Inside the City 15 June 2023 Edition

Inside the City of Tumwater

Date: June 15, 2023

To: Mayor Debbie Sullivan City Councilmembers City Employees

From: John Doan, City Administrator

PEOPLE

Brain Scharber Scholarship Awarded

The New Market Skills Center Brian Scharber Scholarship was awarded to Andrew Chappel. Andrew will be attending DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond to study computer science and game design. The scholarship is funded by family, friends, and the community in honor of former Tumwater IT Manager Brian Scharber (Yes, Cody’s father), who passed away in 2017. Anyone wishing to contribute to the scholarship fund can send a contribution to the New Market Skills Center Foundation.

Evan Ozasa Off to Costa Rica

Evan Ozasa, Field Lead on the Sewer Collections

Crew in Water Resources and Sustainability is leaving the end of June to transition to a new career in Costa Rica. Evan started with the City six years ago and currently serves as the Teamsters shop. Thank you for your service, Evan. We wish you well on your adventures around the planet.

Lacy Neal Leaving City

HR Analyst Lacy Neal, who joined the City in 2021 from SPSCC, is leaving us at the end of June to return to the College. Lacy was instrumental in our pandemic response, the wave of transitions and

hiring, and implementing safety and learning programs. We will miss her and wish her well at SPSCC.

Shane Brady Promoted

Firefighter Shane Brady has been promoted to Fire Lieutenant on B Shift. Since joining Tumwater, Shane has been a pump academy instructor and coordinated community CPR training. Congratulations, Shane!

EVENTS

Looking for Summer Fun?

Our Parks & Recreation Department has released the summer recreation catalog. Check out the online catalog for things to do this summer.

Entertainment & Cultural Activities

The Washington Center for the Performing Arts is our region’s premier arts venue Over the years, the City has contributed capital funds and lodging tax to the Center. Located in Olympia, the Washington Center offers a variety of entertainment and cultural activities. Offerings for the 2022-23 Season can be viewed on the online events calendar

PLACES

Craft District Getting Tenants

Have you heard the news? The Market Building at the Craft District has new tenants. The space, the second of eight buildings in the District’s concept, will have a mix of food and beverage vendors in an open market setting similar to other popular markets around the country. The building is expected to open in late summer with the Left Bank Bakery, Pattaya Thai, Julie Kluh Art, Don Juan’s Mexican Kitchen, Olympia Seafood, Finn River Cider, Percival Creek (SPSCC), and Sweetlee’s Ice Cream. It is exciting to see this addition to the Tumwater community. The third building, which will be in front of the SPSCC building, will have a credit union and coffee shop, and should start construction soon.

Warehouses Proposed Outside the City

Thurston County has received an application for two large warehouse buildings near Littlerock Road and Prine Road. The site is outside the City limits but in our Urban Growth Area (UGA). The project is inconsistent with the City’s plan and regulations for numerous reasons, including it exceeds size limits and is not allowed in the zone. The project would need to comply with the City’s regulations in order for the City to provide necessary water and sewer service. The City has sent a letter expressing our opposition to the project as proposed.

O & M Facility Taking Big Step Forward

It has been a long journey since the City purchased the former Trails End Arena in 2011 to become an O & M Facility for utilities, transportation, and fleet purposes. We’ve done gopher studies, acquired gopher mitigation, developed concepts for a park, held public meetings, weathered a recession and a pandemic, developed alternative designs, formulated a plan for a roundabout to support the project, and selected a preferred concept. Earlier this month, the City Council approved a $2.45M contract with TCF Architecture for the design drawings for the site, buildings, and facility. TCF has designed numerous other similar facilities and specializes in innovative environmental solutions. The facility has been designated by the City Council to be all electric. This design phase is expected to take about a year. The project is funded by the rate increases in the City’s three utilities (we started collecting this revenue six years ago) and the General Fund which will rely on a future utility tax increase.

