Fishburn Enters Race for Olympia Port Commissioner

Above: Bill Fishburn is running for Port of Olympia Commissioner, District 2, to unseat incumbent Bill McGregor. Fishburn, 47, of Rainier, is a project management consultant and active community member with the Hispanic Roundtable of South Sound and other nonprofit organizations. He made his announcement in front of a group active with port issues on Sunday night in downtown Olympia.

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Bill Fishburn, 47, of Rainier, has formally announced that he is challenging Port of Olympia Commissioner Bill McGregor for his District 2 seat.  

He made the announcement in front of a group of community members active with port issues at a meeting on Sunday night in downtown Olympia. About 35 people were in attendance.

According to the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, McGregor has raised $24,600 to date for his reelection campaign.The filing deadline for the position is May 19.

For Fishburn, the decision to run wasn’t rocket science, but luckily, he is a rocket scientist, having received his bachelor of science in aeronautics and astronautics engineering from the University of Washington, and his master of science in mechanical engineering from University of California, Berkeley.

Employed for 21 years with the Intel corporation in a variety of capacities, Fishburn was a senior technical program manager in DuPont until he was downsized out of his job during a recent restructure. 

While at Intel, he earned a division recognition award for creating two new processes that saved the division an estimated two million in time and resources.

Unemployed since October 2016, he recently decided to go into business for himself as a consultant.

His business, Six Pennies Consulting, now consults on project management, human resources, team development issues, executive coaching and the performance management of employees.

Appearing a little nervous in front of the group, Fishburn readily acknowledged that he has a lot to learn. He took questions for well over an hour, which turned into an educational listening and learning session about current port issues. 

He says many people don't know that the Port of Olympia serves all of Thurston County.

“I want to strengthen the idea that led the people of Thurston County to create a public port in the first place: exploring new, forward looking, pioneering ways of developing our economy for the good for the county's residents.

“The Port runs four distinct businesses - not just the marine terminal, but the airport, Swantown Marina and Boatworks, and several large properties around the county. Three of these operate at a deficit. To put it another way, if you live in Thurston County, more than five million dollars of your taxes are supporting three money-losing ventures every year.

“When I learned that, I realized the Port is not providing value to the community, it's taking value from the community. That appears unethical, and I want to change that....I want the Port to be fiscally responsible. I want it to be an ethical asset,” he told the group.

“As I look at the Port of Olympia, a port depending on fossil fuels as a revenue source, a port clinging to an industry of years gone by...I know there are new ways to responsibly use our tax dollars, new ways to drive a 21st century economy, and new ways to better reflect our values,” he said.

When asked, he said that it was time for the port to recognize that the Port's decisions have impacts far beyond our county borders, and he would revisit controversial cargo and business contracts, such as the port's acceptance of ceramic proppants.

Bev Bassett, an articulate, active watcher of port activities for the past three years, says she is supporting Fishburn and will be volunteering for his campaign as a field organizer.

“The better I know Bill, the more enthusiastic I am about him. He demonstrates a fast learning curve and his values shine through. He talks about fiscal responsibility, integrity, and environmental stewardship, as if they are rooted in his world view. That's refreshing. His high level science and project management skills make him a perfect fit for reshaping the Port of Olympia in ways that will take us into the future of global warming so that our basic needs can better be met by our shared community resource — the 1,650 publicly owned acres that are the Port of Olympia,” said Bassett. 

Port Commissioner E.J. Zita, who is running for re-election to her seat, was in the audience, and said she has endorsed Fishburn.  

“I'm getting to know him and I think he's a great guy. I think he'd be a great colleague. He's clearly responsive to the needs of the port and the people, and he values fiducial responsibility and accountability. He values transparency and openness, he's listening to the people, he values economic stewardship and he's a smart businessman. He knows that we have to look at both the costs and the benefits square in the face in order to make ends meet, and we have a responsibility to the people to do better,” said Zita, after the meeting.

Above: Bruce Fortune, left, shares some of his questions and concerns with Port of Olympia candidate Bill Fishburn on Sunday night in downtown Olympia.

Little Hollywood Interview

Little Hollywood tagged along with Fishburn for a portion of his busy Saturday, starting at the Olympia Timberland Library down to the Olympia Farmer's Market, asking him questions about his life, why he is running for the position, and his thoughts about a variety of port and community concerns.

Fishburn came straight from the March for Science rally at the state Capitol Building to speak to participants of a writing workshop conducted by Kathleen Alcala at the Olympia Timberland Library. 

