Transportation & Engineering

Water Resources & Sustainability

February 2023

PERSONNEL UPDATES & ANNIVERSARIES

Marc LaVack

TED Operations Manager | 02/04/1991, 32 yrs.

Sustainability

Rocky Smith

WRS/TED Locator | 02/18/2003, 20 yrs.

Month Year023

Shaun Carney

WRS Maintenance Tech II | 02/02/2015, 8 yrs.

Brian Frankowski

TED Maintenance Tech II | 02/16/2017, 6 yrs.

Joseph Norman

TED Engineer II | 02/10/2020, 3 yrs.

TRANSPORTATION & ENGINEERING

Projects In Design

Capitol Boulevard, Israel Road to M Street Design

Designs for the 5 separate construction projects included in this project are nearly complete. The consultant and City staff are preparing final construction documents and coordination activities.

The right of way phase for the X Street Roundabout will begin shortly and continue through 2024

Construction of the project is expected to begin in 2025.

Interstate 5 / Trosper Road / Capitol Boulevard Reconfiguration Project

The project has been under construction since January 17, 2023. Active Construction is fully mobilized on site and has been removing the concrete panels under the road surface to install the underground sewer system north and south of the Capitol Boulevard/Trosper Road intersection. Work is progressing well with the expectation that the majority of the sewer installation will be complete by the first part of March. Work began with daytime operations however work was revised to night shifts early in February.

Underground utility installation will continue this spring to include installation of the new sewer, water, storm, and dry utility installations.

Israel Road / Linderson Way Water Main Project

This project will replace the water main on Israel Road from Interstate 5 to Capitol Boulevard, along with a small segment on Linderson Way. The project was prioritized to complete needed improvements shown in the City’s Water System Plan ahead of the 2024 roadway improvements along Israel Road

Project design is nearing completion with the anticipation that bidding will occur this spring. Construction is expected to be completed during the summer months of 2023.

WATER RESOURCES & SUSTAINABILITY

COMPOST PROCUREMENT ORDINANCE Taking Steps Toward Sustainable Operations

Late in 2022, the City Council passed Ordinance O2022019, known as the Compost Procurement Ordinance. This ordinance came about through a statewide initiative voted into law in 2022, to divert organic waste away from landfills. This ordinance directly impacts the Parks & Recreation, Transportation & Engineering, and Water Resources & Sustainability Departments by requiring the use of compost in a variety of projects as determined by state law. Keep your eyes peeled for more information about this ordinance and how you can help our organization be successful and help protect our planet through a healthy community week program to become a Certified Wildlife Steward, focusing on Western Washington habitats.

Register online for the March Habitat Steward Program

Decomposing leaves

NATIONAL WILDLIFE HABITAT STEWARD TRAINING A Community Habitat Restoration Program

The National Wildlife Federation offers a specialized certification program for people to become Certified Habitat Stewards. Through a series of lessons, the program teaches folks how to restore wildlife habitat in backyards, schoolyards, and other areas of their community. As part of the training, Habitat Stewards commit to completing 30 hours of habitat-related volunteer service within 1 year following graduation from the program.

Between January and February, Sustainability Coordinator, Alyssa Jones Wood, completed this two-

Dumpster Lid Campaign

As Simple as Closing the Lid

The primary goal of the new Dumpster Lid Campaign is to help remind business owners and users of dumpsters to “close the lid”. Most of the pollution reaching Puget Sound is carried through stormwater runoff. Uncovered and leaking dumpsters can cause pollutants like chemicals, bacteria, and organic matter to end up in stormwater runoff and directly in our waterways. The purpose behind the Dumpster Lid Campaign is to remind everyone to keep dumpster lids closed to protect surface water quality.

The Regional Environmental Education Program (REEP) yielded successful results in their 2021 pilot program, WRS will kick off a commercial business inspection program that aligns with our Stormwater Management Action Plan to help provide simple solutions to prevent pollutants from entering our waterways.

Message from the Chief

Recently the Olympic Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) took action regarding recreational fires in the cities of Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater. Since the 1990s recreational fires have not been allowed in the cities. Rules put in place regarding indoor wood burning have improved air quality such that ORCAA no longer believes the recreational fire ban is needed. Lifting the ban will make rules consistent throughout our region. Our cities were the only cities in Western Washington that banned recreational fires. Recreational fires are fires no more than three feet in diameter and two feet high and must use clean, dry, seasoned firewood with only enough clean paper to start the fire. Use of burn barrels, burning trash, yard debris, construction materials, etc. are still prohibited. Fires should have twenty-five foot setback from structures and/or trees. Any burn bans called for fire safety or air quality reasons will override any fire allowance.

It is anticipated that this new rule will go into effect in March 2023. ORCAA and the Tumwater Fire Department will work to educate our community on this new rule. Feel free to contact the Fire Department with any questions and always call 911 if there is a fire safety concern.

Brian Hurley

Medical Services Officer

Crews responded to three cardiac arrests, 412 calls that were EMS related.

We continue to offer compression only CPR to the community, 6:00 p m on the third Tuesday of every month at Station T1.

Chief Hurley testified before the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee in support of SB 5592, requiring semi-automatic external defibrillators in fitness centers.

Community Outreach

This past month, Firefighters have been teaching CPR to Tumwater High School students. Crews also participated in teaching fire extinguisher training to the South Sound Composite Squadron, civil air patrol members.