The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber announced today it has returned management responsibilities of Tollefson Plaza downtown to the City of Tacoma. The Chamber entered into a license agreement with the City to manage Tollefson Plaza in the spring of 2008. The license agreement did not include City funding.

According to Chelsea Levy, the Chamber’s Metropolitan Development Manager, the “recent and current economic situation has made it extremely difficult to secure adequate funding and sponsorships to fully underwrite staffing and appropriate marketing for meaningful programming of the Plaza.

“Unfortunately, those challenging economic conditions and Plaza design issues have combined to thwart the Chamber’s ambitions to provide active management and programming for Tollefson Plaza,” she added. “As a result, the Chamber has requested to be released from its license agreement with the City of Tacoma.”

Inquiries regarding rental of Tollefson Plaza should be directed to the Tacoma City Clerk’s office.

For a complete statement on the issue from the Chamber, click here — http://tacomadowntown.blogspot.com/2010/02/chamber-returns-tollefson-management-to.html .

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For earlier Tacoma Daily Index coverage of Tollefson Plaza, click on the following links:

1. Lunchtime entertainment slated for Tollefson Plaza (06/15/09) — http://tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1569331&more=0

2. Native American wood sculpture planned for Tollefson Plaza (12/11/08) — http://tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1450185&more=0

3. Art, music in store for Showcase Tacoma downtown (08/07/08) — http://tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1280425&more=0

4. City, Chamber partner for Tollefson Plaza events (08/05/08) — http://tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1278251&more=0

5. Movement grows to place goddess of commerce statue near Tollefson Plaza (03/07/08) — http://tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1169934&more=0