Fiesta de la Familia is Saturday
We hope to see you tomorrow at Fort Steilacoom Park from 12 to 7 p.m. for our Fiesta de la Familia.
This celebration of culture and family is focused on bringing generations together. There will be free activities for children, live music, live performances that include crowd participation like Flamenco and Salsa lessons, a judged art show showcasing art from local artists, car show, mural unveiling and Q&A with artist Angelina Villalobos Soto, traditional foods for sale and more.
- Bring the kids to decorate Sugar Skull cookies at the Clover Park School District booth, get their face painted, make balloon art and participate in other free arts and crafts activities.
- Meet Alma from PBS’s Alma’s Way.
- Snap a selfie with “La Catrina” and “El Catrin”, life-size puppets that will be walking around the park.
- Share your creativity by adding poetry to the poetry tree.
- Bring items to place at the Ofrenda, or purchase items to honor loved ones at the event.
- Visit the Print NW booth to see photos of all the utility box wraps recently added around the city and vote on your favorite.
Performances kick-off at 12 p.m. with a salsa dance party and the fun continues into the afternoon and evening. Learn more.
September Business Showcase: Lakewood Barbershop
For a small business, Lakewood Barbershop leaves a huge imprint on the community. Self-proclaimed “Lakewood’s leading barbershop,” co-owner Jordan Parker (JP) shares the business is about more than haircuts. To him and co-owner Kyro Parker, the barbershop is about uplifting and providing a safe space for the community.
Along with providing scholarships and free haircuts to our youth, Lakewood Barbershop creates opportunities for our community to bond and grow. Lakewood Barbershop was recognized as the September 2023 Lakewood Business Showcase because it preserves and continues the culture of Lakewood through its creation of a safe and supportive space for members of our community to be themselves.
Read more about Lakewood Barbershop and check out this video to see what makes Lakewood Barbershop so special.
Remembering 9/11
The Lakewood City Council issued a proclamation this week recognizing Sept. 11, 2023 as a day of remembrance.
Friday, West Pierce Fire & Rescue and the City hosted a short ceremony outside Lakewood City Hall. The ceremony included comments from West Pierce Fire Chief Jim Sharp and Lakewood Police Chief Patrick D. Smith.
The event remembered the innocent victims of the terrorist attacks, honored them, their families and those who gave their lives to rescue others. The ceremony also paid tribute to those who responded to the tragedy, demonstrating unwavering heroism that defines our country.
On Monday, the 22nd anniversary of the attacks, Lakewood residents are urged to observe a moment of silence to honor all those impacted by this tragic day in our nation’s history.
Council Corner: Sept. 5, 2023 recap
At its meeting Tuesday, the Lakewood City Council issued two proclamations: One recognizing Sept. 11, 2023 as a day of Remembrance and the other recognizing September 2023 as National Hispanic Heritage Month.
West Pierce Fire & Rescue Chief Jim Sharp and Lakewood Police Chief Patrick D. Smith accepted the Remembrance Day proclamation.
Members of the Fiesta de la Familia event planning committee received the proclamation celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month and invited the public to attend the event this Saturday.
Council presented the September 2023 Business Showcase to small business owners Jordan and Kyro Parker of Lakewood Barbershop. After accepting the recognition, Kyro Parker highlighted the importance of supporting small businesses. She noted many small business owners in the community are minorities who don’t get opportunities to create the life they want. Being a small business owner and pursuing entrepreneurship affords the opportunity to create a life that might otherwise have been out of reach, she said. By supporting a small business, people can change a family’s life, change the city, and change the lives of people in the community, Parker said.
City Manager Report: Sewer connection update. Council received an update from Public Works Engineering Director Paul Bucich on the deadline for when people must connect to the sewer system built in the Tillicum and Woodbrook neighborhoods. Thirty-eight properties remain that still need to connect.