Fishburn is president of the Hispanic Roundtable of South Sound, and the event was cosponsored by the organization. He began representing Intel as a member of the Roundtable in 2008, providing support for the group’s annual Latinx Youth Summit. 

The summit rotates throughout the five counties at regional two and four year colleges. 

Partnering with about 15 federal, state, and local entities, including nonprofits, business, and government, school districts, and the regional Timberland Regional Library, the summit held late November at The Evergreen State College gathered 496 students, the most ever in its 14 year history.

The Hispanic Roundtable of South Sound is also involved with civil and immigration rights, educating the Latinx community about what they can expect from law enforcement and other officials.

Fishburn is also a board member of the Girl Scouts of Western Washington.

He is married to his wife of 26 years, and has two biological sons and an adopted nephew, all in their 20s. He lived in Lacey from 1996 to 2003, and has lived in Rainier since 2003.

Little Hollywood: Why and how did you come to the decision to run for port commissioner?

Fishburn: One of the things that attracted me to running for port commissioner was that I live in rural Thurston County and pay my taxes, but I didn’t know, like many of my neighbors, that our taxes are going to pay for this port.

I’m a Bernie-crat. I was getting frustrated with our national candidates during the presidential election process, and the state’s superdelegate and primary process. Then, after Trump won the election, I couldn’t sleep for two weeks. During that time, I just kept getting more and more vocal and started looking for a progressive group that I could get involved with. I found the Thurston County Progressives and members of that group encouraged me to run for port commissioner.

Asked about the port’s involvement with its continued acceptance of ceramic proppants and other controversial cargo, Fishburn questioned the Port’s stance that the Federal Shipping Law of 1984 determines the port's acceptance of any and all cargo.

Fishburn: The thing that’s interesting to me about the port that I’ve heard is that cargos are amoral, and I don’t know if I agree with that.

I think that every business decision has some sort of base in morality, whether that’s a religious basis or a secular basis, and we have to look at more than just how many dollars something is going to produce. We have to look at whether it’s the right decision for our community and the values of our community. Those values define what morality means for our community.

Based on my research, it seems pretty obvious to me that the community is being ignored on specific cargos such as fracking proppants and military cargo. These seem to me to be cargo the community clearly does not want transported through their yards and neighborhoods but they are being ignored. I just have to ask myself, why is that?

LH: Do you agree with this stance, that the port must accept ceramic proppants and any other cargo?

Fishburn: There’s a lot of room for interpretation in that ‘safe and legal’ language.

LH: So what should the port be doing? 

Fishburn: Do I have an alternative cargo? No, but we can find alternative sources of income. The port seems to be holding onto a lot of 20^th century cargo concepts and opportunities. We could be looking at alternative energy products. 

In Washington State, ports are pretty powerful entities and if we want to start looking forward to 21^st century energy concepts or job opportunities, we have to look at clean energy.

I think a huge opportunity that the port is missing out on right now is solar electric farms. They’ve got the land to do it, it sounds like. There’s open space at the airport that could be leveraged, and there could be some discussion with the FAA on how that interferes or follows under guidelines and rules.

LH: Is your background at Intel helpful for finding these alternatives?

Fishburn: One thing project management skills have brought me, and you learn this early on in becoming a project management professional, is that in order to have a successful project together, you have to bring all the stakeholders into your project and have a discussion about how your project is going to proceed, what those deliverables are, and how those deliverables will be executed and delivered.

When you do that, you get this broad perspective of opinions, views and expertise. If you don’t bring all those views to bear, you end up with a project that can very easily fail. At Intel, we didn’t like our projects to fail.

LH: Longshoremen and their families rely on port business and are in regular attendance at port meetings. They, in particular, will want to know whether or not you support the marine terminal.

Fishburn: I support job creation and concepts that look to a vibrant economic future for Thurston County. If the marine terminal meets those criteria, then I’m in support of it.

I’m a third generation union family. I was told my grandpa started a steelworker local in Spokane. He used to work for Kaiser Aluminum and a magnesium plant. My uncle was an executive for years with the Brotherhood of Railway and Airline Clerks (in Spokane), and Dad worked for 28 years as a member of the IBEW as an electrician for Burlington Northern.

So, it’s a tough position. The Longshoremen have a strong union and have done a great job at creating livable wages for themselves, but if you read the Port’s current mission, it’s all about making money, and from what I’ve seen on the finance side of the marine terminal, it doesn’t look like it's making money. Three out of four port businesses are losing money.

LH: Last November's citizen rail blockade of a train that carried ceramic proppants from the port put the tenuous relationship between the city and the port on full display. The relationship appears to be quite dysfunctional, and the Port and the city seem to work in separate bubbles. 

