By Paul Loveless, Steilacoom Town Administrator
Upcoming Meetings:
- Council Meeting – May 21, 2013 at 6:30 PM at Town Hall.
- Preservation and Review Board – May 22, 2013 at 6:30 PM at Town Hall.
- Civil Service – June 5, 2013 at 2:00 PM at the Community Center.
- Planning Commission – May 13, 2013 at 6:30 PM at Town hall.
Council Future Agenda “Look-Ahead” Issues:
Copies of the Agenda and staff reports are available at all Town facilities once published.
The Agenda and Council meeting minutes are posted to the Town’s official website
Steilacoom Garden Club plan sale set for May 11:
Steilacoom Garden Club says “Save the date”. Saturday May 11th the Garden Club will hold their annual Plant and Garden Sale between Key Bank and the Bair Bistro on Lafayette Street from 9 a.m. until sold out.
This year’s bargains will include indoor and outdoor plantings, as well as herbs, annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, and more. Gift items (hint – Mother’s Day is Sunday) include preplanted decorative planters, yard art, birdhouses by George, and more. Members will be on hand to answer questions about gardening in the northwest. Proceeds from the sale will go toward funding the famous hanging flower baskets on Lafayette Street in the summer, a return of the scarecrows in October and the Hanging of the Greens in December.
Document Shredding Event:
WHO – Steilacoom / LeMay Mobile Shredding
WHAT – Confidential Document Shredding
WHEN – Saturday May 18th / 9 to Noon
WHERE – Steilacoom Public Works – 1030 Roe Street Steilacoom
GUIDELINES
Limit two file boxes or three grocery bags per resident. Please do not bring plastic bags, DVDs or other items that will jam the shredder.
COST
Free to Town of Steilacoom residents. Non-perishable food items and cash donations accepted and appreciated in support of the We Love Steilacoom Food Pantry.
Public Safety:
Pierce County Department of Emergency Management Water Rescue Training:
On May 16th, PC DEM will be coordinating training for up to 22 agencies at Sunnyside Park. The training emphasis relates to water-related rescues and other water-related activities. The park will be closed to the public until 6 PM that day.
Staffing:
A lateral police officer oral board is scheduled for today. Three candidates will be reviewed by the panel and if they pass, will be referred to the Civil Service Commission for inclusion on the register.
Public Works:
General:
Sequalish Street Reconstruction Project:
A utility coordination meeting was held on May 7, 2013, involving Town staff, our engineers, and utility purveyors. This meeting and subsequent meetings will be essential to ensure proper coordination of all of the underground utilities. This corridor has many conflicts which will need to be resolved.
Spring Clean-up:
The Spring Clean-up was April 27th and 28th from 9 AM to 5 PM at the Public Works facility with the following results:
Vehicle loads: 560
40-yard dumpsters filled: 21
Garbage disposed: 59.26 tons
Cardboard recycled: .97 tons
Scrap metals recycled: 17.99 tons
Value of scrap metal: $2,518.60
Life Center donations: 3.06 tons
Total – collected materials: 162,440 lbs.
Recycle Rate: 27%
Volunteer hours: 312
Thank you to all who volunteered to help with the event and Terry Huber, Public Works Analyst, for coordinating it.
Streets and Storm:
The Crew continued to perform right of way and street sign maintenance throughout Town including mowing and spraying.
Electrical:
The Crew performed maintenance functions on the street lights and foliage in the Tunnel of Trees. They also continued to troubleshoot the SCADA system communication challenges.
Water/Sewer:
The Crew flushed dead-end water mains, coordinated a localized water shutdown so that the contractor could install the water main for Norberg Estates, performed generator maintenance, and performed other system maintenance.
Parks and Grounds:
The Crew assisted an Eagle Scout candidate in preparing the foundation for a kiosk at the Farrell’s Drive entrance to Farrell’s Marsh, worked on the backbone trail, began turning on water fountain and sprinkler, along with other park maintenance.
The Cedar Creek Work Crew worked on the western slope of the backbone trail in Madrona Park.
Other:
Solider Appreciation BBQ:
The 110th Chemical Battalion HHC held their soldier appreciation event at Sunnyside Park today. The Tacoma VFW Post sponsored the event and provided lunch.
Candidate filing begins Monday, May 13:
Candidate filing begins Monday, May 13 with the Pierce County Auditor’s Office.
