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City of Sumner newSletter oCtober 2006iSSue 44

On Saturday, September 9, over 20 citizens came to City Hall to chat with Mayor Dave Enslow about what was on their minds. Sitting in a circle in Council Chambers and enjoying doughnuts and coffee, the group dis-cussed parking and traffic, the chemi-cal company and a few other issues.

The conversation started out with the parking congestion around the Sound Transit station. As they discussed everything from traffic light timing to bus links, the participants found there were two main options: build a garage in Sumner or purposefully force commuters to connect to busses.

There were various positives and negatives to each option. Mayor Enslow said that as the City tries to find the best solution, he’d like to continue hearing from citizens.

Town Hall-Style Meeting Discusses Challenges, Reminds Positives

SEE INSIDEMayor’s Message page 2Fire Service Update page 3Arborists’ Tree Tip page 4Upcoming Events page 7

Eventually, we will have to tell Sound Transit what Sumner wants.

The next issue raised was about the owner of the old yeast mill site who is applying to operate a chemical company there. The company brings in larger shipments of acids and bases and repackages them to sell to organi-zations that use them to treat water.

The Mayor explained that right now, the permit process is still underway. The City asked the technical experts at the Pierce County Health Department for a report of potential environmen-tal impacts. Once the City has their report, the staff will determine what is required of the company to mitigate risk to citizens.

While most of the participants were long-time residents of Sumner, a few

were new. One couple, who just moved here from Palm Springs, said they were delighted with Sumner. They pointed out that long-time Sumner residents should remember that they have something special here.

“I hope this is the first of many more meetings like this,” said Mayor Dave Enslow. “There are other ways to get involved, but this informal, friendly style fits us well here in Sumner.”

For more opportunities to ask ques-tions and voice opinions, keep watch-ing this newsletter and the City’s website.

To contact the Mayor or a council-member directly, look for their phone numbers on page 2 and their e-mail addresses at www.ci.sumner.wa.us/government/council/.

Sumner’s community spirit was in full force at the Mystery Wine Walk downtown on the evening of September 9.

City of Sumner1104 Maple Street

Sumner, WA 98390253-863-8300

253-863-2850 FAX

Sumner Community ConneCtion2 oCtober 2006

Mayor’s Message

It’s officially autumn, and change is in the air. I guess there’s always changes in

seasons, but it seems so much more obvious in the fall. The leaves change color,

kids go back to school, and we start to realize that the year is getting older.

It’s a fact that, in general, people fear change. We cling to what we know rather

than risk the unknown, even if there’s a chance it could be better. As a City,

it seems to me, we’ve got two choices. We can either hide and hope change

doesn’t find us, which it will. Or, we can look ahead to see what changes are

coming and adjust to make those changes meet our needs. The City is choosing

the second option.

There are always things

we’ll miss when changes

occur. Right now, our

community is say-

ing goodbye to Roger

Johnson who deserves

a great retirement after

serving our cars for so

many years on Wood

and Main. Yet, change

can also bring good things. It wasn’t so many years ago that the police watched

a light in the center of town. If they were needed, someone flipped the light on.

Now, our police cars are equipped with advanced communications tools that

let them respond quickly and know an incredible amount of information about

the incident right away. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty happy with that

change!

The reason the leaves fall is not because they died but because the buds of next

spring’s leaves are pushing out the old ones. So, as our city continues to face the

changes happening within and around us, focus on the new buds of great things

on the horizon rather than the loss of what we know. If we continue to work

together as an active community, none of the other changes will really change

the heart of Sumner, which is the most important thing of all!

Mayor Dave Enslow

Mayor Enslow joins Councilmembers Richardson and Hannus in a game of “Triviality” with “Alex Tree-

bark” at the Mystery Wine Walk. (The Mayor won!)

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

Patricia Bosmans,City Attorney 299-5611

Susan Clary,City Clerk 299-5500

Paul Rogerson, Community Development Director 299-5521

Colleen Wilson,Police Chief 299-5641

Dan Packer, Fire Chief 863-5451

Bill Shoemaker, Public Works Director 299-5701

Bruce Johnson, Community/Senior Services Manager 299-5731

Lee Anderson, Parks and Facilities Manager 299-5631

CITY OFFICES

Administration/Finance 863-8300 FAX 863-2850Cemetery 863-6345Fire (non-emergency) 863-5451Golf 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

Wendy Shook,Court Administrator 299-5621

Sumner Community ConneCtionoCtober 2006 3

With the help of Dick Moore, the City Council has been studying how to provide the same or better fire services for the same or less cost. Moore, who is serving on contract, is the former Sumner Director of Fire and Emer-gency Services. Options have included consolidation with Orting, Puyallup or Auburn; continuing with the current stand-alone City department; annexa-tion into East Pierce Fire and Rescue (Fire District 22).

