Highlights from the weekly report (June 5) from City of Lakewood Manager, Andrew Neiditz to the Mayor and Council Members:
- Homicide of armored car driver: The Lakewood Police Department, with the support of other agencies, did an outstanding job of responding to the senseless crime at Wal-Mart this week, and working with County prosecutors to resolve it. Representatives of the Loomis Company and Wal-Mart expressed their profound appreciation for the effective coordination and response.
- Building and Development Update: Total new construction valuation for the month of May 2009, was $1,901,511. Total new construction valuation from January through May 2009 was $34,595,593. Given the state of the economy, Lakewood’s permit valuation has remained relatively healthy. Carl’s Junior, a nationally recognized fast food chain received its building permit to begin construction of a new restaurant, located at the corner of Gravelly Lake Drive SW and Main Street SW. Red Robin, also located in the Towne Center, received its final occupancy permit. Red Robin will open “officially” on July 5th, and is in the process of training employees.
- City manager meets with Pierce County management team: The Lakewood city manager was invited to do a presentation at the monthly meeting of the Pierce County Executive’s management team on June 3rd, and outlined the City’s priorities and potential areas of collaboration with the County.
- Street Chip Seal Program to start soon: The City’s 2009 street chip seal program, which involves 14+ miles of local access streets, will begin later this month depending on the weather. It encompasses those local streets within northeastern quadrant of the city; more specifically, those local access streets bounded to the north by 83rd St, to the west by S Tacoma Way, to the east by Interstate 5 and to the south by 96th St. SW. It will also include a section of 94th St SW (dead end Street) located on the west side of S. Tacoma Way SW. The work should only take a week to complete and there will be some access inconveniences to the abutting properties during the chip sealing process. Additionally, the annual street re-striping work commences next week, depending on the weather.
- Clover Park School District Follow Up on “Innovation, Involvement, and Improved Student Achievement”: On June 10th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at Lakes High School, the superintendent and staff will present a progress report and updates to the discussion points identified at the jointly-sponsored workshop (and viewing of the film “Flunked”) at City Hall in February.
- City presents to Tillicum/Woodbrook Neighborhood Association: The Public Works and Community Development departments presented information to the Tillicum-Woodbrook Neighborhood Association at its June 4th meeting. Transportation division manager Desiree Winkler provided an update to residents on the sewer project during the first week of construction, and addressed questions regarding traffic control, removal of mature trees, and street reconstruction. Community Development director Dave Bugher and senior planner Deborah Johnson provided an overview of the Tillicum Neighborhood Plan.
- City Prosecution Update: The City’s Legal Department had a busy May trial term with some trials carrying over into the next period. In two cases, defendants were charged with driving while under the influence (DUI) of or affected by alcohol; one of the drivers operated a motor vehicle at more than twice the legal limit while the other refused to provide a BAC breath sample. Both defendants were convicted. A third defendant entered a guilty plea to a charge of violation of a protection order and received a six-month jail sentence.
- Use of Domestic Violence Kiosk in City Hall: There are 10 kiosks located throughout Pierce County where victims of domestic violence can petition for a protection order from the Pierce County Superior Court, and one of these kiosks is located in Lakewood City Hall. Between January and May 2009, there have been 482 protection order petitions made from kiosks located in Pierce County, with 118 of those petitions being made at Lakewood City Hall, making ours the second most utilized kiosk in the County.Your browser may not support display of this image.