City of Lakewood

City Manager's Weekly Info Bulletin 10/21/2011

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Category: Weekly Info Bulletins

Published on Friday, 21 October 2011 16:32

October 21, 2011
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

• Make A Difference Day Oct 22nd: The Lakewood Youth Council Celebration on October 17th was highlighted with the announcement that our city was named “One of the Nation’s 100 Best Communities for Young People by America’s Promise Alliance and ING for the fifth time. The takeover of Council Chambers was led by Youth Council member Olivia Whalen. Schools from across the district were represented by staff and students and a special “Hometown Hero” award was presented to Brian Rodenbeck, Clover Park High School Counselor, for his work not only in his school, but throughout the community. Awards for the Paint Your Wagon event were also given during the celebration. The Youth Council invited everyone in attendance to participate in Make a Difference Day which is Saturday, October 22nd. It begins with a Kick-Off Event/Food Drive in Council Chambers at 8:00am. Projects will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude by noon.

• Public Records Officers conference in Lakewood: Over 300 participants attended the annual conference of the Washington Public Records Officers association at CPTC in Lakewood on October 20th. The theme was “Celebrating Open Gov’t”. Alice Bush, Lakewood City Clerk, is the association president; the city manager presented an introductory message to the conference.

• Human Services presents during Lakewood Police Department Sergeants’ Meeting: The City’s human services coordinator made a special presentation during the October 19th Police Department sergeants’ meeting on the many roles Human Services plays in Lakewood, and how Human Services can support the Police Department in their efforts to serve the community. The emphasis was on working with individuals who are homeless, struggling with mental illness or lacking access to basic needs.

• Team Lakewood participates in South Sound Breast Cancer Walk: On October 8th, Team Lakewood participated in the South Sounds Making Strides against Breast Cancer 5K walk/run in Tacoma. Thanks to the generous donations of City of Lakewood employees, friends, and family members, we were able to raise $1,332 for this worthy cause. Thank you for the support City of Lakewood and thank you to all who came out and participated!

• City’s Community Collaboration hosts informational forum: The City of Lakewood’s Community Collaboration hosted an informational forum on October 12th with special guest speakers representing the Department of Social and Health Services, Pierce County Community Connections and the Puyallup Homeless Coalition. The forum addressed the upcoming elimination of Disability Lifeline funding. Approximately 3,950 individuals in Pierce County have relied upon the $197 monthly cash allowance provided through Disability Lifeline funding. Once eliminated, clients will have access to hygiene and basic need items provided through local essential needs banks. In addition, some landlords may qualify to receive rental assistance in an effort to keep currently housed clients from becoming homeless. It is estimated fewer than 25% of those currently receiving benefits will qualify for housing supplements. Over 100 community members attended the forum including local Lakewood churches interested in identifying potential remedies to the increasing numbers of chronically homeless individuals in Lakewood.

• Human Services helps a Father in Need: The Human Services Coordinator received communication this week from the Tillicum Community Center about a single father and five-year old daughter sleeping in their car. The father was a victim of fraud and was left with no resources. He and his daughter were hungry and homeless. Human Services worked with partners Access Point 4 Housing (Associated Ministries) and The Rescue Mission (formerly Tacoma Rescue Mission) to help the father and daughter secure housing at The Rescue Mission’s Adams Square. With shelter housing secure, the daughter can now be enrolled and transported to school, and the father will receive supportive services to help him attain self-sufficiency.

City Manager's Weekly Info Bulletin 10/07/2011

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Category: Weekly Info Bulletins

Published on Friday, 07 October 2011 15:35

October 7, 2011
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

• 100th Street Improvement Project: The 100th Street Improvement (59th Street to Gravelly Lake Drive) project will be advertised for construction bid on October 11th. The project includes widening 100th Street to accommodate bicycle use, installing concrete curb and gutter on both sides, installing cement concrete sidewalks on both sides, upgrading the drainage system, installing a new street lighting system, installing a new traffic signal system at Gravelly Lake Drive, and asphalt overlaying the entire roadway.

