City of Lakewood

June 26, 2009
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

• Association of Washington Cities Annual Meeting: Council Members Finnigan and Neary, the city manager, and communications director Jeff Brewster attended the AWC's annual conference in Spokane this week with 400 participants representing cities around the state. Key speakers included Rogers Weed, the newly-appointed director of the State's new Department of Commerce (formerly CTED). Work sessions covered numerous subjects ranging from fiscal planning to positioning for economic recovery, public safety, leadership and economic development. Councilmember Neary was a presenter on Citizen Communication, and the city manager participated in the selection and appointment of the new AWC CEO, Mike McCarty.
• SummerFEST 2009: The 2009 SummerFest was a success in all aspects. Attendance was up, with approximate numbers leaning around 10,000. The Kids Zone which included a rock climbing wall and air supported inflatable's had just over 800 kids participate. The two stages of entertainment had crowds throughout the day. A new addition this year came from the Tacoma Company of Army Recruiters, who put on a Fitness Expo for people of all ages. The marketing team for the Army also brought various sports teams from around the area to conduct youth clinics and sign autographs for the children. Teams included: Seahawks, Sounders, Rainiers, Storm and Seagals. This was a great addition for the kids. The event finished off Saturday with an outdoor movie. On Sunday there was an Army Strong 5k Father's Day Run that attracted over 200 participants.
• Lakewood Police Dept hosts Narcotics Investigation training course: Lakewood Police hosted a Mid-Level Narcotics Investigation training course this week. The curriculum included intelligence gathering techniques, the structure of drug organizations, informant control and management, as well as other more law enforcement sensitive subjects. As the hosting agency, we received 5 free slots saving the department about $1,000. The new police facility allows for a much improved emphasis on training and development.
• Police Marine Services attends CJTC Course: The entire Marine Services Unit (MSU) attended and completed a 24-hour Criminal Justice Training Center (CJTC) course in Boating under the Influence (BUI) detection and arrests. The course was sponsored by the Washington State Parks and held in Puyallup on June 10-12.
• Gang presentation to Lakewood 1st Lions: Officer Crommes gave a Gang Presentation for the 1st Lions Club on June with about 25 people in attendance.