The Senior Scene

A historic Tacoma icon, the Murray Morgan Bridge, marked its 100th anniversary Feb. 15 – the date it opened in 1913.
City officials declared Feb. 11-15 as Murray Morgan Bridge Week and held a rededication ceremony for the span, which reopened Feb. 1 to vehicle and pedestrian traffic. It had been closed since November 2007, when state Department of Transportation inspectors decided it was structurally deficient. In January 2011, the city started a restoration project.
The bridge, named for a legendary author and historian who once worked on it as a bridge tender, is considered by officials to be a vital link for economic reasons between downtown Tacoma and Port of Tacoma areas and for fire and police emergency services.
Speakers and dignitaries at the rededication ceremony included Governor Jay Inslee and Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland.

Donna Albers has been named to the Pierce County Library System Board of Trustees, replacing her husband, who died last July in a bicycling accident at Mount Rainier National Park.
Albers, appointed by County Executive Pat McCarthy, joined the board in January and plans to complete her husband’s term through August 2014.
Since 1996, Albers has worked with Albers and Company. She is the managing partner for the workplace benefits firm, which provides employee benefits to businesses and organizations throughout western Washington.
“Donna’s business acumen and community service make her a perfect fit to serve residents in Pierce County,” said Neel Parikh, executive director of the Library System. “Her professional experience and compassion for public service will complement our strong board.”
Steve Alberts, 60, suffered a severe head injury when he apparently fell from his bike on a park road while riding in the Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day (RAMROD) July 26. He was riding alone when the mishap occurred. He died the next night at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he was taken after the accident.
The annual 152-mile ride began in Enumclaw in King County and took riders through Eatonville, Elbe and Ashford before entering Mount Rainier National Park.
Donna Albers, a Lakewood resident, has been in the employee benefits business for more than 35 years.
Library officials noted that Albers’ community involvement spans co-chairing United Way of Pierce County’s annual community giving campaign, being a member of Pierce County Library Foundation Board of Directors, and serving as an events chairwoman for the Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital Festival of Trees.
“Libraries are the roads and paths that break down barriers and bridge communities that give a space and place to all people – not only as gathering and connecting centers, but also as literacy and learning cores for communities and individuals,” said Albers.
Albers will be part of a five-member, unpaid board with policy and fiscal responsibility for services and programs to the 555,000 people in the Library System’s service area.
The system is separate from Pierce County government, but by state law, county executives appoint library trustees.
The other trustees for Pierce County’s system are chairwoman Linda Ishem, Allen Rose, Robert Allen and J.J. McCament.

Financing through the Washington State Housing Finance Commission is resulting in the construction of 116 apartments for seniors in Milton.
The Alder Ridge Apartments will offer what developers are calling affordable housing for low-income adults who are 62 or older. Some units will be reserved for individuals with disabilities or other special needs.
Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2013.
“We’re excited to be a part of making this housing possible,” said Karen Miller, chairwoman of the Housing Finance Commission.
The commission financed the project by issuing $8 million in tax-exempt bonds, combined with $4 million in housing tax credits for the developer. The financing package also includes a taxable loan backed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The public partners allow the project to be supported by private lenders without the use of state funding.
Plans for Alder Ridge call for 74 one-bedroom and 42 two-bedroom units, including 17 garden-style apartments with private access to the outside. Other amenities in the three-story complex will include a clubhouse, beauty salon and computer lab.
Village Development LLC, based in Federal Way, will own and manage the complex, located at 38338 28th Ave. S. in Milton. Alder Ridge is Village Development’s third affordable-housing project with the Housing Finance Commission.
The Housing Finance Commission will stay involved after the project is built to provide training and technical assistance to the owner and property manager, who must follow federal and state requirements for the next 30 years. The relationship will keep rents low and help the owner avoid any financial pitfalls from inadvertent noncompliance, officials said.
“It’s great to have a funding partner like the commission who can work with us as a team and solve problems along the way,” said David Baus, project development coordinator for Village Development. “It takes all of us to build communities and build families.”
According to the National Association of Home Builders, the local impact of building 100 apartments in a typical development includes $7.9 million in local income, 122 local jobs, and $827,000 in taxes and other revenue for local governments. In the long term, 100 apartments will contribute an estimated 30 local jobs, $2.4 million in local income and $441,000 in taxes each year, the associate estimated.
The Housing Finance Commission is a self-supporting organization with a mission of increasing housing access and affordability. The commission, which receives no regular state funding for its operations, works with lenders, investors, developers, non-profit organizations, first-time homebuyers, beginning farmers and ranchers, and energy companies to generate private investment dollars.