The Suburban Times

A community bulletin board for Western Pierce County.

DuPont Administrator’s Letter, April 22

By

By Dawn Masko, City Administrator, City of DuPont

1. Fire Department Grant. The DuPont Fire Department was notified that they have received a 2011 Trauma Grant from the WA State Department of Health.  The $1,738 grant will be used to purchase Emergency Medical Services (EMS) supplies.   The receipt of this grant is very timely and appreciated as the adopted budget of $2,800 for EMS supplies has been stretched very thin due to the additional programs the Fire Department has been offering.  CPR and First Aid classes, along with two CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) classes each year, require additional supplies for student practice.

2. Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Join the entire community for our Annual Springtime Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 23rd at 11:00 AM sharp.  This annual event is proudly sponsored by Northwest Landing ROA.  Egg hunting times will remain the same – rain or shine!  (The Easter Bunny is on a very tight schedule).  Our local Youth Baseball teams will be on site with a hotdog sale.  The days events are as follows:

  • 11:00 AM – Welcome
  • 11:10 AM – Ages 0-3
  • 11:20 AM – Ages 4-6
  • 11:30 AM – Ages 7-9
  • 11:30 AM – Ages 10 and Up
  • 11:50 AM – Adults

3. Police Speed Surveys

The Police Department is working with the Steilacoom Historical School District to utilize our new radar trailer to conduct speed surveys in front of Chloe Clark Elementary School on Palisade Blvd.  The surveys will gather vehicle speed information that will hopefully help the school district obtain a grant for electronic speed control signs which would be installed in front of the school.  These types of electronic signs have been proven to reduce speeds.  If awarded, the signs would work on solar power and would display motorist’s speeds as they travel in front of the school.

4.     Earth Day

Earth Day was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson on April 22, 1970 as a day that was intended to increase awareness and inspire appreciation for the Earth’s natural environment.  Earth Day is now celebrated in over 175 countries every year with activities focused on environmental issues.  In 2009 the United Nations designated April 22nd as International Mother Earth Day.  The Earth Day 2011 theme is “A Billion Acts of Green.”

5. Spring Safety Fair

Start your engines for Saturday, June 4th to attend the DuPont Fire Department’s Spring Safety Fair.  The event runs from 10 AM – 2 PM at the DuPont Civic Center.  Admission is free and features displays from Fire, Police & Public Works.   Event activities include “Touch a Truck”, safety awareness tips, helmet and life jacket sales, and children’s games and giveaways.

6. Upcoming Meetings – Week of April 25th – 29th

  • Planning Agency Meeting scheduled for April 25th has been cancelled.
  • City Council Meeting                                                                  Tuesday, April 26th at 7:00 PM

7. Council Agenda Items – April 25th, 2011

  • Appointments: Tree Board and Tourism Board
  • Consent Agenda Items:  Council Meeting Minutes; Claims Vouchers; Sequalitchew Creek Trail Easement with Natural Resource Partners; Acceptance of Hoffman Hill, Division 4, Tracts U and Y
  • Discussion Items:  Workshop Agenda Items; Form of Government; Public Process for Review of CalPortland Mining Expansion Settlement Agreement
  • New Business:  First Quarter Budget Adjustment; EMS Levy Renewal Resolution; Creation of Events and Activities Change Fund

8. Puget Sound Starts Here Month

April is Puget Sound Starts Here month in Pierce County.  Jurisdictions and non-profit organizations in Pierce County are partnering to draw attention to the health of Puget Sound and local watersheds during the month of April by organizing events throughout the county to get communities involved.  For more details and events please go to www.piercecountywa.org/pssh.  Upcoming events include:

  • April 26th Natural Yard Care Workshop – Tacoma TAGRO Facility

Participants will learn to implement natural yard care practices.  Event is free and hosted by Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department; please pre-register by emailing grinehart@tpchd.org or call (253) 798-4587.

  • April 30th Natural Lawn Care & Pest Management Class – Tacoma EnviroHouse

To register go to www.cityoftacoma.org/envirohouse or call (253) 573-2426.

9. Pierce County Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony

The Annual Memorial Ceremony honoring Law Enforcement Officers killed in the line of duty and those who continue to serve is being held on Thursday, May 5th at 6:00 PM at the McGavick Student Center at Clover Park Technical College, located at 4500 Steilacoom Blvd. SW, Building #23.

10. Community Development Department Update

  • On April 26th the City Council will discuss the public process to obtain public input and review, deliberate, and decide whether to approve a new Settlement Agreement, should a tentative agreement be reached.
  • The Planning Agency has canceled their April 25th meeting due to lack of agenda items.  The next scheduled meeting is Monday, May 9th at 7:00 PM.
  • Liberty Inn and City staff held a pre-application meeting to discuss a 31 unit expansion to the existing hotel.

11. National Trail Day

Help celebrate National Trail Day by walking the Sequalitchew Creek trail on Saturday, June 4th at 9:00 AM.  Volunteers will be strategically placed along the trail to point out historical points of interest and natural vegetation.  Trail maps are available at the beginning of the walk as well.  The fee to participate in this event is $5 and includes bottled water, trail mix, and a special Sequalitchew Creek keepsake.