Action items. Council took action on the following:
- Authorized execution of an amendment to the agreement with Tetra Tech for Waughop Lake Alum Treatment
- Authorized the purchase and execution of Microsoft 365 subscription agreement
- Amended Lakewood Municipal Code Chapter 2.14 related to training required of Court Compliance Officer
Watch the meeting.
What’s on Deck: The Lakewood City Council meets Monday, Sept. 11, 2023 at 7 p.m. for a study session. Tentative agenda items include:
- Joint Landmarks and Heritage Advisory Board meeting
- Economic Development Update
- Review of 2nd Quarter (2023) Financial Report
How to attend: Attend in person at Lakewood City Hall, 6000 Main Street SW; Join via Zoom (or dial 253-215-8782 and enter meeting ID: 868 7263 2373), or watch live on the city’s YouTube channel.
Road Alert: Union Ave. Improvements
Work begins Monday on Union Avenue between Orchard and Spruce streets in the Tillicum neighborhood. Pedestrian improvements along the southeast side of Union Avenue include adding streetlights, curb, gutter, and sidewalk.
Lane closure begins Monday, Sept. 11, 2023
The northeast-bound lane will close during construction for the improvements to be installed. It is anticipated the project will take 35 working days.
Residents living along roads west of Union Avenue can expect traffic to increase during construction as the contractor will need to close one lane and one direction of traffic throughout the duration of the work, including during non-working hours.
We apologize for any inconvenience during this work and appreciate your patience.
For more information and updates, visit the project website and scroll to “Active Projects”.
Police Chief’s Corner
Lakewood Police Chief Patrick D. Smith wants Lakewood residents to know how the department is working for them. Each week he shares a summary that includes a look at total calls for service for the prior week and the types of crimes reported and responded to by police.
The intent of the summary is to share a snapshot of how the department works each week to keep the community safe. To see quarterly statistical analysis, visit the Lakewood Police Department crime statistics page on the city website.
Weekly Summary, Aug. 29-Sept. 5, 2023
- Calls for Service: 1,117
- Arrests: 55
- Violent Crime: 19
- Property Crime: 100
- Traffic Stops: 141
- Collisions (reportable): 16
Do you ‘know when to go’ in an emergency?
With recent wildfires and corresponding smoke inundating our region on people’s minds, the four Western Washington counties of King, Pierce, Snohomish and Thurston are joining forces, along with partners, to launch a regional “Ready, Set, Go!” evacuation campaign.
Learn the evacuation levels and read more.
Sign up for Lakewood Alert
The City of Lakewood uses an alert service: Lakewood Alert to notify residents of important information.
If there is an emergency in the city that requires public notification, we will use this alert system to send out information related to the emergency. An example of when we recently used this is the Aug. 16 fire in Fort Steilacoom Park. In partnership with West Pierce Fire & Rescue and our West Pierce Emergency Management Coalition, we used the system to notify people of voluntary evacuation orders.
Subscribers can sign up to receive text and email alerts. People can also sign up for important non-emergency updates including information about road impacts from large events in the city or information about special events.
Find out more and sign up today.
Work for the city of Lakewood
We’re hiring! Looking to change careers? Looking for a new job? Ready to re-enter the job market?
Join the city of Lakewood! We have a variety of positions open across multiple departments. Lakewood offers a competitive benefits package. We are part of the state retirement system (PERS). And the city is a beautiful place to work.
Find a current list of open positions online.
Road project updates
Washington Boulevard
The City’s contractor continued work grading for curbs, concrete pavement and sidewalks. Pouring curb and sidewalk will begin next week along Washington Boulevard between Lake City and 83rd.
Angle Lane/Elwood Drive
Striping of Angle Lane and 87th Avenue SW was done this week. The lights will be turned on as soon as Puget Sound Energy is available to energize the system. Final landscape restoration will occur within the next couple of weeks. Once this is done, the project will be complete.
Union Ave: Orchard to Spruce Street
Construction begins Monday on this project. This project will construct curbs, sidewalks and street lighting on the side of Union Avenue closet to Interstate 5. It will be a quick project, taking no more than 6-7 weeks to complete.