Archive for News
Gone ’til November
Posted by: | CommentsWhether it is coveted Cadillac fire service or bandwagon jumping to oppose a high speed rail re-route, DuPont is ever ready to hook their star to the fortunes of Lakewood. Is it civic government or synchronized swimming? You are forgiven if you can’t tell the difference. For those of you who need a reminder: DuPont has history, Lakewood has supermarkets.
Lakewood also has sandwich board signs. A government that won’t enforce its sign code. And, frustrated citizens.
Someone call Maury, I think we may be related.
The Tacoma News Tribune published an account in their Sunday edition of the sign issue in Lakewood.
CHRISTIAN HILL; Staff writer
Published: 08/15/1012:05 am | Updated: 08/16/1011:41 am
Local business concerns have prompted Lakewood city leaders to put the brakes on proposed regulations that would largely outlaw signs that many storeowners use for promotion.
The city’s first significant revision to its sign code since 2001 includes proposed regulations that would ban banners and A-frame, or sidewalk, signs except to promote a grand opening or store closing.
Linda Smith, president of the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, outlined her concerns in a letter delivered before the council’s discussion of a recommendation from its advisory board last week. She asked that the proposed regulations be postponed for a year
While acknowledging the importance of cleaning up Lakewood’s image to prospective businesses, Smith said her members include small businesses that can’t afford mailers or advertisements in local publications and need as much visibility as possible in these tough times.
“Right now, with this economic downturn, I find this to be really bad timing,” she said Monday.
The sign code has been a source of contention in the past. Smith said there was an outcry among businesses after the city incorporated and officials began enforcing its new code. The county had a sign code, but it was rarely enforced, she said.
Newer cities, such as Lakewood and University Place, have been trying to strike the right balance for years. The cityhood movement of the early ’90s was fueled by residents tired of clutter, such as junk cars and signs. But when new city restrictions were enforced – such as a posse of Lakewood volunteers who fanned out in 1996 making lists of illegal signs and tearing some down – a backlash occurred, and the city scaled back.
Lakewood council members this week acknowledged the concerns about bringing back more stringent rules. They expressed an interest in working with the business community to reach a compromise.
“We need to have a deeper discussion,” Councilman Walter Neary said.
The council had been scheduled to take action on the regulations Monday.
Increased regulation of temporary signs is one of a handful of proposed changes to the Lakewood sign code.
The city now allows businesses to display A-frame signs and banners for up to 15 days with a permit. At that point stores must take them down for at least a week.
“It was too complicated for our code enforcement officers to track who had temporary sign permits and who didn’t,” said Dan Catron, the city’s principal planner.
Staff wanted to significantly ease the regulations, such as by allowing A-frame signs on a permanent basis. The city Redevelopment Advisory Board supported such a change.
However, the Planning Advisory Board determined that this would lead to a proliferation of signs and would “result in a negative aesthetic impact,” according to a staff report.
On a 4-1 vote in June, the planning board forwarded its recommendations to the City Council. It included tighter regulations on A-frame signs and banners.
Board member Paul Calta voted no, saying he thinks the city is “business unfriendly” and “it will pay a price for it down the road,” according to the minutes from the meeting.
The second major change to the sign code would increase the maximum size and height of signs along freeways, which city officials view as important as they try to attract redevelopment. Catron said some businesses have requested larger signs than current code allows.
Under the recommendation, the maximum height would increase from 25 feet to 35 feet, and the maximum total size would increase from 120 square feet to 200 square feet.
This proposed revision drew a favorable reaction from council members Monday night.
A couple points of interest. The first is the participation from the Lakewood Planning Board. DuPont has no such input. The other point is the tired refrain of how these are tough economic times and how a sandwich board sign might make the difference between a business staying open or closing in failure. I am not buying that, at least not here. With the rent paid by our businesses, they will need a little more than a painted sign to lure in patrons with our meager traffic volumes. Maybe a place giving $6 haircuts in Tillicum needs that advantage, but not here.
