Neary-Sighted

Yes, even your faithful correspondent is right about something now and then. That's why I felt I had to brag in the headline. I feel really validated by something I just witnessed in, of all places, the Spokane Opera House. Let me share.

In 2006, Lakewood Mayor Claudia Thomas organized several joint monthly meetings with the school board and City Council, and the staffs of both the city and schools, to discuss what we can learn from the book 'Smart Communities.'

At each workshop, I said the same thing: the smartest cities set public benchmarks to measure the progress of their community, and then mobilize activity around them.

For example, we might choose test scores in Lakewood schools and the crime rate as a benchmark, and work to unite the community to deal with the underlying issues.

In other communities, these benchmarks are sometimes called a report card.

I write this in the C wing of the Spokane Airport, waiting for an Alaska plane. If you ever fly Alaska Airlines into or out of Spokane, you spend a lot of time waiting. But I'm feeling really good because of what I just saw. So maybe it's nice I have time to write.

A couple of hours ago, the Spokane Chamber of Commerce and the Spokane Economic Development Commission held a ceremony at the Spokane Opera House to celebrate that they have become one entity. They merged. They are joining forces to promote the economy and well-being of Spokane. Hundreds of people attended this kickoff event. I attended as part of my 'day job.'

Guess what the newly united organization announced?

They announced that they are going to set annual benchmarks for Spokane.

I have in my hands a glossy publication about the statistics around which they hope to unify Spokane. The publication was presented to the hundreds by a member of the committee that brought the two groups together, the publisher of the local daily newspaper.

In Spokane's case, they chose an unusually large number of benchmarks including:

Number of business establishments per 100,000 people.
Unemployment rate.
Dropout rate.
Student-to-teacher ratio.
Post-secondary degrees.
Average annual wage.
Per capita personal income.
Female officials and managers.
Cost of Living.
Child poverty rate.
Housing affordability index.
Crime rate.

And others...

I'm not sure Lakewood has enough energy to mobilize people around that many goals. The point is, Spokane 'gets it' that you motivate people by giving them a target. In Lakewood's case, we could choose fewer statistics around which to measure our progress every year.

Spokane should get full credit for having a vision, and mapping it on paper. What do you think would be the most meaningful statistics to measure progress in Lakewood? Around what causes, tied to some sort of measurable number, can we mobilize volunteers? Let me know what you think.
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Last Monday, the Lakewood council got a briefing from Rotarians who are planning something very cool with the local schools. Lakewood Rotary is planning to spend roughly $150,000 over the next couple years to help the Clover Park School District develop an International Baccalaureate program.

That's a fantastic investment in our youth - and our schools. If you see a Rotarian, thank 'em.

The short version of the IB program is that it is a special program of study for high school kids who want to develop themselves and likely go on to college. IB is highly-regarded: the sort of thing you would describe to someone who you were trying to convince to move to Lakewood.

It's well known that a percentage of Lakewood's promising high school students go to Charles Wright Academy and Bellarmine ... and also to Foss High School in Tacoma. One of my daughter's closest friends did that very thing. Her family lives near Idlewild Elementary and nowhere near Tacoma. But Foss is the closest school to offer the International Baccalaureate program.

The program requires a lot of set-up, as well as certification by the international HQ. So the council learned it will actually be a few years before the IB program is up and running.

YOu can read a lot more about the topic in an archived story from The Suburban Times. It's all good news, and one of the finest examples of how people are investing time, energy and money in this community.
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Military bases: Pierce County is not the only place taking a hard look at how to protect its bases. Check out this news article about efforts to limit development around bases in North Carolina.

From the article: "At the top of those concerns, the 37 members of the commission agreed, is base encroachment -- local communities allowing too much growth and development around bases' immediate perimeters."
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Monday's study session led to a nuanced article in The News Tribune about ways to protect the military bases from closure (first described two posts below).

