City of Lakewood

City Manager's Weekly Info Bulletin 12/14/07

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Category: Weekly Info Bulletins

Published on Thursday, 13 December 2007 16:00

December 14, 2007
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

• 2007 DoD Growth Summit: The City was invited by the U. S Defense Department’s Office of Economic Adjustment to participate in a conference on December 11-13 in St. Louis, and we were represented by Senior Planner Deborah Johnson. The “2007 Growth Summit- Communities Responding to Change” conference focused on growth issues in communities near military bases that are affected by BRAC actions and other activities associated with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The conference was also attended by representatives from the Clover Park School District, the City of Tacoma, the Tacoma Employment Consortium, and McChord and Fort Lewis.
• Sound Transit decides Lakewood route and elects Claudia Thomas: The board of directors of Sound Transit on December 13th approved the routing of Modified Alternative 3-Grade Separated over Pacific Avenue in Tacoma as the final step for authorizing the Lakewood-Tacoma connection for commuter rail service. The board also elected its new officers: Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels as Chair, and Lakewood Mayor Claudia Thomas as Vice-Chair.
• Lake Steilacoom Grant Award: Public Works has received notification from the State Department of Ecology that we were successful in our grant request for $50,000 to treat Lake Steilacoom with a granulated formulation of calcium hydroxide. If this experimental treatment is successful in reducing the lake’s phosphorus concentration then a complementary reduction in the toxic blue-green algae blooms should follow. The cost of the treatment is estimated at $169,000 for which the Lake Steilacoom Improvement Club is providing the match money.
• New Police Station Bid Process: The new Police Station is presently being advertised for bids. Bids will be received until 2:00 pm January 15th, and bids will be opened at 3:00 pm that day. Public Works is also presently advertising for bids for landscape maintenance services associated with some 20 different landscaped areas within the City’s road rights of way. Bids will be received until December 27th.
• Special Olympics Fund Raising Efforts: In 2007, the Lakewood Police Department raised $15,000 for Special Olympics and is a member of the Circle of Honor. The fund raising activities included: Krispy Kreme Roof Sit; Law Enforcement Torch Run and T-shirt sale; Golf Tournament; Jiffy Lube coupon books; and Red Robin Tip-a-Cop.
• Holiday Festival: Lakewood Parks and Recreation hosted the 12th annual Holiday Festival on December 7th at City Hall. About 500 children, along with their parents, enjoyed holiday musical entertainment and the lighting of the City’s Christmas tree, made craft projects, got up close and personal with a live reindeer and visited with Santa Claus who gave each child a handmade toy. This event was made possible by support from Lakewood Senior Activity Center, Lake City Christian Church, Clover Park School District, Lakewood Police Explorers, Old Country Buffet, the Washington Corrections Center for Women, McNeil Island Corrections Center, citizen volunteer Carole Weir and numerous community volunteers.
• Holiday Craft Fair: Lakewood Parks and Recreation hosted the 3rd annual Holiday Craft Fair on December 8th at Park Lodge Elementary. The event featured 31 craft vendors and live holiday entertainment, and 465 shoppers attended.
• Youth Basketball Leagues: 160 Lakewood youth began practices last week as part of Lakewood Parks and Recreation’s Youth Basketball Leagues. The leagues serve children in grades K-7 with support from nearly 30 volunteer coaches and 13 team sponsors. With the help of numerous individuals, scholarships were granted to several youth in need.
• Building Permit Valuation: Total 2007 building permit valuation through November came to $61,714,491. The Community Development department is averaging receipt of 155 building and 33 planning permits per month.

POLICE ACTIVITY

• Armed robbery arrests: Two victims called from a local motel last week to report they had been robbed at gunpoint. They said they were at a club in Lakewood where they met a male subject who told them about a female who would do a lap dance for them. The victims got the female’s phone number and she showed up at the motel room a short time later. When she got into the room she called another female friend that would be willing to join them. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. When the victims opened the door they were met by male subjects with guns. The two victims were ordered to the floor and were robbed. All four subjects fled in a vehicle, but a Lakewood officer located the vehicle nearby and it was stopped. The subjects were positively identified and both guns used in the robbery were located in the vehicle. An officer located the victim’s wallet on the road where the suspect vehicle was first seen. Two of the suspects eventually confessed to the robbery, and all four suspects were booked for armed robbery. Two of the suspects are active duty Army and another one is a civilian that works on base. Both victims are attached to a medical unit after they were hit with an IED in Iraq.

