City Manager's Weekly Info Bulletin 5/21/10

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Category: Weekly Info Bulletins

May 21, 2010
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

  • Lakewood Memorial Day Service: The official Pierce County Veterans Advisory Council Memorial Day Service will take place on Monday, May 31st at 2 PM in Mountain View's New Veterans Memorial Section. The Brass Quintet of the First Corps Army Band from Joint Base Lewis-McChord will highlight the ceremonies. Plenty of free parking and seating will be available. For more information, see www.mountainviewtacoma.com.
  • Gravelly Lake Drive Overlay - Phase 2 - 100th Street to Bridgeport Way - Construction Begins: Construction on Gravelly Lake Drive Overlay Phase 2 will begin on Monday, May 24th. The project includes replacement of driveways, curbs, sidewalks, and ramps to current American with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, pavement patching and repair, and hot-mix asphalt (HMA) overlay. The project construction will require temporary closures of lanes to facilitate construction. The project construction will take approximately 2 months
  • Employees of the Quarter: The theme of this week's quarterly employee recognition event was Integrity, one of our four guiding principles. The employee of the quarter was awarded to Diana Halar, for her accountability, reliability and respectful manner as a compliance inspector in the Public Works Stormwater division. The police employee of the quarter award went to Doug Strand, crime analyst, for his ability to gather and analyze information to assist the department's grant-writing efforts and to evaluate Lakewood crime.
  • Park Lodge Elementary - Safe Routes to Schools Project - Out to Bid: Advertisement for bids for Park Lodge Elementary Safe Routes to Schools project will start May 25th. This project provides for curb, gutter, sidewalk, cross-walk enhancements along Park Lodge Elementary frontage on 100th Street, Lexington Avenue, and Alfaretta Street. Project construction is scheduled to take place from mid-July through mid-September.
  • Gravelly Lake Drive and Pacific Highway - Sewer Construction: Northwest Cascade will be completing sewer extension construction at and near the intersection of Gravelly Lake Drive and Pacific Highway for the next 1 ½ weeks. Work will be done during the day to facilitate utility relocations simultaneously. Work hours are proposed between 5 AM and 3 PM in order to avoid the evening peak traffic.
  • Pacific Highway - Gravelly Lake Drive to Bridgeport Way: Woodworth will be wrapping up most all of construction except for the hot-mix asphalt (HMA) overlay within the next week. The Contractor will return within the next 2-3 weeks to complete the overlay (weather dependent).
  • AIA Civic Design Awards: The city manager presented awards to civic projects as part of the annual American Institute of Architects (AIA) Washington chapter annual Civic Design Awards program in Seattle on May 20th. He participated on a 3-member "jury", which included professors of architecture from both UW and WSU. The awards included an "honor" award to Puyallup City Hall, designed by Mithun, and a citation award to the Tacoma Community College Science & Engineering Building, designed by Miller/Hull Partnership.
  • Final Woodbrook Late Nite: The final night of the popular Late Nite program will be Friday, May 21st and will feature a full-court basketball game of the "old guys" versus the "young guns". The old guys team will include assistant principal Greg Wilson, custodian Keith Smiley, school board members Marty Schafer and Walt Kellcy and staff from the city's Parks, Recreation and Community Services department. The young guys will include students from the schools' basketball team and other Late Nite participants. A perpetual trophy will be displayed in the school for bragging rights.
  • Staff gives Sheltering And Emergency Management Program Presentation at Lakewood Lions Meeting: Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Mary Dodsworth and CSRT Leader Lt. Steve Mauer gave a presentation on Lakewood's sheltering program, in conjunction with the City's emergency management program, at a recent Lakewood Lions meeting. They informed the group about how the sheltering would operate, and explained how civic organizations may be called upon to provide much needed assistance, such as food, in the event that a shelter is activated.
  • Annual "Operation Graffiti Cover-Up": CSRT members Steve Mauer, Mike Savage, Rebecca Hendricks, Doug Price, Randy Richards and Sandi Stauffer, along with several citizen volunteers, participated in the annual "Operation Graffiti Cover-Up" sponsored by Safe Streets on May 15th. The team painted over graffiti on fences and buildings at a number of sites throughout the City. Paint and supplies were donated by local businesses.
  • Lakewood Organization of Community Active Landlords (LOCAL) holds monthly meeting: The Lakewood Organization of Community Active Landlords (LOCAL) held its monthly meeting on May 18th at the Lakewood Police Department. The focus of this meeting was to introduce the Community, Safety and Resource Team (CSRT) and the services it can offer to the landlord community. There were 20 managers and/or owners in attendance. The LOCAL meets every 3rd Tuesday at 11:00am at the Lakewood Police Station.
  • CSRT and Court Combat Shopping Cart Blight: CSRT and the Lakewood Municipal Court work crew continue to work together to combat the blight caused by stray shopping carts.
  • CSRT staff attend North Lakewood Neighborhood Association Meeting: CSRT staff Gail Conelly, Doug Price, and Steve Mauer attended the semi-annual North Lakewood Neighborhood Association meeting, held on May 12th. The principal of Hudtloff Middle School updated the group on the plans for the new Hudtloff Middle School, and Officer Jeff Martin gave an update/presentation on the current gang trends in Lakewood. Lt. Mauer and CSO Conelly updated the group on the new CSRT and what resources are available to them. CEO Doug Price handed out information and gave an explanation on the most common code complaint areas, such as vehicle storage and property maintenance issues, and alerted the residents to the seasonal upsurge of peddlers going door-to-door selling magazine subscriptions, tree services, driveway coating, siding, steaks, and more. Lakewood Municipal Code regulates the operations of such peddlers and requires a background-check, bonding, and solicitor-peddler license for anyone selling things door-to-door, on the streets, in parking lots, etc.
  • Kids' Fish-In event: The Kid's Fish-In Event was held at American Lake Park on May 15th under blue skies and ideal temperature. Over 300 children participated with nearly everyone taking home at least one fish. Nearly 40 student volunteers from Lakes and Clover Park High Schools with volunteers from the First Baptist Church were key to the success of the event. The Go Outside Play Alliance of Washington is the new parent organization for this event with sponsorships from Cabelas, Kiwanis Club of Clover Park, Puget Sound Anglers, Trout Unlimited, Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. The Parks, Recreation and Community Services department coordinates the event with support from the Marine Services Unit of the Police Department and the Lakewood Fire Department. Each participant received a rod and reel, tee-shirt and two fish that they caught for the registration fee of $10.