The council ended the discussion Monday in a good place. We told the city manager to go ahead and talk to potential partners in an annexation, including the federal, state and county governments. As the article above states, nobody is talking about having Lakewood go it alone. There is no way Lakewood should bear the entire burden of saving the entire Pierce County economy. No final decisions have been made.

Those of you who want to know more about this topic can read the full report, which is now available through a link on the city's Web site. My earlier posting on this topic of annexing the bases and protecting the surrounding land is available here.
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My regular readers, both of you, are aware that many of us have been crusading to save four of the oldest buildings in Washington. The four buildings are a museum in Lakewood on the grounds of Western State Hospital. The latest word is that the property owner will repair two of the roofs in the worst condition by spring. You can quickly recognize these two buildings out of the four because two roofs are protected by tarps.

The whole deal has me worried because state government had told the News Tribune in July 2006 that the roofs would be replaced that summer, before this winter. The project is long overdue. But we understand the roofers fell behind on projects because of all the bad weather.

Assuming state government keeps to its word, the big problem now is that one of the other older roofs which we thought was in reasonably good shape has also sprung a leak. There has thus been interior damage and staining to a building erected in 1857. While the state has promised to fix the two tarped roofs, there are no repairs in sight to repair the other two roofs.

Thus, the president of Historic Fort Steilacoom has sent out an alert asking people to write our state lawmakers. For more information about this topic, click here.
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2007 has arrived with a bang. And it arrives with one of the most important decisions this Lakewood City Council will have to make.

Let's begin with the assumption that Fort Lewis and McChord are responsible for about one-third of the economic activity in Pierce County. I think you know they're important. If you just glance around most businesses, like restaurants, you'll see members of the military and their families. As I write this on a laptop computer, I'm sitting in the coffeeshop at the Barnes and Noble here in Lakewood. As I look around the coffeeshop, and as I look past the jigsaw puzzles and throughout the store, I can see a huge percentage of the customers are guys with short hair or children with guys with short hair.

The bases themselves provide lots of jobs. My wife, for example, works at Madigan. 'Nuff said.

Let's also begin with another assumption: it would be a local disaster if the nation closes those bases. Now, this could be argued. You could do a lot with the land. Maybe Intel would open up four or five manufacturing plants. Sure. But my experience says we'd have no idea how it would turn out if those bases closed except the situation would at first be bad. When Fort Ord closed in California, Cindy and I lost what was then our life savings invested through our home equity. We figured after we sold our house that we were out $17,000. That was a huge amount to a young couple.

I don't want anything like that to ever happen to anyone in Lakewood.

On Monday, the Lakewood council will hear from consultants who studied an intriguing idea first proposed by one of the smartest people I know in Lakewood, Councilman Doug Richardson. (himself a General in the Reserves)

1. What if Lakewood annexed the bases and collected tax dollars and other sources of revenue that the bases are mostly aleady paying?

2. And what if Lakewood used that money to protect the bases by buying up land in the Clear Zone around McChord?

I think if you asked most folks, they would say they think Congressman Norm Dicks has cast a magic spell and McChord and Fort Lewis will never close. But the bases are open because they are great bases. The concern is that if we allow a lot of development around them, the military could close the bases.

This is how The News Tribune once put the situation in a summary:

The Air Force wants to keep the clear zone as free of development as possible, though businesses do operate there now. Officials from Lakewood and other Pierce County cities worry activity in the clear zone could hinder the mission of the installations, making them vulnerable to future base closures.

The closure of Fort Lewis and McChord, even if it happened 10 or 20 years from now, would drop a bomb, if you will pardon the phrase in this context, on Lakewood. Thousands of people here would move. The economy would be a wasteland.

The consultant's report that we will talk about Monday night says that annexing the bases could bring in enough money to cover up to $55 million in acquiring the land.

Yep. I said $55 million.

