Weekly Info Bulletins

City Manager's Weekly Info Bulletin 1/25/08

Details: Category: Weekly Info Bulletins; Published on Thursday, 24 January 2008 16:00

January 25, 2008
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

Parks & Recreation’s GO Lakewood campaign: Join your community in getting active in 2008! Start the year off right at the GO Lakewood kick-off celebration and registration event at Fort Steilacoom Park on Saturday, January 26th from 10:00am – 1:00pm. GO Lakewood is a community-wide campaign to promote healthy lifestyles. Participants of all ages and fitness levels are encouraged to set goals and report their progress throughout the year. You can register on-site and be on your way to a healthier 2008. Entertainment, demonstrations, vendors, games and activities will be free for this event and a one mile walk/run will be held at 11:00am around Waughop Lake. The highlight of the kick-off celebration will be SNOW and attendees can try one of the fastest growing winter sports; snowshoeing. Snowshoes and poles will be available for people to try a new activity, which requires no previous experience. For more information contact Parks and Recreation at (253) 589-2489, or www.golakewood.cityoflakewood.us .
Pac Highway Open House for Ponders: Public Works will be hosting an open house with Pac Highway property/business owners on January 30th from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM at the Pacific Hwy Fire Station regarding roadway design options for Pacific Highway from Gravelly Lake Drive to Bridgeport Way.
America’s Promise Alliance for Youth designates Lakewood again as one of 100 Best Communities: Lakewood joins Bellevue and Spokane County as one of Washington’s 3-time winners of the “100 Best Communities” status from America’s Promise for its service to young people. The news release states about Lakewood that it has a high transient population due to the military, and that young people in this community attend schools that are committed to student success and have high expectations of not only the students but their parents, and school faculty and staff...
Bridgeport Way at Flanegan Road Retaining Wall: Wall construction on the west side of Bridgeport Way from Flanegan Road to Leach Creek will require closure of the outside southbound lane starting on January 28th. There will be full closure for the first two months of construction and then during daytime hours for the remaining three months of construction. The project is currently scheduled to be completed June 2, 2008.
Police Chief recruitment status: WASPC (the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs) is assisting the city manager in screening applications for the Lakewood police chief position in order to identify finalist candidates. The next step will be to schedule a series of panels to include community members, police department members, and other management staff. The panels will interview and provide advice and input to the appointment process. There will also be a community reception where the general public will be able to meet the candidates.
Economic Development Manager recruitment underway: The City has launched its recruitment effort for a new economic development manager to replace Joe Hannan, who left to take the city administrator position in Mukilteo. The position has been revised to take on more integrated Community Development responsibilities.
Blood Drive: The employee Wellness Committee organized a blood drive through Cascade Regional Blood Services who brought their bloodmobile to City Hall to collect blood donations from City employees on January 22nd in recognition of January as National Blood Donor Month. Cascade was able to collect 17 units, which are broken down, for 51 total units for local hospitals, and they were pleased as blood levels are at an extremely low level. Donations were also given from other citizen donors who saw the bloodmobile at City Hall.
Homeless Count with Neighborhood Police support: The Community Policing team participated in the Pierce County Homeless count on January 24th and 25th. All district NPOs and CSOs were out in the field canvassing their districts on foot in wooded areas, on the railroad tracks, checking abandoned buildings, and culverts. Very few were found on the first day, but the few that were contacted spoke freely with the officers about their situations. A number of homeless individuals left Tacoma after their homeless camp enforcement effort. The focus on the second day was on people living in local motels.

POLICE INCIDENTS

LPD Responds to Unknown Trouble: A female texted her friend and said she was being held at gunpoint by friends at an unknown house in Oakbrook. Dispatch eventually got a hold of the alleged victim on her cell phone. She was not making a lot of sense but was insistent someone was holding her at gunpoint. We located the house and did a surround and call out. Several people were in the residence and none of them knew about a gun. Most of them were sleeping. The alleged victim did admit she recently discovered meth and took some within the last hour. She was arrested for a warrant. Her story appeared to be unfounded but a report was written.