As you can see, we are not alone. Citizens upset at unsightly signs cluttering the city? Check. Businesses cry foul because they require a sandwich board every twenty-five yards in order to stay in business? Check. City leadership not acting in spite of recommendations to the contrary? Check back in November.
Ransom Note and Why We Keep Paying
Posted by: | CommentsThere appears to be more movement on Wilmington as Windermere Real Estate appears to be moving into the space nestled between DuPont Chiropractic and DuPont Vision.
What is interesting is the way that Windermere has chosen to announce itself.
The ransom-esque signage arrived the same week that the city of DuPont held a Town Hall meeting to discuss revisions to the sign code. Note, that is revision and not enforcement. Whatever is wrong with DuPont’s sign code has to be fixed before it can be enforced by Masko and company.
Furthering the coincidence is that the Town Hall meeting was held in large part because of the realtors whining that they wanted their voice heard (meaning they wanted some relief) when addressing the sign code. When I asked Ms Masko why the realtors could not work through the DuPont Business Association no answer was given. Remember, the original plan was to have the DBA be a point man in the overall discussion, along with the churches and the citizens.
Perhaps the realtors do not feel that the DBA has what it takes to represent effectively into city hall. After all, those REET dollars have always had some sway over our city council.
The timing is odd to complain that the sign code is too restrictive for our real estate professionals and then to slap up a shabby temporary sign pieced together like a ransom note made of computer paper. Is this the respect for our code we can come to expect from the six-percenters in town?
Windermere has no need to worry themselves, of course. The city of DuPont will end up chasing its own tail before collapsing from exhaustion. The mayor never put code enforcement into the budget; the previous code enforcement activities were a one (and done) weekend exhibition before Bill Kingman lost interest and moved on to other things. And, our council members are too busy grooming their pet projects, that coincidentally also go nowhere, just like legitimate city business.
Nothing will change, Windermere, John L Scott, and ReMax. Just hold tight and play along until the city gets distracted by the next shiny object or military related event. I give them six months from the ratification of the new sign code before it is business as usual.
Same Playbook, Same Result?
Posted by: | CommentsDawn Masko has taken a page out of her mentor’s playbook and called an audible at the line. Evidently, after reading the defense, Ms. Masko decided to run things differently from the way they were called on the sideline back in April.
There is lip service regarding the need to garner additional inputs as a reason to change the play, the format, and the scope from what the mayor and council outlined way back when, but this is Masko’s baby now.
April. That is Baseball’s time to shine; it is not exactly football season but the city team is hoping the sign ordinance issue should resolve itself sometime between the Apple Cup and the holiday bowl season.
To refresh your collective memories, the sign issue was raised as a matter of enforcement. There was a proliferation of signs not conforming to the city code as written. The signage advocates, led by the churches, claimed confusion of the law and the direction given by city. Plausible, but only the part that the city could confuse their own code.
After some hurt feelings the city pledged to enforce the sign code. It was a grandstanding moment for the city to appear to do something but if you blinked then you may have missed the whole of the city’s activity on the issue. Behind the scenes there were letters sent and DBA announcements made, but I am quite confident that if you audit the books that there are still some gaps in the city’s coverage.
That is not to say that there haven’t been some little victories. There are fewer signs at Center Drive and McNeil. Quadrant ponied up their fees for their signs and was forced to conform with their placement. But, you can hardly call the whole a success with this much time left on the clock. There are still obvious examples of rouge signage that hasn’t been addressed.
The solution was supposed to be a huddle of stakeholders. Churches, citizens, businesses, and the city; but that changed and now Ms. Masko seemingly has lost her nerve and decided to let the chorus of the crowd dictate her fourth down maneuver.
A town hall meeting. That is the equivalent of punting in the red zone. There are children’s birthday parties that are better attended in DuPont than their town hall meetings. But just as the clown knots together a few balloons and calls it a giraffe, so does the city hold a meeting and claim citizen input. It is all an illusion.
