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City of Sumner newSletter may 2007iSSue 48

After years of service and restoration, a piece of Sumner’s heritage returns. The wrought-iron gateway proclaim-ing “Sumner the Bulb Capital of the West” was rededicated 77 years to the date after its original dedication.

The artwork has a long history that tells of community involvement and pride. Originally, the Women’s Civic

Improvement Club made the sign in following their mission “to promote the welfare of Sumner by beautify-ing the city....” The club had 137 members at the time and spent a large portion of their budget, $55.98, on this marker for Coryell’s Corner. The marker was the idea of Helen Purvis, the garden chair for the club and also the city’s postmistress.

Historic Marker Returns to Remind of Sumner’s Heritage

INSIDE: Cemetery Expansion • Domestic Violence Kiosk • Sidewalk Update • Bicycle Donation • Ask Dr. Sumner

Celebrate the ReturnYou can help celebrate the return of Sumner’s historic bulb sign! Purchase the commemorative mug for $10 and help support the Sumner Arts Commission.

Mugs are available for purchase at

the Sumner Downtown Association office at

906 Kincaid Avenue.

The club held a commemorative cer-emony with speeches from the Mayor, County Commissioner, and the bulb growers’ representative. The sign proudly stood at 19’ long and 8’ high both on its original corner and later on Traffic Avenue.

A few years ago, the Sumner Arts Commission worked on the new

entrance sign for Traffic Avenue. However, like Mrs. Purvis and the visionary women in the late 1920s, today’s volunteers also saw the beauty in the old sign. They worked with the City’s Public Works shops to have the sign restored to its origi-nal glory. The Sumner Historical Society provided information about the sign’s origin and history.

And, this spring, the marker re-turned to its original location (now referred to as Main Street and 160th) on its anniversary. Sumner

may not exactly be the Bulb Capital of the West anymore, but the sign’s re-turn and rededication is a monu-ment to all the volunteers of yesterday and today who work to keep Sumner’s heritage and beauty alive and well. And on May 3, the Arts Commission, the Historical Society, the City and Mrs. Purvis’ nephew Stan celebrated this spirit and welcomed the sign home.

Sumner Arts Commission & Mayor Enslow with the refurbished sign

City of Sumner1104 Maple Street

Sumner, WA 98390253-863-8300

253-863-2850 FAX

Sumner Community ConneCtion2 may 2007

Mayor’s Message

MAYORDave Enslow 299-5790

CITY COUNCILSteve Allsop 299-5793Curt Brown 299-5796Mike Connor 299-5795Randy Hynek 299-5792Ed Hannus 299-5791Leroy Goff 299-5797Matt Richardson 299-5794

CITY STAFFJohn Doan,City Administrator 299-5501

Diane Supler,Deputy City Administrator 299-5502

Carmen Palmer, Communications Director 299-5503

City Attorney 299-5611

Susan Clary,City Clerk 299-5500

Paul Rogerson, Community Development Director 299-5521

Colleen Wilson,Police Chief 299-5641

Bill Shoemaker, Public Works Director 299-5701

Lee Anderson, Parks and Facilities Manager 299-5631

CITY OFFICES

Administration/Finance 863-8300 FAX 863-2850Cemetery 299-5510Fire (non-emergency) 863-1800Golf Course 863-8198Inspection Line 299-5530Parks and Recreation 891-6500Permit Center 299-5523Police (non-emergency) 863-6384Senior Center 863-2910

MUNICIPAL COURT

Judge Stephen R. SheltonCourt Offices 863-7635

Cathy Pashon, Court Administrator 299-5621

EAST PIERCE FIRE & RESCUE

Main Number 863-1800Dan Packer, Fire Chief 863-5451

We’re not alone. In last month’s edition of Governing magazine (there’s a

magazine for everything these days, isn’t there?), it said, “Mayors hear it from

their constituents all the time: Why don’t we have a Trader Joe’s? Why don’t we

have a Bass Pro Shops? What are we, some kind of backwater?” It’s like they

took the words right out of our mouths. Especially as we review the proposals

for the Red Apple site, many of you have been asking me those very questions,

and then following up by asking what individual citizens can do to help get a

store here. Tell your favorite stores about how great it is in Sumner--perhaps

when you’re shopping there or through contact information provided on stores’

websites. But,

there’s some-

thing even

better you can

do to help us

out.

