We noticed on the Inside the Editorial Page that Wright Park will have free wireless access in time for their Saturday “Grand Opening.”

Wait, scratch that. As Seago notes, free wireless is already installed and working. We took it for a test drive, and so here we are … it’s a beautiful sunny day in the park, we’re here in the middle of it (with full Internet strength) writing away.

Nancy Johnson at MetroParks tells us that they will let Wright Park serve as a pilot program for up to a year as they assess whether this gets people out into parks. The servers will be able to count the number of log-ons and a survey will help them crunch the data as well.

It’s sunny warm(ish) and there are people all over Wright park. Ask your boss, maybe you can work from here too …

Link to Inside the Editorial Page

8. May 2008, 15:47   ~   Comment [11]

Tomorrow at 7:00 pm, roughly 30 short films will be screened at the Rialto Theater. This is the 4th annual 72 Hour Film Competition, and we can tell you from past years that it’s a pretty fun night.

All the films were all made during a 3 day period last weekend—written, shot, edited and scored in 72 hours.

One of the films has already been released on YouTube after some technical difficulties prevented it from being submitted back to the Grand in time. You can find it on the Tacoma Gnome blog, as it stars the Gnome in his first “talkie” motion picture.

Tickets for tomorrow night’s event are on sale at the Grand now ($9 for members of the Grand, $11 for non-members).

What: 72 Hour Film Competition
When: Friday, May 9, 7:00 pm
Where: Rialto Theater

8. May 2008, 11:03   ~   Comment

Callaghan joined the Davita discussion today with a few questions.

He starts by tracing Davita’s possible move back past Russell to Boeing and sports franchises who threaten to pull up roots and relocate. And then he looks forward and asks, “who’s next?” Which companies are we willing to lose? Does the ability to move determine when policymakers start sending out the incentives? Is it fair to not collect taxes uniformly?

What do you think?

Link to The News Tribune

Previously on Exit133

8. May 2008, 08:58   ~   Comment [13]

Do you have a Bank of America credit card? Check your wallet, because if you do, you can get in to Tacoma Art Museum for free on the first Friday and Saturday and Sunday of every month between now and May 2009.

TAM is one of three museums in the state (and the only museum in Tacoma) that is a part of BofA’s “Museums on Us” program. 70 museums across the country are participating in the program. All it takes is a BofA check, credit, or ATM card.

FREE!

Link to Tacoma Art Museum

7. May 2008, 16:48   ~   Comment [7]

If you haven’t clicked over to the Tribune yet, Dan Voelpel covered Suite133 in his column today.

He was in the office for a couple hours with us talking to some of the people who were in that day. We think he captures the benefits of the space pretty nicely … He also calls out a few local artists who grace our walls—Chip Van Gilder, R.R. Anderson, and Beautiful Angle posters. All this publicity makes us blush… (Hi Mom!)

Link to The News Tribune

Link to Suite133

7. May 2008, 08:25   ~   Comment [6]

The Political Buzz blog at the TNT has reported on a discussion from the Committee of the Whole meeting at City Council. Councilmember Ladenberg has proposed extending or removing the term limits for Council. Currently, Council is limited to two, four year terms, but under Ladenberg’s suggestions, the limits would be changed to three or removed all together. Her justification is the inability of Councilmembers to truly see projects to fruition.

Julie Anderson expressed concern that the possible move to a full time Council, and a removal of term limits would create career Councilmembers, who may be driven by a combination of incumbency, a big salary, and endless terms.

What do you think? Are Councilmembers unable to be effective because of leaving office? Or is the turnover necessary for new ideas?

Link to the Political Buzz

7. May 2008, 07:59   ~   Comment [14]

Davita, provider of dialysis services and a major downtown Tacoma employer, is apparently on the hunt for a new northwest home base.

According to the Request For Information that went out on Monday, Davita is looking to build a new office somewhere between Olympia and Everett. They’ll need 200k square feet with expansion capabilities to 300k in five years, 700 to 1000 parking spots, and a price per square foot… that’s too low in our opinion to even talk about. Move in is expected in 2011.

The company is currently located in the historic Sandberg building at 15th and Pacific – a building that many of us remember for its iconic brown clad Schoenfelds glory prior to its restoration and the arrival of Davita in 1999.

Responses to the RFI were due by today.