The last town hall meeting I bothered to attend had exactly 17 citizens in attendance. Is this just another case of the city checking a box and calling it done? There are concerns over this approach. The first is that it takes a seemingly simple task and complicates it unnecessarily. Does the resolution really require more input? There is a law on the books, the concern was over the enforcement associated with the law. That would suggest it to be procedural matter.
The risk the city is running is to muddle the objective with phony “citizen” testimony. This is often referred to as “astro-turfing” since it creates the illusion of a grassroots movement but instead offers up a stacked deck of supporters or opponents. For instance, let’s say I have a business or a church and I really want any change in the sign code to accommodate my needs. If I know that I can fill a public hearing with 20 “supporters” to passionately or emotionally testify in favor of more signs on public sidewalks then they may create the illusion of wider support.
The end result of this exercise could very well mean more real estate and church signs.
The action at hand in DuPont with the sign issue is one of balance between the needs and wants of our businesses and homeowners; but also it is a matter of vision. How do we want the town to appear aesthetically to visitors and citizens alike. Do the mayor, council, and ROA envision a well maintained and tidy community of homeowners or would they rather have the commercial district extend into our neighborhoods? If they opt for allowing more signs or ignoring the code enforcement, then I really cannot see the point of paying homeowner association dues.
In fairness to Dawn Masko, she is trying to engage the community, however it just isn’t the time or place. The history of recent Town Hall meetings suggests more of the same old, same old. Same old people and the same old result. Hurrying the meeting onto the calendar after a long period of silence on the matter also does not suggest a successful new approach. Dawn Masko, in fact, is married to the same old approach and this meeting shows it. There is no city data to suggest the frequency or success of sign sweeps. No information to consider, just more emotion.
Remember, no one really asked for a new sign code, they just asked that the existing code be enforced.
The last point is that Dawn Masko does not live in DuPont. She really has very little idea what the scope of the problem is and she can only assume that if no one is complaining then it must be OK. The reality is that most people will not complain nor will they get involved. This is where our council and mayor should have shown some more leadership on the issue. Mayor Jenkins did offer some leadership and directed Masko and McDonald in April. Can Ms. Masko feel that she has a better idea now?
It is my hope that whatever the outcome of the meeting someone will address the hand held signs employed to direct people to Pageantry’s townhouses for sale in Hoffman Hill. It is a curious sight since the corner of Hoffman Hill Boulevard and McNeil Street is so far from the commercial district. It is also redundant with the other way finding signs directing motorists to the same destination. Perhaps what is most curious is that the sign waver is also perfectly positioned to be seen by those visiting our most well attended tourist destination: The Home Course.
Today, the golfers got an eyeful with our teenage directional sign holder dancing with earphones in place and his female companion sprawled on the ground, passed out on a blanket. Welcoming for 5000 years or until the shift is over. On more than one occasion, passersby stopped to check on the welfare of our city strip camper.
Just because no one complains, Ms. Masko, doesn’t make it right.
Nailing it in DuPont
Posted by: | CommentsIt didn’t take long for the old Cigar-Wine to convert into another business in town. You heard it first here in the comment section and now the sign is up ushering yet another Mani and Pedi establishment.
Who would have thought that a city of 8000 could support three such establishments but I suppose that those in the personal grooming industry are bullish on DuPont for a reason.
It is just too bad that the DBA could not intercept this business and convince them to name their establishment something more befitting the vision of the town only a few see. Too bad they chose the pedestrian Center Nails when they could have been part of the branding solution.
Welcoming for 5000 Years Nails! Or, The Birthplace of Washington State Nails. Or, how about, Old Fort Nails? (I think 1843 Missionary Massage and Chiropractic is reserved)
I wonder if the city issued a permit for that sign.
Two Weeks Without You
Posted by: | CommentsThe mayor was out. So was Councilman Grayum. Deputy Mayor Penny Coffey held the tiller pin and she navigated the agenda for the last televised DuPont Washington City Council Meeting. I was under-whelmed. It was sort of like when Johnny Carson had a guest host. Not horrible, but just not the same.