Trails End Park: Concept Option A

DRC Looks at Projects

These projects came before the City’s Development Review Committee:

• Feasibility Review of reconfiguration of the parking lot at the Tumwater Valley Golf Course. This project is partially funded with City and grant funds in order to improve the parking and reduce environmental impacts.

• Formal Review of the Velkommen Apartments at 7125 Littlerock Road – 19 units in a 5-story building.

• Feasibility Review of dividing one of the Port Cleanwater buildings into three tenant spaces.

• Feasiblity Review of proposed tenant improvements to an existing 18,000 s.f. building on Blomberg to allow a marijuana grow operation.

• Feasibility Review of a proposed 2,300 s.f. quick service restaurant at 5945 Littlerock Road.

• Preliminary Review of the Kaufman’s 160,000 s.f. warehouse proposed for 9010 Legacy Ct. SW by Kaufman Real Estate.

• Formal Review of the Tyee Landing Apartments on Tyee Drive and containing 148 apartment units.

• Formal Review of a 5-story multi-family building with 42 unites at 723 Israel Road SW. This project would replace the run-down house across from Tumwater High School and would bring residential units to the Town Center area.

INSIDE THE CITY

Illustrating our Mission, Vision, or Beliefs in Action.

This is my last newsletter to you. One of the things I’ve enjoyed is being able to write this newsletter to our elected leaders, employees, alumni, and friends. I’ve pretty much written all of them myself with the editing and proofing help from several friends who made it readable.

I’ve enjoyed it because I’ve gotten to tell our stories – of success, introduce new people who join us and recognize those who leave, highlight changes that are happening in the City and community, and share stories about the awesome things we are doing.

People have asked me what I’m going to miss and I’ve given that some thought.

The pace of this work in a City is invigorating for me. A full-service city like Tumwater has so many things going on that a day is filled with lots of topics. With that comes so much learning. I came to city administration 19 years ago with a background in some aspects of a city – but not all. Since then, I’ve learned about policing, firefighting, and emergency medical, pandemics, recreation, housing and community services, and more. Every day was learning more and I have loved it.

A good colleague once gave me a Post-It that said “Grow People” on it. I’ve always felt that one of the most important things we can do is help people grow. Maybe they want to learn more skills, become a supervisor, do different or bigger work, be a director or city administrator, or even pursue a different career. We’ve created more opportunities to grow, expanded training and tuition reimbursement, and promoted education incentives. I’m so proud of the people who have stepped up and are growing in the City of Tumwater. I’m going to miss that.

It has been rewarding to help the community create a vision around “bringing brewing back.” You are doing it! While it is a long journey, the road has started and I fully expect that Tumwater’s place on the map is secure.

Finally, I’m going to miss the people. Our City family has changed over the years. We’ve lost some friends and added many new ones. It is so great to meet the new employees – hear their stories and welcome them to the City as they get ready to shape our future and serve the community. You have no idea how many times I’ve said “WOW” at the end of one of those new employee orientations.

The City of Tumwater’s future is outstanding and I look forward to watching and cheering you on as the City grows.