City Manager's Weekly Info Bulletin 1/18/08

Details: Category: Weekly Info Bulletins; Published on Thursday, 17 January 2008 16:00

January 18, 2008
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

New Police Station Construction: Community Development has issued an administrative use permit to allow construction of the new police station, and the Building Division is nearing completion of its review of the police station construction drawings. Bid award should be presented for Council action on January 28th, with construction starting in February.
Lakes High School Expansion: The City’s hearing examiner has issued his decision approving the conditional use permit for the Lakes High School expansion.
Victory Motel: Demolition of the Victory Motel will occur late this month or early February.
Lakefront Street Ends Review: The next meeting in the planning process will be at City Hall on January 23rd at 6pm regarding street ends on Lake Steilacoom.
Hill Ward Demolition: The demolition phase of the restoration project in Fort Steilacoom Park commenced last week. Below is one of the first photos from the Hill Ward Demolition Project.
Lakewood “Founding Father” Honored at McChord Memorial Service: Longtime Lakewood resident and a leading advocate for incorporation, Colonel (retired) Gerald Auger passed away on Christmas Eve. During his memorial service at McChord AFB on January 11th, this decorated World War Two combat pilot was remembered as a loving father and trusted friend. During a eulogy, friend Bob Arndt relayed that “one of Jerry’s proudest achievements was being associated with the Lakewood city hood effort.” Colonel Auger was honored by McChord AFB with a C-17 flyover immediately following the ceremony – a rare Air Force honor. Colonel Auger’s three adult children were joined by Lakewood Mayor Emeritus Bill Harrison and many other friends and family paying their respects. He was preceded in death by his wife Nancy in November and his son, Jeffrey in 1947.
2008 Homeless Count Survey: The Tacoma-Pierce County Coalition for the Homeless is conducting its annual one-day count of the county's homeless population. The point-in-time survey is scheduled for January 24th and 25th. More than 100 community volunteers will contact homeless individuals and ask a few questions about their situations. Human Services Division staff (General Services) is partnering with Police in an attempt to locate unsheltered homeless persons by doing walking surveys of areas in Lakewood where homelessness exists, as well as by surveying patrons of the motels in Lakewood. Volunteers also will staff "give away" sites, where homeless persons can obtain personal items such as clothes, blankets and toiletries. All City volunteers will be attending training on January 22nd. Data collected during the annual survey helps provide a picture of the homeless issue in Pierce County, drives planning efforts such as the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness and leverages funding for homeless housing and services from the public and private.

Police Actions:

Adult Entertainment Violations: Special Ops did a compliance check at Déjà Vu this week. In one night, 21 dancers and the manager were cited for Adult Entertainment Ordinance violations, including improper collection of tips, violating 4-foot distances rules for lap dances and 8-foot rules from stage dances. All of these constituted illegal contact between dancer and customer. This continues the City’s nine year record of never doing an undercover operation in a strip club without finding significant violations by dancers.
Counterfeit Ring: As our now fully staffed NPO (neighborhood police officer) cadre takes charge, we are beginning to see more proactive investigation of property crime. What began as a simple case of a counterfeit $20 bill to a 7-11 in District 3 (Lakeview) was not of appropriate value to assign to a property crimes detective for follow up investigation. However, with full NPO staff on board, this was given to newly-assigned NPO Brian Wurts to follow up, and it turned up a much bigger counterfeit ring. It was given back to the Property ProAc unit to handle, and they have engaged the Secret Service. This is a good example of the lower level crime follow up and interdepartmental coordination.
Embezzlement Case Investigated: An employee embezzled over $300,000 from her Lakewood employer where she was employed as the bookkeeper. During the investigation, the Property ProAc unit obtained a search warrant for her bank records, which showed all the checks from the employer that were deposited into her checking account. The financial investigation was then turned over to Brinks and Sadler CPA firm, who confirmed she had embezzled $309,000. The suspect was arrested in June 2007 and booked on four counts of Theft 1st. She was subsequently charged with 32 counts of Theft 1st, and on January 10th, a plea agreement was reached whereby she was sentenced to 43 months at Purdy Correctional Center. The Property Pro-Ac unit is currently working on another case where the employee embezzled $400,000 from another Lakewood business.
Theft from Wal-Mart: During a shoplift, a female suspect reportedly pulled a knife when confronted by store security. Police units arrived and detained the suspect and one accomplice, with one more female accomplice outstanding. She was eventually located on the payphone next to the front door talking to her attorney. As it turned out, the suspect was not pulling a knife, but a plastic hair pick, which was mistaken by security for a weapon. Three out of state suspects were booked for Theft 3rd.
Armed Robbery Arrest: Two males, one armed with a handgun and the other armed with a knife, entered a pizza restaurant, displayed the weapons and demanded money. Employees told them they didn’t have any money, and the two fled the business. Officers in the area had run the license plate of a suspicious vehicle exiting a nearby parking lot about a minute prior to the robbery call. Further checking on the suspicious vehicle revealed the registered owner had been arrested for Armed Robbery in Puyallup in September. The vehicle information was then immediately broadcast by LESA throughout Pierce County. A short time later a Pierce County deputy located the vehicle driving in University Place and initiated a felony stop. The two were detained; LPD arrived and confirmed they matched the suspect descriptions and a handgun was plainly visible in the back seat. The car was impounded to the station for a search warrant. Patrol Officers interviewed both suspects independently at the station and obtained confessions from both.

