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MONDAY, JULY 30, 2012
Vol. CXXIII, No. 146
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE CITY OF TACOMA Devoted to the Courts, Real Estate, Finance, Industrial Activities, and Publication of Legal Notices
Published Since 1890
Aerospace Summit
Pierce County suppliers hope to meet Boeing's demand Photo Courtesy Pierce County Some 150 people representing more than 20 aerospace suppliers as well as government agencies, banks, schools and others connected to the industry turned out for the inaugural Pierce County Aerospace Summit Friday at the University of Washington Tacoma. The keynote speaker, Drew Magill, director of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, told attendees that Boeing predicts the global market will need 34,000 new airplanes over the next 20 years, and Pierce County aerospace suppliers can help the company compete for that business by finding ways to work faster while providing a safe, efficient and reliable product. "It's really important that we increase production rates and deliver these planes at a higher rate and a higher quality," said Magill. "We're very confident we can build the most fuel-efficient, most reliable airplanes, and we can be successful in this market for the next 20 years." Magill added the company is working with suppliers to increase production to address a backlog of 3,900 airplane orders valued at $302 billion. Boeing feels the pressure because it expects to see more
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A successful failure?
Engineers to honor Galloping Gertie
The year was 1940. The place was Tacoma. The event was historic. The disaster was unprecedented. In ordinary winds, a graceful and sleek mile-long bridge, the first to cross the Tacoma Narrows, began undulating with such ferocity that it ripped itself apart as a shocked and mesmerized crowed looked on. Even though no human lives were lost, the unforgettable images of twisting metal and concrete deck sections crashing into Puget Sound immortalized engineering gone wrong. Galloping Gertie, open for only four months at the time of its collapse, became a powerful symbol of the importance of aerodynamics on suspension-bridge stability. That first bridge over the Tacoma Narrows was both a spectacular achievement and a spectacular failure, and its short life forever changed how engineers design bridges. Next month the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will remember that fateful day and formally recognize the significant effect the failure of the 1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge had on advancing the science of suspension-bridge design. A ceremony commemorating the bridge as a civic engineering landmark will be held on Sat., Aug. 11 at 1:30 p.m. at an overlook inside the competition from manufacturers in China, Brazil, Canada and Japan, in addition to the fierce rivalry with European manufacturer Airbus. Aerospace Summit participants also heard panel discussions about workforce training, taxes and financing, organizational development and other resources that are available to the local industry.
Tacoma Power celebrates LaGrande Powerhouse centennial
A century ago, Tacoma Power began generating power at the LaGrande Powerhouse, its first hydroelectric facility. The community is invited to celebrate 100 years of green, renewable power at the Nisqually River Project from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Fri., Aug. 10. Community members who attend the event will be entered in a drawing for a tour of the 100-year-old powerhouse, where the original turbines still generate power today. The event will also feature interactive displays, facility tours and food. Tacoma finished the LaGrande Powerhouse in 1912 amidst controversy. The city wanted independence from the private companies that supplied
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power to Tacoma. Stone & Webster, the Boston company that provided service, raised its rates and shut off power to the city's water pumps prior to the completion of the project. Tacoma voters approved a $2.3 million bond measure in 1909 to build the LaGrande Powerhouse. Tacoma Power began construction in 1910, and completed it in 1912. The Tacoma Times reported in June 1915 that the project had already earned more than $1.25 million. Although modified, the original turbines in the LaGrande Powerhouse still operate today. The event will take place at 46502 Mountain Highway East in LaGrande. More information is online at tacomapower.com.
Living War Memorial Park, located at 7201 6th Avenue, which is the site of a future memorial to be built by ASCE commemorating the landmark designation for the 1940 and 1950 Tacoma Narrows Bridges. Guest speakers will include Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland and Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy. ASCE's Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Program recognizes historically significant local, national and international civil engineering projects, structures and sites. The program identifies and designates national historic civil engineering works that have made a significant contribution to the development of the civil engineering profession. Other western Washington structures receiving the recognition include the I-90 Lacey V. Murrow Bridge in Seattle, the Snoqualmie Falls Underground Generating Station and the Cedar River Hydroelectric Project. Founded in 1852, the ASCE represents more than 144,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. Panelists represented WorkForce Central, Invista Performance Solutions, Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition, Washington State Department of Commerce, U.S. Bank, Moss Adams and General Plastics. Pierce County is home to more than 80 companies that work in composites and plastics, tooling, fabrication and machining, software, metals and engineering, as well as the Boeing plant in Frederickson that employs 1,700 people. A new coalition of about two dozen organizations has formed the Tacoma Pierce Aerospace Partners. The coalition's goals are to retain and grow current companies and attract new business. It is also developing an online resource for local suppliers at aerospacetacomapierce.com. "As Boeing showed us today, the supply chain must work together to quickly deliver the planes that are already ordered as well as keep up with increasing global demand," said Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy. "Our goal is to help local companies connect with each other and with available resources so they can tap into the growth of this industry. When they grow, our local economy grows."