The community is very interested in sea level rise issues, and now the City of Olympia, Port of Olympia, and the LOTT Clean Water Alliance will be collaborating on roles and plans. 

How do you think the Port should work with the City of Olympia?

Fishburn: I attended one port meeting, and I was so surprised by the language used at the meeting. It was so exclusionary! I heard language like ‘the port makes its own decisions,’ and I thought, wow, this is an entity whose front door is Olympia, and this is how they talk? I live in a rural area and if I had that kind of attitude about my neighbor across the street, we wouldn’t get anything done.

If you can’t build a coalition, you are going to have a short lived project, whether it’s for sea level rise, or any other project. It’s going to be late, over cost, or out of scope.

LH: Do you believe in climate change and the impacts of sea level rise?

Fishburn: I absolutely believe in climate change. Deniers deny science. Our lives revolve around science.

Asked about the role of the port’s executive director, Fishburn says the lack of transparency about how decisions are being made bothers him.

Fishburn: I’ve never met the executive director, but the way that I believe that these entities should relate, based on my nonprofit experience, is that you have a board of directors - the commissioners, in this case - and you have an executive director and staff. The executive director is beholden to the commissioners, not the other way around. He’s their employee. Sometimes, by the nuances I’m picking up, the commissioners are reporting to the director, and that seems backward.

LH: The port recently changed its policy of not transcribing citizen comments into the meeting minutes. Now just the person’s name is listed, with no context of what they said. Commissioner McGregor says that anyone who wants to know what was said can just go to the video. Are you interested in revisiting the issue of how meeting minutes are transcribed?

Fishburn: To have access to information 100 percent of the time, you have to have access to technology, and not everyone does, and not everyone learns the same way. If we truly want to be an inclusive community, we’d make those minutes available in a variety of ways to as many people as possible. I know someone who has a hard time hearing. She’s 90 years old. She’s supposed to watch a video or come to meetings? That’s excluding her from the conversation.

LH: On to a couple of other random port issues, how would you have voted regarding the recent fuel dock expenditure and construction? The fuel dock was approved by two out of three commissioners knowing it would lose one million dollars over the life of the fuel dock and cost over three million in permits and studies.

Fishburn: It could have been a private enterprise that could have met the same regulations. It’s another business endeavor based on aspirational finances. Typically, fuels have very low profit margins and based on the cost, it’s going to take a long time to earn back the money on a fuel pump. I question the fiscal responsibility of that decision.

LH: The port recently entered into five year option to lease the port's property to developer Walker John and his company, Urban Olympia LLC, located on State and Cherry Street near East Bay Drive in downtown Olympia.The property is near the mouth of Moxlie Creek, a stream that begins in Watershed Park and is now buried underground, and piped to East Bay and Budd Inlet. Many favor shoreline restoration of the area and are concerned about past contamination issues at that site. What is your position on that decision? 

Fishburn: I don't agree that the only option is to allow a developer to come along and develop the property.

LH: Are you in support of removal of the Fifth Avenue dam on the Deschutes River and Budd Inlet?

Fishburn: I am. We’re not the only port at the mouth of a river in Washington State. Thurston County is at the crossroads between the Cascades and the Olympics. There’s no reason that the natural beauty of our region can’t be better utilized to bring tourism through those crossroads as a gateway to other beautiful parts of Washington State.

Above: Bill Fishburn buys a bunch of radishes from a vendor at the Olympia Farmer’s Market, which sits on port property. “I love the Farmer’s Market. If I had time, I’d have a stall for my barbeque sauce.” Fishburn said his dad developed a special family barbeque recipe after going to Oklahoma for summer camp with the Marine Corps.

As operations manager of the Intel DuPont Community Garden since 2009, Fishburn oversaw the production of 8,000 to 13,000 pounds of produce per year for five years for food banks in Pierce and Thurston counties. 

He also set the strategic direction and governance for the organization involving more than 80 gardeners.

A quick stop at the Olympia Farmer’s Market led Fishburn to ask questions about the relationship between the Port and the Market. 

“I’m not seeing the connection between local food producers and their relationship to the Port. One of the concepts of creating a food hub is connecting local agricultural workers, community farmers, and food producers. Is the Market producing revenue for the port? With all the commerce going on here, we should be shipping this around the world....”

Fishburn, who is Hispanic and speaks Spanish, was asked if his experiences in Malaysia, the Philippines, India, and other countries could be an asset to the position.