City Manager's Weekly Info Bulletin 1/4/08

Details: Category: Weekly Info Bulletins; Published on Thursday, 03 January 2008 16:00

January 4, 2008
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

5th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Observance: Please join us in honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King on the 80th anniversary of his birth on Saturday, January 12th, 10am-Noon at the Clover Park Technical College Student Learning Center (4500 Steilacoom Blvd SW). This spiritual and patriotic celebration includes various choirs and dancing routines from local performers.
Domestic Violence in Lakewood: There were approximately 850 reports of Domestic Violence in the City of Lakewood in 2007 which represents a 4% decrease from 2006. Charges were filed in 722 of these cases and 664 of these cases proceeded to Readiness Hearings. 76% of these cases were resolved favorably.
Evening Reporting Center for Juveniles: Lakewood has been offered the opportunity and funding to have a pilot Juvenile Court evening report center here. This program is a great fit with our former Reclaiming Our Youth program – now in process of transitioning to Kids at Hope – Intervention (associated with the opening of the Hope Center and our partnership with the Boys & Girls Club). The evening report center will also engage us in the innovative juvenile justice programs now underway in Pierce County.
Emergency Management: The Pierce County Department of Emergency Management is preparing the Hazard Mitigation Plan for presentation to the Lakewood City Council in March. There was a public presentation for the plan at Lakewood Fire Department on December 12th. The plan was developed by numerous local jurisdictions throughout Pierce County and can be viewed on the Pierce County DEM website.
Former Governor Visits City Hall: Booth Gardner, Washington’s Governor from 1985 to 1993, visited Lakewood this week, and met with the city manager for a briefing on Lakewood’s issues and priorities. Governor Gardner grew up in this community, and attended both Park Lodge School and Clover Park High School as a child. This was his first visit to Lakewood’s city hall. As Pierce County’s first county executive from 1981-85, he was the city manager’s boss.

POLICE INCIDENTS

DV Assault 2/Unlawful Imprisonment: Officers responded to the Laurel Garden Apts. for a reported physical domestic violence. The female victim called and said her boyfriend assaulted her and threatened to kill her; the phone call was cut off. When officers arrived they got no answer at the door and saw blood on the door. They could see movement through the slats of the blinds and decided to force entry. As officers were entering the front the suspect was hot-footing it out the back, with an officer close behind. After several commands to stop went unheeded, he was Tased and arrested. The victim claimed to have been strangled and had a possible broken finger and nose. This occurred in front of 2 and 4 year old children, and in violation of a No Contact Order. Detectives responded to interview the victim further.

City Manager's Weekly Info Bulletin 1/11/08

Details: Category: Weekly Info Bulletins; Published on Thursday, 10 January 2008 16:00

January 11, 2008
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

Hill Ward Demolition to Begin: Demolition of the Hill Ward Building in Fort Steilacoom Park will begin on Monday, January 14th around 9:00 a.m. The first tasks will be to obtain, secure and store the pieces of the building we will be preserving. Crews will be moving equipment to the site during the next few days, and work will begin on Monday morning. For safety’s sake, observers will be asked to respect the established site lines and restricted areas.
State Funds Pilot Program for Displaced Mobile Home Park Residents: CTED has awarded the Pierce County Housing Authority (PCHA) a $324,865 grant for a one-year pilot program to provide tenant-based rental assistance for up to 25 households who are being displaced from the closure of the Carriage Court Mobile Home Park at 96th Street and South Tacoma Way. The park is scheduled to close in March 2008, eliminating 40 mobile home spaces. The City’s Human Services Division (General Services Dept) has been working with PCHA and other housing providers in coordinating efforts to providing housing and case management services. In 2008, $10,000 in the City’s General Fund is budgeted to assist families with case management services and referrals.
RAMP discussed regional transportation: Public Works Director Don Wickstrom attended the Regional Access Mobility Transportation Partnership (RAMP) meeting this week at the Port of Tacoma, at which regional transportation funding alternatives were discussed in the aftermath of the defeat of the RTID funding package on the November ballot (Prop One). Support for a new regional transportation authority from Pierce County appears skeptical at this point.
Military Affairs Committee of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce: Senior Planner Deborah Johnson briefed the MAC this week on the U. S. Defense Department’s Office of Economic Adjustment conference in December entitled “2007 Growth Summit- Communities Responding to Change”, which was focused on growth issues in communities near military bases. There is an opportunity through OEA to receive financial assistance for planning.
CPSD Community Partner Award: Dennis Higashiyama, Recreation Coordinator in the City’s Parks and Recreation Department, received the Community Partner award from the Clover Park School District at their annual community partnership breakfast celebration this week. He was recognized for his work with the District’s service learning projects during the 2006-2007 school years. Dennis and a group of students from Clover Park High School have been working on restoring an abandoned blueberry farm in Lakewood, so that one day we will be able to invite the community to come pick blueberries each spring.
Lakewood Council Members Sworn-In: U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton conducted a swearing-in ceremony on January 7th for Council Members Walter Neary, Claudia Thomas, and Don Anderson. The new City Council’s first action of 2008 consisted of the unanimous election of Mayor Doug Richardson and Deputy Mayor Don Anderson.