The Sumner Fire Department has a long history of providing quality service in the community. However, the community needs have grown and changed, increasing the level of ser-vice expected, which, in turn, greatly increases the cost to retain a City department. In order to keep a stand-alone fire department, the City would need to reduce other services such as police and parks, reduce fire services and raise taxes.

Consolidation with East Pierce Best for Future Fire Services

The RecommendationGiven that reality, the Council con-curred with Moore’s recommendation to pursue a consolidation agreement with East Pierce Fire and Rescue.

East Pierce, the adjacent fire district to the east, has been responsible for the administration and command of the Sumner Fire Department since early 2005.

What it Means to the CityWith further consolidation, a contract would fix the amount Sumner pays to the East Pierce for their services to Sumner. The City would retain oversight of the contract. Although they would be considered part of East Pierce, Sumner Fire employees and equipment would continue to serve the City from their current fire sta-tion near downtown. Eventually, City residents could be asked to extend the consolidation by annexing into the Fire District.

What it Means for CitizensWith this contract, there would be no change in the taxes for property owners in Sumner. The consolidation affords the opportunity to share re-sources, take advantage of economies of scale and train employees better.

Mayor Dave Enslow said about the consolidation, “We’ve studied the fire service a great deal over the past two years. It isn’t the same business it was 30 years ago. They are very busy and need significant training and support. East Pierce has been a great partner for two years and we look forward to a consolidation bringing Sumner’s resi-dents and businesses better service.”

The City plans to have a contract with East Pierce complete by the end of the year. Additional information will be provided to citizens as the details of the consolidation are completed.

One way fire service has changed in recent years is to provide much more medical assistance than ever before. Captain Greg Reinke shows a family the new medic unit that has been serving Sumner well since it arrived in the spring. This new reliance on more technical medical equipment is one reason many cities are changing to fire districts instead of stand-alone fire departments.

For information about East Pierce, contact Fire Chief Dan Packer at 253-863-1800 or [email protected].

As everyone feels the pain at the pump, so too do garbage trucks. DM Disposal requested a 3% rate increase due to rising fuel costs.

After negotiations with the City, the amount was reduced to a 2.5% increase with the understanding that this would be considered part of DM Disposals’ annual CPI adjustment in March.

So, your garbage rates will increase a bit this fall. A standard, one-can pickup is estimated to go from $12.92 to $13.24. However, this means the increase will be even less in March, so there is a silver lining!

Garbage Rates Rise

For up-to-date information, visit www.ci.sumner.wa.us!


Police Department Welcomes New and Celebrates Retiring

The Sumner Police Department went through some transition in late sum-mer. The department welcomed a new officer, Jacob Yancey and celebrated Lieutenant Wes Tucker, who retired after 20 years of service in Sumner.

Yancey has a background in correc-tions with five years of experience at the Cedar Creek and Washington correctional facilities. He will attend the Basic Law Enforcement Academy in October and is spending time getting to know the City, its employees and equipment.

On the exact 20th anniversary of joining the department, Wes Tucker celebrated his retirement. Based on the large number of people who attended his celebration, including fellow officers, merchants, friends

and elected officials, it was clear that Tucker had made quite an impact on Sumner. Whether serving undercover or patroling the streets or simply ask-ing people how it’s going, Tucker spent his 20 years making everyone in Sumner feel safe and secure.

Rather than retreat into retirement, Tucker is actually expanding his skills to serve the entire country. In September, he traveled to Kuwait, where he will serve with a private

security firm for a year. He promised to stay safe and come back and visit Sumner when

he returns to the States.

Wes Tuck-er served Sumner for 20 years.

Autumn Brilliance ServiceberryAmelanchier x grandiflora

‘Autumn Brilliance’

If you’re looking to add a small tree, one excellent selection is the ‘Autumn Brilliance’ Serviceberry. It is beautiful as both a single leader tree and a large multi-stem shrub. Its name correctly describes its outstanding red fall leaf color, but equally spectacular is the burst of white spring flowers followed by a very dark colored edible berry. The bark is smooth and light gray. The serviceberry might reach 20 to 25 ft. both tall and wide at maturity.

They can become twiggy with many crossing and rubbing limbs, but they respond well to corrective pruning and can develop into outstanding speci-mens of form and character. From our experience, they transplant rather easily but prefer a sandy loam, well-drained soil for optimum growth.

