Community Corner
City Manager Releases Weekly Bulletin
The city is excited to partner with other entities to celebrate and learn more about black history.
February 3, 2020
Find out what's happening in Lakewood-JBLMfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The city’s 17th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration is Saturday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Harrison Preparatory School.
The city is excited to partner this year with the Clover Park School District, Pierce County Library System, Pierce College, Lakewood YMCA, Lakewood Multicultural Coalition and others to bring this event and others to the community for people to engage, celebrate and learn more about black history.
Find out what's happening in Lakewood-JBLMfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
We hope in addition to the MLK celebration on Saturday the community join us at one of the following events:
- African American storytelling
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 8
- Time: 12 p.m.
- Location: Tillicum Pierce County Library, 14916 Washington Ave.
- Mrs. Mary Church Terrell: A Remarkable Woman
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 15
- Time: 2 p.m.
- Location: Lakewood Pierce County Library, 6300 Wildaire Road SW
- Voting made easy
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 15
- Time: 3:15 p.m.
- Location: Lakewood Pierce County Library, 6300 Wildaire Road SW
2020 Road Projects
Residents in Oakbrook and Lake City will see some
significant upgrades to two major thoroughfares in their neighborhoods this
summer: Onyx Drive in Oakbrook and Veterans Drive in Lake City.
Both of these busy roadways are slated for complete
redesign, including the addition of curb, gutter, bicycle lanes, sidewalks,
street lighting and storm drainage facilities.
In Oakbrook the stretch 1.55-mile of Onyx Drive between 87th
and 97th Streets and between Garnet Lane SW and Phillips Road SW
will see a major overhaul. That includes dedicating space for safe pedestrian
and bicycle travel, as well as adding street lights to increase visibility at
night.
On Veterans Drive we’re also rebuilding 1.21 miles of this
road to a two lane section with curb, gutter, sidewalk, bike and pedestrian
path, streetlights, and a landscaped strip if there is enough space within the
right of way.
Read more about these projects and stay up to date on the
most recent developments by visiting their respective project pages on the city’s
website.
City Council, CPSD school
board joint meeting
The Lakewood City Council will meet Monday, Feb. 3 with the
Clover Park School District board of directors.
The joint meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Clover Park School
District Student Services Center off Gravelly Lake Drive next to Clover Park
High School.
The purpose of the meeting is for the council and school
board to review shared community commitments and to discuss the partnership
between the two agencies.
Lakewood congratulates
Harrison Prep junior
Last week the Clover Park School District announced Harrison
Preparatory School junior Kathleen Julca earned the National Center for Women
and Information Technology (NCWIT) Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC).
Julca is one of 40 students nationwide to receive the honor.
More than 4,700 students submitted an entry for the award this year.
Here is what CPSD said of Julca’s entry: Julca’s entry
focused on her efforts creating a coding club aimed at female students at
Harrison Prep and some of the experiences she has had with regards to gender
disparity related to her interest in computer science. She started the coding
club in March 2019 and has grown membership to more than 20 students.
“I’m generally a pretty quiet person but I work really hard, so it was very
validating to get recognized at that level,” Julca said. “I put a lot of work into
the coding club. Starting it virtually by myself was really hard.”
As an AiC winner, Julca receives an all-expenses paid trip to North Carolina
for an awards celebration and opportunities for scholarships and internships.
The city of Lakewood congratulates Julca for her hard work and the recent national recognition.
Seeking vendors for Lakewood
Night Market
The city of Lakewood is seeking vendors to support its new
Night Market, held the first and third Friday of the month from 3 to 7 p.m. at
the Colonial Plaza.
Opening day is April 17; the market runs until Oct. 2.
Similar
to the daytime summer Farmers Market, local vendors will sell handmade items
alongside local farmers. With plenty of
free parking, this market is not to be missed.
Want to be a vendor? Submit this vendor application. View the Night Market website for market dates and market updates.
2020 Lakewood Farmers Market opening day is June 2.
Join us on opening day and receive
a free canvas tote and other giveaways!
The Lakewood Farmers Market is a
great opportunity to shop local and support over a dozen local farmers. Enjoy
live entertainment and children’s activities each week and grab lunch from food
trucks and enjoy the sunshine while you eat outside around the fountain at
Lakewood City Hall.
Shoppers will find everything from
organic produce and kettle corn to handmade ice cream, crafts and a selection
of local wine and beer.
Located close to the I-5 corridor,
the market is also convenient for travelers and commuters who want to swing in
for fresh, healthy food on the go. Plenty of free parking.
What to be a vendor? Submit your application today. View the Farmers Market website for regular updates including vendors as they are added.
Hidden Heroes Week 2: Lewis Howard Latimer and Claudia Thomas
The second week of the Hidden Heroes campaign highlighted
national hero Lewis Howard Latimer and local hero Claudia Thomas.