“Absolutely. Working in different countries, I learned an appreciation for other cultures. In India, I learned that you can’t be told yes if you don’t ask. There, they aren’t shy about asking for something they need, so it’s like an iceberg – watch what you see on the surface, but see below that surface, and you’ll gain an appreciation for other perspectives.”

LH: What do you do for fun?

Fishburn: I brew beer, I have a granddaughter who will be 4 next month, and I like to bow hunt.

LH: Tell me about bow hunting.

Fishburn: It’s a little more ethical than rifle hunting and here’s why: you are on the ground, face to face with your quarry. I’ve taken three animals with my bow, and they died every bit as fast as they would have with gunshot. The longest shot I took was with a 25 yard shot, so that, to me, is a challenge, when you are on the same footing as the animals you are hunting. That, to me, is more ethical than if you are shooting something from a quarter of a mile away, or a half mile away.

LH: What kind of beer?

Fishburn: All kinds. I love IPAs. Those are my absolute favorite. I make a great oatmeal stout. I’ve won a couple of awards with it and it’s a fun beer to make....I made it past the first round of a national homebrew competition with an Imperial IPA, which is huge, because it’s a competition with over 700 other beers, potentially, and the two biggest categories are IPA and Double IPA. I took third, I think. I should know this. I’m trying to start a brewery.

LH: So, is this in Rainier?

Fishburn: Yes, we’re in the Thurston County Agritourism Overlay District that provides zoning advantages to food producers, craft distilleries and craft breweries. The Agritourism Overlay District provides recommendations to people who want to start something like that. It’s intended for 10 acres and over. 

My property is just on five acres. If they waive me in, the idea is to put a brewery that will produce about 1,200 to 1,500 barrels of beer a year. For me, it goes back to supporting the local economy with local business.

For more information about the Port of Olympia, go to the Port of Olympia at www.portolympia.com or Little Hollywood, http://www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type key words into the search button.

Tumwater Seeks Public Comment on Old Brewery Proposed Development

 

Above: The Old Brewery in Tumwater and the Deschutes River as seen today.

By Janine Unsoeld
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The City of Tumwater is in the process of preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed redevelopment of an area that includes the Old Brewhouse.

The city has determined this redevelopment is likely to have a significant adverse impact on the environment.

The site is bounded by Custer Way to the south, the Deschutes River to the west, Capitol Lake to the north and the railroad to the east.

All comments to the city are due no later than October 20, 2014 by 5:00 p.m.

Comments on alternatives, mitigation measures, probable significant adverse impacts, and licenses or other approvals that may be required may be directed to: Tim Smith, AICP, City of Tumwater Planning Manager, 555 Israel Road SW, Tumwater, WA 98501; tsmith@ci.tumwater.wa.us or (360) 754-4212. 

In comments, refer to case TUM-14-0741. Be clear and concise and if possible, identify possible solutions. For a full description of the plans and proposed alternatives, contact the City of Tumwater.

The city was recently awarded a planning grant from the Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) to review the potential for public/private partnerships as the site redevelops.  

“According to the grant, we have to be done by June 2015, but we’re targeting a deadline in spring, and hope to have an open house for the public to review the draft EIS by the early part of next year,” said Tim Smith, City of Tumwater planner, earlier this week.

Owner’s Old Brewery Vision

The Old Brewery site owner, George Heidgerken, proposes to make the site into a hotel, restaurants, office space, retail, and a craft brewing and distilling center. Heidgerken bought the 22 acre property about four years ago for $1.5 million. His property also includes land on the Tumwater Historical Park side of the river.

Heidgerken has suggested building a walkway bridge across the river into the park. Currently, the only access road down to the property is a gated, narrow one lane road off of Custer Way.

Similar examples of his vision include worldwide destinations, and, closer to home, Spokane’s Riverfront Park with its historic Flour Mill, an area that contains a host of shops, restaurants, sights and activities for tourists and locals alike.  

Old Brewery owner George Heidgerken will speak about his plans in a presentation on Thursday, October 16, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. at The Schmidt House, 330 Schmidt Place, Tumwater.  Doors open at 11:30 p.m. The event is open to the public. 

Above: The warehouse portion of the brewery has been significantly renovated. The extraordinary space has two floors, totaling about 36,000 square feet.

City of Tumwater – A City Divided

As I-5 cuts through the City of Tumwater, so are the city’s roles and responsibilities divided.

While the city is the lead agency in charge of determining the significant impact a redevelopment of the area would have on the environment, it is also a full partner in working with the current owner to redevelop the site into a craft brewing and distilling center.

A formal letter of mutual public/private partnership was signed in May by eight local organizations and their leaders expressly mentioning this as the primary purpose for their partnership.

