402 Tacoma Avenue S., Suite 200 TACOMA, WA 98402 PHONE (253) 627-4853 FAX (253) 627-2253
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2012
Vol. CXXIII, No. 204
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE CITY OF TACOMA Devoted to the Courts, Real Estate, Finance, Industrial Activities, and Publication of Legal Notices
Published Since 1890
State auditor Sonntag to join Tacoma Rescue Mission Posted online Weds., Oct. 17 The Rescue Mission in Tacoma has announced it will hire Washington State Auditor Brian Sonntag as its chief financial officer at the end of his current term. "The CFO position is a great opportunity to continue serving my community – and in the city where I grew up – SONNTAG after 40 years of public service in both Pierce County and state government," said Sonntag. "I cannot think of a more suitable organization to help make the community a better place than The Rescue Mission." "Brian has long been a friend of The Rescue Mission," said Chief Executive Officer David Curry. "I am excited to see how his years of experience as Washington State Auditor will further the work of The Rescue Mission." Sonntag, 60, will begin working at the mission in January. He was elected to the position in 1992. He has also served as Pierce County Clerk and Pierce County Auditor. The Rescue Mission provides meals and shelter for displaced and homeless people, as well as drug and alcohol rehabilitation, life skills services and other assistance in six locations and in a Christianbased environment. This year marks the 100th anniversary of The Rescue Mission.
Visit our Web site at www.tacomadailyindex.com
INSIDE:
LEGAL NOTICES BANKRUPTCIES LIENS ORDERS FEDERAL COURT AUDITORS OFFICE NEW BUSINESSES editor@tacomadailyindex.com
A community center for Tacoma's eastside?
Posted online Thurs., Oct. 18 By Todd Matthews, Editor Members of a group that wants to open a community center on Tacoma's eastside were at City Hall earlier this month to gather support from city officials. Shalisa Hayes, founder of Team Billy Ray, told the committee young people have held planning meetings over the past year to try and gain support for the idea. Team Billy Ray was created in September 2011 after Hayes's 17-year-old son, Billy Ray Shirley III, was murdered in Tacoma. Hayes told Tacoma City Council's public safety, human services and education committee that two days after her son's funeral, kids held a car wash to raise money for a community center. "Since then, the same group of kids, depending on what day it is, they get together and talk about what community activities can we be involved in to raise awareness that we are here and we have younger siblings and cousins that could benefit from this. They have taken the concept of volunteerism and opened eyes. They are out there every month doing something." The group, which includes the Tacoma Housing Authority, Metro Parks Tacoma, and Team Billy Ray, point to a variety of reasons for the community center: the closures of Gault Middle School and the Eastside Boys & Girls Club over
the past three years; the Puyallup Tribe's interest last year in converting Gault Middle School into a community center for both tribal members and the larger community; a gang assessment reported recently completed by the City of Tacoma that showed the Eastside is one neighborhood affected by gangs and could benefit from a community center to serve as an alternative to joining gangs; and Team Billy Ray's efforts to raise awareness and funds. Councilmember Marty Cambpell, who represents Tacoma's Eastside, told the committee he has heard from members of the Tacoma School Board and the Eastside Neighborhood Council who support the idea. The catch, however, is that a formal feasibility study could cost between $50,000 and $90,000. It's a bill Tacoma can't foot alone, especially since it faces a $63 million budget shortfall over the next two years. Still, Campbell asked the city manager's office take the lead in pulling together partnership organizations that could share the cost of the study. "What has been phenomenal to me is they were busy two days later after [Billy Ray's] funeral and they are still busy today," added Hayes. "It's not only a beautiful thing, but it's something that I bring to the table saying they are screaming, 'Don't forget about us.' It would be nice to one day see that dream come to fruition."
WSDOT set to begin $800K project on Pierce County highway Posted online Weds., Oct. 17 The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has announced that work will begin this week on a three-month project to improve almost 10 miles of State Route 161 in east Pierce
County. WSDOT awarded an $800,000 contract to Totem Electric of Tacoma to complete the project, which includes restriping this section of highway and adding new lights and signs from Ohop Valley Extension Road at milepost four to just south of 304th Street East at milepost 13. During the project, motorists can expect one-way, alternating traffic between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., and 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., each Monday through Thursday. On Fridays, crews will work between the hours of 9 a.m. and noon and 6 p.m. until 8 a.m. Saturdays. The project is expected to be completed by the end of the year.