5 Question Friday With Steve Rich, Pacific Avenue Steetscape Project Manager

Posted on February 8, 2013 | Leave a comment


2013-02-08_10-09-52_84The Pacific Avenue construction project is in full swing right now. Businesses are doing what they can to stay open and profitable during the year long project. I reached out to Project Manager, Steve Rich and asked if he could participate in 5 Question Friday and give us a bit more information about this project from the construction side of things. He was nice enough to take time out of his day to join me.

Here’s Steve:

1. What is the purpose of the Pacific Ave construction? 

The Pacific Avenue Streetscape project’s primary goal and purpose is to attract and encourage visitors and new business to downtown Tacoma by renovating the City’s main street.  The project was envisioned and designed to create an active, attractive, and economically viable main street that encourages people to be downtown. Streetscape beautification and innovative stormwater enhancements will improve the aesthetics, functionality and livability of Downtown’s core street thereby improving business opportunities.  The project’s stormwater improvements (raingardens and silva cells) are designed to improve the water quality prior to discharge through the storm system into the sensitive Thea Foss Waterway.  Raingardens will effectively filter the stormwater pollutants while adding landscaping to Pacific      Avenue’s heavily urban landscape thus creating a more walkable and inviting urban streetscape.  New sidewalks, intersection bulb-outs, crosswalks, bike sharrows and transit stops are designed to improve accessibility, multimodal transportation opportunities and pedestrian safety.

2. What is the city doing to help business affected by the Pacific Ave Construction?

Our project team is dedicated to achieving the project’s goals while minimizing impacts to the local businesses during construction. The project schedule and work plan were designed with this in mind. Our phased work plan concentrates the work in specific areas, minimizing the schedule duration for individual blocks. Two way traffic on Pacific Avenue and pedestrian access to businesses will be maintained at all times during the project . Our general contractor, Tucci and Sons, Inc. is a local contractor who is diligently communicating and working with the local businesses to efficiently complete the project while proactively looking for the best way to meet the immediate needs of the businesses during construction. In addition, the project team holds monthly “Coffee Talk” public meetings at local businesses in the current construction zone.  These meetings are held to communicate project information and generate feedback from the community on how the project is going and suggestions on how or what we could do to help improve the process.

3. What can businesses do increase their businesses during this time?

This past Thursday we invited local businesses are to a Downtown Merchant’s Group (DMG) meeting where marketing and communications consultant Kurt Jacobson led a workshop to help businesses make money during the downtown construction work.  An excellent example is The Office Bar and Grill’s sign that advertises “DETOUR DEALS, Open During Construction”.

4. What are some of your favorite spots on Pacific Avenue?

I’m a big fan of the restaurants Vinum, Pita Pit, Hal of a Sub, and Matador just to name a few.  Dorky’s Arcade and Teaching Toys are also favorites to take my kids to.  We had a pinball tournament / birthday party at Dorky’s and the kids loved it and Caroline was an awesome host.

5. What do you see for the future of Pacific Avenue businesses?

Great things.  There’s a saying in real estate about “curb appeal” and the Pacific Avenue Streetscape project is all about making the sidewalks, landscaping, crosswalks (streetscape) the very best possible for looks, feel and safety for the customers of the Pacific Avenue businesses. In addition, the new catenary lighting system  between S. 7th and S. 9th Streets and the new cobblestone intersection at S.8th Street will create a new, yet historic, look and feel which should help create Tacoma’s new hot spot to be during the summer evenings of 2014.

I’d like to thank Steve Rich for participating in 5 Question Friday and look forward to the project being completed. As always, if you or someone you know would like to participate in 5 Question Friday, email me at jackcameronis@gmail.com.