They are a bit susceptible in some areas to some of the fungal diseases, such as Rust, Leaf Blight, Fire Blight, and Powdery Mildew. However, in the open as a street tree or in the yard or garden where there is good air circulation, I have seen few problems. The one in this photo was planted in downtown Sumner about five years ago and has performed like an arbore-tum specimen.

There are several other cultivars of the Amelanchier such as ‘Cole’s Select,’ ‘Cumulus,’ ‘Robin Hill,’ but for some reason the Autumn Brilliance is the most popular.

Jim Barborinas, City [email protected]

Sumner’s Arborist Shares Autumn Tree Tip

Send comments on this or other varieties you work with to Jim.

Visit this ‘Autumn Bril-liance’ Serviceberry in downtown Sumner on Alder Avenue between Maple and Main Streets.


Look Out Garages--It’s Time for Fall Clean Up!Are the leaves piling up? Have some extra garbage after cleaning out the garage? Looking to unload that old washer that doesn’t have a prayer of working? DM Disposal has the solu-tion for you.

It’s Fall Clean Up! On October 13, you can put out up to three bags or containers of garbage and up to three containers of yard waste, and DM Disposal will pick it up for free. Plus, if you put out an old appliance by the morning of October 9, they will pick it up for free sometime during that week.

You should have already received coupons from DM Disposal to attach to your Fall Clean Up items. If you didn’t get them or can’t remember where they went amid the leaves, garbage and washer, stop by City Hall and pick up some more!

For further information, contact DM Disposal at 253-414-0345.

An Accessible River Runs Through SumnerIf you’re itching to grab a pole and get some fishing in, Sumner just made it a lot easier! There is a new, fully paved trail from the Wastewater Treat-ment Plant off State Street to the point where the White River flows into the Puyallup River.

Construction crews will also add curb cuts and ramps so that the trail will be fully accessible, making this a great option for disabled anglers.

Remember to follow the regulations. To check on licenses, visit www.wdfw.wa.gov/lic/formpage.htm.

Did you know...? When you recycle an aluminum can, it can be melted down, rolled, and back on a supermarket shelf as a new can in 90 days!

Single Cart’s a Success

Congratulations to Pierce County residents, including Sumner, for dramatically increasing your recycling! Since the new curbside recycling program began last year,

Residents are recycling 70% more materials overall.

Paper recycling is up 82% (news-paper, mixed paper, cardboard).

Container recycling has increased 27% (glass, plastics, steel, alumi-num).

Each residence is recycling an av-erage of 44 pounds per month – up from approximately 29 pounds.

93% of all Pierce County single-family households recycle.

For more information, go to www.piercecountywa.org/recycle.

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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.


For teens, MySpace is a popular online hangout. As a parent, please consider the following guidelines to help your children make safe decisions about using online communities.

• Talk to your kids about why they use MySpace, how they communicate with others and how they represent themselves on MySpace.

• MySpace members must be 14 years of age or older. MySpace will delete users who are younger or misrepresent

their age.

• MySpace is a public space.

Members shouldn’t post anything they wouldn’t want the world to know (e.g., phone number, address, IM screen name, or specific whereabouts). Tell your children they should avoid posting anything that would make it easy for a stranger to find them, such as their local hangouts.

• Remind them not to post anything that could embarrass them later or expose them to danger. Tell them that they shouldn’t post photos or info they wouldn’t want adults to see.

• People aren’t always who they say they are. Ask your children to be careful about adding strangers to their friends list. They should talk to you if they want to meet an online friend in person, and if you think it’s safe, any meeting should take place in public with friends or a trusted adult present.

• Harassment, hate speech and inap-propriate content should be reported. If your kids encounter inappropriate behavior, report it to MySpace or the police.

Adapted from www1.myspace.com/misc/tipsForParents.html.

Safety Tips for MySpaceRPZs Expand to Accommodate ParkingThe City’s Restricted Parking Zones (RPZ) are about to expand in the downtown area near the Sounder com-muter station. In the current zones, the program seems to be successful in limiting commuter parking all day so that residents and visitors alike have plenty of parking throughout the day in the residential neighborhood.

The RPZ program limits daytime parking to 3 hours in that zone unless a vehicle displays the appropriate zone sticker. With that sticker, which is available to residents at City Hall’s Permit Center, the vehicle can park longer. New RPZs will come to the following streets:

Cherry Avenue--west side from Park to Thompson

Kincaid Avenue--west and east sides from Academy to Park

Alder Avenue--west and east side from Academy to Park

Ryan Avenue--east side from Maple to Park

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Sumner Avenue--west side from Maple to Park

Academy Street--south side from Kincaid to halfway between Alder and Ryan

Park Street--north side from Kincaid to halfway between Alder and Ryan and south side from Kincaid to Sumner

Mountain Circle Drive

There will also be some adjust-ments to existing RPZs.

