Steilacoom Town Administrator report to council, Aug. 19

Upcoming Meetings:

Council Meeting – September 6, 2016 at 6:30 PM at Town Hall
Civil Service – September 1, 2016 at 2:00 PM at the Community Center.
Planning Commission – September 12, 2016 at 6:30 PM at Town Hall.
Preservation and Review Board – August 24, 2016 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.

Dry Weather Prompts County-wide Burn Ban:

Pierce County Fire Marshal Warner Webb has announced a county-wide outdoor burn ban, effective 8 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 18, until further notice. Dry weather and forecasts calling for continued dry heat prompted the limited ban, issued jointly with the Pierce County Fire Chiefs’ Association and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The indefinite ban applies to all land clearing and yard debris outdoor burning. This ban does not apply to small recreational fires in established fire pits at approved camp grounds or private property with the owner’s permission. The use of gas and propane self-contained stoves and barbeques are allowed under the ban.

Recreational fires must:

Be built in a metal or concrete fire pit, such as those typically found in designated campgrounds; and not be used as debris disposal;
Grow no larger than three feet in diameter;
Be located in a clear spot free from any vegetation for at least 10 feet in a horizontal direction, including at least 25 feet away from any structure and allow 20-foot vertical clearance from overhanging branches;
Be attended at all times by an alert individual and equipment capable of extinguishing the fire like hand tools and a charged garden hose or not less than two 5 gallon buckets of water;
No burning when winds exceed 5 MPH.

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has issued a statewide burn ban that applies to state forests, state parks and forestlands protected by DNR firefighters. It prohibits all outdoor burning, including campfires in fire pits and the use of charcoal briquettes. Liquid gas or propane camp stoves that do not use solid briquettes and have on/off controls are permitted.

The statewide ban does not include federally-owned lands such as national forests, national parks, national wildlife refuges or other areas administered by federal agencies.

For more information visit the Fire Marshal’s webpage or call the Burn Ban Hotline at (253) 798-7278.

Farmers’ Market:

The Farmers’ Market runs every Wednesday from 3 PM to 7 PM in downtown Steilacoom. Come visit over 50 vendors including farmers, crafters, prepared foods, etc.

Farmers’ Markets play a vital role in forming healthy, local food systems. By providing the opportunity for farmers to connect directly with consumers, markets serve as education centers. Vendors are teaching customers about agriculture, sharing recipes, and exposing them to new foods. Markets are making people and communities stronger and healthier.

Summer Concert Series:

The 2016 Summer Concert series is underway and will continue every Wednesday through the end of August. Concerts are held in Pioneer Park starting at 6:30 PM. The complete concert schedule is available on the Town’s official website. Danny Vernon (The Illusion of Elvis) is the featured artists for Wednesday, August 24th.

Parks:

With the warm weather upon us, many people are enjoying our parks. While enjoying the parks, please remember to secure your vehicles and not leave any valuable objects in plain sight. Use of alcohol and marijuana is not allowed in any of our parks at any times by anyone.

Public Safety:

Active Shooter Training:

On Wednesday the 17th, the Steilacoom Police Department along with representatives from many other local police departments participated in “Active Shooter” training at Steilacoom High School.

Fraud Alert:

The Town of Steilacoom operates the water, sewer, electric, and storm water utilities in Town and bills customers for same. Town employees will not knock on your door nor call you demanding money for payment of an outstanding utility bill with the threat of disconnecting you immediately if you do not pay them on the spot or meet them somewhere and provide them money. If you are contacted by an individual indicating otherwise, please notify the Town immediately.

Town utility employees will rarely enter your home (unless under construction) to inspect, test water pressure, verify electric service, etc. If contacted by an individual representing themselves as a Town employee who you do not personally know who wants entry into your home, please ask them to wait on the porch, lock your door, and notify the Town immediately.