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Surviving Pacific: Poison Apple

Posted on February 5, 2013 | Leave a comment
Poison Apple during construction

Poison Apple during construction

The construction on Pacific Avenue continues. To their credit, the city has placed banners and signs saying that businesses are open during construction. A couple weeks ago I got to the corner of South 10th and Pacific. A construction worker asked me where I was heading. I told her I wanted to go to Poison Apple. She radioed someone and instructed me to walk down a pathway in the street made by barriers. Once I got to the front of Poison Apple, another construction worker let me walk through the area and enter the business.

Jooley Heaps, the owner of Poison Apple is an old friend. We went to high school together. Her shop is an extension of her personality. It’s unique, intriguing and always fun. It’s the sort of place that you can find over-sized retro sunglasses or a crushed velvet coat for $20. It’s the store to buy something if you like it when people ask, “Where did you get that?”

Like other Pacific Avenue businesses, Jooley’s business has been hurt by the construction. Her shop is exactly the sort of place that people walk into because they’re passing by and right now that sort of thing is nearly impossible. With no window shoppers, Poison Apple sometimes has days where there are only a handful of customers.

Luckily, Jooley is every bit as imaginative when it comes to running her business as she is at getting interesting items to sell. You’ll find Jooley setting up vending booths at various local events whenever she gets the chance. This is the way many first time customers discover her. She’s also just put up a new Poison Apple website. Now you can purchase the oddities found at Poison Apple even if you’re not local.

Poison Apple is a one of a kind store and the sort of place that makes Tacoma such a great place to live. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and say hello to Jooley. You’re sure to find something that strikes your fancy.

You can find Poison Apple at 907 Pacific Avenue or online at http://poisonappletacoma.com

-          Jack Cameron

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Surviving Pacific: Thee Barber Shop

Posted on January 22, 2013 | 1 Comment
Construction On Pacific Avenue

Businesses on Pacific Ave are not having an easy time keeping things going during construction.

Downtown Tacoma has seen better days. Walk any given block and you’ll find at least a handful of empty storefronts. This is even more apparent on Pacific Avenue. Currently there is a major construction project underway on parts of Pacific Avenue. According to the city website this project is for ‘beautification’ and to install ‘innovative stormwater improvements to improve the business opportunities and livability of Downtown’s core street.’

That’s all well and good and hopefully the project will be every bit as successful as they say it’s going to be when they complete the work at the end of this year. The question is, will any of the businesses that are there now survive until then?

I’m going to take a look at some of the businesses in this construction area over the next few months and see how they’re doing and what they’re doing to get by.

Pete Lira, owner of Thee Barber Shop is mentoring aspiring haircutters

Pete Lira, owner of Thee Barber Shop is mentoring aspiring hair cutters. He’s also offering night classes.

First up is Pete Lira, owner of the Thee Barber Shop just a couple doors from the corner of South 9th and Pacific.

I’ve written about him before. He’s been my barber for the last eight years and he’s been cutting hair forty-seven.

While the construction hasn’t stopped his regular customers from coming in, it has made business a bit more difficult. I discovered Pete because Pete was standing outside one day and talked to a friend of mine as she passed by. Later when I happened to ask if she knew a barber, she said she did. Such an encounter is near impossible with the current construction.

What is Pete doing to help his business? Something he’s done before and enjoys doing: He’s offering to mentor those getting into the hair cutting profession. With almost half a century of experience, Pete has a lot of wisdom to impart. He’s an old school barber who believes in precision and classic training.

If you’re interested in being mentored by a champion barber or if you just find yourself in need of a decent haircut, give Pete a call at 253-272-2663.

- Jack Cameron

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First Tacoma Homicide of 2013: Tyliah Young

Posted on January 16, 2013 | 12 Comments

Tyliah YoungIt’s been brutally cold lately in Tacoma. The other night I walked from my house to my friend’s without a coat. His place is just four houses away. I was so cold when I got there that I stayed for an hour just to warm up. A little over two miles away on Saturday morning, 23-year-old Tyliah Young was found in an alleyway near S. 12th and Ainsworth. Her body was frozen. There was frozen blood present causing police to believe it was not the elements that killed her. Today the medical examiner released her cause of death as multiple gunshots to the head.

