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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
Vol. CXXIII, No. 222
INSIDE:
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE CITY OF TACOMA Devoted to the Courts, Real Estate, Finance, Industrial Activities, and Publication of Legal Notices
Published Since 1890
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Tacoma City Council approves contract for Sprague Avenue project Posted online Weds., Nov. 14 Images Courtesy City of Tacoma Visitors to a stretch of Sprague Avenue in Tacoma may soon notice roadway and landscape improvements for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike. Tacoma City Council approved a purchase resolution Tuesday awarding a $548,429.25 contract to Westwater Construction Company to complete the first phase of the South Sprague Avenue Enhancement Project. The project will provide landscape improvements and enhanced visual buffers from South Sprague Avenue and the adjacent residential street to the east, known as residential Sprague or "Little Sprague," according to City staff. Just over half an acre of arterial roadway stormwater runoff will be treated with bio-retention rain gardens, and nearly half an acre will be enhanced with landscaping that will improve the City's tree canopy and reduce rainwater runoff in the Foss watershed. A new median will be constructed in South Sprague Avenue to provide traffic calming for a new neighborhood gateway wing also included in this project. The project follows roadway and landscape improvements along Sprague Avenue recently completed by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) from Highway 16 to the WSDOT right-of-way near South 23rd Street. The project kicked off last year when the City of Tacoma assisted WSDOT in creating a unified vision for this corridor. Since then, the project team provided presentations to Tacoma's central neighborhood council during two public meetings last year, and one public meeting in September. Additionally, a neighborhood steering committee was formed for this project to help prioritize the community's vision for this corridor and provide recommendations. According to City staff, this area of Sprague Avenue serves as a "gateway" to the City of Tacoma. City officials will hold a groundbreaking ceremony next month for the project, which is expected to last 35 working days. The second phase of the project, which is tentatively schedule to begin next fall, is currently in the preliminary design phase. That phase of the project will include the installation of landscape plantings west side of South Sprague Avenue from South 23rd to 19th Streets, and the installation of pervious pavement, a defined parking lane (east side) and swales to improve drainage (west side) to the residential stretch of Sprague Avenue between South 25th and 19th Streets.
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Hilltop's Browne's Star Grill building nominated to Tacoma's historic register
Posted online Weds., Nov. 14 Historic Tacoma, a non-profit organization that advocates for historic preservation, announced Wednesday it has prepared a nomination to place the former Browne's Star Grill building in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood on the city's register of historic places. The building, which dates back to 1906 and is also known as the Kellogg-Sicker Building, was designed by pioneer Tacoma architect Carl August Darmer and is currently owned by the City of Tacoma. Earlier this year, Historic Tacoma placed the building on its "Watch List" of endangered properties. According to the organization, the City of Tacoma purchased half a city block that includes the Kellogg-Sicker Building and the Pochert Building in 2005. The organization has also nominated the Pochert Building to the local historic register. That building dates back to 1904 and was also designed by Darmer. "The Kellogg-Sicker and Pochert buildings have been vacant and in decay since the City obtained ownership of the property," according to a message on Historic Tacoma's Web site. "These buildings are in the heart of what once was a thriving commercial district. Historic Tacoma encourages the City of Tacoma to lead by example and place these unique historic structures on the Tacoma Register of Historic Places and restore them to their historic use as mixed-use residen-
tial and retail centers." In an e-mail to the Tacoma Daily Index Wednesday, Historic Tacoma officials added, "Working with the neighborhood, we've decided to take further action to protect these buildings. The New Tacoma Neighborhood Council and the MLK Sub-Area Planning Steering Committee, in direct response to resident's appeals to maintain remaining historic and cultural relevance for the neighborhood, have partnered with Historic Tacoma to nominate both of these buildings to the Tacoma Register of Historic Places." The nominations were prepared by Historic Tacoma board president and architectural historian Caroline T. Swope and submitted to City Hall last month. Tacoma's Landmarks Preservation Commission is expected to review the nomination in January. "Historic Tacoma board member Jeff Williams had the opportunity to see the interior of the buildings yesterday and reports structural integrity, a significant amount of architectural detail remaining in the second floor apartments, and great potential for rehabilitation of both structures," added Historic Tacoma officials in its email Wednesday. "Historic Tacoma is currently working with the Tacoma Housing Authority and a private developer, both of whom are exploring possible rehabilitation and re-use of the structures."