That is an enormous amount of money by Lakewood government standards. It represents two years of operations of our city government including the police department. But there is a lot of development in that area right now, and the land is going to cost. Landowners must and should be compensated fairly.

The whole project would require help from the county, other cities, and the state. (Not to mention the federal government, which of course we all know ought to be really the force buying up this land. Good luck getting them to do the right thing)

One thing we will all have to do is read up more about development within the Clear Zone and around bases, a subject known as encroachment. Throughout the nation, various governments have shown awareness that bases are more likely to be closed if development takes place around them. Here's just one example of an older document on the subject.

The subject is extremely complex. I have heavily simplified the numbers involved. Less expensive options are available. We will know more after Monday's 7 p.m. study session. Do not worry that any decision will be rushed.

But do be aware that at some point, we will have to make an enormous decision.
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You may have already read that the Lakewood council decided to invest in a conference center within the new student center at Clover Park Technical College. The city will be able to host events for up to 1,500 people, which is a heckuva lot more than you can fit into any one existing room in Lakewood right now.

If you take a close look at a map of the center, you'll really appreciate just how ambitious the new center is. Its presence as almost a mini-city could have a huge effect on the college and the rest of the community. The center is something I would expect to see at UW, not in Lakewood. It's a great accomplishment for the college and a wise investment by the state.

One thing you might want to know, by way of my comments on The News Tribune blog, is how the council paid for the investment. You should be aware that the city would not have been able to spend the particular funds on most other needs in Lakewood. We could not have spent the money on police or roads. The money had to be spent on something related to tourism.

Now, I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that the city made this investment because no one will think to look for us on the grounds of Clover Park Tech. We will be able to dig a secret tunnel under the building, from which we can launch our secret takeover of the Lakewood Water District.

Nope. That's not it at all. The council made this investment because it's one more piece in a puzzle that is shaping into a beautiful - and lucrative - picture. Other pieces: A new Lakewood museum. The first pioneer fort of Washington Territory. Lakewold Gardens. Thornewood Manor. Lakewood Playhouse. Two colleges. An international shopping district. Huge and historic parks. Lakes.

And I'm not even getting into how Tillicum will be a whole new world.
I could keep going with the list. Add a 1,500-capacity building to the list, and you begin to see how Lakewood will develop its economy. We don't need Intel to open up a manufacturing plan here. We can develop our own engine of tourism and destination attractions.
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There was much more to Bob Moawad than that the fact that he lived in Lakewood. However, he has a link to our history. Thus, Bob Moawad's death marks a sad day for Lakewood.

Bob was a longtime Lakewood resident and internationally known motivational speaker who could always be counted on to brighten anyone's day. He volunteered to help countless charities in the area. I mention a connection to history because it was Bob who addressed the volunteers with a message of inspiration when the last - and successful - cityhood campaign began in 1994. It's been awhile, but I am pretty sure it was in the old Lakewood Mall community room; but I do remember for sure that people left the room bouncing.

The future will only know Bob through the recordings he leaves for us.

Bob had openly discussed his cancer for years, and found in it another way to share an inspirational message. The sun was shining brightly on the snow this Monday, when his obituary first appeared, but Lakewood had lost some of its luster.
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Here's one of the toughest questions the city will face in early 2007: should Pacific Highway south of Bridgeport including Ponders continue to look like it does, or should it be narrowed to three lanes to allow more land for commercial development?

The alternative is not as strange as it sounds: 20th Street East runs along I-5 in Fife and is the definition of "thriving." The stretch of road runs along the busiest highway in Washington, but is still home to several auto dealers, Costco, and many other businesses.

The Lakewood City Council will be asked to decide soon whether to commission a design that would establish how much money it would cost, to the city and to landowners, to transform that area. The city would then present specific cost estimates to the landowners.

The city's volunteer Redevelopment Advisory Board, which includes a lot of folks involved in commercial real estate, thinks the three lanes are a great idea.

