City Manager's Weekly Info Bulletin 4/30/10

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Category: Weekly Info Bulletins

April 30, 2010
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

  • Boating Safety Reminder: Effective January 1st, all boaters 30 years old or younger are required to have a boaters education card on their person while operating a boat or other motorized water craft with a motor larger than 15 hp.
  • Staff attends 2010 Real Estate and Land Use Seminar: Assistant City Attorney/CSRT Counsel Mike Savage, Associate Planner Beth Jorgenson and Assistant Planner Nadine Mitsch attended the 2010 Real Estate and Land Use Seminar presented by the respected Seattle law firm of Foster Pepper. Topics included updates on land use case law, legislation, regional transportation, water rights, and the impact of the economy on real estate assets and development. This knowledge will help keep the City ahead of the curve on the merging of real estate and development issues.
  • CSRTand Work Crew police shopping carts: Due to the large number of shopping carts being left on public right-of-away and empty lots, CSRT members Dawn McGinnis and Lt. Steve Mauer enlisted the assistance of the Lakewood Municipal Court Work Crew Program supervised by Wes Morrisette. Due to the coordination between CSRT and Lakewood Municipal Court, the work crew is now on the lookout for stray shopping carts and when found they are loaded up and delivered back to where they belong. This effort by the work crew helps to reduce the unsightly blight caused by these carts and also reduces the potential for injury to children who may want to play with the abandoned shopping carts.
  • Parks Appreciation Day a Success: The City's 9th annual Parks Appreciation Day on April 24th was supported by about 340 volunteers, who worked at Fort Steilacoom Park, American Lake Park, Wards Lake Park, and the blueberry fields. Their accomplishments included the spreading of 70 yards of playground chips, 30 yards of trail chips, 20 yards of gravel, and 12 yards of wood mulch in flowerbeds. They installed a 130-ft block wall, two park benches, 45 feet of sidewalk, and 45 grave markers, as well as one water faucet and one barbeque. They removed 40 yards of blackberries, 20 yards of scotch broom, and 10 yards of trash. They also planted 750 annual flowers.
  • CSRT attends first Pacific/Springbrook Neighborhood Association Meeting: CSO Gail Conelly attended the first Pacific/Springbrook Neighborhood Association Board meeting on April 27th, as they discussed their mission statement, by-laws, and goals for the upcoming year. This is a new association, with all new Board members, who are very excited to make a difference in the community in which they live. The Board meetings will be held monthly on the last Tuesday, with the exception being the months that the quarterly Neighborhood Association meeting is held.
  • Graffiti removed -Greater Lakes Mental Health/Seeley Lake Lodge: A complaint was reported to the CSRT regarding excessive graffiti on the walls behind the Greater Lakes Mental Health/Seeley Lake Lodge, which is directly behind the Senior Center on the same property on Lakewood Dr SW. Pictures were taken and forwarded to the LPD Gang Unit. Team members contacted staff at the office and the facility maintenance person. A local church group had already been scheduled to do the actual painting during the coming weekend. The graffiti had been painted over as of April 27th.
  • Civic Design Award "Jury" includes city manager: The AIA (American Institute of Architects) Washington Council convened a three-member "jury" on April 29th to deliberate over 35 civic projects completed this year in Washington to determine which ones would be awarded the Honor, Merit, or Citation awards. The Lakewood city manager was appointed to the "jury", along with a professor of architecture from both UW and WSU. The projects include a number of city halls, public safety buildings, college facilities, and other public buildings.
  • CSRT staff attends one day seminar: CSRT member Sandi Stauffer attended a one-day seminar, "Managing Angry and Intimidating People" on April 23rd. This class is designed to assist employees in dealing with people who are upset and threatening. Some of the tips included verbal skills, basic self defense and positioning strategies. CSO Stauffer learned these and other methods that will assist her in interactions with the sometimes hostile violators she comes into contact with.