City Manager's Weekly Info Bulletin 12/28/07

Details: Category: Weekly Info Bulletins; Published on Wednesday, 26 December 2007 16:00

December 27, 2007
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

Cosby in Lakewood Televised: Bill Cosby’s “Call Out” presentation from November 14th will air daily on CPTC-TV (Comcast Cable Channel 28 and Click! Network Channel 89) now through February 13, 2008 at 8 am, 4 pm, and midnight. The entire spectrum of production came from the Clover Park Technical College’s studios in Lakewood.
City Prevails in DV Case: The Legal Prosecution Team (Sean Parrent, Matt Kaser, Rebecca Hendricks and Ann-Marie Dvorak) achieved a positive trial outcome in a domestic violence case involving a repeat offender. The perpetrator assaulted his wife while their young children hid in a bathroom and frantically called 911. Although the victim and 11-year-old witness did not appear for trial, the City was prepared to take the matter to trial based on the 911 tape and officer testimony. When the City clearly conveyed to the defendant that it would proceed with trial despite lacking the victim and witness, he pled guilty. He was ordered to enroll and complete one year of domestic violence treatment, parenting classes and a domestic violence victim impact panel. He will be strictly monitored for compliance by the Court’s probation officer.
New Police Officer: Michael Johnson graduated from the Basic Law Enforcement Academy where he has been for the last 19 weeks. He begins his field training in the PTO program on December 30th.
LPD and “Joe’s Sports and More” Adopts-a-Family: Animal Control Officers Bill Mathies and Correne Buck removed several animals from a family who could no longer properly care for them in Tillicum. The family has been having a tough time financially. Community Services Officer Dawn McGinnis heard about this and got to work. The little boy told Dawn that Christmas was “just another holiday” and that he didn’t expect any presents. She collected money from whoever she could find around the precinct. She called a contact at G.I. Joe’s and they generously donated two brand new bikes, coats, hats, mittens, socks, and shoes for the kids. She also got two loads of firewood donated so the family can heat their home this winter.

Bill, Correne, Dawn, and Dave “Santa” Guttu then went back to the family and gave them all of their Christmas presents.
Finance Department Adopts-a-Family: The City’s Finance and Information Services staff adopted a family through Greater Lakes Mental Health consisting of a grandmother, a 10-month-old boy, a 3-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl. They collected items from a wish list and added on some special items as a surprise. The gifts were wrapped and delivered before Christmas. Additional gifts were donated to the main Greater Lakes Mental Health “store” for their clientele Christmas shopping. A few staff adopted individuals on their own through the Greater Lakes Mental Health program.
Public Works and Community Development (not to be outdone) Adopt Families. Staff delivered Christmas gifts to Melvin, who is working only temporarily right now, and his family last Thursday. Upon seeing the new bikes for the three girls there were tears of joy and disbelief. Tvetens Auto Clinic agreed to repair the family’s car. The family said that city staff “made our Christmas special” this year.

Staff also adopted a struggling single mother and her family and made extensive contributions in time, talent, and treasure (and tools):

Removed all furniture
Painted the entire apartment; Replaced all 3 interior doors and trim
Replaced the decking on the deck
Replaced the toilet, vanity and vanity light
Brought in furniture enough for every girl (and mom) to have her own bed.
Furnished their living room and dining rooms
Bought enough food for a month
Cleaned the place from top to bottom
Bought, lighted, and decorated a Christmas tree
Made countless finishing touches (lamps, area rugs, new plates, new glasses, etc…)