The landowners I know along there are split. Some folks think it is nuts to narrow any road in Washington. They say development won't change all that much because of the constraints forced on the area by the railroad and I-5.

Other people think bringing more land into play could give Lakewood more employment centers - businesses - in the area.

Councilman Pad Finnigan has questioned whether the road should have sidewalks with curbs and bike lanes, adding to the cost.

One complication is that there was a lot of discussion about the matter before anything ever got to the council. For example, because of this past history, some landowers are running around quoting outrageous price estimates for the work.

Those will never happen ... The council is unlikely to try to force the businesses along Pacific Highway out of business unelss we can figure out how it might help our secret takeover of the Lakewood Water District and the Knights Templar. I don't see the connection. But seriously, given that there has been some animosity and confusion surrounding this project, making a cool decision when people have been worried about this subject for awhile is going to be tough.

All in all, there is much to discuss. I think this will be a tough one, so let me know what you think. All opinions are welcome.
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Sometime early this year, perhaps Feb. 5, the Lakewood council will publicly honor the owners of a "new" landmark. The Hopkins house was designated and protected in perpetuity late last year as a landmark by vote of the city's Landmarks and Heritage Advisory Board.

You can't just walk into City Hall and get a building designated. There is a lengthy study process that documents the history of the building. The process is designed to make sure the building does have a history and that it has not been significantly altered.

The only other landmarks protected from demolition in this town are the pioneer Boatman House on 112th, Lakewold Gardens, the Rhodesleigh Carriage House, and the Frank Lloyd Wright house. So the Hopkins house joins a short but proud list. Its owners, James and Priscilla Hopkins, will deserve all the applause they get at our meeting for making sure their home is protected for our and future generations.

As it turns out, the history of the Hopkins Home fills a huge missing link in the small, but growing, collection of landmarks. As you likely know, the history of the military is closely connected with the history of Lakewood. There were early military encampments throughout the area; but certainly Camp Lewis and its descendants, Fort Lewis and McChord, have had, and continue to have, a huge influence.

The Hopkins House, along American Lake at 7520 North St. SW, was built in 1917 by one of the people who was also building a much larger project: Camp Lewis. So we now, in one stroke, have a defined historic and permanent tie to the bases in Lakewood's arsenal of historic sites.

Rather than insert myself into the story, here are excerpts from the report prepared for the landmarks board by consultant and historian Jennifer Schreck:

"Construction of the camp began on July 5, 1917 and 'in 90 days some 10,000 men built 1,757 buildings and 422 other structures, lighted, plumbed, and heated.' Camp Lewis was initially used to train troops for World War I.

"The contractors for Camp Lewis were Hurley-Mason Company of Tacoma Washington. It is believed that in approximately 1917 Harry and Rosalie Hurley constructed the house at 7520 North Street similar to those constructed at Camp Lewis, wood construction on pier blocks.

"The chain of title for the property starts 1872 with a patent issued by the United States of America to Tillman H. Shelton and signed by the President U.S. Grant ... The Hurleys held the property for 9 years until selling it beginning a progression of several owners until September 12, 1932 when Milda Hopkins and her husband James A. Hopkins acquired the property which has remained in their family until present day.

"Milda Hopkins was an artist of note whose work was included in the Tacoma News Tribune from 1962 until 1978. Her exhibits included Handforth, Frye, Burien Arts Festival, University of Washington, Chehalis, Olympia, and Kirkland. She was a member of Lakewood Artists.

"James A. Hopkins worked his entire career in the Tacoma School District beginning as a teacher and reaching assistant superintendent of schools in charge of buildings and construction. He played a large part in building two new schools, Geiger and Downing, and the construction of new additions to Wainwright and Mary Lyon schools. He was also involved in the construction of Mt. Tahoma and Wilson High schools.

"Milda and James Hopkins’ son James and his wife Priscilla Hopkins currently own the property and have carefully maintained the historic house."