Here it is:

help us keep

Sumner an

active, vibrant

community so

that stores and businesses will want to come here. A store is a business, not a

service. And a business wants a location full of customers. (Remember the old

saying, location, location, location?) If they don’t think they’ll have custom-

ers nearby on a regular basis, it doesn’t matter how many people say they want

them here. In that same article, a consultant named Brad Segal, who helps cities

plan for revitalizing their downtowns, said “smart businesses these days are

looking for urban amenities that draw people for reasons other than shopping....

‘a successful downtown is a multidimensional environment that includes hous-

ing, office workers, arts, culture and entertainment.’” So, our Town Center Plan

is calling for just that. To do your part, keep coming to downtown events, shop-

ping downtown, even living downtown. When a retailer sees that, it will want to

be part of this vibrant city of Sumner.

Sumner Community ConneCtionmay 2007 3

guest CounCil ColuMn

Have you ridden Sounder lately? Where did you park? Unless you were on the first train, I’ll bet it wasn’t at the Station!

There is a daily drumbeat of folks asking for a parking garage. Since roughly 90% of the folks who use this Station live outside of Sumner, that drumbeat is mostly coming from surrounding communities.

Were a garage to become reality (no time soon since there is currently no funding), appearance is one issue, but the greater questions in my mind are

1....What will a garage solve?2....What will it do to our worsening traffic situation in town?

On the first, I submit that it will be of little value. We see only the tip of the iceberg with Sounder use. The development on the Plateau guarantees usage will continue to increase. Additional Station park-ing will be consumed as soon as it’s made available, and we’ll be back where we are today.

Second, a garage is a car magnet. We increase Sounder parking, and we’re turning our downtown core into a Park and Ride lot. Have you tried to get out of town after trains arrive? Have you seen the streams of commuters passing through our neighborhoods on Park, Wood, Academy, Silver, trying to avoid the congestion on Thompson and Traffic?

Increase the parking and you increase the congestion in lockstep measure. That does not enhance our community.

We need to focus on alternate means for getting to the station. I’m glad that Sound Transit is working hard with Pierce Transit to provide workable shuttle connections from the surround-ing area. We need to have enhanced shuttle service for our town residents too.

Please fully engage in this continuing dialogue. You control our destiny. The quality of your community is at stake. Let your voice be heard.

Steve [email protected]

Items Passed by the City Council

JANUARYAdopted Ordinance 2200 Amending Sum-ner Municipal Code relative to fire services

Adopted Resolution No. 1214 approv-ing an interlocal cooperative purchasing agreement with King County Directors’ Association

Adopted Ordinance No. 2201 approving rate increase for refuse collection

Adopted Ordinance No. 2202 amending Sumner Municipal Code regarding recycling

Adopted Ordinance No. 2192 approving changes in residential parking configuration requirements

Adopted Ordinance No. 2193 approving changes for residential front yard setbacks

Adopted Ordinance No. 2194 allowing through lots along minor arterials to have a six-foot tall fence

Adopted Ordinance No. 2195 restricting the allowable time to rebuild a damaged single family house

Adopted Ordinance No. 2196 allowing outdoor drinking and dining for restaurants and coffee shops

Tabled Ordinance No. 2197 allowing outdoor drinking and dining on private property to February 20th

Adopted Ordinance No. 2198 allowing outdoor seating on public sidewalks

Adopted Ordinance 2199, clarifying the mixed use district requirements for mixed use structures

Authorized the Mayor to enter into a construction contract with Shinstine & Associates for park restroom enclosures

Approved a right-of-way land exchange near the 24th Street Interchange

Accepted the 2007 – 2009 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union No. 483, Collective Bargaining Agreement

FEBRUARYAdopted Resolution No. 1215 establishing the budget and criteria for 2007 Sidewalk Program

Adopted Resolution 1216 authorizing the Mayor to execute a Latecomers Agree-ment with Northwest Finish Group, Inc.