One of the key differences I noticed when watching Penny lead this meeting was the distinct change in tone from a Mayor Jenkins chaired event. It appears that Penny labored through the clichés while Jenkins brings an aw shucks quality to the description of some lame dedication or boring event during the “mayor’s report.” It is almost as if you get the sense that Tamara believes it while Penny can barely contain her contempt.
At the end of the Mayor’s report, our deputy mayor raised the topic of canceling the second city council meeting for the month of August. The reason cited, and I think it is based more on legacy than necessity, was so that the city staff could schedule their vacations at this time.
Seems innocuous enough until you think about it. Why does the entire staff of the City of DuPont have to take their vacations during this week? If the “Staff” take their vacations en masse then who will be around to, you know, run the city? And, if the Staff of the city of DuPont all took their vacations simultaneously would the citizens of DuPont even notice?
I digress.
Still, it boggles my mind that in a meeting that frequently has one or two members of council or staff missing that our council would be compelled to scrub a meeting from the calendar for no other reason than it is August. For chrissake, the mayor wasn’t even at this meeting!
There was a mild mention of the ever growing and never addressed items on the tracking sheet by councilmember Trotter before she STFU and got back in line behind the rest of the sycophant council. Roger Westman went on record in dissent but what else is new? I guess we know how council feels about that tracking sheet.
That got me thinking about what we can expect not to get done during the end of August. Well, to start, there probably won’t be any more signs erected, way finding or otherwise, because Peter Zahn will not be around to over compensate for a solution in search of a problem. Nor will we have the sign ordinance deviate further off course (and no closer to completion). That will simply have to wait until Dawn Masko returns.
I know this isn’t France, but did I miss something about the vacation policy for exempt employees of the city of DuPont? Do they have to take their vacations in August?
No. At least, not according to their written policy on vacations found on their web site. There is absolutely no mention of compulsory vacation time usage in the month of August, or in any other month, for that matter. The verbiage on their vacation can be found here. If you further read the employment policies on vacation you will find that it is quite generous, more generous than my experience in the private sector.
Well, what is done is done. Now our multimillion dollar Civic Center shall sit idle on August 24th, 2010.
Or, does it? I have another idea for our shared community resource: Let RealDuPont hold an event in council’s chambers that night at that time! We could clear out all of the chairs and stage the inaugural DuPont Adult Dodgeball tournament. Of course, we will need to bring our own balls and orange cones because presumably Amy Walker will also be on vacation that day. We could form teams with names like The Wilcoxes, The Coffeys, and so on. We could write words such as “Responsibility” or “Accountability” or “Obligation” or “Service” or “Duty” on the balls so members of these respective teams can dodge each of those qualities that we expect in our real, elected council members.
It seems unlikely that the city will turn over the keys to the kingdom of a small, select few, but we can still dream. In the meantime, there will be a follow up to this post regarding staff vacation. Let us just wait and see who took time off during this week and how they handled the coverage at City Hall. Only then will we know who is irreplaceable in those hallowed halls.
But, until then, one thing remains perfectly clear, as conveyed to us by the actions of the city council: the needs of our paid city staff are more important than the needs of the citizens of the city of DuPont.
Posh Paw Put Down
Posted by: | CommentsIt looks like DuPont is about to lose another business in the City Center’s Business District. The second in the month of July. This comes after a period of relative stability in spite of the economic times.
I have been informed, but it has not been verified, that Posh Paw will close tomorrow. This is particularly distressing since Posh Paw is the only retail business in the city.
You will be able to read more details in the Home Town Clipper in the days to come.
DuPont’s Cigar-Wine Packs Up
Posted by: | CommentsYesterday morning several of the parking spaces between ISushi and Starbucks were consumed by a moving truck. The large truck was being loading with fixtures and some inventory from Cigar-Wine, perhaps DuPont’s most esoteric shop. By this evening, the store was loading a new truck more of its inventory.
