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In an effort to encourage the installation of rain gardens, the City of Tacoma is offering a generous rebate to homeowners.
The first requirement is that homeowners must be living within the Flett Creek and Leach Creek watersheds to qualify for the rebate, which is $2 for each square foot of hard surface draining to a rain garden (up to a maximum of $2,000).
The Fleet and Leach Creek watersheds are located on the southern and western ends of town in areas west of Pacific Avenue and south of South 48th Street, west of Union Avenue from South 48th up to 6th Avenue, and the peak of the Leach Creek basin reaches from Stevens Street to Mildred Street north from 6th Avenue to North 30th Street.
Qualifying homeowners who install a rain garden and receive the rebate are required to sign an agreement with the city to maintain the rain garden for a minimum of five years weeding, mulching and watering the plants.
“Rain gardens require as much or as little upkeep as a homeowner wants to put into it,” says Mike Carey, environmental specialist and certified arborist with Tacoma’s Environmental Services. “You can choose high-maintenance or low-maintenance plants.”
“The city website at cityoftacoma.org/raingarden offers a link to the rain garden rebate information and forms. The entire program package can be downloaded.
In addition to the rebate, the city helps homeowners with design of the rain garden, including a free on-site soil test by a member of the Pierce Conservation District and walking them step by step through the project paperwork.
City of Tacoma engineer Jessica Knickerbocker said the rain garden rebate program runs until the end of this year, at which time officials will evaluate whether to continue or modify the program. She advises getting started on a rain garden as soon as possible.
Chris Beale and his wife decided on a rain garden and are glad they did. Beale lives in Tacoma, works for the city of Puyallup in the Planning Department, and is an arborist. He managed the department that oversaw the construction of rain gardens in Puyallup.
“Our first thought was to be good stewards of the rainwater hitting our property, and we wanted to improve our property by having a higher-end landscaping,” said Beale.
He and his wife were planning on installing a rain garden, and the reimbursement program in Tacoma happened to coincide with that decision.
Mike Carey, Environmental Specialist and Certified Arborist with Tacoma’s Environmental Services, said the city makes every attempt to ensure that residents have all the resources they need to build a successful rain garden.
He is a big supporter of rain gardens.
“They are really important because the most appropriate place to control stormwater runoff is at their source, and it is more economically sustainable to infiltrate the rainwater on-site than to try to cleanit up and contain it after it runs down the storm drains,” he said.
“Rain gardens provide a sustainable way to treat runoff at the home and add value and look beautiful at the same time,” Carey said.
The city provides training throughout the year to teach homeowners how to install a rain garden. Carey said homeowners can register at cityoftacoma.org/envirohouse for upcoming rain garden workshops being held at the city’s permanent green building model home, the EnviroHouse, located at the city landfill at 3510 Mullen St. in Tacoma.
A residential rain garden has been built at that location, and Janda Volkmer, EnviroHouse coordinator, is on site to answer questions Wednesday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 to 5.
“Most folks are interested in rain gardens and green roof gardening,” said Volkmer, adding that interest in rain gardens is picking up due to our climate.
The EnviroHouse also has six rain barrels on site. Rain barrels are a good way to catch rainwater flowing from a roof downspout. They store rainwater for watering plants, washing cars or other outdoor uses, Volkmer said.
The city offers several workshops during the year on rain barrels. Information on the time and place for these and other sustainable living workshops can be found at www.cityoftacoma.org/EnviroHouse/

 

Joan Cronk, who wrote this article, is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to Senior Scene.

Examples of rain gardens can be seen at the city of Tacoma's green-building model home.
Examples of rain gardens can be seen at the city of Tacoma’s green-building model home.

 