-John

Police Department Monthly Report

To: John Doan, City Administrator

From: Jon Weiks, Chief of Police

Date: June 15, 2023

Re: May 2023

CRIMINAL ACTIVITY

2023-0711 Assault of a Child 3rd Degree - Tumwater detectives were informed of a 1-year-old child that had been transported from a local motel to a local hospital after experiencing symptoms consistent with a drug overdose. The Tumwater Fire Department Battalion Chief who made the phone call to detectives advised he suspected something seemed off with the situation. The family had reported the child was suffering some other medical issue and did not disclose the possibility of an overdose. On the way to the hospital, the child had actually become unresponsive in the ambulance, but medical personnel were able to revive her. When the child arrived at the hospital, first responders were notified by the doctor the child had suffered from a Fentanyl related drug overdose. The child was then transported to a Tacoma Hospital for further care. All members of the detective division responded to investigate, accompanied by a Patrol Sergeant. Detectives made contact with the child’s father at the hospital and learned the child had been left with her mother, who is a frequent fentanyl user, for a short period at the motel. When he returned, he found the child was lethargic and showing symptoms of being gravely ill. The mother and father concocted a story to provide first responders, blaming a fictitious person, before calling 911 to get help for their child. The mother then hid in the bathroom, as not to be found by police or medics. The father admitted to initially lying about what happened to the toddler and waiting an hour to call for medical help. The father then started to cooperate with the investigation, and admitted the child’s mother had been using fentanyl on the bed where the child had been sleeping. Detectives also responded to the motel to search the room and locate the child’s mother. Upon initial contact at the room, no one answered, but eventually the mother exited the room and admitted there were narcotics inside. Detectives applied for and were granted a search warrant for the motel room, which resulted in recovering items suspected to be fentanyl, cocaine, and drug paraphernalia. Both the mother and father were booked at the Thurston County Jail for Assault of a Child 3rd degree. The child was taken into protective custody and placed in the care of the Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families.

2023-0762 Assault 1st and 2nd Degree - Tumwater officers were dispatched to a local funeral home for a suspect who had been asked to leave and was refusing. The reporting party advised the suspect was threatening to fight employees and had a knife. The information received was that the suspect also tried to stab an employee. The suspect was described as transient, who was pushing a cart and carrying a knife

bigger than a pocketknife, similar to a machete Upon arrival, officers made contact with the suspect, where he was compliant and was detained without incident. The knife was recovered from the sidewalk where the suspect had been contacted. Officers interviewed the victims and learned that an employee observed the subject on the property and approached him. She was aware he had already been trespassed from the property, so she was asking him to leave. The suspect became verbally aggressive and then pulled out the knife. The suspect advanced towards the employee while yelling at her and she feared for her safety. Another employee observed the incident and responded to assist. The suspect then advanced on the other employee, making a stabbing motion with the knife, but the employee was able to create distance to avoid being assaulted. This created fear in that employee as well , so they called 911. The suspect was placed under arrest for one count of Assault 1st degree and one count of Assault 2nd degree. The suspect complained of pre-existing leg injuries and medical attention was requested. The suspect was initially evaluated at the scene by TFD personnel and then transported by ambulance to a local hospital for further evaluation. An officer followed the ambulance to the hospital and when the suspect was medically cleared, the officer transported and booked the suspect into the Thurston County Jail for the assault charges.

2023-0817 Robbery 2nd Degree - Tumwater officers were dispatched to a local convenience store for a report of a robbery that had just occurred. The victim, an employee, reported the suspect left the scene prior to officer’s arrival. The victim provided a detailed description of the suspect, which was relayed to responding officers. The first officer on scene observed a female in the area that matched the suspect’s description. He watched her while responding officers contacted the victim to determine what crime had been committed. The victim reported she observed the suspect enter the store and gather merchandise, including a bottle of alcohol. The suspect then started to leave the store without paying for the items. The victim confronted the suspect about the theft and the suspect attacked the victim, physically assaulting her repeatedly and throwing her to the ground while continuing her assault. The victim called out for help and others came to her aid and the suspect fled the store. There was physical evidence corroborating the victim’s account of what happened. The victim identified the items stolen, which totaled over $39. The investigating officer advised there was probable cause to arrest the suspect for Robbery 2nd degree. Officers then contacted and took the suspect into custody without incident. The suspect was transported and booked into the Thurston County Jail for Robbery 2nd degree.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG DROP BOX

The public deposited 45 pounds of prescription drugs in May. The total deposited for the year is 320 pounds.

BUDGET

At the end of the month, the police department budget is 37% spent for the year.

K-9 STATISTICS

Officer Russ Mize & K9 James

• No deployments this month, as Officer Mize was out of the office all month

Officer Chase Grimmett & K9 Thor

• Evidence Search

o Assisted the Lacey Police Department with attempting to locate an article (possible firearm) from an in-custody suspect that was believed to have been discarded during a foot pursuit. Officer Grimmett responded to the scene and deployed K9 Thor from the

start of the foot pursuit. K9 Thor was able to follow the track of the foot pursuit, but did not locate any items of evidentiary value.