12. Park Appreciation Day – Thank You!

The City would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the many volunteers who helped clean our parks on Park Appreciation Day last weekend!  Over 75 citizens came out to brave the rain showers and were able to accomplish several beautification projects throughout the City, including spreading new chips around play equipment, weeding and raking planter beds, and removal of scotch broom and debris.  DuPont’s local Cub Scout troop helped out with the planting of 9 small tree starts near the baseball field at PowderWorks Park.  Many thanks are due to Judy Dann who donated the trees to plant in recognition of Arbor Day.

13. Parks & Recreation

Please call (253) 912-5245 or go to the City’s website at www.ci.dupont.wa.us for registration information, questions on Parks & Recreation activities, or for volunteer opportunities.

  • Donations are arriving daily to help support our Parks & Recreation Auction scheduled for Friday, May 13th at 6:00 PM.  There is something for everyone’s budget!  Tickets are on sale now at City Hall for just $15.  Volunteers are needed to help the evening of the event.  Please call (253) 912-5245 to volunteer.  Thanks to America’s Credit Union for their sponsorship.
  • The City of DuPont will be celebrating Memorial Day on 9:00 AM on Monday, May 30th at Ross Plaza.  More information will be available soon.
  • The deadline to register for the Spring Track program is May 6th at 4:00 PM.  The program is open to ages 4 thru 18.  Practices are on Monday from 6:00 – 7:30 PM and Saturday from Noon – 1:30 PM at Pioneer Middle School and begin on May 9th.  The cost if $135 which includes a uniform.  Registration forms are available on the City’s website.
  • Visit our website for information on other programs and events including Summer Sports Camps, Yoga, Cheerleading, Dance4Life, Karate, Baseball Day at Cheney Stadium, and more!

14. Home Makeover Show Seeking Military Families

The producers of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover:  Home Edition” are seeking people involved in the military whose home deserves an extreme makeover.  According to American Forces Press Service, the producers are looking for people with “amazing strength of character and who put their own needs aside to help others”.  Additionally, the show’s producers are seeking families whose houses need major alterations or repair – “homes that present serious problems for the family and affect the family’s quality of life”.

To be eligible, families must own their single family home and be able to demonstrate how a makeover will make a difference in their lives.  Interested military families or people who wish to nominate a military family should email a short description of the family’s story to emheusa@gmail.com.  The email should include the names and ages of household members, a description of the family’s challenges, an explanation of why the family is deserving of a makeover or is a positive role model in the community, photos of the family and their home, and contact numbers.  The deadline for nominations is May 30, but people should send submissions early, the release said.  Only up to 25 families are selected each season.  For more information on the application process, visit abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/index?pn=apply.

15. Vote-By-Mail Signed Into Law

On Tuesday, April 5, 2011, Governor Gregoire signed ESSB 5124 which eliminates county authority to conduct elections at traditional polling places.  The effective date of the legislation is July 24th, 2011.  All registered voters will now be mailed a ballot for the August Primary and November General Election.  Poll voters do not need to do anything as your ballot will be automatically mailed to you each election.  An insert will come with each ballot that explains the change, lists ballot drop sites, and lists Voting Centers available for in-person voting (for those needing assistance).

City staff has been working with the Pierce County Auditor’s Office to coordinate placement of a Ballot Drop Box here in DuPont at a centralized location near Ross Plaza.

16. Board of Equalization Opening

Applications are being accepted to fill a vacancy on the Pierce County Board of Equalization.  The seven member board hears appeals from taxpayers who disagree with the assessed value of their properties as determined by the Assessor-Treasurer’s Office, such as property valuations and exemption changes and denials.

The board session begins on July 15th each year.  The board is on a three member rotation cycle; each member works three weeks in a row with two weeks off.  Upon completing the work before it, the board adjourns until fall when petition hearings begin.  Members receive a per diem for attending board meetings.  New members are required to attend a two-day Department of Revenue training session.  Elected officials, employees of elected officials, and people who have worked in the Assessor-Treasurer’s Office within the past two years are ineligible for board service.

Board members are appointed by the Pierce County Executive subject to County Council confirmation.  Applications are due by April 29th and can be requested in person from the Clerk of the Board of Equalization’s Office, 2401 S. 35th Street, Room 176, by email at pcexecutive@co.pierce.wa.us or on the web at Board of Equalization application.

17. Puget Sound Starts Here Contest

Next week (April 24-30) more than 60 local restaurants and coffee shops will be using “Puget Sound Starts Here” coasters and coffee sleeves.  The purchase of coasters and coffee sleeves was funded by a grant from Puget Sound Partnership.  If you take a photo of yourself with a “Puget Sound Starts Here” coaster or sleeve and post it to the Puget Sound Starts Here Facebook page you can win cool prizes.  Go to www.piercecountywa.org/pssh to find a location near you.  You don’t need to go far as the Forza coffee shop in DuPont is participating in the contest.

18. Mother-Son Dance

The annual Mother-Son Dance – “Take Me Out to the Ballgame!” is being held on Friday, April 29th at Chloe Clark Elementary School.  Game time is at 7:00 PM.  Reserve your seat in the dugout by calling (253) 964-1289.  This event is proudly sponsored by Northwest Landing ROA.