Tyliah was from New York and had talked of going back there where she had family. Friends and family say she was a happy person. She had two young daughters.

Some people will say that a homicide on Tacoma’s Hilltop is nothing new. They will say that it’s an area famous for violent crime. And they’re right about that much. However, Hilltop’s reputation is far worse than the reality. In the years since the gang and crime filled days of the early 1990s, Hilltop has emerged as a better neighborhood full of new businesses and an active community. As a life-long citizen of Tacoma, there was a time when I wouldn’t even drive in Hilltop at night. Now, I feel safe walking those same streets.

Tacoma’s first homicide of 2013 is tragic and here’s hoping it’s one of the few this year. As always, the comments section is reserved for friends and family if they want to share thoughts or stories about Tyliah for others to read. I’m sorry for your loss.

Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for Tyliah’s murder. http://www.tpcrimestoppers.com/case.php?id=555

-          Jack Cameron

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Fourteenth Tacoma Homicide of 2012: Sophia Strickland

Posted on December 24, 2012 | 2 Comments

A woman called the police from her house in the 3500 block of Fawcett Avenue a little after 9:30pm on Saturday night. She said that her 22-year-old daughter, Sophia had fired multiple gunshots inside the house and may have killed herself. Police responded and tried to talk with Sophia but she would not respond. She had a handgun in her hand and walked down the stairs approaching the officers. One of the officers opened fire, killing her. Sophia Strickland became the 14th Tacoma homicide of 2012.

This is the third Tacoma Police involved shooting this year. As always, the comments section is reserved for friends and family of the victim to share memories of Sophia. Lately, some comments on other posts have been the sort that blame or attack the shooter. This is not the place for that. My purpose in writing about these homicides is to make sure that the memory of those who were taken from Tacoma are remembered and not just mentioned on the news for a day or two and forgotten.

Though we’ll never know what Sophia’s intent was when walking down those stairs, I believe that people are more than whatever their last moments were. My heart goes out to her friends and family.

-          Jack Cameron

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Thirteenth Tacoma Homicide of 2012: Tristan Dillard

Posted on December 13, 2012 | 1 Comment

Early Tuesday morning six people in a Honda on Tacoma’s East Side. They’d spent most of the evening drinking and partying. At some point, an argument erupted between two people in the car. Both had guns. Around 1am, shots were fired in the car. The car crashed into a fence in the 6200 block of McKinley Avenue. One woman was injured and 20-year-old Tristan Dillard was dead from a gunshot wound to the head.

At this time the shooter has not been arrested as it is being determined whether or not the shooting was self-defense. Police say that the shooter is being entirely cooperative.

This is the thirteenth Tacoma homicide this year. From the sounds of things, this was a tragic incident that should not have happened. As always, the comments section is reserved for those who knew the victim and want to share their memories of him.

- Jack Cameron

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Twelfth Tacoma Homicide of 2012: Michael Crawford

Posted on December 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

Monday night two Lakewood officers were patrolling Gravelly Lake Drive near I-5 in a patrol car when they spotted a stolen vehicle. The vehicle got onto I-5 heading North. The police officers chased the vehicle until it got off on the East Portland Avenue exit. Shortly after that, the police were able to do a maneuver to stop the stolen vehicle. At this time, according to police reports, the man in the car opened fire on them. The officers returned fire hitting 35-year-old Michael Crawford. Last night Michael died from his injuries. No police officers were hurt.

This marks the twelfth Tacoma homicide of 2012 and the second police involved homicide. We’ll likely never know all of the details that led to Michael choosing to open fire on police officers. Especially given recent local history, he had to know that doing so was a no-win situation. My heart goes out to both Michael’s family and the officers involved in the shooting. One of the reasons I include police involved shootings in the homicides I write about is that too often the media defines someone by their final act. Michael Crawford was certainly more than a car thief. As always, the comments section is reserved for those who knew Michael and want to share their memories with us.

-          Jack Cameron

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