By Paul Loveless
Upcoming Meetings:
- Council Meeting – July 16, 2013 at 6:30 PM at Town Hall.
- Preservation and Review Board – July 24, 2013 at 6:30 PM at Town Hall.
- Civil Service – August 1, 2013 at 3:00 PM at the Community Center
- Planning Commission – July 8, 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.
Farmers’ Market:
Wednesdays 3 – 7 pm — July 10 -August 28. July 17th‘s Community Corner will feature Bob Riler discussing resources available through the Pierce County Aging and Disability Division.
Summer Concerts:
Summer concerts continued this last Wednesday with Abbey Road Live (A Beatles Review). Next Wednesday, July 17, the Town will present the 338th Army Ban 9from Ohio) in Pioneer Park starting at 6:30 PM. Please remember no tents or alcohol are allowed in the Park.
Website Redesign and Development Project:
Staff and the design team from CivicPlus met again on the 9th to discuss the design of the home page and some of the features proposed for the new website. We are scheduled to meet again on Tuesday, July 16th.
Calling all Photos:
The Town is currently soliciting photos for use on the new website. If you have digital photos that you feel highlight the best of Steilacoom that you would like the Town to consider and that you are willing to allow our use of at no cost, please forward them to Paul Loveless at paul.loveless@ci.steilacoom.
Kiwanis/Key Club Sugar Shack:
SHS Key Club members assisted by Kiwanis Club members will be operating a “Sugar Shack” at Sunnyside Park this year. Scheduled hours are from 12 noon to 7 PM Tuesday through Sunday.
Saltar’s Point Park:
Saltar’s Point Park remains closed. If anyone notices trespassers on the beach, please contact Public Safety using the non-emergency number – 253 798-4721.
Bohemian Knotweed:
Staff contacted Renee Mitchell of the Pierce Conservation District and requested a proposal for performing an eradication project on Town-owned properties. Once obtained, staff will review and provide additional information to Council.
Since the spring of 2010, the Pierce Conservation District has been leading knotweed eradication efforts within both the Nisqually and South Prairie Creek Watersheds.
Knotweed can affect the health of an ecosystem by competing with and crowding out native vegetation, reducing nutrient inputs which can negatively affect aquatic food webs, contributing to erosion of lands, and destroying prime habitat for local fish and wildlife. Since knotweed’s primary form of distribution is through root and stem fragmentation, the flowing waters of rivers, creeks and streams serve as prime candidates for its dispersal.
Believed to have arrived in Washington State around the 1930’s, knotweed has become widely established along many of our local waterways and are causing detrimental effects on local riparian and wetland habitats.
The primary focus of Pierce Conservation District’s Knotweed Control Program is to eradicate the presence of knotweed within both the Nisqually and South Prairie Creek watersheds. Knotweed can affect the health of an ecosystem by: competing with and crowding out native vegetation, altering soil nutrient cycling which can negatively affect aquatic food webs, contributing to erosion of lands, and destroying habitat for local fish and wildlife. Since knotweed’s primary form of distribution is through root and stem fragmentation, the flowing waters of rivers, creeks, and streams serve as prime candidates for its dispersal.
For more information, contact:
Renee Mitchell, Knotweed Control Program Manager
reneem@piercecountycd.org
Fire Danger Due to Hot, Dry Weather:
It has been a cool, wet spring but we are now finally entering the summer season. Soon the green spaces and forested areas will dry out and the fire danger will move to a high level. We would like to remind residents that burning is not allowed on public property. This includes the trails and beaches along Puget Sound, where the danger of fire burning up the banks and into the residential areas is high during the summer months. Please use extra caution and help us keep Steilacoom safe!
Public Safety:
Traffic Safety Emphasis:
A Traffic Safety Emphasis kicked off June 26th and will run for at least one month. Officers will be targeting various safety related traffic concerns including speeding, either not stopping or failure to come to a complete stop at stop signs, unlawful cell phone use, etc.
Training:
Sergeant Whelan, Detective Yabe and Officer Derig participated in active shooter training in Lakewood this last week. On July 24th, the rest of the officers will complete the same training in Sumner.
Public Works:
Streets and Storm:
Main Street Overlay Project:
The Main Street overlay project was awarded by Council. Contracts are being routed for signature. The preconstruction meeting has been scheduled for July 16th. The contractor wishes to start shortly thereafter, however, this will need to be coordinated with the electrical project contractor currently working in the same area.
Crew Emphasis:
The crew began our annual crack-sealing program. Weather permitting, they will be focusing on this for the next month. Crack-sealing is an integral portion of our street maintenance program. Please observe warning signs and flagger directions while traveling near any utility work crews.