The letter is signed by Old Brewery owner George Heidgerken, as president of Falls Development, and leading representatives of the Thurston County Economic Development Council, the Olympia Tumwater Foundation, the Port of Olympia, Washington State University Extension, South Puget Sound Community College, the Washington State University School of Food Science and the City of Tumwater.

No tribal, county, or City of Olympia organizations or representatives are listed as partners.

Additionally, according to the October newsletter of the Old Brewhouse Foundation, the city issued a contract in mid-September with a team led by an architectural firm to do a feasibility study on the craft brewing and distilling center goal. Part of their goal is to consider how the main Old Brewery tower can be purchased from its current owner.

The team’s report is expected to be presented to the city in January 2015. The Foundation says it will be “…monitoring the progress of this study and continue to encourage incorporation of a museum, beer-making demonstration opportunities and public gathering spaces as part of the project.”

The mission of the Old Brewhouse Foundation,  an organization created in 2008, is to facilitate development of a plan for acquisition,  restoration and public utilization of the Old Brew house area.

State Environmental Review Process

The City of Tumwater was awarded a grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology to assist with conducting an environmental review of the former brewery area.

The planned action environmental impact statement allows a project-level environmental review under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) to proceed in advance of project permit application(s) within the planning area.

It will describe a range of development alternatives, evaluate the potential impacts of these scenarios, and identify required mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate significant adverse impacts.

Following its completion and the city’s adoption of a planned action ordinance, a specific development proposal can move forward without further environmental review provided the proposed development is consistent with the EIS and within the range of impacts that have been addressed.

Above: Construction equipment and maintenance debris was seen around the Old Brewery building earlier this week. Multiple areas with black tubing were seen in place trying to divert the water. The hillside is where a multiple story proposed parking garage would be in Alternatives 2 and 3. Tumwater planner Tim Smith said artesian springs are in the hillside and a 1000 stall parking garage as proposed in Alternative 3 would be about five to nine stories.

According to Chris Carlson, permit manager for the City of Tumwater, the concrete moats around the building are original to the building, to contain and divert water into a cistern, or large storage tanks, located under the building. This water was used in the brewing process.

Brewery District Vision

Through the Brewery District planning and visioning projects that have been conducted to date, the community has articulated a desire to make the brewery district a vibrant mixed-use destination.  

According to the City of Tumwater website, redevelopment of the historic brewery site has numerous public benefits. These include recreational opportunities and an expanded and integrated trail network. 

It also states that renovation of the historic tower represents civic pride in the brewery site and a successful redevelopment process retaining the architectural and aesthetic elements of the buildings are valuable for the site as living history. 

Potential areas to be considered in the environmental impact study includes: earth (a geotechnical analysis will be prepared), water (wetlands and shorelines), plants and animals; environmental health (former site contamination and hazardous materials); land use; historic and cultural resources; transportation, circulation and parking; public utilities; public services; economy, and a community policy analysis.

Washington Administrative Code 197-11-444 lists elements of the environment that could be considered.

Upper Picture: City of Tumwater planner Tim Smith provided a tour of the Old Brewery to a group of interested citizens earlier this week. When asked, Smith said the Old Brewery property was created on fill and the current parking lot is in a 100 year floodplain. He distributed a 1920’s era picture of the property, above, for reference.

 Proposed Alternatives

According to the City of Tumwater website, three build out alternatives will be analyzed for potential impacts over a 20-year planning horizon:

Alternative 1: No Action. The EIS is required to evaluate impacts associated with a No Action Alternative. For the purpose of the No Action Alternative in the Tumwater Brewery Planned Action EIS, it is assumed that development would occur within the site consistent with existing zoning. Any such development or redevelopment that is proposed within site in conjunction with the No Action Alternative would undergo environmental review on a project-by-project basis. Such projects would be subject to site-specific mitigation and potential SEPA-based appeals, without coverage under the non-project, Planned Action EIS process. Total lot coverage by existing buildings likely to be redeveloped is approximately 67,000 square feet (SF) with approximately 262,000 gross square feet (GSF) of buildable space. Alternative 2: Mixed-Use Redevelopment utilizing 493,500 GSF of space.

Alternative 2 is assumed to include redevelopment within existing buildings (262,000 GSF), a new parking structure (200,000 GSF) with approximately 625 stalls and rebuild two demolished structures (31,500 GSF). Prospective land uses would include: parking, office, retail, distillery, craft brewing, hotel, restaurant and a museum. Total lot coverage by buildings is approximately 140,000 SF. Improved vehicular access, pedestrian bridge over the Deschutes River, connecting trail system and boardwalk are also included in this alternative.