• Tracking

o Assisted the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office with attempting to locate an Assault 2nd Degree – Domestic Violence suspect, who had fled the scene on foot. The suspect was believed to be living in a nearby encampment and was known to carry a knife. Officer Grimmett responded to the scene and deployed K9 Thor in the area where the suspect was last seen. K9 Thor was able to acquire the suspect’s scent and led officers through a couple of residential back yards and over fences. The track then continued into a wooded area and led to a deep swamp. The swamp was also next to the encampment where the suspect was known to stay Officer Grimmett terminated the track upon encountering increasing environmental hazards (traps) on the trail leading to the encampment and due to the unknown number of people living in the multiple structures of the encampment.

SRO ACTIVITY

School Resource Officer Tyler Boling:

• Responded to Bush Middle School to address an angry parent who was in the school office yelling and swearing at staff prior to the start of the school day. SRO Boling addressed the parent and was able to de-escalate her. The parent was angry with a staff member for yelling at their child and she was angry at the administration for not taking care of the situation the way she wanted it handled. SRO Boling directed her to the school district office, but instead the parent withdrew their student from the district.

• At the request of a parent, counseled a Bush Middle School student about online cyber safety The student had recently made a friend online and sent him money. The parents are concerned about their student engaging in risky behaviors online.

• Participated in the 6th grade transition information night for students moving up to Bush Middle School in the fall.

• Conducted a teaching lesson to the Bush Middle School 7th grade regarding the consequences of drug and alcohol use.

• Conducted Run, Hide, Fight instruction to the leadership students at Bush Middle School

• Assisted multiple students with vehicle lockouts and one student with a jump-start in the Tumwater High School parking lot.

• Provided a Tumwater Police Department station tour to the Black Hills High School Life Skill class. He provided information about Tumwater Police Department and being a police officer.

• Alerted to a transient male who had walked onto Tumwater High School grounds and entered the school during lunchtime SRO Boling located the male, but he was already being escorted off school property by the campus security supervisors. SRO Boling notified patrol officers of the male’s last known direction and when he was located and contacted, the man refused to cooperate, nor identify himself. It appeared the male suffered from mental health issues The male was notified he was not allowed back on school grounds

• Attended the East Olympia Elementary Fiesta event to provide SRO presence and security.

• The SRO program purchased, cooked, and served a hot dog lunch to the Tumwater High School senior class, providing 144 hot dogs and chips to the students on their last day of high school.

• Investigated a theft report regardi ng a student’s stolen Apple AirPods from the Tumwater High School weight room. The victim reported a Bush Middle School student was in the weight room when the AirPods went missing. The victim was also able to track the AirPods and the location notification directed them to Bush Middle School . The Bush Middle School student was contacted and he admitted to stealing the AirPods. The student’s guardian was notified and agreed to pay for the stolen airpods because the student had thrown away one of the pods and the charging case. No report was taken because the involved parties agreed to handle it between themselves The discipline was handled by the school.

• Investigated a report of a Bush Middle School student all eged to have a weapon at school (20230794). The student was contacted and lied about having a weapon and a backpack. Video

surveillance footage was reviewed, which showed the student had lied; the backpack was placed in someone else’s locker. The backpack was recovered and a folding knife was located in the student’s backpack. A report was taken due to the student already being on probation and discipline was handled by the school.

• Investigated a report of Tumwater High School students drinking in the parking lot of Fred Meyer during school hours. A school administrator from a different school observed it and photographed it. When confronted by the Vice Principal, one of the students lied and did not want to cooperate. When contacted by SRO Boling, the students admitted to stealing and drinking the alcohol. The other student had already left campus prior to contact, so his parents were contacted. The school handled discipline and the students were referred to True North for an alcohol assessment.

