Weekly Bulletin: Feb. 25, 2022

February 25, 2022: Lakewood Headlines

New business is booming in Lakewood – we ended 2021 with 138 new businesses and many more jobs than we started with.

Resources are available for renters in distress. We host free legal counseling sessions to discuss evictions and discrimination, and a program to report unsafe rental unit conditions.

We’re hosting a resident satisfaction survey – let us know how you feel about life in Lakewood. The survey has about 30 questions encompassing transportation, safety, parks, and more.

Mayor Jason Whalen issued a statement of solidarity with Ukraine and her expatriates here in our city and country.


New Business is Booming in Lakewood

Lakewood ended 2021 with 138 more businesses than it started with. Some were big (Aero Precision brought 800 new jobs) and some were small (Seoul Bowl Food Truck employs just a few).

Strong net business growth is a sign of good things to come in Lakewood. This City continues to attract record investment and new entrepreneurship. A new BIPOC Business Accelerator provides grants and workshops for BIPOC entrepreneurs.

We paid a visit to two businesses that recently opened (or reopened): Crumbl Cookies and the Lake City Pub.


Assistance & Resources for Renters

Increased costs of living and lingering economic effects of the pandemic continue to harm some residents. Assistance is still available:

Housing Assistance Programs

  • The City may help with unaffordable but important home repairs, and we perform safety inspections of rental units when residents complain of problems.

Tacomaprobono Legal Workshops

  • Tacomaprobono offers free legal advice to low-income renters facing eviction, discrimination, and other issues.

Habitat for Humanity Workshops

  • On Thursday, March 17, Habitat will host a workshop to review available resources and assistance for renters.

Rental Housing Safety Program

  • This program ensures that rental units are safe to live in. Tenants may report unsafe conditions, and we may respond with an emergency safety inspection.

TPU Utility Assistance

  • Tacoma Public Utility’s shutoff moratorium expires on March 31. Customers may be disconnected for nonpayment afterward. TPU urges customers with past-due bills to call 253-502-8600 to avoid disconnection.

Opportunities for Leadership & Input

Pierce County Commission on Refugee and Immigrant Affairs

  • Pierce County is recruiting board members for a new Commission on Refugee and Immigrant Affairs. Young adults under 25 are encouraged to apply.

Lakewood Resident Satisfaction Survey

  • How is life in Lakewood? What could be better? Take this 15-minute survey and provide your honest opinions about your hometown.

Lakewood Advisory Boards

  • We currently have vacancies on our Landmarks & Heritage Advisory Board, and our Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. Apply to serve your community and make a difference!
Quality of life is our foremost priority – take our survey above and let us know how you feel about Lakewood. Pictured is a young family at Truck and Tractor Day last October.

Mayor Jason Whalen on Ukraine

(Posted Thursday, Feb. 24) This morning, Russia invaded the free nation of Ukraine, homeland of 44 million and motherland of nearly a million Americans of Ukrainian descent.

Lakewood is a military community, home to generations of active and retired military members and their families. Lakewood is also a global community, home to expatriates of Ukraine and eastern Europe.

Those of us who have served this great country well know that our presiding interest as a nation is freedom and peace. C-17s roar and artillery rumbles here, and we trust their purpose to be protection of that peace.

Now, a free nation is under siege, and we watch this incursion unfold with horror and uncertainty. We stand in solidarity with Ukraine and her people here in our city and country.

Many that live in Lakewood have known war and the personal impact of armed conflict. We embrace our veterans and active military watching this conflict with great anxiety. We share a collective hope that peace may soon be restored.

– Jason Whalen, Mayor


Events

Our 2022 event lineup is now posted; visit our Events page and save these dates!

Mayor’s Community Coffeehouse
Thursday, March 24, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Fort Steilacoom Park Pavilion

Chat with Mayor Whalen about important community issues.

Parks Appreciation Day
Saturday, April 23, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Fort Steilacoom Park

Help us beautify local parks by helping pull weeds and picking up junk.

Youth Fishing Event
Saturday, May 14, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
American Lake Park

Learn to fish and keep your pole! This event is free, but registration is required.

Dancing in the Streets
Saturday, May 21, 4:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Fort Steilacoom Park

Bring your dancing shoes and cut a rug at Colonial Plaza downtown.

SummerFest is back! Join us on July 23 for our famous summertime spectacle.

Roads

  • Gravelly Lake & Nyanza: Washington Boulevard is now closed between Lake City Boulevard and Gravelly Lake Drive. This phase is expected to be completed in June.
  • Steilacoom & Custer: Sidewalk work is nearly complete along the north side of Steilacoom Boulevard. All we have left to do is striping, but we’ll have to wait for warmer weather.
  • Phillips & Onyx: Sidewalk construction will begin in May along the west side of Phillips between Agate & Onyx. Expect minor lane adjustments.

City Council Summary

Monday, Feb. 22 Regular Meeting

The meeting of Feb. 22, 2022 began with a business showcase highlighting positive net business growth in Lakewood: 2021 ended with 138 more businesses in Lakewood than it started with. Communications Manager Jim Kopriva showcased two businesses that had recently opened their doors.

A construction contract was issued for the 2022 Stormwater Repair Project, and an agreement was authorized to fund an audit of the Lakewood City Hall facility for energy efficiency, air quality, and other criteria.

Appointments to various advisory boards were approved:

  • Martin Pullman was appointed to serve on the Public Safety Advisory Committee
  • L. Robin Sutton was appointed to the Lakewood Arts Commission
  • Janet Spingath was appointed to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
  • Robert Estrada was appointed to the Planning Commission.

City Manager John Caulfield provided a series of updates:

  • Lakewood was recognized as a “WellCity” by the Association of Washington Cities, a distinction that earns the City a reduced insurance rate.
  • “Bus Rapid Transit” is coming to the region, and Lakewood staff continue to meet with Pierce Transit leadership to advocate service to the Springbrook and Tillicum communities.
  • Public Works intends to treat Waughop Lake with alum to reduce phosphorous levels and algae later this summer.
  • Caulfield also reviewed recent legislative updates. The City hopes for $250,000 in funding to support a multimodal transport study.

To conclude the meeting, several council members acknowledged the death of Boo Nam Han. Mr. Han was the founder of Boo Han Market in the International District, an anchor of the business district and of the Korean community living around it.

Next Meetings:


Until Next Week…

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