Alternative 3: Mixed-Use Redevelopment utilizing 763,500 GSF of space. Alternative 3 is assumed to include redevelopment within existing buildings (262,000 GSF), a new parking structure (320,000 GSF) with approximately 1,000 stalls, rebuild two demolished structures (31,500 GSF) and a new-build structure (150,000 GSF). Prospective land uses under Alternative 3 would be the same as those under Alternative 2, plus residential (apartments and condos). Total lot coverage by buildings is approximately 160,000 SF. Similar to Alternative 2, improved vehicular access, pedestrian bridge over the Deschutes River, connecting trail system and boardwalk are included in this alternative.

Above: The Old Brewery in Tumwater as seen on a tour earlier this week.

For more information about Tumwater's Brewery District Plan, go to the City of Tumwater's website at www.ci.tumwater.wa.us or see past articles at  www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and use the search button.

For more information about the Old Brewhouse Foundation, go to www.oldbrewhouse.org.

Tumwater Brewery District Plan Heard

 

 

Open House and Public Hearing held Tuesday night

By Janine Unsoeld

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The Tumwater City Council and the Tumwater Planning Commission held an open house and a public hearing Tuesday night regarding the Brewery District Plan in Tumwater. Both events were held at South Sound Manor.

The purpose of the Brewery District Plan is to guide future development to create a mixed-use district that supports a variety of businesses and residential uses. Strategies are proposed for improving the transportation system as well as the function and character of the historic center of Tumwater.

The themes presented in the Brewery District Plan offer to create a stronger sense of place, improve transportation options, safety and access, expand and preserve economic opportunity and activity, and improve the function and appearance of the built environment.

The city has held several open houses, which have all been well attended, with between 125 – 200 people in attendance at each meeting. City of Tumwater planner Tim Smith said that 6,000 people are on their Brewery District Plan mailing list, 1,500 are on the email list, and staff has met onsite to interview 50 business owners.

A focus group of 16 citizens, business, and property owners, community leaders, and elected officials have met over the past year to process the information. The Thurston Regional Planning Council and consultants have assisted in the process, which began in 2012.

The city hosted an open house at the same location prior to the public hearing. Easels with posters were set up around the room explaining land use alternatives, transportation and gateway elements, pedestrian and bicycle improvements, and transit and parking strategies.

Little has changed since the last public open house held in October. The draft plan was revealed in late January.

Transportation patterns in Tumwater have changed dramatically in the last 15 – 20 years. Much of it is generated from outside the area and much of it is pass-through traffic. When people take the bus, they often use the transit station on Cleveland Avenue near Safeway.

Dennis Bloom, planning manager of Intercity Transit, mingled with community members during the open house and stayed for the hearing. Bloom lives in Tumwater, where he says he does 90 percent of his shopping. When asked, Bloom explained the transit element, illustrated by a poster on an easel.

“At the transit station, four routes come together on Cleveland - #43 to the Westside, #68 to Lacey, #12 to neighborhoods and downtown, and #13 along the Capitol Way corridor. The plan is to move the transit station to Capitol Way…in its current location, the sidewalk doesn’t currently accommodate people, it’s not wide enough. It’s the busiest area in Tumwater.” Bloom said 300 – 400 people are served per transfer at that transit center.

Before the hearing, Sally Nash, chair of the Tumwater Planning Commission, said that the District Plan materials have been educational. A resident of Tumwater for 19 years, Nash is the retired manager of the Timberland Library in Tumwater.

“I’m very proud to be a Tumwater resident. The Plan is wonderful and exciting for the area, and quite futuristic. I don’t see it happening immediately. We’ve had tremendous input from the public….we have an involved citizenry.”

Tumwater residents Nick and Jaime Vann said they have come to several open houses. Looking over the easel information, Nick Vann said, “This is what it could be, but there needs to be incentives for developers. We have a lot of underused and inefficient areas, transportation-wise in particular. There’s currently no sense of place either. It’s important to get community buy-in so if we have to vote on any of this, then we know more. We’re homeowners – so we’ll be paying for it.”

Before the hearing, Mayor Pete Kmet and staff gave a 45 minute history of the draft Brewery District Plan, and said that the plan lays the foundation for future efforts.

“There’s money in the budget for the next level of planning, but we’re a long way from construction,” said Tumwater Mayor Pete Kmet at the beginning of the hearing.

Public testimony covered a diversity of topics. Despite the ongoing publicity, open houses and meetings, some business owners were caught off guard with the Plan’s proposals.

