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FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013
Vol. CXXIV, No. 51
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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Port awarded nearly $200K for energy efďŹ ciency upgrades Posted online Thurs., March 14 File Photo By Todd Matthews, Editor Governor Jay Inslee announced Thursday nearly $18 million in grants aimed to create jobs and lower energy costs have been awarded to 12 higher education institutions and 37 local governments. Washington State Department of Commerce Energy Efficiency Grants were awarded to the following governments and institutions in Pierce County: Pierce College / $825,000 -- Extensive control updates, retro-commissioning, and new sub-metering equipment will be done at the Puyallup and Steilacoom campuses. The Steilacoom campus will also receive all new exterior lighting; Port of Tacoma / $197,532 -- Exterior and interior lighting retrofits for energy conservation at the multiple Port of Tacoma facilities, including marine cargo terminals, rail yards, a large warehouse and commercial building; City of Buckley / $325,000 -- Six city buildings will receive either new programmable thermostats, HVAC systems and controls or insulation; City of Ruston / $24,750 -- The city will be installing energy-efficient street lighting along North 52nd Street, between Highland and Shirley streets. The long-term goal of the state's Energy Efficiency Grant program is to reduce energy costs at the state's public higher education institutions and local government facilities, according to Inslee. The immediate goal is to stimulate Washington's economy by creating jobs. An estimated 543 jobs will be created by this construction spending. The total cost for all the projects is more than $66 million, including more than $48 million in non-state funding. "This is precisely the sort of program we need as we work to rebuild our economy," Inslee said. "These grants will reduce energy costs, provide training opportunities to students and create jobs in the clean energy sector." "The upgrades provided by these grants, such as
The Washington State Department of Commerce has awarded nearly $1.4 million in energy efficiency grants to a variety of governments and institutions in Pierce County. Nearly $200,000 was awarded to the Port of Tacoma for exterior and interior lighting retrofits for energy conservation at multiple facilities, including marine cargo terminals, rail yards, a large warehouse and commercial building. The grants aim to create jobs and lower energy costs. new lighting, boilers, and water-saving plumbing, put people to work right away, and the energy efficiencies will save money for Washington taxpayers well into the future," said Commerce Director Brian Bonlender. "The program stretches grant dollars by leveraging funding from non-state sources." The 2012 Legislature appropriated $20 million to higher education and $18 million to local governments, including a specific set aside of at least 10 percent for small cities or towns (populations of 5,000 or less). There have been two rounds of awards. The first recipients were announced in August 2012 and included Bates Technical College ($128,037), Clover Park Technical College ($180,000), and the City of Tacoma ($500,000). The grants were awarded through a competitive process and must be used solely for energy and operational cost saving improvements. Projects for the second round of funding were selected from 60 grant applications requesting a total of more than $23 million. A complete list of Round Two Energy Efficiency Grant recipients is available online at commerce. wa.gov/Programs/services/CapitalFacilities/Pages/ EnergyEfficiencyGrants.aspx. More information about the program is available online at commerce.wa.gov/Documents/1aEnergyEf ficiencyAwardList.xlsx.
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Port of Tacoma to spend $6M to upgrade straddle carrier eet Article By Todd Matthews, Editor Photo Courtesy Port of Tacoma The Port of Tacoma Commission voted Thursday to approve a plan to upgrade the equipment used to move containers by spending $6 million on five new straddle carriers. According to staff, the port currently has 27 straddle carriers in its fleet, including eight that are more than 20 years old. The new straddle carriers the port plans to purchase are manufactured by Kalmar and consistent with the Port's existing fleet. The new equipment will replace four straddle carriers that are at the end of their lifecycle and one that was damaged in an accident. During a commission meeting Thursday, Kevin Zinski, director of maintenance at the port, explained the straddle carriers being considered for purchase are familiar to terminal operators. "Both labor and maintenance really like these machines," said Zinski. "They're reliable [and] they understand them." ILWU Local 23 President Scott Mason agreed. "The operators like this product a lot," said Mason. "In this particular case, it's money well spent to get the best. We're hard on them. We use them. They generate a lot of revenue." Commissioner Dick Marzano asked if there was a market for the straddle carriers poised to be replaced. "They're tired," said Zinski. "On the last batch we surplussed, we took a look at the market and we ended up scrapping them." Commissioners Thursday directed staff to begin negotiations with Cargotec for the purchase of the equipment. Once a deal is reached, the new equipment is expected to arrive at the port by the end of this year.