Authorized participation in the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System lawsuit

Approved a contract amendment for Shinstine & Associates

Adopted Ordinance No. 2203 establishing a fee for insufficient funds checks

Adopted Ordinance No. 2204 closing out fund No. 207, LID No. 53

Approved a Professional Services Agreement with KPG for On-Call Engineering Services

Authorized the Mayor to renew the interlocal agreement between the City of Sumner, Sumner School District and the City of Bonney Lake for recreational services through 2007

Adopt Ordinance No. 2205 amending the 2007 Salary Schedule

Authorized the Mayor to execute the 2007-2009 Collective Bargaining Agreement with General Teamsters, Local No. 313

Accept the Bridge Street Bridge Rehabili-tation Project CIP 03-07

Approved the Professional Services Agreement with Parametrix for design of the White River Trail Extension

MARCHApproved an interlocal agreement with Pierce County for training

Adopted Ordinance No. 2206 amending the rates at Sumner Meadows Golf Links

Approved an interlocal agreement for purchase of a street sweeper

Sumner-area residents who are victims of domestic violence -- or fear they may become victims -- have a new tool to help them protect themselves.A computer kiosk at the Sumner City Hall allows anyone to electronically petition Pierce County Superior Court for a temporary protection order.

“We are thrilled to have this kiosk in our City Hall,” said Mayor Dave Enslow. “If it helps get even one person out of a situation with domestic violence, it is a wonderful benefit to our entire community.”

County Councilmember Shawn Bun-ney, a Crystal Judson Family Justice Center board member, said the Sum-ner location is key. “Anyone in this area can apply for a protection order without traveling to the County-City Building in Tacoma. We are commit-ted to locating kiosks throughout the county so someone in need will have access to help.”

A temporary protection order is valid for 14 days and can be granted by the court based upon the petition filed electronically at the kiosk. Once the temporary order’s 14 days have passed, the court holds a hearing to determine whether or not a final order -- valid for a year or more -- should be granted.

Sumner Community ConneCtion4 may 2007

Resources for Relatives Raising Children

In Pierce County, it’s estimated that over 11,000 grandparents have grandchildren liv-ing in their household. If you are a grandpar-ent or other relative raising children, there are a number of re-sources available.

To request financial assistance or a monthly newsletter, contact Child & Family

Sumner Adds Domestic Violence Kiosk

Mayor Enslow and County Council-member Shawn Bunney test the new kiosk at Sumner City Hall

Cemetery Expands to Broaden ServiceSumner’s City Cemetery will expand this year to offer more services and a wider variety of services. With con-struction set to begin in late spring, the cemetery will soon have not only more space to offer but new options as well. The new section will include Raised Monument Plots, Family Estate Plots, Granite Face Niches and a Compan-ion Urn Garden. Preparing these new spaces will require using some large pieces of equipment, but know that the pieces are for the expansion only and will not disturb those already laid to rest.

Sumner’s City Cemetery dates back to 1864 when Isaac Woolery donated two acres for the Pioneer Cemetery.

In 1902 the “town” section was added. Eventually, the two sections were united under City management.

You may want to consider joining in this year’s Memorial Day ceremony, May 28 at 10 am, at the Cemetery to pay respects to the men and women of Sumner who served our country in the military. After the ceremony, every-one is invited to go to the VFW Hall where the Sumner Historical Society will have their Military Collection and Rainbow Girl Collection on display.

Pre-need reservations are now being taken. For details, please call Darlene Engels at 299-5510 to have you name placed on the reservation list.

Guidance Center, [email protected] or 253-565-4484.

Support groups are available through Good Samaritan Community Services in Puyallup (253-697-8408) and Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Tacoma (253-565-4484 x105).

There may also be grants, counseling and other assistance

available. Ask the above contacts for further information.

Sumner Community ConneCtion 5may 2007

The City of Sumner, a Tree City

USA for thirteen years, received

a Tree City USA Growth Award

this year. The National Arbor

Day Foundation awarded Sumner

with this distinction for demon-

strating progress in its community

forestry program in the activity

areas of education and public rela-

tions, community-wide tree event,

publicity and youth education.

This prestigious award recognizes

environmental improvement and

higher levels of tree care in Tree

City USA communities.

Sumner Receives Tree City Award

The new children’s climbing wall gets moved into place in Rainier View Park. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped put together the play equipment. Soon, Rainier View will be complete and ready to provide hours of fun!