Joan Cronk by — June 15, 2014 in Spotlight

Janet Bissell, senior coordinator for Metro Parks Tacoma, says the Fifty and Better (FAB) program sprung out of the realization that the demographics of the population are changing at a rapid pace
“We saw a need and an opportunity for people,” she said.
Saying that it is difficult to define what a senior citizen is, Bissell said Metro Parks has a staff to come up with programs for citizens 50 years old and up.
“We are looking at those who are newly widowed or newly retired, or just changing their life structure a bit and have some more free time. We are looking at how we can help them enhance their lives,” she said.
In addition to a number of programs throughout the Metro Parks locations, there is an emphasis on trips.
June Brown has been a volunteer tour director at Metro Parks since the agency began taking folks on trips, and she seems to be a perfect fit for the job.
“I love it,” said Brown, adding that as a bonus, all the trips are reasonably priced.
One of the recent outings had a group attending a performance of “The Lion King” at Paramount Theater in Seattle.
Brown does the research and reports back to Metro Parks officials. “I can’t close the deal. I come up with the ideas, make the call and get information,” she said.
Lincoln City, Ore. was the destination of one of their trips, and while there they saw golden boys Frankie Avalon, Fabian and Bobbie Rydell.
“Everyone in their 60s knows them,” said Brown, “and the show was fabulous.”
In June, a group will travel to Harrison Hot Springs in Canada and stay at the Harrison Hot Springs Hotel.
“The trip includes transportation, a high English tea, wonderful food, hotel rooms for two nights, and two buffet breakfasts each morning. The food is to die for there,” Brown said. The group will also enjoy a five-course dinner in the Copper Room with dancing, and a trip to the Fraser River, complete with a tram ride across the river.
Bissell said the new FAB program kicked off last November with a Night in Venice promotion.
“We threw off all the barriers and had a fun evening with drawings, giveaways and baskets, a big spaghetti dinner and great entertainment,” she said.
Costs for different FAB programs are varied, said Bissell.
“We try to program what we would consider the fixed-income type of folks. Some classes run $5 a month, and we have a meditation class that runs $2 a month. There is something for everyone,” she said, adding that the SAIL (Stay Active and Independent for Life) program is free.
Classes at the Star Center and Center at Norpoint can run $26 a month, and that includes fitness classes and access to the workout rooms. The Norpoint location also has a pool and classes in water aerobics.
All services are available to anyone living in the Pierce County area, with programs at the Star Center, Center at Norpoint, Portland Avenue Community Center and Peoples Center.
“I am really hoping that we are still in the infancy stage of this program,” said Bissell. Metro Parks Tacoma continues to pass out surveys asking folks what programs they would like to see in the future. “We always ask, J`What can we do next?’” said Bissell.
“We are trying to make this program a lot of fun for the fabulous people of Tacoma and surrounding areas. We like to say once you are 50, no matter what, you are always going to be fabulous.”
For more information on the FAB programs, go to the Metro Parks Tacoma website at metroparkstacoma.com, or call Bissell at 253-312-4458.

Water aerobics are one of the fitness programs offered through FAB.
Water aerobics are one of the fitness programs offered through FAB.
Joan Cronk by — May 14, 2014 in Spotlight

Tacoma Historical Society’s annual Historic Homes of Tacoma tour, with stately abodes dating to the 1800s, is scheduled for May 3-4.
In addition to homes in the Stadium-Seminary district of Tacoma, the tour will include Central Lutheran Church and the Historical Society’s new center. Tickets ($20) are on sale in advance at several locations or can be ordered at hometour@tacomahistory.org. They also can be purchased on tour days at Central Lutheran at 409 Tacoma Ave. N.
Additional information is available at 253-759-4451 and tacomahistory.org.
Among the featured homes on the tour are the Branscheid House and the Love House.
William H. and Hattie Branscheid built their five-bedroom, 4,824-square-foot, Queen Anne-style home in 1889 at a cost of $6,000. The architect was Proctor and Dennis; the contractor was William L. Barker.
William Branscheid was the owner of the Tacoma Stove Co., located on Pacific Avenue.
The Branscheids relocated to San Francisco in 1900 and sold the home to Edward and Belle Shields in 1910. Shields was the vice president and general manager of the Northern Coast Timber company and the Pacific States Lumber company.
The home was sold again in 1918 to Henry and Katherine Walker. Walker was the manager of the Tacoma Smelting Co. in Ruston. He later became national president of ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Co.).
Henry and Emily Walker (no relation) owned the home in the early 1930s. Emily Walker became a widely respected columnist for The News Tribune, beginning in the late 1940s as the newspaper’s Washington, D.C., correspondent and, after returning to Tacoma in 1976, carrying on as a local columnist until 1990.
Wayne and Diane Swanson purchased the home in 1984. Swanson was well-known as a teacher of stained glass and ceramics at Lincoln and Stadium high schools and as a restorer of historic homes. During the decade he owned the home, he added many stained-glass windows.
Typical of the Queen Anne style is the full-width, wrap-around veranda. The spacious entry retains its original double doors. The entry, living room and dining room feature oak floors and ornate woodwork with medallions characteristic of the period. The wide fireplace in the living room is flanked by leaded-glass book cases (a late addition). The bow window in the living room is matched by one across the home in the dining room. The light fixture in the dining room is original. The dining room table and chairs date from 1915. The circa 1900 walnut buffet and china cabinet were made by Berkey and Gay. The kitchen has been updated. Current owners Peter and Johnette Maehren, who purchased the home in 1994, renovated the family room, installing period windows and woodwork.
The main stairway features a curved wall and an ornate railing with turned finials. The master bedroom has a sitting area and a master bath where a nursery or closet once was. The brass light is original.
Home tour participants will learn the history behind the Love House. For instance, Dr. Leonidas L. Love and his wife Margaret, a nurse, had this Mediterranean Revival 4,330-square-foot home built on the corner of North 8th and G streets in 1910. The house occupies three lots of the site of the former Western Washington Industrial Exposition Building, which burned in 1898.
Love, came to Tacoma in 1900 from West Virginia, had medical offices in downtown Tacoma and served as president of the state medical association in 1912. He was also a prominent Tacoma businessman. He was a stockholder in two successful wholesale grocery and dry goods companies founded with his brother, A.V. Love. Dr. Love died at age 53 in 1918.
Ralph and Lydia Dickman bought the home in 1925. Dickman was the founder of the Dickman Lumber Company, located on Ruston Way, now the site of Dickman Mill Park. Lydia, a graduate of Annie Wright Seminary, was active in church and community affairs.
The Dickmans sold the home in 1949 to James F. and Elizabeth Wilhelmi. Wilhelmi was the owner of The Stationers, Inc., a downtown office supply company founded in 1884. Elizabeth was active in the Philanthropic Educational Organization and other charities.
The home remains largely unchanged and intact. The original exterior consisted of a white stucco finish with brick and concrete accents and a clay tile roof. The home features three fireplaces, with a large entry and living room adorned in finely crafted quarter-sawn oak millwork. The dining room features the original sliding doors and patterned glass door to the kitchen. The kitchen has been expanded to accommodate modern appliances and a casual dining area. A half bath adjoins what was originally the servant’s room. A very fine stained glass window at the stairway landing is reputedly by Waterford. The second floor features three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a sleeping porch that has been enclosed, with a deck added beyond. The bedrooms retain their original doorknockers. The tiling in the second bath, including exquisite water lily trim tiles, appears to date from the 1930s. The basement features a billiard room with bow window and fireplace, and a second kitchen, laundry, workroom and boiler room.
Current owners Mark and Kristy Beardemphl have adhered to National Park Service standards for their restoration work. In restoring the reception hall, living room and servant quarters to their original form, they removed five layers of paint to refurbish the oak woodwork, windows and doors, while renewing the oak floors, cast iron radiators, and plaster walls. Modernizations include the kitchen and the electrical, lighting, plumbing and hot water heating systems.