SummerFEST 2020
vendor applications now available
Applications
for market vendors and food vendors are now available for SummerFEST 2020.
Over
the course of the all-day event more than 40,000 people visit Fort Steilacoom
Park to participate in the fun — most of it free! There is live entertainment
on two stages, including cultural performances at the Lakewood Sister Cities
International Festival, a kid zone with inflatable toys and pony rides, food
trucks, market vendors, a classic car show, roaming entertainers, free
activities, movie at night and more.
Market
vendors can participate in the free Passport to Sports & Arts, which sends
passport holders on a scavenger hunt through the festival to different vendor
booths to try a new sport or arts and crafts activity. This is a great way for
children to learn a new skill, and vendors to get their product in front of a
larger audience.
Download the market vendor application and
the food vendor application today.
Deadline to submit a hard copy is May 15, 2020.
Census 2020: You Count
Efforts
are ramping up to educate the public about the upcoming 2020 Census count. That
includes in Lakewood, where in prior Census years a significant number of
households did not complete the form.
The
U.S. Census Bureau will mail the 2020 Census to households in the spring,
however people can take the survey before then via the phone or new this year online.
Those who don’t complete the survey at first will be sent up to five mailings,
encouraging them to fill it out.
Most
areas of the country are anticipated to fill out the survey online, so the
first letter most people will receive will be one encouraging them to go online
the complete the questionnaire.
Areas
determined less likely to respond via the internet will receive a paper
questionnaire with the first mailed invitation to take the survey.
For
those who do not complete the census on or by Census Day (April 1, 2020),
in-person house visits will occur. Residents may also see people canvassing
neighborhoods to check addresses.
Read
more about the census, see a timeline or learn more about temporary work
available through the U.S. Census Bureau.
Veterans Brick Update
Did you purchase a brick to be engraved on the Veterans Memorial
located outside Lakewood City Hall in Lakewood Towne Center?
The bricks will be engraved in the spring, once the weather
warms up and dries out. In order for the on-site engraver to do the work it
needs to be dry and temperatures must be above 50 degrees.
Thank you to everyone who purchased a brick for your patience
while volunteers continued with the brick sales to be able to engrave them all
at one time.
Volunteers were able to sell 153 of the 242 bricks remaining at
the memorial. They are grateful for the community’s support of veterans and
proud to see this memorial that was dedicated in 2003 by a citizen-led
committee come closer to completion.
Join a community advisory board
Do you like to give back to the community? Are you looking to
get better connected to Lakewood? Have some free time you want to fill? Consider
joining one of the city’s community advisory boards. Board members often
have experience or expertise they can lend, can meet on a monthly basis and can
commit to serving a full term, or longer.
Boards with openings:
- Landmarks and Heritage Advisory Board: 2
vacancies. Open until filled. - Lodging Tax Advisory Board: 4
vacancies. Deadline: April 30, 2020.
Board and commission descriptions, meeting schedule and
application form can be found online.
Stay up to date with MyLakewood311
Did you know Lakewood has its own free mobile app? All you need
to know about the city is at your fingertips. Updates on road projects and
detours around the city and other city announcements can be found under the
“Public Announcements” header.
Contact the city using the “submit a new request” button and
select from the appropriate category. The app allows you to track city staff’s
response to your request and follow it through the process.
Please only submit one request per item – submitting multiple
requests for the same item slows the review process. Note:
This app is not monitored 24/7. If you are reporting an emergency that needs
immediate assistance please call 911.
Download it now in the iTunes App Store or on Google Play.
Upcoming Council Meetings
The City Council meets every Monday beginning at 7 p.m., in the
City Hall Council Chambers located at 6000 Main Street SW.
February 3, 2020 Regular Meeting, Clover Park School
District Student Services Center
- Joint meeting with Clover Park School District Board
February 10, 2020 Study Session
- Review of 4th Quarter Police Report
- Fireworks Update
- Information Technology Strategic Plan Update
- Review the proposed Lakewood Station Subarea Plan boundary
February 18, 2020 (Tuesday) Regular Meeting
- AWC Retro Refund Presentation – Mr. Peter King, CEO and Mr. Brian Bishop, Program Manager Association of Washington Cities
- Business showcase
- Police Chief’s Commendation Awards
- Authorizing the execution of an agreement with BERK & Associates to develop Lakewood Station District Subarea Plan and related environmental and development regulations
- Approve transfer of cable television franchise from the City of Tacoma Department of Public Utilities (Click!) to Rainier Connect
- Adopting an Ordinance removing an existing City of Lakewood utility easement (Auditor’s Fee No. 97062270362) for property located at 7410 Lakewood Drive West
- Appointing Councilmember to the Puget Sound Regional Council Executive Board
- Reports by the City Manager – 2020 Census Update
This press release was produced by the City of Lakewood. The views expressed here are the author’s own.