• Tillicum Sewer Project approved by Pierce County: The final approval of the Tillicum sewer extension project by the Pierce County Sewer Utility Division was accomplished on October 6th, which will result in the City moving forward to system activation and the issuance of letters of sewer availability.

• City’s Garbage and Recycling Schedule Changes: The City’s refuse service provider will be implementing service changes beginning in November. The changes essentially relate to rescheduling the pick-up day so that yard waste pick-up or recycling pick-up coincides with the garbage service pick-up day. As an example, a customer who has their garbage picked up on Monday would then also have their yard waste or recycling picked up on alternating Mondays. The City’s refuse provider will be notifying each customer of their new pickup day; the first notice will be a mailing followed by at least two phone calls with a message advising of the route changes. The result will be many customers having changes to their service schedule but hopefully an improvement with having just one pick-up day.

• Lakewood is the City that Reads: The Lakewood Library and the Lakewood Arts Commission celebrated National Literacy Month by creating the 3 Favorite Books event from September 6th – 30th. Readers were encouraged to visit the Lakewood Library to fill-out a form and list their 3 favorite books. All forms were entered into a drawing with prizes donated by Designated Escrow, the Ram, Barnes & Noble, and Taco Del Mar. The drawing for prizes was held on October 2nd at the Lakewood Library; 10 year-old Brenden Futch was the top prize winner.
 

City Manager's Weekly Info Bulletin 10/14/2011

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Category: Weekly Info Bulletins

Published on Friday, 14 October 2011 16:49

October 14, 2011
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

• Community Garden volunteers needed: The City, in partnership with the Clover Park School District and the First Baptist Church of Lakewood, is considering developing a community garden near the old police precinct off Arrowhead Road near 112th. An informational meeting will be held Tuesday, October 25th at 5:30 pm in Room 1E at Lakewood City Hall to learn more about how the garden could be operated and how it might affect neighborhoods. A leadership team is looking for more volunteers to make this happen. Citizens who are interested in gardening and are willing to help develop this program should contact the City at parks@cityoflakewood.us or (253) 983-7887.

• Tillicum Sewer Availability Notices: With the final completion and acceptance by the County of the sanitary sewer main into Tillicum, notices are being sent out to adjacent properties about the requirement to connect within 90 days. Property owners who choose not to connect will be required to pay the City an “availability charge” until such time as connection is completed. These funds will provide support to the sewer system in Lakewood.

• 2-day Safety Fair involves Community Safety & Resources Team (CSRT): CSRT staff participated in a two-day safety fair at Kmart in honor of the National Safety Weekend held on October 8th and 9th. CSRT provided brochures on various safety topics and spoke to parents regarding Child Passenger Safety.

• CSRT and Neighborhood Patrol provide robbery training at banks: CSRT and neighborhood patrol provided robbery training to two branches of America’s Credit Union (ACU). This training has been provided to ACU’s staff throughout the year. The final two branches were completed this week. This training provides employees the opportunity to practice what to do in the event of a robbery, through role playing and analysis of the event. ACU management also provided information on their policies regarding robbery.

• Fire and CSRT provides Disaster Training Class: CSRT Staff assisted West Pierce Fire and Rescue by teaching a CERT class on Disaster Organization and Disaster Psychology. This is the last class prior to a simulated earthquake, in which attendees learn to mobilize and practice their skills in a controlled environment. CERT training also includes Fire Safety, Light Search and Rescue, Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Medical classes.

• Parks and Recreation supports parents at Lakeview: the Clover Park School District hosted a Parent Institute on October 8th at Lakeview Hope Academy which was designed to help parents help their kids make their way from kindergarten to college. Topics included homework help and tips on creating healthy, active families. The City’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services department assisted with the planning and provided free childcare and activities onsite for parents participating in the sessions.

• Crime prevention information at condominium meeting: CSRT Staff attended a meeting of a local condominium on October 11th to provide information on vehicle prowl prevention, burglary prevention, identity theft, emergency/non-emergency numbers, and the new ordinance on aggressive begging ordinance. There were approximately 24 residents in attendance.

