By Paul Loveless, Steilacoom Town Administrator
Upcoming Meetings:
- Council Meeting – September 3, 2013 at 6:30 PM at Town Hall.
- Preservation and Review Board – August 28, 2013 at 6:30 PM at Town Hall.
- Civil Service – September 5, 2013 at 3:00 PM at the Community Center
- Planning Commission – August 26, 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:
Wednesday 3 – 7 pm — August 28. This is our final market of the season.
Summer Concerts:
Next Wednesday, August 28, the Town will present Danny Vernon, the Illusion of Elvis, as our grand finale to the 2013 summer concert series. Concerts are in Pioneer Park starting at 6:30 PM. Please remember no tents or alcohol are allowed in the Park.
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.
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!
Knotweed Eradication Program:
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 Town is partnering with the PCD in an attempt to eradicate knotweed on both public and private property within the Town. Our target eradication date is September 12, 2013. If you believe you have knotweed on your property and would allow representatives of the Town and PCD to enter your property and treat the infestation, then please contact:
Renee Mitchell
Knotweed Control Program Manager
reneem@piercecountycd.org
Comprehensive Plan Update:
Your input is needed to update to the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. Over the next several months, the Planning Commission will review the Comprehensive Plan by topic, and public input is vital to the success of this exercise. Topics to be covered are General Policies and Public Service on August 26; the Environment on September 23; Development Patterns on October 28; Housing on November 25; Economic Development on December 9 and Transportation on December 23. All meetings will be at 6:30 PM in the Town Hall, 1717 Lafayette Street. More information is available from Town Planner Doug Fortner at 581-1912 or doug.fortner@ci.steilacoom.wa.
Want to receive advance notice of Planning Commission meetings and hearings by email? You can sign up at any Planning Commission meeting or send an email request to doug.fortner@ci.steilacoom.wa.
Scarecrow Fest Coming Soon:
The recent rains are a reminder that Fall is just around the corner That means the STEILACOOM GARDEN CLUB’S Scarecrow contest is just a few weeks away. Scarecrows may no longer keep pesky crows out of cornfields, but they can be a fun and colorful way to welcome fall. To enter, just sign up at the bulletin board between Key bank and Bair Bistro, at the Steilacoom Community Center or by e-mail to hopkinstei@aol.com Then, create a scarecrow depicting this year’s theme, CELEBRATING THE APPLE ( the annual Apple Squeeze is Oct. 6th). Scare crows need to be displayed at your home or business by Oct.1st and winners will be notified by the 15th. Be on the lookout too for a return of some other spirited scarecrows hanging around the downtown area – tis the season for fun
Public Safety:
Staffing:
PSO Rettig has accepted a position with Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Salem, OR. His last day is scheduled for August 30th.
We will be contacting the top 15-18 candidates on the entry level list. We expect to conduct entry level oral boards in early October with a target CJTC Academy date of February 2014.
WASPC Award:
The Town received a $1,000 traffic safety grant from Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. Funds will be used to pay for a LIDAR unit that will improve our ability to deal with long range speeding enforcement on Union Avenue and Steilacoom Blvd.
Public Works:
Streets and Storm:
Sequalish Street Project;
The Sequalish Street Reconstruction Project was awarded Tuesday night and staff met with the contractor Wednesday. Contracts are being routed for signature. We anticipate a pre-construction meeting will be held the second week of September. Staff also met with representatives from Puget Sound Energy to coordinate relocation of their gas mains in the vicinity of the improvements.
Main Street Overlay Project:
The Main Street overlay project is complete. We anticipate the final costs will be slightly below the awarded bid amount.
Lafayette Street Overlay Project:
95% design plans were provided by the engineers and submitted to WSDOT for review. Additionally, the environmental documents are also currently being reviewed by WSDOT. Once WSDOT approval is obtained, the project will be advertised. Unless WSDOT approval is received soon, this project may need to be delayed.
Crew Emphasis:
The crew continues noxious weed control work, detention/retention pond maintenance, street sweeping, and performing other right-of-way maintenance.
Electrical:
The Main Street and Lafayette Street electrical improvement project is substantially complete. The contractor is currently and will continue to work through next week on punch list items.
Crew Emphasis:
The crew focused on the August 19, 2013 power outage and subsequent follow-up issues.
Water/Sewer:
Crew Emphasis:
The Crew arranged for medically related emergency generators associated with the power outage and other outage issues including having all of the emergency generators refueled post-outage. Additionally, they performed lift-station maintenance.
Parks and Grounds:
The crew assisted with the set-up for the Farmers’ Market and performed other parks and buildings maintenance activities.
Other:
Hudson Bay Day & Salmon BBQ:
Mark your calendars for Sunday, August 25th for Hudson Bay Day and Salmon BBQ at the DuPont Fire Department, across the street from the original 1843 Hudson Bay Fort Nisqually Site. This free event is being held from Noon – 4:00 PM and features live music, kids activities, historical demonstrations, reenactors, a tribal blessing and more! Historian Drew Crooks will take guided tours to the original 1843 Fort site and visitors can view Ezra Meeker’s covered wagon and talk with Buffalo Soldiers. There will be a salmon BBQ on-site with adult meals at $15 and kids for $5. Hot dog meals will also be available.
The Hudson Bay Day is proudly sponsored by the DuPont Historical Society and the DuPont Tourism Board. The 1843 Fort Nisqually site is open to the public courtesy of the Archeology Conservancy. For more information call DuPont Museum Coordinator Linda Cumberbatch at (253) 964-2399 or (253) 882-5942 or visit www.dupontmuseum.com.
Turn lane to be added on Chambers Creek Road at 64th Street West:
A turn lane will be added on Chambers Creek Road at 64th Street West in University Place to relieve traffic congestion at the intersection. Construction will begin Aug. 15 and is expected to be complete in the beginning of September. Motorists should expect delays in the immediate vicinity of the work.
Traffic currently backs up on Chambers Creek Road as cars wait to turn left onto 64th Street West. The project will provide designated left and right turn lanes from Chambers Creek Road.
The project comes following a traffic study conducted on Chambers Creek Road to measure the impact the Chambers Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion would have on commuters. The expansion project is projected to temporarily add an estimated 400 workers at the peak of construction beginning in December.