Dan Vavrinec, general manager for Falls Terrace restaurant, said that initial flyers did not include the restaurant in the focus areas discussed. The restaurant has been in Vavinec’s family since 1969. His concerns were around the loss of parking in both options.

“Proposed changes…to Deschutes Way would be devastating and without doubt cause the closure of the Falls Terrace.” He said that option 1 would remove 50 parking spaces, and option 2 would remove 28 spaces, and both would place parking farther away. “Either option 1 or 2 would mean the loss of an area icon and the loss of employment for 42 persons.”

Vavrinec said that the current parking area is used and shared by Tumwater Falls Park in peak season, many community events such as the Duck Dash in June, and nearby businesses. He offered alternative proposals and improvements to the area.

Lonnie Lowe, Tumwater Chiropractic Center, and Larry Weaver of The Valley Club supported Vavrinec’s testimony, and added their own concerns.

“The reality is, when you change parking, it’s detrimental to business. People drive to where they want to go….urban centers haven’t taken off as much as people would like them to. When I go to downtown Olympia, if I have to circle the block a few times, I go to the mall. People with bad backs don’t ride their bikes….” said Lowe.

Weaver said The Valley Athletic Club has 11,000 members, and while the District Plan was an interesting concept, re-routing traffic and changing parking would present difficulties for the club and the Tumwater golf course.

Chris VanDaalen said that he appreciated the community process and said that the proposed zoning code amendments would provide a good opportunity for Tumwater to become a carbon neutral community, and a model for energy efficiency. He encouraged the use of renewable resources, being mindful of building orientation, and solar options to achieve net zero energy usage.

Bob Jacobs, a member of the Governor Stevens neighborhood, expressed concern about the general commercial zoning in the Sunset triangle neighborhood area, saying there was no buffer between the triangle and residential area. He also urged that as the area becomes more dense, to not forget parks for green space.

Sandra Brown, Capital Council of the Blind, said she appreciated the audible signals in the area, but had concerns about safety on Cleveland at the Intercity Transit transfer station.

“Right now we need to cross Cleveland…it’s very dangerous – you take your life in your hands. I’ll have the same concerns if it’s on Capitol Way.” She suggested the closure of the area around Safeway on Cleveland from the inside of both driveways into Tumwater Square, so that cars can’t access the area in the middle of Cleveland. Brown said this suggestion has been brought up before but didn’t make it into the final draft proposals.

Jack Horton, president of the Woodland Greenway Trail Association, said that the Plan presents a huge transformation to the area. “Pedestrians and bicyclists are the indicator species of a community’s values…it’s face-to-face instead of windshield-to-windshield. We have a growing knowledge-based economy, and what’s going to happen is, those people are going to select the kind of community they want to live in….and Tumwater has some iconic treasures….”

Walt Jorgenson, a former Tumwater city councilmember, asked that the council exercise caution about the nature of their investments. “If the private sector isn’t doing it, then there might be a reason for it…pick and choose elements of the plan that may be better than another.”

Stewart Hartman said he’s lived in Tumwater “since the town had a population of 800 people”, and that his father was hired to work for the brewery by the Schmidt family. He’s been working on an ambitious proposal to convert the brewery into an international cultural center, an environmental center, a day care center, a small vendor’s ‘world’s fair’ type of program, and restaurant, describing his plan as “a major co-op where everyone owns it and the profits can to redistributed to everyone in the county…it’ll have something for everyone.”

Judy Bardin appreciated the Plan’s visuals, and urged that the commission and the council maintain historic views. She also expressed concerns about putting people near traffic as the area becomes more densely populated, saying that health research indicates that there are adverse health effects such as childhood asthma, and that light pollution and noise from traffic causes hypertension and sleep disturbances.

The planning commission will consider all comments, make modifications to the Plan, and make recommendations to the city council. They will meet for work sessions to discuss the Plan on February 25 and March 11. A recommendation from the commission to Tumwater city council is expected in March.

Copies of the draft Brewery District Plan are available for review  in the Community Development Department at Tumwater City Hall, 555 Israel Road SW, Tumwater, during regular business hours, or online at www.trpc.org.

Former South Pacific Restaurant Finds New Owners

Tumwater Restaurant Will Become a Filipino-American Eatery

Above: The former South Pacific restaurant on the corner of Custer Way and Capitol Boulevard will become Florante's Restaurant and Sports Bar.

 

By Janine Unsoeld

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The Tumwater Brewery District will be seeing new life with the recent purchase of the former South Pacific Restaurant at 3507 Capitol Boulevard.

