DuPont Administrator’s Letter, May 6

By Dawn Masko, DuPont City Administrator

Annual Curbside Cleanup. The City, in coordination with Harold LeMay Enterprises, is offering a Community Cleanup for unwanted materials on tomorrow – Saturday, May 7^th starting at 9:30 AM.  This year’s cleanup will again be conducted curbside.  Place your unwanted materials in bags or boxes (not to exceed 45 lbs each) at your usual pickup location in the alley/curb by 9:30 AM so the garbage trucks can start the cleanup.  Make sure your bags or boxes are properly closed so they are wind and animal proof, and remember – No Hazardous Materials.  Let’s all do our part to keep our City clean!  Additional information is available on the City’s website at www.ci.dupont.wa.us.

Parks & Recreation Auction. The Parks & Recreation Auction “There’s No Place Like Home” is just days away and the donations continue to arrive.  We are grateful to our community for their support!  New additions to the live auction are a two-night stay at the Great Wolf Lodge and an Xbox 360.  Auction items include something for every budget – including movie passes, restaurant gift certificates, and weekend getaways.

The auction is being held on Friday, May 13^th beginning at 6:00 PM at the Public Safety Building located at 1780 Civic Drive.  This is an adult’s only evening.  Tickets are on sale at City Hall and are only $15.00.  Tickets will also be available for purchase at the door.  Don’t miss your opportunity to support a good cause and join our live auctioneer Police Chief Ron Goodpaster before the items are going, going, gone!

Natural Yard Care Workshop Series. The City of DuPont and Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department are presenting a fun, FREE and informative Natural Yard Care workshop series.  Learn how to design and maintain a beautiful landscape the Natural Yard Care way!  These workshops will address a variety of yard maintenance issues.  Learn how to have a beautiful, healthy yard with gardening techniques and advice from local experts, then put it to use this summer.  The workshops are offered on three Thursdays in May at DuPont City Hall (1700 Civic Drive) from 6:30 – 8:30 PM.  Space is limited and pre-registration is required.  Door prizes and refreshments at each workshop!

• Soil Basics, Mulch and Composting, and Natural Yard Care – May 12^th

• Maintenance Practices for a Healthy Landscape, & Smart Watering Techniques – May 19th

With WSU researcher and author Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott

Please contact Geoff Rinehart to register at (253) 798-4587 or grinehart@tpchd.org.

Museum Volunteers Needed. Volunteers are needed to be tour guides or help with our history events.  If you are interested, please contact Museum Manager Johanna Jones at (253) 964-2399.

Upcoming Meetings – Week of May 9^th – 13^th

• Planning Agency Meeting    Monday, May 9^th at 7:00 PM

• Tourism Board Meeting    Tuesday, May 10^th at 2:00 PM
• City Council Meeting     Tuesday, May 10^th at 7:00 PM
• Civil Service Meeting     Wednesday, May 11^th at 6:00 PM

Council Agenda Items – May 10^th, 2011

• Presentation:  Combat Infantrymen’s Memorial

• Proclamations:  National Public Works Week; National Police Officer’s Week
• Swearing in of New Police Officer
• Consent Agenda Items:  Council Meeting Minutes; Claims Vouchers
• Reports:  Salary Commission Report
• New Business:  Adoption of First Quarter Budget Adjustment Ordinance

Clock Tower Park Arbor. Reconstruction of the Clock Tower Park arbor is scheduled for May 20^th and 21^st.  Many thanks to the DuPont Lions Club for taking on this project!  They are not only donating money towards this project but providing the labor as well.  This is a joint effort of the City of DuPont, DuPont Lions, and the Northwest Landing Commercial Owners Association.

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.

• The July 4^th/Operation We Love Our Military committee is hard at work to make this year’s celebration an event to remember.  Build a float, decorate your convertible, or simply plan to watch the parade.  Applications to participate in this year’s parade will be available online starting May 9^th.  Bike, Buggy & Pet Parade participants do not need to register.  Volunteers are always welcome!  Please contact Gina Irvin at (253) 691-9955 to volunteer.

• The City of DuPont will be celebrating Memorial Day on 9:00 AM on Monday, May 30^th at Ross Plaza.  More information will be available soon.

• Calling all Seniors!  June 3^rd marks the start of our Friday Senior Socials.  Join other seniors within the community for a cup of coffee, great conversation, and lots of laughs!  Doors are open at the Community Center (located at 303 Barksdale) from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM every Friday in June.  Plan to attend a Senior Potluck on Saturday, June 25^th from 4:00 – 6:00 PM.  Wondering what to bring?  Please contact your potluck coordinators:  Hazel Printz 912-9764; Carol Estep 964-2636; or Louise Bollman 756-6759.

• The Community Wide Yard Sale is scheduled for Saturday, June 18^th from 8:00 AM-3:00 PM.  Goodwill will have a donation trailer located at Chloe Clark Elementary for donations of unpurchased items. Friends of the DuPont Library will also be on-site to collect any gently used books.  This semi-annual event is proudly sponsored by Northwest Landing ROA.

• Visit our website for information on other programs and events including Summer Sports Camps, Yoga, Cheerleading, Dance4Life, Karate, Cheney Stadium Baseball Day, and more!

Planning Agency Meeting. The Planning Agency will continue their discussion of buffers around cultural resource markers at their May 9^th meeting.  The Agency had previously put these discussions on hold until the Mission site archaeological report became available.