DuPont Council Bids Farewell to Bill McDonald
Posted by: | CommentsEffective yesterday, Bill McDonald has retired from the City of DuPont. The last televised council meeting was a scene of numerous testimonials and well wishes.
We learned not a lot from the messages given, with the exception that Larry Wilcox may have been nudged into running for council by Mr. McDonald. I am not sure the citizens of DuPont want to thank Bill for that but I certainly do since Larry is the rare treasure trove of ridiculous material a web site like this requires.
Additionally, RealDuPont owes Bill McDonald a debt of gratitude for striking the deal that provides the televised meetings to the citizens of DuPont. Again, fertile ground for material.
I don’t necessarily cling onto the beliefs of council members when they lay palms before Bill. It may have been true that when he arrived to town the city was in need of stability, and it is probably true that Bill McDonald provided that previously elusive stability; but everything comes with a price. I don’t know if that provides anything more than a testament to how screwy and amateurish our small town government was at that time.
The land of the blind brought in their one-eyed savior.
Much like the Eastwood classic, High Plains Drifter, the ignorant and frightened townsfolk gladly turn over their town to the stranger even if it means enduring his idiosyncratic methods. Part savior, part sadist, his will will get done. DuPont similarly gave Bill McDonald a mound of clay and asked him to sculpt their city as he sees fit; and today that is what we have.
I cannot entirely find fault in that. A coach is only as good as his players.
In the three-plus years of following the mayor and council, I can conclude that I may not agree with Bill McDonald, but I understand his approach. Part time governments will cede their power, and in some cases cede their responsibilities, to a hired wonk. It wasn’t Bill’s responsibility to corral the council from their inefficient flights of fancy. That is our job. Also, it wasn’t Bill’s responsibility to provide leadership to the council or city at large, that is why we elect a mayor.
So I end today’s post by providing a montage of the sappy comments left by our little lambs now that their shepherd has left them behind.
Is This Our Plan to Partner with the Tribes?
Posted by: | CommentsOK, so maybe this isn’t a Tribal fireworks stand, but DuPont took a giant leap toward giving up on being a master planned community this week when a large white tent was erected on the site identified as “Future Retail” at the intersection of McNeil Street and Center Drive. Soon, DuPont will look a little more like Hawk’s Prairie [sic] or Ponders, just without the actual retail.
There have been fireworks stands before in DuPont but has there ever been one so symbolic of the city’s failure to provide legitimate retail? While I jest about DuPont looking more like Lacey or Lakewood there is really nothing to laugh about. In spite of this “unprecedented recession” Lacey still continues to build more retail. Shouldn’t Lacey be hurting as badly as DuPont? Because if they were then there wouldn’t be a new WinCo market being built on Martin Way.
That makes three supermarkets within walking distance from the Martin Way Mobile and RV Park (another planned community, I am sure).
Oh, irony of ironies, the fireworks tent is in plain view of DuPont Business Association president Mike Davis’ office. Behold! A business as temporary as the military families it serves.
It is also frustrating that, in a town that has reported numerous fireworks related fires in the past, it has just thrown in the towel so easily and now will permit them to be sold in Northwest Landing. The city pledged action but yielded to their yellow streak and did nothing meaningful, again, when given the opportunity to address the fire risk to our protected areas. Forget the survey where the number one response to the opinion of fireworks was to ban their use in the city limits all together; the city chose this as an outcome.
Someone please remind me, weren’t we suppose to have “intensive public education” and “outreach” regarding fireworks safety and our impotent city code?
I guess not.
I think the most offensive part of having a seasonal temporary business show up at the crossroads of DuPont is how long we, not those who are stationed here but those who have invested here, have waited for retail; and how seven years later (six years before the recession) we have a moonscape with a tent on top of it.
It also begs the question of what other types of businesses might we expect in the future? Pawn shops? Rent-to-own furniture? A Taco Bus?
No, my vote is for something military and non-military families can enjoy equally: Bikini coffee stands!
