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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2012
Vol. CXXIII, No. 153
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE CITY OF TACOMA Devoted to the Courts, Real Estate, Finance, Industrial Activities, and Publication of Legal Notices
Published Since 1890
$5.7M grant awarded to upgrade Freedom Bridge Posted online Tues., Aug. 7 Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta and the Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) Monday announced the approval of a $5.7 million grant for the City of Lakewood to improve the Freedom Bridge overpass near the Madigan Army Medical Center Gate to alleviate congestion and improve public safety along the Berkeley street corridor. Improvements will include an additional eastbound ramp to the bridge, a second left turn lane to the I-5 southbound off-ramp, upgrades to traffic signs and additional pedestrian facilities for increased public safety. Funding for the project is provided under the Department of Defense (DOD) and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011 and will be completed as a joint effort between the State of Washington Department of Transportation, the City of Lakewood and the Command at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. "These necessary improvements will benefit everyone because they will increase safety and help alleviate congestion," said Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy, a co-chair of the South Sound Military and Communities Partnership (SSMCP). "This is another success for the Partnership's collaboration of communities with the Department of Defense to serve our service members, veterans and neighbors. I look forward to working with the City of Lakewood and the Washington State Department of Transportation to get these critical projects moving."
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Murray Morgan Bridge
Proposal would install signage on counterweights Posted online Tues., Aug. 7 Article By Todd Matthews, Editor Images Courtesy City of Tacoma Tacoma's Landmarks Preservation Commission will consider a proposal to install letter signage on the Murray Morgan Bridge. The plan calls for the words "City of Tacoma," "Port of Tacoma," and "Thea Foss Waterway" to be spelled out in 48-foot-tall letters on the bridge's two east and west counterweights, according to Tacoma public works engineer Tom Rutherford. Commissioners will also consider which counterweights will receive the signage and the font. If the plan is approved, it would be a return to form of sorts for the old bridge. A historic photograph circa 1915 shows similar historic lettering on the counterweights. The Murray Morgan Bridge is listed on the Washington Heritage Register of Historic Places, the National Register of Historic Places,
and Tacoma's Register of Historic Places. It is currently undergoing a $57 million rehabilitation that is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. The landmarks commission is scheduled to discuss the proposal during its meeting on Weds., Aug. 8 at 5 p.m. at the Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market St., Room 248. A copy of the agenda and meeting materials are available online at cms.cityoftacoma.org/cedd/TacomaCulture/Historic/2012/documents/LPC_Packet_080812.pdf.
City of Tacoma News: Interim ďŹ nance director to leave Tacoma City Hall
Posted online Tues., Aug. 7 The City of Tacoma announced Friday interim finance director Jeff Litchfield has been hired as the city manager of Hondo, Texas. Litchfield's last day at Tacoma City Hall will be Fri., Aug. 10. Litchfield was appointed to the interim post after Tacoma's finance director Bob Biles resigned in May. "While I am saddened that Jeff is leaving the City
team and grateful for his service, I congratulate and wish Jeff the best of luck as he embarks on his new adventure," said City Manager T.C. Broadnax. "The City is in the process of recruiting for a new finance director and I will be identifying my options to either fill the position on an interim or permanent basis." Litchfield is the latest top-level employee to leave
City Hall since Broadnax began as city manager in February. Community relations manager Rob McNair-Huff left the city in June. In May, deputy city manager Rey Arellano and community and economic development director Ryan Petty resigned. Tacoma Fire Department Chief Ronald W. Stephens retired in March after serving 35 years with the department.