Today's Tacoma Tribune reports "County executive hatches his grandest plan yet"
Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg wants to build a large government campus in downtown Tacoma, encompassing a new headquarters for county government as well as ground-floor retail and a public pavilion.Ground-floor retail? The project has been paid for so far from the county road fund. Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at May 09, 2006 02:28 PM | Email ThisThe project which still needs approval from the County Council is estimated to cost $80 million to $105 million, which would make it the most expensive public works project ever built by Pierce County.
Why not make it a museum instead? Tacoma doesn't have enough of those. I think that there are about a half-dozen more lawyers than there are museums. That way downtown Tacoma can be the 'cultural center' that the left wants it to be. Maybe they could build a 'culture of corruption' museum. They could come up with more exhibits for that than the Smithsonian has for natural sciences.
$105 million? There has to be some cheaper space opening up. Businesses move out of Tacoma on a regular basis. Why not just wait for one of those spaces?
Mayor Billy Bumble wants to move Tacoma City Hall out of downtown Tacoma due to the high crime rate in the area of City Hall. What is Billy Bumbles responseturn out the streetlights... If you cant see them they must not be there. Mayor Billy Bumble and his band of cronies have spent millions on Police Sub-Stations and no money for police officers to staff these stations.
Now that Chamber Creek Ladenburgs Golf Palace is under way, where the tax- payers will subsidize golfers too the tune of $250.00 per round over the next Thirty Years. Sound Transit Light Rail will expand into Pierce County at $32,000 per INCH and let us not forget the plan to buy the Airport in Gig Harbor from the City of Tacoma ,after the Tacoma taxpayers have spent millions on it. Now will turn his attention to this new waste of money!!!
I have one question for Mr. County Executive and his Tacoma Deputy Mayor wife...with the poor condition of all the streets in Tacoma and Pierce County. Why was it that the street that you live on (ALASKA) was completely rebuilt with new sidewalks, trees, underground utilities, pavement, and round a bouts???
Can you say HOME IMPROVEMENT at taxpayer expense!!!
A question for you Mayor Billy Bumble I had a streetlight out on my street for over three years and is still out but when you have one out on your street City Crews were out fixing it in less than 30 minutes???
Have to keep that Tacoma Citizen "bad" element out of your neighborhood???
Posted by: Pacific Grove Phlash on May 9, 2006 04:03 PMSoundPolitics.com does really well for Seattle/King but not much outside of that. Maybe SP would be willing to bring on more commentators from Tacoma/Pierce.
Otherwise, if anyone is game for a new blog I'd be glad to help. E-mail me.
Posted by: Republican (by default) on May 9, 2006 04:09 PMI do not usually go to Tacoma but when yous need to collect yous have to go. I was on Tacoma Ave. at a Pool Hall that I have been known to frequent and I noticed dat none of the streetlight were workin. As I drove out of town, I counted 60 streetlights out along Tacoma Ave., a street dat I will not walk down durin the daytime
Forgetaboutit
Posted by: Joey bag of doughnuts on May 9, 2006 04:12 PMKing County office building:
195 sq ft/employee
$67,333/employee
Snohomish County Building:
200 sq ft/employee
$170,000/employee
Bellevue City Hall:
361 sq ft/employee
$122,222/employee
Pierce County building:
397 sq ft/employee
$175,000/employee
Seattle City Hall:
745 sq ft/employee
$306,383/employee
I'd be up for helping out with a new Tacoma Blog. We definitely need to start calling attention to the obvious waste and overreach here in Tacoma. Follow the money trail alright. A lot of the land where these big multi million dollar projects get proposed is owned by city officials or friends of officials that stand to make a lot of money when the deals go through. And the projects never really pan out to much. Look at the new convention center. A huge project, and losing money every day.
The Brame scandal should have been a big wakeup call to everyone. Tacoma needs new leadership.
Posted by: Jeff B. on May 9, 2006 05:07 PMBelieve it or not, Ladenburg currently resides (just off 72nd and Alaska) in my grandparent's old house. Bought it from them in the mid-70s.
(sharing, because I didn't want people laying awake at night and wondering.)
Back to the topic at hand.