Electrical:
The Main Street and Lafayette Street electrical improvement project is underway. The contractor is working along both Balch and Lafayette streets. Please utilize alternate routes.
Crew Emphasis:
The crew focused on assisting and the guiding the contractor.
Water/Sewer:
Crew Emphasis:
The Crew removed a broken pump at the Chambers Bay lift station. It is currently in the shop being repaired. Additionally, they performed hydrant maintenance.
Parks and Grounds:
The crew assisted with the set-up for the Farmers’ Market and performed other parks and buildings maintenance activities.
Other:
The Suburban Times | July 11, 2013 | 0 Comments
Join us this weekend for Lakewood SummerFEST 2013 at Fort Steilacoom Park
Festivities on begin begin at 11am and include a showing of The Princess Bride starring Robin Wright and Cary Elwes on a 30’x40’ big screen presented by Xfinity and don’t forget to check out the Partners for Parks Car Show.
Other weekend activities include live music on two stages, over 100 food, arts and craft and service vendors, Army Strong Fitness Expo, a Kidz Zone inflatable area, petting zoo, a sprint Triathlon and much more!
For more information, please call the City of Lakewood at (253)983-7887 o
The bicycle portion of the Triathlon on Sunday comes through Steilacoom. Please drive carefully and be aware of the increased number of bicyclist on the road.
Steilacoom Salmon Bake set for July 28
The Suburban Times | July 4, 2013
The Steilacoom Historical Museum Association will be holding their annual ”Salmon Bake” at scenic Sunnyside Beach in Steilacoom, Sunday, July 28th from noon till 4:00 PM. The cost is $14 for the salmon meal, $6 for a hotdog meal. That includes drinks and desert.
There will be live entertainment and plenty of small town atmosphere. Invite family and friends to join you for fun, sun, great food and great people. There is pay parking at the beach or take the free shuttle from downtown.
AmeriCorps Vista Volunteer Position Opening
The DuPont Fire Department has received notification that is has been awarded an AmeriCorps grant for another year. This grant will provide a person to work in the area of disaster preparedness in DuPont, coordinate with our regional partners, and act as the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Coordinator for the City. The position starts September 1, 2013 and runs through July 15, 2014. The CERT Coordinator will work 40 hours per week and receive a monthly stipend, in addition to basic AmeriCorps health benefits and an Education Award for a successfully completed term of service. We are very excited to be awarded a grant for this position as it will allow the Fire Department to better prepare the citizens of DuPont, our schools, and our businesses to be ready for disaster situations that may arise. The current AmeriCorps member working at the Fire Department, Claire Keller-Scholz, will finish her term on July 31, 2013.
The City is now recruiting and accepting applications for this full-time position. The position duties, benefits, terms, service areas, and required skills can be found at DuPont Vista Volunteer. For more information please contact Human Resources Manager Bernadette Moreland at (253) 912-5212 orbmoreland@dupontwa.gov.
City of DuPont Seeking EMS Volunteers
DuPont is currently accepting applications for motivated and career-minded EMS volunteers. The City of DuPont Fire Department is looking for volunteer EMS Reserves to help staff the Aid Car, assisting with patient care and transport. The reserves will be EMT’s who will supplement our career staff and help enable the fire engine to stay in DuPont and staffed during transport situations. Currently there are fewer private ambulance transport units available to the citizens in DuPont due to growing demand in other areas of the county which absorbs the use of Rural Metro and AMR.
DuPont Fire is looking for Washington State certified EMT’s who will work a minimum of three 12 or 24 hour shifts per month. Reserve EMT’s are volunteers who will be supplied with uniforms. A small stipend is available. They will not participate in suppression activities due to the high cost of uniforms, equipment and training. For more information, please contact the Fire Station at (253) 964-8414.
The Suburban Times | July 10, 2013 | 0 Comments
Joint Base Lewis-McChord will conduct late-night firing July 10-14 (day and night) using demolitions and C4. The purpose of the late-night training is to maintain unit proficiency on demolitions and C4. Increased levels of activity will be noticed during the evening hours, and firing will be conducted from one range on base.
This is normally scheduled and required training, which allows military members to practice and improve skills required during combat. As often as possible, JBLM conducts larger scale demolition training and artillery firing at JBLM Yakima Training Center in an effort to minimize inconvenience for the surrounding communities. However, some training must take place on base.
Queries or comments about noise may be directed to the JBLM Public Affairs Office’s External Communication Division hot line at (253) 967-0852, daily.