• Investigated a report of a physical assault that occurred at Bush Middle School The fight was also recorded and encouraged by other students. SRO Boling met with the students and discussed consequences, making good choices, and hear something/say something. Discipline was handled by the school.

• Investigated a reported sex offense involving two Tumwater High School students. During the course of the investigation he determined the acts were consensual and the students were at the age of consent, therefore no crime had been committed. The investigation was resolved by having conversations with the reporting student a nd their family.

• Investigated a report of a missing Life Skills student from Cascadia High School. SRO Boling began looking for the student and ultimately located him at Tumwater High School SRO Boling returned the student to Cascadia High School The student’s family was notified and staff resolved the incident.

• Investigated a hit & run collision in the Tumwater High School parking lot involving a student hitting a staff member’s car. Video surveillance was reviewed and the student was identified and contacted. The student admitted to what they had done and the incident was handled between the parties through an exchange of information.

School Resource Officer Rosco Rollman:

• Conducted teaching lessons to the Black Hills High School freshman health classes about the dangers of alcohol /narcotic use and about making good choices.

• Conducted teaching lessons to the 6th grade health class at Tumwater Middle School about his role as a police officer, about cyber safety, and making good decisions during the summer months.

• Worked with a Black Hills High School parent regarding their child being harassed by other students while the child is at home. The child did not feel safe at school due to the harassment, so they met with the child and administration, and the parent responded to the school to pick up their child A police report was filed with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office due to the residential jurisdiction of where the harassment was occurring.

• Assisted Peter G. Schmidt Elementary staff with a staff-only lockdown drill.

• Attended and provided security at the Black Hills High School Prom in Centralia.

• Provided a teaching lesson to the Tumwater School District bus drivers about lockdowns and they debriefed the incident that occurred at Tumwater Middle School (2023-0736).

• Assisted patrol regarding a report of a man with a gun at Overlook Park, near T umwater Hill Elementary (2023-0790) SRO Rollman responded to Tumwater Hill Elementary and provided perimeter security, where he remained until all students and parents had left school grounds.

• Received several reports of habitually poor driving habits involving a Black Hills High School student. SRO Rollman identified and located the student, and discussed the consequences of those poor driving habits. The incident was resolved with counseling.

• Assisted Tumwater Middle School staff with a student who was acting out aggressively towards staff and cursing. The student’s parent arrived at the school and the student turned on their parent as well. The student was provided their medication and allowed to de-escalate before returning to class.

• Assisted Peter G. Schmidt Elementary staff regarding a complaint of a neighbor who had jumped the fence onto school property to confront students who were using poor language and throwing

things at the person’s motorcycle. SRO Rollman had a conversation with the person and advised they were not allowed on grounds during school hours and the incident was resolved.

• Investigated a possible hit and run that occurred in the parking lot of Tumwater Middle School involving a parent and a teacher’s vehicle. During the course of the investigation, he learned the parent did in fact notify the owner of the vehicle they hit via a note and the incident was resolved between the two parties.

• Investigated a physical assault between two Tumwater Middle School students, who had prior incidents of bullying (2023- 0722) One student slapped the other student on the side of the head, rupturing the student’s eardrum. The other student reportedly cursed at and spit on the other student, but there were no witnesses to that and it was not captured on the video surveillance. The parent of the injured student obtained an order of protection against the child and requested the case be prosecuted. SRO Rollman conducted his investigation and referred the charge of Assault 2nd degree to the Thurston County Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office for review.

• Investigated a report of a student aged person walking towards Tumwater Middle School on Littlerock Rd during school arrival hours, whom was reportedly carrying a handgun, per a report of a passerby (2023-0736). Multiple law enforcement resources were dispatched to the area to locate the student, taking student’s safety into the utmost consideration. The school was placed in lockdown while they conducted an investigation to identify and locate the person. With the assistance of video surveillance and school administration, they were able to identify and locate the student who had already made it onto school grounds. The item the student was carrying appeared to be a gun, but was in fact a Transformer toy shaped like a gun. When reviewing video surveillance, they observed the student come onto campus and show other students the toy and pointed it like it was a gun, but none of the other students appeared to be alarmed. The incident was resolved and handed over to the school for follow-up and any potential discipline.

