402 Tacoma Avenue S., Suite 200 TACOMA, WA 98402 PHONE (253) 627-4853 FAX (253) 627-2253
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2013
Vol. CXXIV, No. 11
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE CITY OF TACOMA Devoted to the Courts, Real Estate, Finance, Industrial Activities, and Publication of Legal Notices
Published Since 1890
Visit our Web site at www.tacomadailyindex.com
INSIDE:
LEGAL NOTICES BANKRUPTCIES LIENS ORDERS FEDERAL COURT AUDITORS OFFICE NEW BUSINESSES editor@tacomadailyindex.com
Thoms appointed to vacant Tacoma City Council seat Courtesy Photo Tacoma City Council Tuesday appointed Robert Thoms to the vacant District 2 position, which generally represents northeast Tacoma, the industrial area around the Port of Tacoma, and downtown Tacoma. The position was vacated after forRobert Thoms was mer city councilmember appointed Tuesday to Jake Fey was elected to a vacant position on the state House of RepTacoma City Council. resentatives in NovemThoms brings more ber. Thoms will serve in than 20 years of pothe position until Dec. litical and community 31, 2013, and receive outreach experience an annual salary of and 24 years of service $41,269. as a public affairs Thoms brings more officer with the U.S. than 20 years of poNavy. Thoms was selitical and community lected out of a group of outreach experience seven candidates. The and 24 years of service position was vacated as a public affairs offiafter former city councer with the U.S. Navy. cilmember Jake Fey Additionally, he has was elected to the state worked to coordinate House of Representathe South Sound Militives in November. tary and Communities Partnership, a group of regional governments and partners from Lacey to Tacoma to better liaison with JBLM. He previously served as senior staff member for U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell. Thoms holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from State University of New York in Buffalo, NY and a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University in Spokane. Thoms was selected out of a group of seven candidates that included Monica Alexander, Philip Cowan, David D'Aniello, Carolyn Edmonds, Jon Higley, and Patricia Lecy-Davis. Earlier in the day, councilmembers conducted interviews with the candidates, which were aired live on TV Tacoma. "We interviewed an impressive group of applicants," said Mayor Marilyn Strickland. "But at the end of the day, Robert Thoms stood out as a strong addition to the Tacoma City Council. We all look forward to working with Council Member Thoms."
History Restored: Tacoma's Point DeďŹ ance Pagoda re-opens Photo Courtesy Metro Parks Tacoma Metro Parks Tacoma hosted a ceremony on Jan. 12 to mark the grand re-opening of the historic Point Defiance Pagoda. The Pagoda was damaged by an early morning fire on April 15, 2011. When the fire was finally extinguished and the building assessed, the Pagoda had sustained extensive damage to the roof tiles, exterior gables, wood beam interior and most of the furniture and fixtures. The community made clear that they valued the Pagoda as a community asset and wanted to see the building restored as quickly as possible. Metro Parks immediately sprang into action, hiring contractors to begin cleaning up the wreckage and planning the process to renovate the building. Members of the Asia Pacific Cultural Center teamed up with Metro Arts and Tacoma Public Schools to create 900 cranes as part of a blessing ceremony at Point Defiance Park. Visitors to the event Saturday were invited to create cranes of their own. Inspired by Japanese architecture when it was built in 1914, the Pagoda is the focal point of Point Defiance Park's Japanese Garden. It was originally a waiting room for streetcars. Now this magnificent structure functions as a rental facility for weddings and other private parties as
NOTE TO READERS
In observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Tacoma Daily Index will not be published on Mon., Jan. 21. Publication will resume on Tues., Jan. 22. Have a safe holiday.
well as a venue for garden shows, lectures and concerts. Gardens surrounding the Pagoda feature pools, a waterfall, a picturesque footbridge, cherry trees, azaleas, and rhododendrons. The Pagoda was built in 1914 in an eclectic oriental temple style undoubtedly influenced by the recommended Japanese architecture of the Hare & Hare Plan of 1911. Initially referred to as "the Car Station," the Pagoda served as a waiting room for the streetcars, with restrooms and first aid facilities on the lower level. Architect Luther Twichell designed the new streetcar station in the Japanese "Pagoda" style, which was considered complimentary to the adjoining gardens. Newspaper articles, prior to the Pagoda's completion, indicated the modern and luxurious amenities it would have. The women's restroom would have easy chairs, couches, and in the summer season, an attendant to hand out towels and keep the facility clean. Men visiting the Pagoda would find a separate smoking room and marble lavatories. The waiting room itself was to be roomy with tile floors and walls, comfortable chairs and a fireplace to keep warm in the cooler weather. Early photographs of the Pagoda suggest it was built as planned. Later used as a bus station, and then as a locale for garden clubs and floral displays, the Pagoda was meticulously restored in 1988 to look as it did originally, although the original waiting room furniture is long gone and the restroom facilities have been modernized. The ceremony Saturday included walking tours and a mixed media arts exhibit.