The Branscheid House was built in 1889 at a cost of $6,000.
The Branscheid House was built in 1889 at a cost of $6,000.
srmedia by — April 22, 2014 in Spotlight

As Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “He that writes to himself writes to an eternal public.” At the time I bought the old diary, I had no idea it would inspire me to write a book and share its secrets.

For over 40 years, my passion for antiques has driven me to search and collect treasures from the past. Addicted to old paper, letters, books and artwork, I enjoy the thrill of the hunt, researching each item and finding them a home.

When I discovered the diary, I was aware of buying someone’s secrets and pondered if I had the right to read it. However, I found the intriguing inscription irresistible and eagerly read every page: “In this book are recorded my evil deeds, but only for one year. C.S. Brown, 1899, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine.”

The tantalizing journal, written over 100 years ago, was a challenge to decipher, as every page was filled with cryptic fountain pen script, jerky slashes and dramatic squiggles. I wondered if the author ever considered the possibility someone might read his personal thoughts; how many people would hold the diary over the years and if anyone would take time to read it.

Charles Stanley Brown’s unforgettable journal is filled with academic struggle, college mischief and the pursuit of love. A junior at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Charles hopes to write a best-selling novel, graduate from Harvard and find a wife.

A highly intellectual, dramatic and emotional poet, Charles falls in love frequently and reveals his pain.

He boasts of being intellectually superior, but admits he is cynical, humorless and egotistical.

“Charles’ Tell-Tale Diary of 1899” was published just in time to celebrate my 70th birthday. Discover how a diary from Maine ended up at a swap meet in Packwood, Wash.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jan Rich, who

Charles Brown probably never imagined that the diary he kept more than 100 years ago would be read by someone else, much less become the subject matter of a book written by Lakewood author Jan Rich. (Courtesy photo)
Charles Brown probably never imagined that the diary he kept more than 100 years ago would be read by someone else, much less become the subject matter of a book written by Lakewood author Jan Rich. (Courtesy photo)

also wrote this article, lives in Lakewood with her husband, David, a retired high school principal. Her work experience includes four years as a legal assistant, 16 years in healthcare and eight years in telecommunications. She enjoys writing (her short stories and articles have been published in newsletters, newspapers and magazines in the Pacific Northwest), photography and genealogy. She is active at Lakewood Community Center, where she participates in aerobics and a writing class. “Charles’ Tell-Tale Diary of 1899” is available on Amazon.

Contributing Author by — April 4, 2014 in Spotlight