• Investigated a report of a physical altercation that occurred between a Black Hills High School student and their parent after Prom ( 2023-0749). The student is over the age of 18 and did not want to disclose much to SRO Rollman. SRO Rollman completed a written report regarding the information that was received.

• Investigated a parking complaint at Tumwater Middle School in reference to parents parking on adjacent private property during pick-up hours. SRO Rollman was able to resolve the situation by talking with parents who were arriving and parking in the area.

• Investigated a report of a stolen Chromebook from a T umwater Middle School student (20230966). At the conclusion of the investigation, he was unable to locate the stolen laptop, nor was he able to identify the suspect.

CODE ENFORCEMENT

Code Enforcement opened two cases this month:

• Report of overgrown vegetation from an undeveloped residential property

• Over height fence constructed on a residential property

Code Enforcement closed two cases this month:

• Unpermitted modifications and use of an airport hangar was brought into compliance after 2 years of work between Community Development and the owner’s attorney.

• An abandoned junk vehicle was removed from a residential property after a notice of violation was issued.

Code Enforcement currently has 17 open cases.

QUANTIFIABLE ACTIVITY

* Self-Initiated includes:investigativefollow-ups,civilpaperworkservice,areachecks,business checks,schoolvisits, residentcontacts,trafficstopsandback-upactivity.

PERSONNEL

• Kelly Clark, Traffic Officer – 24 years of service

• Tim Eikum, Sergeant – 19 years of service

• Brandt Baker, Detective – 7 years of service

• Hannah Ritter, Officer – 3 years of service

TRAINING

• Two members attended a two-day AR-15/M4 Carbine Armorer course

• One member attended a two-day Supervisor Response to Critical Incidents course

• One member attended the four-day IALEIA 2023 Conference

• One member completed an online Stratified Policing course

• One member attended a four-day Trimble Forensics Reveal 1 course

• One member attended a four-day VIN Identification Basics course

• One member completed a three-day ABLE Instructor course

• Three members attended a WCIA Risk Management Essentials presentation

• Three members competed a three- day Gracie Level II Instructor course

• One member attended the three-day WSPCA K9 Conference

• Two members attended a three-day WHIA Conference

• One member continued in the Field Training Program

• Four TPD members of Thurston County SWAT attended monthly training

• 26 members attended a department training day focused on Patrol Tactics

674 total training hours

COMMUNITY ACTIVITY

Detective Danielle Dawson, Sergeant Randy Baughn, and Officer Stacy Brown participated in the Spring Fair at Fred Meyer, along with other TFD personnel.

COMMENDATIONS/LETTERS OF APPRECIATION

Officer Chase Grimmett received a written commendation from the Executive Director of Hope Alliance in Lewis County, which is a domestic violence and sexual assault victim’s advocacy center. Hope Alliance contacted TPD regarding a victim that had been sexual ly assaulted in Tumwater. The advocate, Darlene, was absolutely stunned at how wonderful Officer Grimmett treated the victim. Darlene reported that he was kind and conducted himself as having been trained with trauma-informed care. “I simply wanted you to know how appreciative we were for the way TPD and Officer Grimmett responded to a very sensitive case.”

Lieutenant Carlos Quiles, Lieutenant Ken Driver, Sergeant Bryent Finch, Sergeant Chuck Liska, Officer Kelly Clark, and Officer Chase Grimmett were recognized by South Puget Sound Community College staff, Mayor Sullivan, and incoming City Administrator Lisa Parks, for their response to a suicide incident in the parking lot on the campus. All were recognized for their quick response and professionalism in which they took control of the situation.

Officer Seth Stauffer received a verbal commendation from a citizen who had been involved in a collision. The resident called and complimented Officer Stauffer for the care he showed her during the investigation of the incident.