Somebody Order a Really Big Rock?

This month, the Sumner Police Department received a new bicycle from REI to help with bike patrols. You’ll soon see the red Novara Float 1.0 bike being used around town by Sumner Police’s Bicycle Patrol.

“The Bicycle Patrol helps officers be more flexible. We are more visible to our community and can interact with crowds and pedestrians better than in a car,” said Lieutenant Mark Mears. The City of Sumner thanks REI for their generous gift to our community.

REI joins many others across the country to support Bike to Work Week May 14-18 and Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 18.

Like the Sumner Police, you too can find ways to replace driving with using your bike. It does double duty to increase your exercise and reduce your impact on the environment!

REI Donates New Bike

Go to www.ci.sumner.wa.us for how to commute by bicycle on Sound Transit and Pierce Transit.

There is nothing as constant as change, and there have been some changes recently in the City employees. On April 16, Mayor Enslow conducted the swearing in of Jacob Yancey as Sumner’s newest police officer. Officer Yancey expressed his excitement to be serving Sumner.

In the Municipal Court, Cathy Pashon arrived in April to serve as the Court Administrator. After working many years in Puyallup’s court, Cathy moved one city over to take the helm as Sumner’s court continues to grow and evolve.

At the same time, the City is wishing bright futures for two long-time employees who are embarking on new adventures. City Attorney Patricia Bosmans left in April to take on new challenges at the City of Des Moines. And City Clerk Susan Clary will retire at the end of June. Searches are currently underway to replace these two positions.

Open positions within the City are posted online at www.ci.sumner.wa.us.

Changes in Faces at City Hall

After many years, the Sumner community will once again have a community newspaper all its own. The Sumner Reporter will be delivered free to homes and businesses every week, starting June 6. The Reporter is operated by King County Publications, Ltd. Katrina Minton-Davis will serve as the general manager. She has five years of newspaper experience and previously owned a business in Bonney Lake. Shawn Skager will serve as editor. Skager has eight years of newspaper experience, previously working at newspapers in Enum-claw and Puyallup. This will be King County Publications’ first paper in Pierce County, and the City of Sumner is excited to welcome them to our community.

There’s a New Paper in Town!

Sumner’s Kenworth Fire Truck from 1932 served for a long time. Now you’ll see it in local parades.

www.ci.sumner.wa.us

Sumner Community ConneCtion6

ASK DR. SUMNER:

Just to make things simple, Sumner currently has three

separate efforts go-ing to fill in sidewalks throughout the city.

The first is the volunteer program you read about in an earlier issue. Hom-eowners with curb and gutter but no sidewalk were invited to sign up for this program and pay only about half the sidewalk cost. The City pays the other half and will do the construc-tion this summer. The program had a great response: 22 applicants were approved for 26 separate sites, filling in over 2300 linear feet!

The second effort was a grant for Safe Routes to Schools that would fill in sidewalks along key routes to Maple Lawn Elementary and Sumner Middle School. Our grant application ranked well, and we’re just waiting to hear if the Governor signed off on the projects.

The third effort was also a grant application, this one to the County to finish up the Cyrus Woods neigh-borhood between Wood and Valley Avenues and Main Street and Elm Street. We just heard at the begin-ning of May that our application was approved and funded in full.

Together, these three efforts will fill in our sidewalks so we can get out and enjoy walking in the sunshine!

You can contact Dr. Sumner at [email protected].

may 2007

What’s going on with

sidewalks?

mission: To provide needed and valued services that

promote our sense of community.

vision: Sumner will set the standard of

excellence for a progressive small city.

values: We are collaborative & professional.

We are innovative & visionary. We are responsive & accountable.We serve with respect & integrity.

Dog-Gone It: A Reminder

As you’re out walking Fido this

spring, please remember to pick up

after him (or her). Other citizens

seldom enjoy finding surprise addi-

tions to their gardens--or shoes!

Sumner’s City Hall is where the Mayor and City staff work.It’s also home to the Sumner Police Department.

www.ci.sumner.wa.us

COLORING BOOKwww.ci.sumner.wa.us

The City of Sumner invites all citizens young and old to “color the town” in the new coloring book.