Posted by: jimg on May 9, 2006 05:34 PMThe issue is not whether Richard, Stefan or I want you gone". We are merely 3 former subscribers. It appears there are alot more folks than us that think you are doing a poor job of reporting the news and editorializing. Can you imagine that Joel??? The P-I is viewed as a LEFTIST rag by many, many Rs and even some Ds. Just keep doing what you are doing and the result is certainly predictable.
Your own P-I website claims you are The Voice of the Northwest since 1863. It takes a major, major F-U to destroy something that has been around for 143 years, dont you think joel? Are you proud of your contribution to the downfall of a great institution? Or are you going to continue to arrogantly blame us ignorant readers for failing to appreciate your less than considerable talent????
To artificially create some October, 1977 date as the prediction of the P-I demise by some Schell lacky and get some joy out of the fact that you are still here is laughable joel.
Perhaps you could turn the P-I into one gigantic COMIC STRIP joel. The sad news is, you already have.
Bye-Bye P-I!!!
What is it they say? "When you're taking flak, it means your directly over your target!"
Bombs away ;'}
Posted by: alphabet soup on May 9, 2006 08:31 PMIt's easy for these old school media types to seek comfort in blogs like HA that reflect the insular world that they have lived in for so many years. But, the primary failure of the media is in refusing to understanding its customers.
And the only response these aging media elites can muster is to simply ignore the customers, keep printing the same old one-sided sensationalism, and seek out the familiar blue cocoons where they can drown their sorrows.
Posted by: Jeff B. on May 9, 2006 09:09 PMThey make the city of olympia look like fair and balanced business people.
There are a lot of people who have moved in from other areas, particularly Seattle, who aren't aware of Tacoma's 'rich' history. I wonder if there are enough new votes that could be swayed against this stuff to put a stop to it.
I still think that with the obsession with 'culture' in Tacoma a 'culture of corruption' museum would be the best description of Tacoma's history. Besides, it's the only way I can say 'culture' and 'Tacoma' in the same sentence without chuckling.
Posted by: Republican (by default) on May 10, 2006 10:15 AMTacoma needs more retail, but probably not at the cost of a City project of this size.
And yes, I'd love to blog about Tacoma and Pierce County. There's lots going on down here.
Posted by: Easycure on May 10, 2006 01:01 PMI moved to Illinois. The place I live now is in a horseshoe of land that will soon be developed by Genovesse Family players.
Out of the fryin pan...
Remember the �World Class golf course� which was drastically reduced to accommodate fiscal reality? No one has yet satisfactorily stated the benefits to the public for building this golf course, the public is entitled to a straight answer as it is us who ultimately pay for it. His recent actions flutter on the very edge of legality; allocation of resources and funds without county council approval or apparent consideration of the expense to the public.
Awarding seemingly highly inflated �public� works contracts (the golf course) which apparently never went to public bid? Awarded to contractors who are apparently close to county management� this would be sufficient cause to worry any sensible citizen and to question Ladenburg�s motives and urgency to get the projects pushed through. He would not be in office when these projects are completed so why the urgency to build these projects?
It would appear that he is not merely concerned with leaving a legacy by building a new world class gold course (in an area where golf courses are too numerous and are barely scraping by) or by building a new high-tech county administrative & transportation facility to improve and somehow enhance public services.
To justify the expenses, there has to be a considerable benefit and cost savings to the public. The wisdom in constructing a new County Management Campus on some of the most expensive property in the county is highly questionable; in an area where there is very limited public parking, lack of public amenities, where there is already too much congestion and lack of easy access to existing government services.
It would be more logical to move this campus a few miles away and build it on property already owned by the county; to build it near state highways and freeways for a fraction of the proposed costs and to greatly improve access for the public. His proposal to build this palace across from the current facilities is simply too much with its astronomical price tag. If these facilities are actually needed, maybe they should be built at the golf course instead?
Pierce County is famous for public works projects that deliver half of what was promised, costing twice what they budgeted (County Jail, Golf Course etc, next, Ladenburg�s castle) and the only �public� involvement is to pay for it.
You can always count on massive cost over-runs in the millions as history has shown. The cost over-runs are always justified after the fact, making these �overages� appear suspiciously like Enron style golden parachutes to line the pockets of departing executives, pursuing greener pastures in larger political arenas.
Bob Pedersen
Posted by: Bob Pedersen on May 21, 2006 02:56 PM