Heirloom Orchard Project. The City will host a work party on Saturday, May 21^st to help preserve and clean-up the Heirloom Orchard.  A volunteer arborist will be on-site to help coordinate the effort to install apple maggot traps and temporary fencing around each tree.  Please contact Parks & Recreation at 912-5245 to help with this project or for additional information.

Business & Technology Park. DuPont staff received notification that the owner of the First Park Northwest Landing project has changed from First Industrial Realty Trust to FR/Cal 3 NW Landing LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability company.  The new owner has been designated as the new developer for all purposes, and has changed the name of the project to “Northwest Landing Business & Technology Park”.

National Trail Day. Help celebrate National Trail Day by walking the Sequalitchew Creek trail on Saturday, June 4^th 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.

Spring Safety Fair. Start your engines for Saturday, June 4^th 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.   The focus of the event will be “safety awareness” in our community.  Children will be able to tour the Fire Department “safety House” with artificial smoke to learn about fire escape routes.  Event activities also include “Touch a Truck”, safety awareness tips, helmet and life jacket sales, and children’s games and giveaways.  Citizens will also be able to get information from the Parks Department, Historical Society, and CERT members at booths they will be staffing.  For more information please contact Chief Cooper at (253) 377-3257.

Fire Department Update

• The three new Fire recruits are continuing with their academy training.  They have been working on pump operations and tactics, multi-company operations, ventilation procedures, and auto extrication.  They will participate in “live fire” training on Saturday.

• The Fire Department conducted a CPR class on April 30^th.  Stay tuned for details on upcoming classes as they are scheduled.
• Councilmember Larry Wilcox attended a basic fire ground operations orientation this week with Firefighter Earl Strausbaugh.  The event, which includes a live fire training exercise, is intended to educate city leaders as to the required skills and inherent risks associated with professional fire fighting.
• The Fire Department hosted the Mary Bridge Hospital’s “Car Seat Fitter – Train the Trainer” class this past week and will do so again this upcoming Wednesday and Thursday.  These classes train the car seat technicians who check car seats at local events around the area and help ensure that kids in car seats are as safe as possible.  Information on car seat inspection events can be found at Mary Bridge Car Seat Events or by calling (253) 403-1417.

Pierce County Library Free Children’s Event. Young people can explore the world of robots during a free event at the DuPont branch of the Pierce County Library.  The Robot Garage program is part of a hands-one project with the Museum of Flight.  Participants will practice basic engineering skills required to build an extraterrestrial rover.  The program is open to grades 2 – 9 and is being held on Saturday, May 7^th at 10:00 AM.  Registration information is available at www.piercecountylibrary.org.

DuPont Historical Society Fundraiser a Success. Thank you to our partners and sponsors for their generous contributions to the 2011 Annual Cherry Blossom Tea and Vintage Fashion Show.  This year’s sold-out event, “A Tribute to the Greatest Generation” was attended by 200 people.  Title sponsors were American’s Credit Union and CalPortland.  Rose sponsors were The Home Course Golf Course, Aqua Care Inc., DuPont Family Vision, and Edward Jones Inc.  Partners were Patriots Landing, Liberty Inn, and Friends of Willie and Joe.  A special thank you goes to our Tea Committee members, table decorators, table hosts, the terrific teen servers, and the many volunteers who made this event such a success. This fund raiser helps support the DuPont Museum and its programs.

Pierce Conservation District. The Pierce Conservation Board approved the resolution allowing the annexation of the City of DuPont into the District at their May 3^rd meeting.  The appropriate documents have been forwarded to the Conservation Commission Office, who are slated to take formal action on the request at their May 19^th Commission meeting.  The annexation will be legally complete when the Secretary of State issues a certificate certifying his recognition of the annexation.  Once this is done, DuPont’s resolution to participate in the Conservation Assessment Fee will be forwarded to the Pierce County Council for consideration, with an anticipated assessment collection beginning January 1, 2012.

Vote for Law Enforcement Leader of the Year. In February, Lakewood Police Chief Bret Farrar was recognized by the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs as the state’s “Law Enforcement Leader of the Year.”  Chief Farrar was chosen for the agency’s first time award for his outstanding leadership in the aftermath of the November 2009 tragic slaying of four Lakewood police officers.  Chief Farrar is now a finalist for the America’s Most Wanted law enforcement “2011 All Star Award.” He is competing against seven other finalists for this national honor.   Vote for Chief Farrar at www.amw.com.  Voting is open until May 8^th.

Steilacoom High School Running Start Information Night. Is your High School student planning on participating in the Running Start program next year?  There will be a mandatory meeting for all students and their parents on Thursday, May 12^th at 6:30 PM in the Steilacoom High School auditorium.  This meeting will discuss the impacts on High School graduation as well as College graduation.  A Pierce College professor will discuss the expectations of students, how classes are conducted, and the costs of the program.

Mother’s Day at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. In honor of Mother’s Day, all Moms will receive half-price general admission on Saturday, May 7^th. A schedule of events is available on the zoo’s website at www.pdza.org.

National Bike Month. May is National Bike Month – a month long celebration of bicycling.  Additional information and a list of events, including the Bike to Work Commuter Challenge, are available on the Pierce Trips website at www.piercetrips.com.  Pierce Trips is a one-stop center for commute options in Pierce County and seeks to help commuters find alternatives to the drive alone commute.