Offices open for election this year include:
26th Legislative District Senator – Files with the Office of the Secretary of State
Port of Tacoma Commissioners
City and Town Council Members
School District Directors
Fire District Commissioners
Park and Recreation District Commissioners
Water District Commissioners
Sewer District Commissioners
Online candidate filing opens Monday, May 13 at 9 a.m. To file your declaration of candidacy go to piercecountyelections.org and choose the “Become a Candidate” link. Besides the candidate filing link, this site includes a list of open offices, filing fees, additional candidate information and will include a list of candidate filings.
After a candidate files for office, they will receive an email instructing them how to submit their picture and voter pamphlet statement online. Email updates will also be sent to a candidate as other candidates file against them.
“This truly is the year for citizens interested in participating in local government to get involved. Many local races in city government, school districts and fire districts are up for election this year. Filing your candidacy is the first step. We’re here to help you get off on the right foot,” said Julie Anderson, Pierce County Auditor.
Filing week runs through Friday, May 17. Online filing closes at 4 p.m. In-person filing ends at 4:30 p.m. at the Pierce County Election Center, located at 2501 South 35th St. Suite C in Tacoma.
The Pierce County Auditor’s Office is responsible for elections, licensing services, a variety of public records and animal control services.
DuPont Parks & Recreation Annual Auction, May 10
(Suburban Times – May 7th)
Mark your calendar for Friday, May 10th to help raise the paddle for City of DuPont Parks & Recreation. News Tribune columnist and home town girl, Dorothy Wilhelm will be the auctioneer. Items to bid on include weekend getaways to Cannon Beach, Lincoln City, etc. Also included are gift cards to local restaurants and businesses, fabulous gift baskets, parties, experiences, etc. Admission is $15 and includes hors devours and desserts. Donations are still being accepted. Please contact City of DuPont Parks & Recreation at (253) 912-5245.
About Dorothy Wilhelm: Dorothy Wilhelm calls herself a porcupine trainer. That’s her term for the sticky situations and prickly people we all have to face every day. She says we all handle porcupines every day, whether we want to or not. Dorothy is a professional humorist, speaker and keynoter. She is a familiar Northwest media personality and hosted her own TV and radio shows for the last thirty years, including ten years on Seattle’s KIRO radio and TV, a TV show called My Home Town, winner of a Beacon Award for excellence in community broadcasting. Her newspaper column appears regularly in the Tacoma News Tribune and in other publications across the nation She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Marylhurst University – and you don’t see any porcupines here, do you?
Steilacoom: Historical Home Tour June 8
Six privately owned historic homes in the Historic District of Steilacoom will be on view to the public from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 8. The tour, presented by the Steilacoom Historical Museum Association, will feature homes dating from 1858 through 1895. Of these, five were built when Washington was still a territory, and one built just after Washington achieved statehood. All the homes are within the Steilacoom Historic District, which has 30 structures listed and is recognized by the National Register of Historic Sites. There has not been a home tour in Steilacoom for almost forty years.
The tour includes Rolling Hill, built in 1858 by merchant Philip Keach, with its well tended garden overlooking Puget Sound. This home is placed separately on the National Register of Historic Sites and owned by the same family since 1937.
The homes are typical of their time period, including several with Gothic Revival styling, and one early summer home later moved up from the water to it’s present location when the railroad came through in 1912. They were owned by pioneers whose stories describe the beginnings of this region, such as Steven Appleby who was president of the National Bank of Tacoma and was instrumental in situating Fort Lewis on the Nisqually Plain or Wolf Shafer who established a successful brewery in town and later became Pierce County Treasurer.
Prices are $15.00 for Steilacoom Historical Museum Association members, or $20.00 for the general public. Both ticket categories will be available at the Museum, 1801Rainier Street, on weekends in May from 1 to 5 p.m. or on the day of the event at Perkins Park at the corner of Union and Martin Streets. General public tickets will also be available online after May 1 at www.steilacoomhistorical.
On-street parking is available near all the stops on the tour. Several of the homes are within close walking distance. Steilacoom restaurants and coffee shops will be open during the day, and the Steilacoom Museum with the 1854 Nathaniel Orr Pioneer Home Site will be open from noon to 5:00.
Proceeds will benefit the Steilacoom Historical Museum Association. For further information, please contact the Museum at 253.584.4133.