City Manager's Weekly Info Bulletin 11/30/07

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Category: Weekly Info Bulletins

Published on Thursday, 29 November 2007 16:00

November 30, 2007
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

• Pac Highway $3M grant funding awarded: The City received notice this week that the Secretary of Transportation has approved for grant funding the list of projects recommended to her by the State’s Enhancement committee. The Pacific Highway Improvement project from Bridgeport to Gravelly Lake was one of the projects on that list, and the $3,000,000 grant we sought is now official ours. Along with other funds budgeted and anticipated, including Surface Water Management (SWM), this major project’s funding is now place.
• HR Director elected to WAPELA Board: HR Director Debra Young was elected this week to the board of the WA Public Employers Labor Relations Association (WAPELRA) to board position #2 representing the western part of the state.
• Street sweeping contractor bows out: The City’s street sweeping contractor has given notice that he will not renew the City’s street sweeping contract for 2008. The last day of the existing contract is November 30th but the contractor will continue sweep at the contract rate through the end of December. We will seek an extension until the end of January which will give us time to once again bid out the work and award a new contract. The reason the contractor gave for not wanting to extend the contract another year was that he lost money on the contract.
• Sound Transit’s connection to Lakewood: Our mayor and city manager, along with Sound Transit’s CEO and board chairman, attended a Tacoma City Council workshop on November 27th to discuss the need for moving forward on the alternative Pacific Avenue railway routes through Tacoma to enable service to both South Tacoma and Lakewood. The scheduling of train service to Lakewood depends on the successful completion of the upgrade of the tracks. There will be express bus service to the Tacoma Dome station during the interim period between completion of the Lakewood station and final upgrade of the railroad connection. The Sound Transit Board is scheduled to decide on the alignment issue on December 13th.
• Tillicum Plan briefing to Lakewood United: Ass’t city manager David Bugher was the speaker at the November 29th meeting of Lakewood United, and presented an update of the community planning effort underway in Tillicum. He reviewed demographic data, provided general insights regarding draft interim development regulations, and provided an update on the sewer project.
• Lakefront Street Ends Community Meeting: The City hosted its second Street Ends meeting on November 27th to identify “opportunities and constraints” for each of the fourteen street ends on Lakewood’s four largest lakes. Nearly 50 citizens were in attendance. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 11th at 6pm in the Council Chambers and will focus on evaluating street ends at the three smaller lakes (American Lake, Gravelly Lake and Lake Louise) based on criteria identified at the November 27th meeting. This same process will be repeated for Lake Steilacoom’s street ends on Wednesday, January 23rd at 6pm (please note this is a schedule change due to the Martin Luther King Holiday weekend).
• CD and PW staff adopt families: Staff from both Community Development and Public Works departments have pooled their resources to provide Christmas toys and gifts for two Lakewood families in need. They also delivered boxes of food for Thanksgiving last week. The families were identified through Communities in School of Lakewood and also the Tillicum American Lake Garden Community Services. The staff is not only collecting money and donations, but also working with Lakewood businesses and community agencies for assistance.
• “…freezing for a good cause”: The Lakewood Youth Council volunteered along with their peers last Saturday to help “Pack the Bus” with gifts for needy children. At least two dozen high school students spent the chilly day in front of Clover Park High School encouraging drivers to drop off money or toys for this Caring for Kids project. This year the organization will help about 600 families – 2,300 children – with Christmas gifts. In early December, parents will “shop” for toys for their children at Hudtloff Middle School. One notable quotes from the a participant included: “I’m freezing, said 16-year-old Jordan Dacres, a CPHS junior who has been involved with the Youth Council this school year. “I’m freezing for a good cause.”
• LPD Accreditation update: After months of hard work, the Police Department just completed the newest edition of the Manual of Standards. The MOS goes into effect on January 1, 2008 and will replace the original Manual that the department has been operating under since its inception in 2004. Implementation of the MOS is the last internal step towards accreditation.

