Resident Engagement this Week - Be Informed, Give Input, and Have Some Fun!

All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.

That phrase is actually an old proverb, but you probably know it as the sentence that Jack types over and over again during his psychotic break in the movie The Shining. If you are the literary type, you might remember the phrase shows up in Jack Kerouac’s novel Big Sur.

Well, don’t worry, nothing that heavy or scary here - just a full week of ways to have fun and to “go to work” as an engaged citizen in downtown Tacoma.

Because, all play and no work make Tacoma a dull place.

Bike Train: Bike Me Out to the Ballgame

June 24, 2015 at 5:30 pm

​The Bike Committee is going to bike train from downtown to Cheney Stadium to watch the Tacoma Rainiers play the Reno Aces. The game starts at 7:05 and anyone who bikes to the game gets a special ticket rate of $11.50, which gets you a seat, a hot dog, a bag of chips, and a bottle of water.  Just tell them at the ticket counter that you biked to the game. If you want to join the bike train, meet at S. 11^th and Pacific Avenue.

ST-3 Tacoma Open House

June 24, 2015 at 5:30 pm

Good and plenty of public transit is an important factor for a thriving urban region. You can show up at this open house and give your input to The Sound Transit Board on which projects they should study as final candidates for the ST3 public vote that could be happening as soon as November 2016. The presentation will begin at 6 pm and the open house will take place at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center at 1500 Broadway.

Public Hearing on Draft of Paid Leave Rules

June 25, 2015 at 10:00 am

You have probably heard by now and I will likely be writing more about this soon, but beginning  in February 2016, Tacoma employers will be required to provide up to 24 hours of Paid Leave annually to employees within the City of Tacoma. You can read about the paid leave rules and regulations that have been drafted for review at cityoftacoma.org/paidleave. You can attend the public hearing, and provide your feedback at the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch – Olympic Room at 1102 Tacoma Avenue South.

1st Annual Tacoma Waterfront Crab Feed

June 25, 2015 at 5:30 pm

If you are allergic to crab, well, I feel really bad for you and you definitely shouldn’t go to this event. But, for the rest of you – strap on your bib and join the Tacoma Waterfront Association (TWA) this Friday for the first ever Waterfront Crab Feed fundraiser at the Foss Waterway Seaport at 705 Dock Street.

Beyond eating all the crab you can, there will be chances to bid on or win prizes at the silent auction, raffles, and a ring toss. This fundraiser will be an opportunity to highlight Tacoma’s waterfront and the community and businesses within it. The event will feature prominent figures in the waterfront speaking to the latest activities and plans for the future of Tacoma’s waterfront. This fundraiser will help TWA continue its mission of making the waterfront enjoyable and accessible.

You can get your tickets now at: TWA-CrabFeed.brownpapertickets.com!

Spaceworks Tacoma - Activating Space

Activated space.

It’s one of the most important elements of community development and neighborhood revitalization. It’s importance is understood by both high level urban planners and grass roots community organizers. It speaks both to architectural design and the importance of third spaces for people to gather, and it speaks to everything in between.

In Tacoma we have an inventive and robust effort that understands the importance of activated space - it’s called Spaceworks Tacoma.

Spaceworks is a partnership between the City of Tacoma and the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce that is designed to activate empty storefronts and vacant spaces in the city with art and creative enterprise.

Property owners donate their vacant spaces and Spaceworks makes those low-cost temporary spaces available to artists, entrepreneurs, organizations, and community groups who transform those spaces with creative business, art installations, short term community based projects, or pop-up events.

Spaceworks also provides training, professional development and technical assistance to the participants in the program. 

Have you seen a Spaceworks installation around town? Have you visited a Spaceworks business? Have you attended one of a plethora of creative events and parties held in a Spaceworks activated spaces?

If not, what are you waiting for? They are all around you - in the downtown neighborhood, the Hilltop, the 6th Avenue corridor, and throughout the city.

On June 3rd from noon - 1pm, Spaceworks Tacoma will be highlighted in the Walk Tacoma series for 2015. Spaceworks is hosting a free, guided Public Art Walk that will be lead by Public Art Specialist Rebecca Solverson with the City of Tacoma.

This particular art walk will be 1.5 miles and will explore the local public art and murals found throughout the Hilltop neighborhood. The walk will start at People’s Park on S. 9th and MLK Jr. Way.

One of the more whacky and fun projects that Spaceworks will be involved with is in partnership with the Cartoonist League of Absurd Washingtonians (CLAW) and Downtown on the Go (DOTG).

