in heading out to shopping centers and grocery stores to begin gathering signatures to get this citywide initiative on the ballot. There will be a brief training on the signature and donation gathering rules, and how to answer frequently asked questions about the minimum wage. Saturday, Dec. 20, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Location TBA soon.
Action Group Meeting: Saturday, Dec. 20, 4 p.m. at First United Methodist Church.