City Manager's Weekly Info Bulletin 9/23/2011

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Category: Weekly Info Bulletins

Published on Friday, 23 September 2011 01:00

September 23, 2011
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

• 12th Annual Lakewood International Festival: Lakewood Sister Cities Association is proud to present its 12th Annual Lakewood International Festival on Saturday, September 24th, in the Sharon McGavick Student Conference Center at Clover Park Technical College, 4500 Steilacoom Blvd SW, Lakewood, Washington. This year’s festival begins at 11:30 a.m. and will feature international musical performances representing all parts of the globe. There will also be a kids’ art and play area, food and market vendors, and prizes. The festival is free to the public and celebrates Lakewood’s cultural diversity and its Sister City relationships with Okinawa, Japan, and Bauang, Philippines; and Friendship City relationships with Gimhae, South Korea, and Danzhou, PR of China. This year’s highlighted city is Danzhou, PR of China. We are happy to welcome the Danzhou Municipal Song & Dance Ensemble from Danzhou!
• City Attorney elected to Executive Board of Administrative Law Section of the Washington State Bar Association: At the annual section meeting of the Administrative Law Section of the Washington State Bar Association, City Attorney Heidi Ann Wachter was elected to the Executive Board. After serving as the Continuing Legal Education (CLE) committee chair for the past year, she will serve as Chair-elect for 2011-2012 and Section Chair the following year.
• Steilacoom Blvd Water Quality Project: Work on this project which includes installing two (2) storm water treatment units in Steilacoom Blvd between Phillips Rd and Edgewater Dr. will begin on Monday, September 26th. This work is anticipated to be completed by October 7th. Work will be performed at night between 7:30 PM to 5:30 AM. During work hours, traffic on Steilacoom Blvd will be reduced to one travel lane in each direction and Edgewater Dr. between Steilacoom Blvd and 87th St will be temporarily closed.
• Economic Development and Economic Development Board staff meeting with businesses: Economic Development and Economic Development Board (EDB) staff Derek Kilmer met with representatives from TaChen, a business in the 112th Street business park, and Cascade Sonoco which is a business located in the Lakewood Industrial Park. The meetings are part of our ongoing business outreach calls with Lakewood businesses to thank them for being in Lakewood and talk with them about their business growth and plans.
• Freedom Furniture Store Grand Opening: Freedom Furniture Store in the Lakewood Towne Center held its Grand Opening on Thursday morning. The Chief Operating Officer of Freedom Furniture is very pleased with the location and the new store, and commented that it has been one of their longer site location searches. City staff initial contact with Freedom Furniture was in April of 2008 and continued ongoing contact over the last several years. Congratulations and welcome to Freedom Furniture!
• 2011 United Way Day of Caring: 14 employees from several departments volunteered their time in revitalizing a transitional house for LASA (Lakewood Area Shelter Association). The group trimmed an approximately 200 foot hedge, raked and pulled weeds, power washed the entire house, and cleaned the gutters to name a few things.
• Code Officers Attend Annual Washington Association of Code Enforcement (WACE) Conference: Code Enforcement Officers attended the annual WACE code enforcement conference in Leavenworth last week. One of the highlights was a one-day class “Spanish in a Pinch.” The class was a lesson in common Spanish terms that can be used on the job while conversing with Spanish-speaking tenants and property owners. In addition, there were lectures on mediation, improving health by reducing exposure to hazards, mortgage field service and property preservation providers, and human trafficking crimes in Washington State.
• Community Clean-up in Tillicum: On Saturday, September 17th Habitat for Humanity sponsored a community clean-up in Tillicum. This was an effort by Habitat to get Tillicum excited about the upcoming additions to housing in the area. Habitat will be building 30+ homes over the next few years, with several already in progress. 40 volunteers, including Lt. Steve Mauer arrived at 8:30 AM to assist in the clean-up. Habitat worked with residents and scheduled pick-ups of large items to be discarded. The items were stacked up on the curb and volunteer teams loaded the items into trucks provided by Habitat. The trucks then took the items to a designated lot in Tillicum, where LeMay, Inc. had placed four large garbage containers. Over twenty households had large items for disposal, and volunteers filled up over eight, 40-yard containers with trash from the clean-up. It was a very successful event with visible results. A big “Thank You!” to all the volunteers who assisted.