Transportation & Engineering

Water Resources & Sustainability

May/June 2023

PERSONNEL UPDATES & ANNIVERSARIES

Forrest Bailey

WRS Cross Connection Specialist | 05/14/2002, 21 yrs

Curt Shields

WRS Water Quality Lead Worker | 05/04/2004, 19 yrs

Michael Erickson

WRS Water Distribution Lead Worker | 05/01/2007, 16 yrs

Shannon Geary

TED/WRS Ops Administrative Assistant | 05/01/2015, 8 yrs

Meagan Baker

TED Project Coordinator | 05/01/2019, 4 yrs

Dan Smith

Water Resources Director | 06/06/2000, 23 yrs.

David Mills

TED Engineer I | 06/14/2002, 21 yrs.

Eldon Newell

TED Streets Lead Worker | 06/09/2008, 15yrs.

Chuck Deuel

TED Maintenance Tech II | 06/11/2008, 15 yrs.

Dale Kapsandy

WRS Maintenance Tech II | 06/03/2013, 10 yrs.

Jacob Norton

WRS Maintenance Tech I | 06/09/2008, 15 yrs.

TRANSPORTATION & ENGINEERING

Interstate 5/Trosper Road/Capitol Boulevard

Reconfiguration Project

The contractor, Active Construction, is making significant progress on Lee Street, the new 6th Avenue Extension, Capitol Boulevard, and the new Trosper Extension roadway

The underground water and storm drainage systems have been completed on Lee Street, along with a good portion of the new 6th Avenue roadway. The contractor recently completed paving operations on Lee Street and also paved the base lift for a portion of 6th Avenue.

PROJECTS IN DESIGN

Israel Road/Linderson Way Water Main Project

The Israel Road and Linderson Way Water Main Project will replace 4,700 linear feet of water main ahead of the City’s Pedestrian & Bicycle Improvement project scheduled for 2024. The project is in the final design stages. It is expected that the project will be bid in June of this year, with construction commencing shortly after contractor selection.

2023 Pavement Maintenance Project

The 2023 Transportation Benefit District (TBD) funded Pavement Maintenance project was developed to maintain pavement preservation within the City. The project will include new asphalt overlay and paving, fulldepth roadway repair, pavement repair, roadway crack

6th Avenue roundabout construction

Paving operations on Lee Street

sealing, and pavement striping on various roadways throughout the city. The roadways being improved are a blend of high traffic volume arterials and collectors, along with streets in residential areas.

contamination from the water prior to entering the Deschutes River. Sediment from flooding events and natural runoff collects in the pond, overtime reducing the capacity and affecting the operations of the aerators.

The City contracted with Clearcreek Contractor LLC to dewater the lagoon and remove the accumulated sediments from the lagoon to restore it to its original design capacities. The project is underway, water flows have been by-passed and they are actively dredging the material from the pond. When completed, the aerators will be installed, restoring the lagoon to full operation. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of July. The lagoon represents one of many mitigation strategies to remove known contamination from the ground water and restore a clean environment.

WATER RESOURCES & SUSTAINABILITY

WA STATE GEOLOGIST LICENSING BOARD

Water Resource Specialist Appointment

Carrie Gillum is the latest addition to the Washington State Geologist Licensing Board. Starting July 1, she will join the seven-member board. The board is responsible for licensing geologist within the state, investigating violations of state regulations related to the practice of geology, and recommending rules and regulations for administering licensing and regulatory laws. The appointment will be through May 2026.

Congratulations Carrie!

PALERMO AERATION LAGOON Cleanup and Restoration

The Palermo Aeration Lagoon is part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Palermo Superfund cleanup site for ground water contamination mitigation. The aeration lagoon collects shallow ground water runoff from a subdrain system and treats the water with aeration pumps. The aeration action allows the contamination to volatilize, effectively removing the

TREE INVENTORY GRANT AWARDED

City of Tumwater Receives DNR Grant

The City of Tumwater was awarded a $40,000 grant from the Department of Natural Resources to complete a tree inventory on City-owned properties An iTree analysis estimates the value of the ecosystem services provided by our urban forest, develops a maintenance plan for our urban forest, and identifies potential planting areas to improve canopy equity. This project will accomplish six distinct actions in the City Urban Forestry Management Plan (2021).