You could build a list 20 pages long of all the research topics that await Lakewood historians. The life of the Hurley family is now one of them. It would be neat to know more about the family - and perhaps open up more formal connections between the people interested in Lakewood history and the people interested in military history. In the meantime, we can thank two generations of the Hopkins family for maintaining and adding to the legacy.

Here is a link with more info about the history of Camp Lewis.
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Just as the buds are forming and preparing to bloom on the camellias, a load of manure has arrived in today's mail. The Lakewood Water District sent a letter explaining why it is passing along a 6 percent utility tax from the city onto its ratepayers.

Let me first say that I opposed the tax and the recent agreement with the water district. So if I had any political sense, I would shut up. But the letter is so wrong, it has to be corrected.

The letter explains the reasoning why the district signed the agreement to pass along a 6 percent water tax - a water tax which pretty much every citizen of a city anywhere pays. Now, the fact that almost every city's residents pay the tax does not make it right. But we ought to be honest in discussions of these things.

The letter states that the reason the district agreed to pass along the tax is that it wanted to "buy protection" from a city takeover of the water district. Now, I am unware of any effort to "take over" the water district. You do hear about such claims ... from the water district. Isolated members of the water district have been making up such a plot for years, and maybe they really do see people taking notes under the fir needles on the lawn. Heck, maybe the Trilateral Commission and evil members of Santa's reindeer gang have a plot going ... I don't have access to whatever brainwave transmissions the water district is monitoring. But the city of Lakewood has not and does not plan any takeover. I was there for the start of cityhood, as a reporter talking to every key figure for and against cityhood, and every city leader I have spoken with has thought that any such takeover is inappropriate.

For the elected officials of the Lakewood Water District - or whoever wrote that note - to claim they are "buying protection" is to accuse our city government of intimidation. I agree the tax as constituted is wrong. But let's not accuse each other of secret plots or seek to undercut other elected governments. That makes all of us who try to make Lakewood a better place look bad.

I'm not sure what more there is to say. The Lakewood water district did not "buy protection," but they did buy the right to be inaccurate. You have to decide if that's a good use of your water rates.
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This post will give you a good reason to go visit a downtown Tacoma museum, although in all honesty I should warn that you are going to have to work a bit once you get inside the building.

Here's the background: Some of the most interesting photos in the Lakewood history book relate to the Alexander and Carman families, who were a big part of Lakewood history and certainly the history of Lakewold Gardens. (click on the 'estate' link for Lakewold's own view of its history) Many of you might have known Joe Carman III (whose mother was an Alexander) and know his widow, Barbara. After his death, she donated a number of copies of images from the Alexander and Carman families for the book and for the collections of the Lakewood Historical Society and Lakewold Gardens.

Barbara Carman also donated clothing and paintings to the Washington State Historical Society. I know this because I visited with her just before she moved from Lakewood. When I was scanning in photos for the book a couple of years ago, she was waiting for the historical society to claim some of those items. Now, a few of those items are on display in downtown Tacoma.

Here's the deal: You have to hunt for the exhibit, because it is on the far end of the main floor. It's the floor where most exhibits don't change and where schoolchildren are usually running around as part of their tours. So even folks who visit the museum regularly may not visit this part of the museum and could easily miss the exhibit. The paintings of the Alexanders are in a gallery at the left rear section of the main floor, near the Hanford exhibit. It's in an area known as the Inviting the Spirit Gallery (although be warned that map does not show this current exhibit). The exhibit also talks about the artist who painted their portraits.

You can see Joe Carman III, painted as a little boy, as well as the clothing he wore in the painting. It's pretty cute. For those of you who knew him well, it's a chance to visit and see his Lakewood family placed in the context of Washington state history.

Here's the official description of the exhibit. The description focuses on Carman's grandfather, a key figure in Lakewold's history, H.F. Alexander. Now you know the Lakewood angle!
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