POLICE ACTIONS

• Burglary resolved and suspect arrested: On November 26th, at 11:11 Hrs, Patrol responded to a suspicious person/prowler call on Lake City Blvd SW, which was a burglary in progress where the two suspects split up with one running northbound and one running southbound on Lake City Blvd. One suspect was chased down and apprehended by a neighbor. The suspect assaulted the neighbor and bit him in a struggle before officers arrived to take him into custody. Canine tracked for the second suspect but he was never located. Patrol did recover almost all of the property that had been taken in the burglary. Patrol was assisted by Traffic, NPO’s, SRO’s and investigators. The suspect was booked for Residential Burglary, Assault 2nd Degree, Resisting Arrest and UPCS-marijuana.
• Towne Center Robbery suspect apprehended: An LPD officer working off duty at the Lakewood Towne Center notified that a man had pulled a knife on a security officer who attempted to intervene in a shoplift of several items from Marshall’s. The suspect fled in his vehicle and left the Towne Center as the officer gave chase. The suspect was soon met by other LPD vehicles from the east and south; he then drove up onto the sidewalk and launched his truck several feet into the air when he struck a pile of dirt in a front yard. The vehicle landed on a mailbox and pieces of truck littered the roadway. In an attempt to avoid other officers, the suspect turned into an apartment complex. After he attempted to turn around in the cul-de-sac he was introduced to a successful PIT maneuver. He then fled on foot and was Tased and taken into custody.
• Domestic violence felony arrest: Patrol responded to an address on 47th Ave. SW for a domestic violence with a gun call. After a few moments, we were able to call out the suspect and detain him without incident. The victim and suspect had gotten into an argument over custody of their daughter, and the suspect pulled a gun from his waistband and threatened the victim and said that the next time she sees her daughter it will be in a “body bag.” The suspect did not have the gun on him when he was detained but after an extensive search patrol located the fully loaded gun behind the apartment complex and an extra magazine in the dumpster. The suspect was booked for Felony Violation of a No Contact Order, Intimidation with a weapon, DV Felony Harassment and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
• Special Ops Drug Bust: After a 2-month investigation, the Special Operations section authored a Search warrant on a suspected Marijuana Grow OP. LPD served the warrant and recovered 355 live plants, over an ounce of Methamphetamine, over 300 OxyContin pills, three handguns (one stolen), an SKS rifle, approximately $6,000 and seized and a 2006 Ford Focus. This was a very elaborate set up, with power being diverted prior to reaching the two unhappy individuals who went to jail.
• Tillicum Robbery suspect arrested: A resident in Tillicum awoke to find his car being broken into. When he confronted the suspect, the suspect pulled a screwdriver and tried to stab the victim. The two got into a scuffle that went to the ground but the suspect was able to flee on foot. LPD located the suspect nearby and the victim identified the suspect who also had cocaine on him.
  

City Manager's Weekly Info Bulletin 12/7/07

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Category: Weekly Info Bulletins

