Lakewood City Manager Issues Weekly Bulletin

From the City of Lakewood:

February 7, 2020

The city of Lakewood extends its thanks to the community for
joining together to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to kick off
February as Black History Month on Feb. 1 at the city’s 17th annual MLK
Celebration.

Deputy Mayor Jason Whalen who welcomed the crowd, followed by U.S. Congressman Denny Heck and Clover Park School District Superintendent Ron Banner.

Performances of songs, dancing and poetry readings from Clover Park School District students occurred throughout the program. Additional event highlights included Emmy-nominated spoken word poet Christian Paige, who performed his piece “The Eyes of Your Enemy”, and Keynote Speaker Shalom Aburu who shared her experiences of moving to America from her native Uganda.

The event concluded with the recognition of the winners of the
MLK Essay Contest, who received gift certificates courtesy of the Lakewood
Multicultural Coalition, presented by LMCC President and CEO Mary Moss who is
also a Lakewood City Councilwoman.

To see a full photo album from the
event visit the city’s Facebook page.

Celebrate Black History with Pierce County Library

To celebrate Black History Month, the city is excited to
partner with the Pierce County Library System, Clover Park School District, Pierce
College, Lakewood YMCA, Lakewood Multicultural Coalition and others to bring events
to the community for people to engage, celebrate and learn more about black
history.

This Saturday join local storyteller Kimi Ginn at the
Tillicum branch of the Pierce County Library (14916 Washington Ave.) for her
engaging and interactive presentation on the Civil Rights Movement, including a
Rosa Parks dramatization and tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event
begins at 12 p.m., is free and is suitable for ages 5 and up.

Save the date for the next storytelling event: Saturday,
Feb. 15, 2 p.m. at the Lakewood branch of the Pierce County Library (6300
Wildaire Road SW). Eva Abram will become Mary Church Terrell, sharing her story
with the crow. This event is also free and suitable for children. Following the
event, at 3:15 will be a Voting Made Easy event at the library with The
Washington Bus where people can register to vote and learn more about the
upcoming Census 2020.

Read more about these events.

Hidden Heroes Week 3: Claudette Colvin and Ron Banner

Week three of the Hidden Heroes campaign highlighted national
hero Claudette Colvin, who as a teenager refused to move to the back of the bus
before Rosa Park’s historic stand, and local hero Ron Banner who is
Superintendent of the Clover Park School District.

Read about these leaders.

Lakewood congratulates Lakes HS junior

This week the Clover Park School District announced Lakes
High School junior Emile Skeete was recently named Cadet of the
Month by the 8th Brigade of the U.S. Army Cadet Command.

From CPSD: Skeete was selected from a pool of
students that includes cadets from 157 Army JROTC programs. The 8th Brigade
oversees Army JROTC programs in eight states on the west coast, including
Alaska and Hawaii, along with two countries and three U.S. territories on the
Pacific Ocean.

A first lieutenant cadet for the Lakes High School Army JROTC program, Skeete
currently serves as a platoon leader. The 8th Brigade recognized him showing
endurance.

“Lieutenant Skeete is an outstanding leader who sets an excellent example every
day,” said Lakes JROTC instructor Lt. Col. Allen Patty. “He brings a high level
of passion, commitment and endurance to everything he does.”

Military tradition runs deep in his family. Skeete’s mom and dad both retired
from the Air Force after 21 years of service and his great-grandfather and
great-grandmother served in the Navy during World War II.

Skeete plans to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps by joining the Marine
Corps when he turns 18 later this year. He has been training daily to prepare
for enlistment.

“I am always really about motivating others and pitching in when something
needs to get done,” he said. “Whenever something comes up, I am willing to show
up in snap to help get it done. I want to help in any way I can.”

The city congratulates Skeete on the recent recognition and wishes him good luck in his future pursuit of a military career.

Coffee with the City

Please
join us for Coffee with the City on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 at 7:30 a.m. We
will meet at St. Clare Hospital Resource Center, 4908 112th Street SW,
Lakewood.

The
morning’s guest speaker is Tiffany Speir, Planning Manager for long
range/strategic planning, who will provide an update on Census 2020.

If you
have any questions, please contact Briana Schumacher at (253) 983-7705. We hope
to see you there.

Upcoming City Hall closure

Lakewood City Hall, the Lakewood police department, Lakewood
Senior Activity Center, Lakewood Municipal Court and city services will be
closed Monday, Feb. 17 in observation of Presidents Day.

Services will resume Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 8:30 a.m. Also note
the City Council regular meeting will be Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. in Council
Chambers, 6000 Main Street SW.

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.

The 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.

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 10, 2020 Study Session

• Review of 4th Quarter Police Report
• Fireworks Update
• Information Technology Strategic Plan Update
• Review of Lakewood Station District Subarea Plan and proposed boundary options

February 18, 2020 (Tuesday) Regular Meeting

• AWC Retro Refund Presentation – Mr. Peter King, CEO and Mr. Brian Bishop, Program Manager Association of Washington Cities
• Police Chief’s Commendation Awards
• Authorizing the execution of an agreement with Berk and Associates to act as a consultant for the development of a Lakewood Station District Subarea Plan, Planned Action and Hybrid Form-Based code
• Approving the transfer of the non-exclusive franchise of the City of Tacoma Department of Public Utilities, Light Division, Click! Network, to provide cable television services to Rainier Connect North, LLC
• Accepting the donation of a 2015 Toyota Rav 4 from the National Insurance Crime Bureau for use related to auto theft investigation
• 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

View the full agenda packet

This press release was produced by the City of Lakewood. The views expressed here are the author’s own.