Funds for this project were provided by the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program, administered through the State of Washington

Paving on a residential street during the 2021 Pavement Maintenance project

Palermo Aeration Lagoon

Department of Natural Resources Urban and Community Forestry Program.

SAPP ROAD PARK VOLUNTEER EVENT

17th Field Artillery Brigade

In May, the 17th Field Artillery Brigade volunteers worked with the City of Tumwater via Stream Team to remove plastic sheeting from Sapp Road Park, to help restore undergrowth. The park plays a large role in helping to mitigate stormwater flooding and pollution, making these restoration efforts all the more important for our community. The volunteer’s efforts removed over 150 lbs of plastic sheeting. As the seasons progress, more opportunities to volunteer to will present themselves. We invite you to participate in these restoration events, and learn more about hands on science as it relates to data collection and the importance this information plays to help us manage stormwater runoff and overall water quality within the City. You can sign up for these events and workshops at the Stream Team events page.

Team newsletters, flyers about the Arbor Day Tree Event, toilet leak detection tablets, dog waste bags, and free car washes to reduce pollution in stormwater. Staff have also provided Fats, Oil, and Grease kits, recruited for the Climate Advisory Workgroup, and promoted community conversations related to tree protection and landscaping code updates.

WATER INFRASTRUCTURE SOLAR

Drinking Water and Renewable Energy

Year after year, electricity consumed to produce and distribute clean drinking water to our community makes up the largest “piece of the pie” of our City Operations Greenhouse Gas Emissions. As Tumwater’s population grows, a key strategy to reduce emissions is to utilize renewable energy. While the City purchases renewable energy certificates through Puget Sound Energy’s Green Direct Program for all of our accounts, the City can also reduce emissions by installing renewable energy on-site where space allows. In 2022, WRS installed a 3.08 kW ground-mounted solar array at the Crites Road Water Fill Station and a 0.77 kW ground-mounted solar array at the Sapp Road Pressure Reducing Valve location. We are happy to report that these two solar arrays are now fully functional and powering these two infrastructure locations.

Sapp Road Park clean up volunteers

REACHING COMMUNITY MEMBERS

Thurston County Food Bank

The Thurston County Food Bank graciously allows the Water Resources & Sustainability (WRS) Department to engage community members at their drive-through distribution at the Mountain View Church on Israel Road. Each quarter WRS staff provides community members with information and utility incentives related to water quality and sustainability in Tumwater, invitations to participate in city activities, and works to build trusting relationships. In April WRS staff distributed ~120 Stream

MUNICON CONFERENCE

Staff Present on Best Management Practices!

Staff attended the Municon Conference in Wenatchee, WA on April 25 and 26 to share stormwater best management practices developed collaboratively by City stormwater and GIS staff, presenting the new Catch Basin

Solar array at Crites Street Water Fill Station

Inspection toolkits to stormwater professionals from all around the state. Our team explained the process to develop the tool, described stakeholder engagement, mapping capabilities, simplified inspection criteria, and demonstrated a useful dashboard to display progress of the inspection and maintenance team. Mark Tiegen and Dave Kangiser delivered the presentation to a packed room and were able to connect with other jurisdictions after the presentation to explain the ArcGIS FieldMap tool that was used to develop the inspection process.

During the conference, Dave Kangiser and Grant Gilmore also presented on beaver management strategies that the City of Tumwater uses to successfully mitigate impacts from urban beavers while providing the necessary habitat and environmental conditions to ensure the colonies can exist in relative harmony with their 2-legged neighbors

Stormwater Staff presentation at the recent Municon Conference