New building owners Norma and Florante Allarde will soon bring good food to the corner of Custer Way and Capitol Boulevard near the closed brewery. They are renovating the dilapidated space into a new Filipino-American eatery.  

The name of the new restaurant is Florante's Restaurant and Sports Bar.

Norma Allarde says the restaurant will feature traditional Filipino foods and some American foods. A few common Filipino dishes include Adobo, Pancit, Lumpia, Sinigang, Kare-Kare, Kaldereta, Menudo, and Asado.

“Our goal is to open by Spring 2015,” said Allarde in a telephone interview today. “We’re working with the city, the health department – everyone’s so excited.”

Above: Demolition by J&D Contracting, LLC has already begun inside the building.

The Allarde’s bought the restaurant, built in 1964, on December 16 for $300,000 from Ng Ping. The restaurant has two floors - the first floor is just over 4,500 square feet, and the top floor is a 528 square foot loft.

According to Thurston County property records, the market value of the restaurant has fluctuated: currently it has a market value of $504,200.  In 2011-21012, it peaked at $843,850.

Allarde admitted that it will be a lot of work to bring the restaurant up to date.

“It needs a lot of TLC - the whole building is not up to code – everything’s been grandfathered in for the last 30 years and held together with Band-Aids with no permits, so we’re going to take it to the basics and renovate it. We’re in no rush – we’re going to do it right.”

The Allarde’s have many years of experience of ‘doing it right.’ The Allarde’s own and operate three local adult family homes, Norflor Manor, two in Olympia, and one in Lacey.

Norma's husband, Florante, is a certified dietary manager, and currently cooks for the family homes. Coming to the United States in 1992, Florante learned to cook, and until recently, cooked for Panorama in Lacey.

“After opening the first one in 2004, I asked Florante to resign from his position as dietary manager at Panorama to help me run the home. We've worked together ever since, side by side for almost 10 years now.  He has supported me in my dream to have one adult family home and now it's turned into three homes. It's my turn to give him support in following his dream of becoming a restaurant owner,” Norma says.

A nurse for 24 years with an eight year military background, Norma Allarde says she and her husband met at Panorama when they both worked there.  Norma is proud of what she and her husband have accomplished so far.

"We're not political people. We work hard, live a quiet life and thank God for everything we have….Florante’s dream has always been to open a restaurant,” said Norma. “He’s just been looking for the right place. The South Pacific (location) felt right to him….I fully support him, just as he’s supported me in my business decisions all these years. It’ll be a lot of work, but he’s going into it with his eyes wide open. He’s excited – so very excited!”

“Our hope is to provide people with good affordable food in a place that provides good hospitality and makes people feel at home...just like back home in the Philippines.”

Above: Capitol Boulevard is a gateway from Tumwater to Olympia. Picture is taken from the corner of the restaurant's parking lot.

The Brewery District Planning Project

The Brewery District, located near the Deschutes River, includes the former Olympia Brewery and the triangle of roads formed by Custer Way, Cleveland Avenue, and Capitol Boulevard. The district extends north to the Sunset Life property and south to "E" Street.

Planning for the area is a priority of the City of Tumwater Strategic Plan. The former South Pacific Restaurant is located at the crossroads of this major gateway between Tumwater, Olympia, and I-5.

The Brewery District Planning Project involves the city of Tumwater, the Thurston Regional Planning Council, and public input to develop a vision and transformation of the area around the former brewery. Three community meetings held in 2013 have helped to gather input on how the area would be revitalized around the brewery, which closed in 2003.

In 2014, efforts will move toward plan adoption, along with more open houses and public hearings involving code and zoning amendments.

Upcoming Brewery District Events:

January 15, 2014, at 5:30 p.m.: Focus Group Meeting #8 (Fire Station on Israel Road)

January 28, 2014, at 5:30 p.m.: Joint Planning Council/City Council briefing on Brewery District Plan (Fire Station)

February 18, 2014, at 7 p.m.: Joint Planning/City Council hearing on Brewery District Plan (Open House at 5:30 p.m.)

For more information about the Brewery District, go to the Thurston Regional Planning Council, www.tcrp.org or contact Tim Smith, Planning Manager for the City of Tumwater, tsmith@ci.tumwater.wa.us, (360) 754-4212.

 

Above: The triangle of roads of Cleveland Avenue, Custer Way, and Capitol Boulevard as seen from the parking lot of Baskin and Robbins ice cream shop in Tumwater. The former brewery is in the distance, behind Florante's Restaurant and Sports Bar.