CLAW has their Open Swim event tonight, May 27th, 7:30 pm at King’s Books. DOTG is sponsoring this open swim event by providing ten blank white bike helmets to be drawn on and decorated by attendees.

The plan is to have the decorated helmets serve as a traveling exhibit for DOTG to be orchestrated by Spaceworks. Rumor has it these helmets might end up on the heads of some well known Tacoma personalities during the Downtown to Defiance event in September. Finally, the helmets will be auctioned off and the proceeds split between DOTG and the CLAW Student Scholarship Fund.

Now that is some creative partnership if you ask me.

The thing about activated space - it is both a function of the space itself and the people that populate it. Spaceworks is doing it’s part. Let’s do ours and populate these spaces with our presence and our dollars.

July 16th City Center Luncheon focuses on Transportation

Transportation is a hot topic in Tacoma this summer. The Chamber’s July 16th City Center Luncheon, sponsored by CH2M Hill, will feature the latest updates on the biggest projects including: Sound Transit’s Sounder extension construction, Pierce Transit’s redesign plans for downtown, preliminary plans for the Prairie Line walking and biking trail, car sharing opportunities, walking maps, parking and more. Register Now! This City Center Luncheon is not to be missed.

When: Friday, July 16th, 2010
Time: 11:30 (registration) 12:00-1:30 (program)
Location: Pacific Grill Event Center, 1530 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, WA 98402.
Please consider walking, biking or carpooling to this event.
If you must drive, validated parking is available in the Convention Center Garage.

This quarter’s luncheon will feature:

Sound Transit’s South Sound Projects
Sound Transit, the Puget Sound’s regional transit provider is busy planning for investments in Pierce County. The Sounder extension to Lakewood, Tacoma LINK/ streetcar planning and the light rail extension from SeaTac airport are all part or Sound Transit’s plans for the future in the South Sound. Join us to learn more.

Pierce Transit Redesign: the plan for downtown
Over the past year Pierce Transit and the community have been reevaluating the 30-year old bus route structure and services and planning for the future. Through this planning effort, downtown Tacoma is slated for major route changes that will improve efficiency and service for downtown residents, employees, students and visitors.

Prairie Line Trail: preliminary plans
The Prairie Line Trail is an urban biking and walking trail planned for the abandoned Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad corridor that bisects downtown Tacoma. The Prairie Line Trail is slated to be transformed into a linear park linking planned redevelopment in the Brewery District to the University of Washington Tacoma, Tollefson Plaza, Tacoma Art Museum and the Thea Foss Esplanade.

Car Sharing: opportunities for downtown, UWT, UPS and PLU
Car sharing is an alternative to car rentals and car ownership and it’s in the works to site in downtown Tacoma and at local universities. Car sharing programs enable residents and biking, walking, transit, carpool and vanpool commuters access to a car when they need it, reducing transportation costs and eliminating excuses to alternative commuting.

Update on Paid Parking in Downtown Tacoma
Parking Pay Stations are coming to the streets of downtown September 20th (http://www.tacomaparking.com/). The implementation of paid on street parking is an effort on behalf of the City of Tacoma and downtown businesses to insure that customers, clients and visitors to downtown can find on street parking in proximity to shops, restaurants and cultural activities. Join us to lean more about the details of the parking meter implementation and alternatives to parking on street in downtown.

Spaces are limited. Register today by contacting Cathy Thompson, (253) 627.2175, cathyt@tacomachamber.org or online


Prices: $225 Corporate Tables of 8
$20 Ambassadors pre-paid
$25 Members pre-paid
$30 Members at the door
$35 Non-members/Walk-Ins

Tacoma's Mobility Master Plan Up for Public Comment

If you're interested in biking and walking in Tacoma (and who isn't), then the City of Tacoma wants to hear your thoughts on the draft version of the Mobility Master Plan, which will be incorporated into the City's Comprehensive Plan if passed by the City Council. This document alone will significantly impact the future of Tacoma's biking/walking system, and aims to make biking/walking a more feasible option, especially for commuters. Attend one of these two sessions to learn more about the plan and offer your feedback.

MID-DAY SESSION:
11:30am-1:00pm
Presentation at 12:00pm sharp
Thursday, Feb. 11
Carwein Auditorium, Keystone Building, UWT
Click here for a map and location details.

EVENING SESSION:
6:30pm-8:00pm
Presentation at 7:00pm sharp
Thursday, Feb. 11
Rasmussen Rotunda, Wheelock Student Center, UPS
Click here for a map and location details.

The plan is available for pre-review on the City's website.
Questions?
Contact Diane Wiatr, City of Tacoma Mobility Coordinator, at dwiatr@cityoftacoma.org.