Academy Street--south side from Cherry to Kincaid will be removed while north side remains a RPZ

Harrison Street--west of Cherry will be removed

Maple Street--south side, half a block east of Cherry will be removed.

If you have questions about your RPZ, please contact Paul Rogerson, Community Development Director, at 299-5521 or [email protected].

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City Hall Calendar

CoMMunity events

ASK DR.

SUMNER

Why do I get a water bill every month if you read my water meter every-other-month?

The City does indeed read your water meter every-other-month. However, what you owe based on that reading is split in half and billed over the next two months.

So, say your meter reading in September shows that you used 14 units of water since the last reading in July. You would be charged for seven of those units on your October bill and the other seven in November. The idea is to spread out the cost to you rather than send one large bill every two months. Plus, other utilities, such as sewer, are also billed per month.

It’s important to note that you are paying for water after you use it. As you see in our sample scenario, if you increase your water use during the summer (as most of us do), you’ll be paying for that in late autumn!

Of course, a great way to keep your water bill low, even in the summer, is to try the various water conservation measures. Good tips are available at www.wateruseitwisely.com.

You can contact Dr. Sumner at [email protected]. For questions about your utility bill, call 253-863-8300.

October16 ....City Council meeting, 7 pm23 ....City Council study session, 6 pm

November6 .....City Council meeting, 7 pm

10 ....Veteran’s Day Celebrated -- City Hall Closed

13 ....City Council study session, 6 pm

20 ....City Council meeting, 7 pm

23 & 24 Thanksgiving -- City Hall Closed

27 ....City Council study session, 6 pm

October

9-13 .Fall Clean Up (see details on page 5)

21.....Tree planting at White River Trail (see below)

28 & 29 Playground Raising Party, Rainier View Park (see below)

31.....Halloween Street of Screams, 5-7 pm, Downtown Sumner

November

11 .....Hometown Holiday Celebration, 10 am - 7 pm, Downtown Sumner

24.....Bridge Lighting to Windmill Garden Lighting, 5:30 pm

Come to a Playground Raising Party!

October 28 & 29 (new dates)9 am - Noon

Rainier View Park

Help install the new playground equipment and join your

neighbors in building a future for Sumner’s parks.

Plant Trees for a New Trail!

October 219 am - Noon

24th Street East

Help create the new White River Trail in north Sumner. Plant trees as Stream Team begins

restoring habitat between the trail and the river in an area formerly used for turf production.

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 oCtober 2006

Steve Allsop

CurtBrown

Mike Connor

Leroy Goff

EdHannus

RandyHynek

MattRichardson

JulY*

Adopted Resolution No. 1201 approving an Interlocal Purchasing Agreement with E. Pierce Fire & Rescue.

Adopted Resolution No. 1203 surplusing city property.

Accepted Rainier View Park phase 1 project.

Awarded the bid for playground equipment at Rainier View Park.

Awarded the bid for asphalt over-laying 2 parking lots.

Awarded the bid for sealcoating the Senior Center parking lot.

Approved the hiring of Richard Moore as Special Assistant for Fire Service Planning.

AuGuST

Adopted Ordinance No. 2179 amending DM Disposal rates.

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Adopted Resolution No. 1205 amending the agreement with DM Disposal.

Adopted Resolution No. 1204 approving the sale of surplus right-of-way on 24th St.

Awarded a contract to Pivetta Brothers for construction of the Van Tassel Pump Station.

Approved a Professional Services Agreement with DMJM+Harris for gusset plate design for the Bridge Street Bridge.

Approved an Interlocal Agreement with Pierce County for Chip Sealing.

Amended the Professional Services Agreement with Parametrix for design of the Van Tassel Pump Station.

Approved a Professional Services Agreement with Adolfson Assoc., Inc. for environmental regulations.

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Accepted the Riverside Trail Project.

Approved a Professional Services Agreement with Parametrix for the N. Sumner Pump Station.

SePTemBeR

Adopted Ordinance No. 2180 establishing Mayor/Council salaries.

Adopted Ordinance No. 2181 reclassifying a Police Records Clerk position.

Adopted Ordinance No. 2182 amending park rules at the Daffodil Sports Complex.

Adopted Ordinance No. 2183 amending the city limits.

Approved an agreement for consulting services for the study of fiber optic and wireless broadband infrastructure and services.

* The first half of July’s items was reported in the previous issue.

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ITEMS PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2006

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