It’s never too early for the youngest citizens to learn about their city’s government, heritage and culture. The Sumner Color-ing Book provides a fun intro-

duction. It features pages for coloring the city’s entrance sign, the 1932 Kenworth fire engine, City Hall, Ryan House and more.

Look for free copies at city functions or go online at

www.ci.sumner.wa.us to print out pages.

City Coloring Book Debuts

Sumner Community ConneCtion 7

City Hall Calendar

CoMMunity events

May14 ....City Council study session, 6 pm21 ....City Council meeting, 7 pm28 ....Memorial Day--City Hall Closed29 ....City Council study session, 6 pm

June4 ......City Council meeting, 7 pm11 ....City Council study session, 6 pm18 ....City Council meeting, 7 pm25 ....City Council study session, 6 pm

May

9 Senior Trip: Northshore Senior Center23 Senior Trip: Ocean Shores & lunch at Alex by the Sea28 Memorial Day Services, 10 am, Sumner Cemetery and VFW Hall

June

6 Senior Trip: Mt. Rainier National Park - Lunch at the Lodge20 Senior Trip: Pike Place Market22 “Surfin’ the Sales” Sidewalk Sales 9am-5pm, Downtown23 “Surfin’ the Sales” Sidewalk Sales 10am-5pm, Downtown

may 2007

When school is out for the summer, Tacoma Art Museum is offer-ing a unique summer camp experience for youth ages 9-12. Each one-week session is led by the museum’s staff artist and special

guest artists. The museum’s exhibi-tions provide thematic focal points for high quality art instruction and inspiration.

For course descriptions, go to www.tacomaartmuseum.org. Camps fill quickly, so please register soon. Call 253-272-4258 x3030.

The Easel Every year, the Sumner/Bonney Lake com-

munity comes together to raise money to help the American Cancer Society fight cancer and support families that are affected by the various forms of cancer.

This year’s theme for the Sumner Bonney Lake Relay for Life is Strike Out Cancer! The relay itself will be held August 10 and 11 at Sunset Stadium.

As usual, the City of Sumner has a team and has really embraced the baseball theme, dubbing the team the Sumnerville Sluggers. Soon, you’ll be able to put your name on a bat to hang in City Hall -- just a Buck a Bat! -- and various departments are planning fund-raising strategies. So, if you see city employees really getting into the game, don’t worry, it’s all to make sure cancer is the only loser.

To participate and/or support the Sumner Bonney Lake Relay for Life, go to www.sumnerbonneylakerelay.org. If you’d like to support the City’s team, click on the Sumnerville Sluggers team.

This summer, you’ll notice work being done along Ryan Avenue. This is to replace the water main along that street.

The old main was providing enough water for the current residents, but with new residences and businesses coming to the area, more pressure is needed, especially for fire flow.

Ryan is one of the last streets with the lower pressure. Work will only be done during the day, and we will work with residents to coordinate brief interruptions in water when the new system comes online. Traffic may be minimally affected.

If you have questions, contact Associ-ate City Engineer Kim Scattarella at [email protected].

Going with the Flow on Ryan Avenue

City Goes to Bat to Strike Out Cancer

City of Sumner1104 Maple StreetSumner, WA 98390

ECRWSS

Postal Customer

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAID

SUMNER, WAPERMIT NO. 1

Sumner Community ConneCtion

suMner City CounCil

8 may 2007

Steve Allsop Curt Brown Mike Connor Leroy Goff Ed Hannus Randy Hynek Matt Richardson

Congratulations to Sumner Rotary, Sumner Downtown Association, and every-one who helped with this year’s Daffodil Festival. For the second year in a row, Sumner won the Grand Sweepstakes Award for Best in Parade with its tribute to New Orleans and All That Jazz. The float also won the Best Use of Flowers.

In addition, in March, Sumner Downtown Association brought home seven awards from the Washington Association of Festivals and Events, including Most Creative Events By One Organization and Most Unique & Clever Event with September’s Mystery Wine Walk. We always knew Sumner was a fun wonderful place, but it’s great to have others agree!

Sumner’s Award-Winning Spring Brings Smiles and Daffodils!

Sumner’s Queen Michele waves to the hometown crowd during the parade (top). Another favorite was Sumner’s community float (right).