Published on Thursday, 06 December 2007 16:00

December 7, 2007
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

• Lakewood Volunteer Patrol Receives Award: The Tillicum/Woodbrook Neighborhood Association awarded their 2nd annual Rudy “Rebel” Baker Award for Outstanding Community Service to the new Lakewood Volunteer Patrol squad on December 4th. Carol Hudgins, Debbie Kachman, Chris Kachman, and Andy Jacobs were recognized for their contribution this last July when they observed a vicious attack on a citizen in the Harry Todd Park. They obtained enough suspect and vehicle information to allow Police to make a quick arrest. Their quick action, which included calling 911 and providing first aid to the victim, made a tremendous impact on the community by demonstrating that every citizen has a duty to keep their neighborhood safe. The suspect was located, arrested and was recently sentenced to 22 months in prison for the assault.
• B&I Counterfeit Investigation successful: The Lakewood Police Department’s Proactive Property Crimes Unit launched an investigation a few months ago into the sale of counterfeit merchandise by various vendors at shops located inside of the B&I Shopping Center at 8012 South Tacoma Way. “Counterfeit of Intellectual Property” accounts for a 600+ billion dollar a year business. All of the items purchased during the undercover operation were verified by the trade mark holder corporate investigators as being counterfeit. LPD served search warrants on six vendor locations within the B&I on December 5th, assisted by Puyallup PD and Sumner PD detectives, as well as private investigators employed by the trade mark holders. Although it is difficult to determine an exact dollar amount of this seizure of counterfeit merchandise until all of the items are sent to the respective trade mark holders, it is estimated “conservatively” that recovery will be in excess of $200,000. Criminal charges are pending on a number of store front owners and some employees. The trade mark holder-victims include: Coach, Nike, Dooney & Bourke, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Mitchell & Ness, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Ecko, Juicy, and Rolex.
• Lakewood attends Governor’s Public Safety Communication Summit: Asst Police Chief Bret Farrar attended the Public Safety Communication Summit at SeaTac this week, with the focus on police agencies’ ability to communicate during emergencies. He also attended the City of Seattle-sponsored workshop on strategies for reducing gun violence in Washington State.
• Motel Owners Association: Staffmembers from both Police and Community Development attended the first meeting of the Lakewood Motel Owners Association on November 27th. Twelve owners of local area motels were present to discuss common concerns, best practices, and ways to improve cooperation with the City.
• City Managers Association Board meets in Lakewood: The executive board of the Washington City/County Management Association (WCCMA) held its quarterly meeting in Lakewood City Hall on November 29th. The agenda included a review of the mentoring program, and “regeneration” of new people and new ideas into the profession, as well as the appointment of a retiring member as a new “range-rider” to serve Washington cities with technical assistance. Lakewood’s city manager is the current president of WCCMA.
• Citizen Rescued from a Burning Car: On November 28th at approximately 1245 hours, Lakewood PD Animal Control Officer Bill Mathies was on routine patrol when he came across a two car collision near the intersection of Gravelly Lake Dr SW on 112th St SW. ACO Mathies noticed what appeared to be smoke coming from the front end of one of the vehicles, and as he was advising dispatch of the collision, he saw the underside of the engine compartment burst into flames. At that time, the driver of the burning vehicle was still seated in the driver's seat with the door closed. ACO Mathies immediately went to the driver's door of the vehicle that was on fire and began telling the elderly and somewhat disoriented driver that he needed to get out of the vehicle. Without regard for his own safety, ACO Mathies reached inside the vehicle, removed the driver's seatbelt and had to extract him from the vehicle. Once he had the driver out of the vehicle, he took him to a safe location away from the burning car. It was at about that time; a bus driver showed up with a fire extinguisher and ACO was able to extinguish the fire. ACO Mathies demonstrated his true commitment to public safety and the citizens of Lakewood.
  

City Manager's Weekly Info Bulletin 11/23/07

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Category: Weekly Info Bulletins

Published on Thursday, 22 November 2007 16:00

November 23, 2007
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

• Public Works adopts two families for Thanksgiving: The City’s Public Works staffmembers collected food and delivered several boxes on Thanksgiving to two families in Lakewood who have undergone difficulties and are in need of help. The staff have already started preparation for Christmas by collecting toys for the young children in both households.
• Mobile Home inspection activity in Tillicum: Community Development, with the support of Police Department’s neighborhood patrol team and other public agencies, performed a health and safety inspection on November 20th at a mobile home park located in Tillicum. A variety of safety violations were identified. Reports are being prepared and we will soon be in contact with the property owner. In addition, one person was arrested for heroin possession and the police department recovered a stolen vehicle.
• AG’s Domestic Violence Advisory Group: Victim Advocate Ann-Marie Dvorak, in the City’s Legal Department, was invited to be part of a Domestic Violence Advisory Group through the Attorney General’s Office. Ann-Marie represented the City of Lakewood when the advisory group met previously at a meeting which addressed various issues including potential legislation proposals, review of batterer’s programs and the address confidentiality program.
• Sound Transit’s connection to Lakewood: Joni Earl, Sound Transit’s CEO, briefed the Tacoma-Pierce County Economic Development Board (EDB), which includes Lakewood’s city manager, on November 16th regarding the imminent decision point on the alternative Pacific Avenue routes through Tacoma for the completion of the commuter rail connection from Tacoma to Lakewood. The Tacoma City Council will hold a workshop on November 28th, and a decision by the Sound Transit Board is due in early December. The scheduling of train service to Lakewood depends on the successful completion of the upgrade of the tracks. There will be express bus service to the Tacoma Dome station during the interim period between completion of the Lakewood station and final upgrade of the railroad connection.