Additionally, a number of Town residents have recently received threatening phone calls from individuals representing themselves as either being from the phone company and/or cable provider. The caller indicates the bill is past due and threatens legal action if payment isn’tt made immediately via credit card, etc. These calls are 99.9% of the time scams. As a general rule, never provide any information to an individual contacting you by phone, indicating there is a problem that you did not know you had prior to them contacting you, that they can solve for you, if you provide them your credit card number or are willing to meet with them t and provide gift cards, etc.

Safety Alerts:

Public Safety recently responded to reports of suspicious individuals in various areas in Town. While searching for the individual(s), officers noted several unsecured facilities, public, commercial, and residential. Please remember to secure your residences/buildings at all times.

Sunnyside Beach – With the warm weather upon us, many people are enjoying Sunnyside Beach. Please remember to secure your vehicles and not leave any valuable objects in plain sight.

If you observe suspicious activity, please contact Public Safety – non-emergency number – 798-4721 as soon as possible

Public Works:

Streets and Storm:

Crew Emphasis:

The crew spent the week performing rights-of-way maintenance along with street sweeping.

Sentinel Way Project:

Street striping occurred Thursday. A planned power outage for SHS is scheduled on August 19th from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM to transfer power service from the existing line to the new line installed in conjunction with this project.

Lexington Street Project:

The contractor focused on rehabilitating the electrical conduit trench and preparing the road edges for paving. The road remains closed to all but local access.

Roe Street Project:

The Roe Street grind and overlay project’s contracts are signed and we are currently attempting to schedule a preconstruction meeting.

Electrical:

Crew Emphasis:

The crew continued work on the Sentinel Way project in preparation for and conducting the planned outage on August 19th to transfer the service to the new wire. Additionally, they installed new lighting in the Sunnyside Beach bathrooms, inspected the Lexington Street project, changed out a panel in the 900 Block of Union Avenue, and performed other system maintenance.

Water/Sewer:

Crew Emphasis:

The crew responded to a sewer main blockage in the 1700 block of Washington Street, repaired a broken pump at the Chambers Bay lift station, repaired a broken pump at the Marietta Street lift station, jetted sewers, and performed other system maintenance.

Parks, Buildings and Grounds:

Crew Emphasis:

Staff prepared for and recovered from the Farmers’ Market and summer concerts, mowed parks and grounds, and performed other building and maintenance projects. Staff also replaced fencing around the apple tree at Pioneer Park, and repaired a water spigot at the Public Works Building.

Other:

DuPont’s Annual Hudson Bay Day & BBQ set for August 21

The DuPont Historical Society’s Annual Hudson Bay Day & BBQ will be held Sunday, August 21 from 11AM– 2PM at the DuPont Fire Department Bay across the street from the original 1843 Hudson Bay Fort Nisqually site (1780 Civic Dr, DuPont 98327).

The event includes guided tours to the site, live music by Pinniped, kids’ activities, petting zoo, historical demonstrations, paper crafts and more. BBQ provided by McNamara’s Pub and Eatery. $10, kids hot dog meal $5. No admission charge to the event.

Hudson Bay Day Volksmarch

The Sunday event also includes a Volksmarch. This year’s volksmarch will include a walk through the peaceful streets and quiet trails of DuPont (5-10K)

Sign-in for the walk is at 9am to 1pm at the DuPont fire department. The Volksmarch is free and Open to the Public. For more information about the Volksmarch, call Jerry Williams at 253-320-8600.

Directions: Take I-5 Exit 118 onto Center Drive, follow signs to Civic Dr. Parking is available in the Civic Center Parking lot between City Hall and the Fire Department.

Hudson Bay Day is sponsored by the DuPont Historical Society and the City of DuPont Tourism. Nisqually site property is made available for this event courtesy of the Archeology Conservancy.

For more information, Contact: Diane Rice at 253-312-3273 or visit: www.visitdupont.com or the museum’s website at www.dupontmuseum.com.

National Drive Electric, Sunday 18 September Noon to 2 PM, Pot Luck Picnic, Sunnyside Beach in Steilacoom, WA! Hope you can sign up and attend…..

Expected Plug-In Vehicles