Let this be an open call to Bikini Baristas, Cowgirls Espresso, Bikini Bottom, Hot-Chick-a-Latte, or any of the Hot Shot establishments announcing that DuPont has thrown away its plan and we are open for business!
And to think, it all started with a white tent…
Two Peas In A Pod
Posted by: | CommentsAs we move on to the DuPont City Administrator’s report it becomes evident to you that not a whole lot changes, at least not for the better. You watch to see if there is a moment of enlightenment but it is just more of the same.
Bill’s report is usually pretty boring. Perhaps it’s the monotone delivery, or the fact it is just rehashed information from the equally as un-illuminating Friday Letter. Seldom does the report end with you feeling that the major needs and actions of the community have been addressed.
There are a few nuances from this report, however, that bear further dissemination.
The first item of interest is the response to the question posed by councilman Westman regarding progress of the sign ordinance. This was a request in response to the tracking sheet update provided by Bill McDonald but Mayor Jenkins felt compelled to jump in and field this question.
If the mayor felt that this matter was beyond the scope of Bill McDonald, who is leaving his position effective July 1st, then why not let Dawn Masko answer for herself? She should know better than anyone the progress toward completion. This was hardly a loaded question. It was a simple inquiry on the status and trending toward closure of an issue before City Hall for action.
The event grew even odder when Jenkins offered up the answer.
I can’t help but feel that mayor Jenkins was grasping while laying atop the acorn that she mistook for a grenade. The response was hardly heroic as she noticeably fumbled, stammered and yammered, invoked tired clichés, repeated herself, and ultimately offered up too much information; not all of which was correct.
The hair on the back of my neck stands up when I hear the response to a question, any question, begin with the phrase “Excellent [question].” Roger wasn’t asking her to define pi, he merely was asking for a status update on the promised sign code focus group.
The mayor continued to bogart Masko’s answer with her cliché and buzzword heavy response.
“Moving forward.” (twice)
“Parallel.” (twice)
“Process.” (thrice)
“Stakeholders.”
“On target.”
Oh brother, check you boots. It was painful. It also reminded me of what constitutes a “tell” when someone is being less than truthful; or perhaps scrambling because they don’t know what they are talking about. Increased speed in the voice, a new cadence in speech, the increased use of buzzwords, unnecessarily expounding on an answer, and finally, repeating one’s self. The combination of all this drive the needle into the red, I am afraid.
Personally, I think the sign issue has shown improvement but I hardly would call it consistent or a complete success. There were signs posted for a recent “Gold Sale” at Guesthouse Suites and I am not sure they were permitted. Nor has there been anything done about human billboards in town. So where was the enforcement there? Is enforcement scheduled or part of the policy where it can be expected whenever a rogue sign appears? Is there a response flow established to alert the enforcing agency?
How many sign sweeps were conducted since the decision was made to enforce?
That brings up a point on what an update should be, so listen up council and mayor. This update should be measurable. Dawn should be providing council the following: 1) How many permits were submitted and approved per week since last report; 2) How many signs were in violation per week; 3) How many man-hours were used to enforce the code per week; 4) Any comments from businesses and citizens on the action since the last report.
I especially like the last point since City Hall is there to, you know, serve the citizens of this town.
Additionally, the roll up should include progress on meeting with the focus group; conversations with the city attorney; and most importantly, status on the progress to an established and publicized closure date.
Lest you think the mayor was going to continue speaking for her staff, Mr. Short-timer had a chance to answer a few questions from Councilman Grayum.
Excellent question(s)!
Again, Grayum wasn’t asking anything that needed to be solved with Chinese algebra, he just was seeking some clarification on the tracking sheet. Yes, that lame tracking sheet that serves as a portal to a black hole were resolution enters hyper-space.
The answer was vintage McDonald. Ducking and weaving, he finally blurted out a response so unconvincing that not even the camera believed it.
“…[an issue] stays in a position of closure for a month and then it comes off.”
Yeah.
Right.
The mayor and her administration have all the answers, it seems. Just too bad they aren’t answering the questions that they are being asked.