By Heidi Wachter, Interim City Manager
Council Priority: Develop a vision for the City Center
Lane Bryant Opened in Towne Center: A “Soft” opening of the new store occurred on Thursday. They officially opened on Friday to welcome shoppers and provide a new niche shopping experience. Be sure to stop by the store and take a look.
Council Priority: Maintain and enhance public safety
City Meets with Lakefront Homeowners: Mayor Don Anderson and a neighborhood policing team attended a community meeting with lakefront homeowners associations on April 16 at the Tacoma Golf and Country Club to discuss crime trends and crime prevention. Mayor Anderson talked about the versatility of the Community Safety and Resources Team (CSRT) in addressing neighborhood concerns with crime, blight, and nuisances and encouraged all neighborhoods to continue communicating with the City to address these issues.
Council Priority: Continue cooperative partnership with educational institutions in Lakewood
Pierce College New Learning Environments: Pierce College President Denise Yochum invited economic development staff to a tour of the beautiful and inviting new facilities at Pierce College. Creative learning environments have been established that engage for the students and faculty from the library, outside education space, new planetarium, and amazing health and sciences building. They are embarking on a test pilot project based on how students learn today and into the future. The planetarium currently has programs and shows available to the public with additional sessions planned for people of all ages. Visit the site for additional information and to purchase tickets here: wp.pierce.ctc.edu/blog/
Council Priority: Protect the capital investment in the transportation system through adequate maintenance and preservation of facilities
North Gate Road Area – Open House – Tuesday, April 30, 2013, 6 PM: A public open house will be hosted by public works and police staff on Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at 6 PM at the Harrison Prep gym for follow up information sharing and discussion on the North Gate Road area traffic issues. Staff will present results of recent traffic revisions and discuss additional traffic revisions and traffic calming measures that may be implemented to mitigate the cut-thru and speeding traffic.
Nyanza Road PSE Gas Main Replacement – Starting Next Week: Infrasource, a PSE contractor, will be completing gas main replacement on the entire length of Nyanza Road. Work will commence next week and take approximately 8 weeks to complete. Through traffic will be maintained during the construction with temporary lane diversions during working hours. Pavement cuts in the new overlay at Gravelly Lake Drive will be mitigated by a full width overlay and additional pavement repairs on previous gas main work completed on Nyanza Road.
Other items of interest:
USGA Open Championship Briefing: Economic development staff attended a USGA Open Championship briefing at Chambers Bay Golf Course this week. Denise Dyer, Pierce County Economic Development Director, Kevin Phelps, Deputy Pierce County Executive, and Danny Sink, the Championship Director for the United States Golf Association, each outlined the “Road to the Open” – only 779 days from Friday, April 26, 2013. Frequently asked questions and answers about the Open are at www.chambersbaygolf.com. In addition, a Championship timeline was provided as well as a U.S. Open Chambers Bay Fact Sheet; that information is available on Pierce County’s website with additional information at www.usga.org
2013 Pierce County Export Forum: The 2013 Pierce County Export Forum was held at the Environmental Services Building on Friday. Attendees learned about what they should know before entering foreign markets, new products/developments in export finance, speaking the language of commerce, the role of social media, freight forwarding trends, and making the decision to export. Panel experts and exhibitors were on hand to assist businesses. Washington State is the third largest exporter of food and agriculture products in the United States. Total exports increased by over 16% from 2011 to 2012, and by far our largest state export items are civilian aircraft, engines, and parts topping $36.7 Billion in 2012.
Youth Council Recruitment Dinner: The current Youth Council held a recruitment dinner for potential new members Wednesday evening, April 24th. The dinner was hosted by Councilmember Barth with Councilmember Brandstetter also in attendance. The food was supplied by Lt. Mauer and his wife Andie and was purchased through a United Way fundraiser for the city. Potential members heard from both councilmember’s about the importance of their input to the City Council and the positive impact they can have in the community. Current and potential members had the opportunity to ask questions and engage in dialogue regarding youth involvement in our city. Applications are currently being accepted until Friday, May 3rd, 5:00 p.m. The position announcement is available on the city website: www.cityoflakewood.us