By Paul Loveless, Steilacoom Town Administrator
Upcoming Meetings:
- Council Meeting – September 17, 2013 at 6:30 PM at Town Hall.
- Preservation and Review Board – September 25, 2013 at 6:30 PM at Town Hall.
- Civil Service – October 3, 2013 at 3:00 PM at the Community Center
- Planning Commission – September 23, 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
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. BNSF is pursuing design of a replacement structure at this time.
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 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.
AWC Regional Meetings:
AWC has several Regional Meetings coming to our area. AWC’s Regional Meetings provide an outstanding chance to come together as a region and have an interactive discussion. You will have the opportunity to hear from Mike McCarty, AWC CEO and AWC legislative staff about legislative priorities, and start a conversation about how we can better connect and engage our citizens. This is a great opportunity to connect with other leaders in our area and talk about local issues, challenges, and opportunities that we face.
November 6 – Olympia
AWC Offices
1076 Franklin St SE
(360) 753-4137
The meeting runs from 6-8pm and includes dinner. Please notify me if you would like to attend.
Knotweed Eradication Program:
The Town partnered with the Pierce Conservation District in an attempt to eradicate knotweed on both public and private property within the Town. Nancy Henderson led this event on September 12, 2013 and should be able to provide us with an update Tuesday night. 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
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:
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.
Greg Feleppa is scheduled to start on September 23rd. He will attend EMT school at Pierce College starting on October 15th and ending on December 17th. The CJTC Equivalency Academy starts on October 22nd and is completed on December 19th. We anticipate Greg to have completed all schools and his field training time by January 1st.
Chief Schaub attended the dedication of the 9/11 Memorial at West Pierce Fire and Rescue in University Place on Wednesday night on behalf of the Town.
Public Works:
Streets and Storm:
Sequalish Street Project;
Contracts have been executed by the parties and the pre-construction meeting is scheduled for September 16. The contractor has already begun providing submittals for materials and is identifying potential staging areas. The contractor anticipates mobilizing in on September 23rd and commencing work immediately thereafter. The first order of work will include clearing/grubbing the project area, followed by commencement of the new sewer infrastructure.
Lafayette Street Overlay Project:
95% design plans were provided by the engineers and submitted to WSDOT for review. The Town is awaiting approval of the construction funding obligation from WSDOT Local Programs. Once that approval is obtained, we will be able to advertise the project subject to WSDOT approval of the advertisement. Unless WSDOT approval is received soon, this project may need to be delayed.
Crew Emphasis:
The crew focused on cleanup from heavy rains the previous week, as well as tree trimming and street sweeping. On Thursday, a truck travelling through Town spilled a large glass window pane onto the roadway, resulting in shattered glass littering the area around Union Avenue and Rainer St. Public Safety provided traffic control while the crew cleaned up the area with brooms and the street sweeper.
Electrical:
Crew Emphasis:
The crew completed work with UtilX Inc. on Tuesday, performing cable testing throughout Town. We anticipate receiving the analysis detailing the results from this effort in about 3 weeks. Once we review the report, we can identify the specific cables that are appropriate for cable rehabilitation (injection). A side benefit of this effort includes identification of cables that need to be replaced as well
Water/Sewer:
Crew Emphasis:
The Crew reinstalled a pump at the Chambers Bay lift station and performed hydrant maintenance. Routine water system quality testing was also performed.
Parks and Grounds:
The crew performed parks and buildings maintenance activities throughout Town. The flower baskets and flags in the downtown area were removed for the year. The flowers and dirt will be emptied from the baskets and the baskets will then be returned to the vendor (Degoede Nursery) for replanting. By recycling the baskets, we are able to keep the cost down to a minimum.
Other:
Raider Brigade Welcome Home Parade
Honoring the 4-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s return from deployment in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom on Sunday, 9/15/13 at 9:00 a.m.
Lakewood City Hall
6000 Main Street SW
Lakewood, WA 98499
Portion of trail along Chambers Creek Road to temporarily close
A portion of the East Slope Walking Trail near the north entrance to the Chambers Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant in University Place will be closed through December. This portion of the trail parallels Chambers Creek Road West.
The closure is needed while work is done on nearby utility lines. During the trail closures, wooden barricades will be placed at each end of the closed portion of the trail. The barricades will have “Trail Closed Ahead” signs attached.
The closure is in support of an ongoing expansion project for the treatment plant, located at 10311 Chambers Creek Road W. The $353 million expansion will increase sewer capacity and enable the county to repair and replace aging infrastructure at the plant. The project is expected to be completed in fall 2016. More information about this project can be found at www.piercecountywa.org/