Category Archives: Government

Lake Union Crew

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This is the amazing view (notice the Space Needle in the background) from the Lake Union Crew Building at 11 East Allison in Seattle. It wasn’t until I was writing it up as a new place that I realized the entire building was a boat and moves around as needed! That makes it one of the most amazing buildings I’ve ever been in! Here is somebody’s photo of it floating around. (Thanks znep!)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/znep/113675036/

There were some great houseboats next to the Crew building and I’ve included a photo of them 🙂

The Lake Union Crew website is here
http://www.lakeunioncrew.com/

The 21st Street Bridge

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The 21st Street Bridge connects downtown Tacoma with the Port of Tacoma and is part of SR 509. The cable stay bridge was constructed in 1996 to replace the 11th Street Bridge (the Murry Morgan Bridge).

I was under the bridge (on the wrong side in this photo!) to attend an arts gathering which was fire dancers at the featured entertainment. How fun is that? Flair’s website is here:

http://tacomaflair.com/tag/tacoma/

Wiener Dogs and Windmills

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Once in a while I go to two wonderful, new places in one day and I usually decide which one to blog about.  But Saturday’s two places are just so wonderful that I’m doing a double entry — Wiener Dogs and Windmills!

We went to Ellensburg for a quick get away and where delighted to find out that it was the 9th anniversary celebration of Dachshunds on Parade.  We got there late for the parade (next year!), but made it in time for the pet tricks and races.  Apparently Dachshunds have their own thoughts about if they should be racing.  There were races in which all of the dogs flew from one end of the track to the other.  There were races where the dogs got away from their owners before the ready-set-go and races where none of the dogs went anywhere (except maybe rolling over on their backs!).  One race, a dog ran right into the stands!  It was really a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours!  And I’ve never seen so many Dachshunds at once!

http://www.dachshundsonparade.com/

Afterward, we traveled about 15 miles outside of Ellensburg to the Wild Horse Wind Farm.  I’ve always wanted to see the wind turbines up close and they were glorious!  It was pretty windy when we got to the information center and the employees explained that they don’t give tours when the wind is over 25 miles per hour.  But still we looked all over the information center and got to touch one of the blades that they have at ground level and see the solar panels and hear the wonderful whomp, whomp, whomp of the blades as they turned.  The view was wonderful also.

http://www.pse.com/inyourcommunity/kittitas/Pages/Wild-Horse.aspx

All in all, it was a very successful day!

Fire Station No. 8

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Fire Station No. 8 by Gexydaf
Fire Station No. 8, a photo by Gexydaf on Flickr.

Tacoma’s Fire Station #8 at 4301 South L was built in 1909 and ceased being in 2006 when a larger station was constructed nearby. It is now a private residence.

The City of Tacoma placed 11 individual fire related properties (9 stations, 1 ship and an alarm system) on the national historical register in 1983. The nomination form is located here:
http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/64000904.pdf

Morning Light at Union Station

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I was out and about unusually early this morning and just loved the light on Union Station at 1717 Pacific Avenue. The station was constructed in1911 by the architectural firm of Reed and Stem (who also designed Grand Central Station in New York City) and was originally used as a passenger station. In 1974 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was abandoned in 1984 and in 1990 – 1992 it was renovated for use as a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. The statue out front is called New Beginnings and was sculpted in 1984 by Larry Anderson.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_%28Tacoma,_Washington%29

http://www.unionstationrotunda.org/

And here is one more photo taken 5/2/14

14097135704_7841d14e2b_b(1)

Moore Branch Tacoma Public Library

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Today I ran into the Grace R. Moore Branch of Tacoma Public Library at 215 South 56th Street to pick up a book (Poser: My Life in Twenty-three Yoga Poses). The library’s webpage says “Coming to the pioneering community of Tacoma in 1884, Grace Moore missed the easy access to books she enjoyed in her native San Francisco. In 1886, Mrs. Moore led a group of 18 women to organize a circulating library in her South Tacoma home. The club’s charter members donated their personal collections of books and patrons paid 25 cents for the privilege of borrowing from the Puget Sound area’s first circulating library. Bachelors, wishing to use the home as a quiet place to read, paid 50 cents.” http://www.tpl.lib.wa.us/Page.aspx?nid=55

The top photo was taken in October 2008 and the lower photos today.

Keeping the Skies Safe

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Keeping the Skies Safe by Gexydaf

Yesterday’s new place of the day was the Air Traffic Control Tower at SeaTac Airport. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says “Air traffic controllers earn relatively high pay and have good benefits. Median annual wages of air traffic controllers in May 2008 were $111,870”.  Wow.  http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos108.htm

It isn’t the best photo that I’ve taken, in fact I made my daughter take it as the car was moving!

Tacoma Central Police Substation

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Today I took a quick stop at the Tacoma Central Police Substation, Sector One at 1524 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way.  What attracted me to the building was the stones in a metal cage art, of which there are at least three.  I’m not finding information on them, though they seem to be designed to be educational.  I did find this document about other art at local police stations.

http://www.tacomaculture.org/arts/resource/TA_PUB_Police.pdf

 

 

 

Save Our Buses, Proposition 1

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 I don’t usually take the bus. Sure, on occasion, maybe to the Puyallup Fair or when my car is in for repair. But my daughter does and she is afraid service will be significantly reduced if Proposition 1 doesn’t pass during the Pierce County general election on February 8, 2011. Pierce Transit (the folks that run the buses) receives 70% of its funding from local sales tax and because of the recession, sales tax is down. Fair increases, reductions in routes and layoffs have already occurred, but if Proposition 1 does not pass, an additional 35% of the current level of service will be eliminated.

What is the financial impact to my family? On a $10 purchase, we will pay an additional $0.03. What is the real cost impact? My teen daughter will wait longer for bus service, sometimes on dark, cold, rainy evenings. And for other folks? It will be harder to go to their jobs, the doctor, daycare and the grocery store. Like my daughter, folks will have longer waits between buses. Some of these people (those without cars, those with disabilities, etc.) have no other choice.

So my family voted yes for Proposition 1. It just seemed like the right thing to do for the most people.

Additional information can be found here. http://www.piercetransit.org/pdfs/Prop1_FactSheet_Dec10.pdf

http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1915221&more=0

Today’s new place is the Lakewood Transit Center, near the Lakewood Town Center shopping area.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library is Closing

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For Martin Luther King Day, I went to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library at 1902 South Cedar Street, Tacoma, WA 98405 . As of January 31, 2011, this branch of the Tacoma Public Library System will close, leaving eight locations. The Swan Creek Branch is also closing and the main branch will also have its hours reduced from 66 to 54.

There are news reports of the closures here http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/16/1467131/2-small-tacoma-libraries-to-close.html?storylink=rss

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/01/16/1504222/library-to-serve-fewer.html

The library’s previous sign has been replaced with the sign in the photograph. There is also a notice on the door that states “Tacoma Public Library Service Alert. As a result of a $1.8 million dollar shortfall in the Library’s 2011 – 2012 budget, the Tacoma Public Library will close two branch libraries and reduce hours at the downtown Main Library effective Monday, January 31, 2011.” Per the news report, the MLK Branch has some of the lowest circulation figures and has considerable deferred maintenance. While I an see the logic of the closure, it is a certain loss to the families in the area.

The closing of this branches no doubt would have saddened Dr. King, who is know to have said “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” Sounds like the function of a public library to me.

For information on the Swan Creek Library closure, go to http://blog.firsttries.com/?p=2099

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