3. May 2008, 20:03   ~   Comment [25]

The Political Buzz Blog is reporting that the Martin Luther King Housing Development Association will be ending its work with the homeless. It currently runs the City’s largest homeless shelter. The decision was affected by the recent recommendations to the City Council that MLKHDA not receive community block grants funds, but ultimately, the decision was to refocus on its core mission of developing housing for at-risk and low-income individuals.

MLKHDA is exploring the possibility of another agency taking over the shelter.

Link to Political Buzz Blog

2. May 2008, 15:21   ~   Comment [5]

On Saturday, May 3rd, the Tacoma Art Museum is celebrating 5 years in its building at 17th and Pacific. Join the community celebration on Saturday from noon to 5 pm. Jazz. Storytelling. Dancers. Face painting. Cupcakes. A DJ. 5 hours of celebration.

Then, just to really mix things up in our world, we discover that TAM has launched a brand new website. Included in the new design is the ability for you to connect with the museum. Submit photos to their flickr feed. Follow the museum on Twitter. They’ve been busy…

Link to the Tacoma Art Museum

1. May 2008, 15:51   ~   Comment [1]

The Dockyard Derby Dames, Tacoma’s own ladies roller derby league, is in need of some help. They are looking for a new practice space after differences with Parkland’s Skate-N-Station skating rink. Other rinks have stepped up, but none have the amount of time to allow the league a regular practice location. The league which, in its third year, is run by the skaters with support from part-time volunteers.

A roller derby track measures approximately 100 feet long by 60 feet wide and requires a 10-foot perimeter around the track for skater safety. In addition, the track space needs to be free of poles or structural supports between the floor and ceiling.

Know a place that would work for the ladies? Contact Melanie at melanie.harding@gmail.com

Never seen a bout? You’re in luck! The next bout will be held May 3rd at the Tacoma Soccer Center (2610 Bay St. E., Tacoma) beginning at 7pm. Tickets are $10 in advance at Brown Paper Tickets or $12 at the door. 10% of tickets sold at the door go to a local charity.

1. May 2008, 13:40   ~   Comment

So a question has been posed to us by several different people… what should go in the space below the Hub and right next door to Doyle’s? You know the space. It has that huge kitchen. Is a restaurant the right thing? Or, do we need something else there that complements the restaurants around it? What do you think? What would make the neighborhood?

1. May 2008, 11:03   ~   Comment [36]

Maybe it’s been like this for a bit now, but we just noticed that the fence around the pond at Wright Park is gone. The Lady of the Lake, and the lake, are free!

We went for a quick walk around the pond today. Ducks swam in the water. Two couples walked with dogs. A painter sat on a picnic table… painting. The changes are really quite amazing. It’s looking great.

By the way – the Wright Park Re-Opening Celebration is scheduled for May 10th. We’ll see you there.

More information on the Wright Park Improvement Project

30. April 2008, 12:02   ~   Comment [5]

Heads up to those you of who have radios at your desk: Derek will be on KUOW 94.9 FM Thursday, May 1, (thats tomorrow!) from 9 – 10 am. Roxanne Murphy will be on the second hour from 10 – 11. We’re talking about Tacoma — economic development, arts, culture, and why we choose to live here.

Live radio! … this should be interesting.

You can also listen to the show live via the internet

30. April 2008, 11:09   ~   Comment [12]

Homelessness is always a hot topic in Tacoma. Recently, the MLK Housing Development Association indicated it may close the City’s largest emergency shelter. Tacoma’s chronically homeless make up just 10 percent of the homeless population, yet they use 50 percent of the resources for serving the homeless. What impacts would this closure have?

City Club’s May dinner is called “Compassion, Law & Order, Public Policy: Is There a Balance for Tacoma’s Homeless?” and will be held at Nativity House on Wednesday, May 7th.

The three dinner speakers represent a balance of perspectives—on public policy, law and order, and social justice—for addressing the rationing of limited resources for the homeless.

It should be an interesting evening.

Details
Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 6pm
Location: Nativity House, 2304 Jefferson, Tacoma, 6pm
Cost: $23 for members and $30 for non members
Website and More Information: www.cityclubtacoma.org

Reservations and cancellations for this program will be accepted through noon, on Monday, May 5.

Parking will be available at the nearby Commencement Bay Coffee Co., in the shelter’s small parking lot, and on the street. Club members will be on hand to guide you to the front door.

30. April 2008, 09:35   ~   Comment