Hello everyone, 

It certainly is a busy time of the year at the City of Tumwater, particularly as you have all been working hard to bring holiday spirit to our community!  Whether its beautiful holiday decorations, festive events, fun winter activities, workplace giving, or bringing extra help to people in need, every day I see the wonderful care for our community that you bring to work, every day – thank you!  

And, as a reminder, while we’re working to care for our community, please remember to take care of yourselves and your families, too. While the holidays are a time of joy, laughter, and connection for many people, it can also be a time of challenge or sorrow for others.  I hope you will give each other the gift of grace and gratitude, as we hustle and bustle both at work and at home.  

As for me, I am grateful to all of you and the work you are doing to brighten the season for the community and each other. 

Wishing you a peaceful holiday season,

Lisa Parks, Tumwater City Administrator

Happy Thanksgiving 

Tumwater City Hall and Old Town Center will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 28-29, 2024, in observance of Thanksgiving. Water, sewer, and street problems can be reported by calling the Public Works Hotline at 360-754-4150. Police, fire, and emergency medical response services will be available as usual. Emergency? Call 911. 

Employee Recognition Breakfast Dec. 3 

All city staff are invited to the annual Employee Recognition Breakfast from 8 - 10 a.m., Dec. 3 in the auditorium at the L&I building. Bring your appetite! Reminder that the event will include a photo slideshow of staff photos taken throughout the year. Photo submissions can be sent to Mallory Coleman in HR.  

Adopt-a-Family for the holidays

Each year, the city works with the Tumwater Education Foundation and Tumwater School District to provide toys, shoes, coats, and food to children during the holiday season. The Adopt-a-Family program began more than 20 years ago as a community service project by city staff. Now, the program is sponsored by the Tumwater Education Foundation and assists families with children aged 18 and under and at least one attending a TSD school.

Here’s how you can help make a child’s holidays brighter:

• Visit the Adopt-a-Family display outside the Council Chambers to review the available gift request tags. Each tag lists three gifts that an individual child is wishing for and other helpful information. Unwrapped gifts must be dropped off to the TSD district office by December 13. City staff can bring their gifts to the communications office before December 13, and we will deliver all the gifts to the district office.
• If you want to help but don’t have time to shop, you can make a donation and school district staff will do the shopping for you. Donation can be made in cash or by check payable to Tumwater Education Foundation (621 Linwood Ave SW, Tumwater, WA 98512 – ATTN Becky Parsons) 

Please contact Marnie McGrath with any questions. 

Parks and Recreation is gearing up for holiday events and completing winter projects

Tis the season to be busy for the parks and recreation team. In addition to regular winter programs, staff are preparing for the annual tree-lighting festival and a series of Santa stops in partnership with the fire department. More than 6,000 lights were hung at City Hall to prepare for the tree lighting.

This winter, crews are completing a number of maintenance and improvement projects at parks and buildings throughout the city. The golf course is getting winter maintenance too, as well as working with WRS on recertification for TVGC's Salmon Safe Certificate. Learn about this and more in the Parks and Recreation newsletter. 

Police receive appreciation letter, respond to stolen vehicle/narcotics incidents

Tumwater Police Officer Tony Dominguez received a letter of appreciation from a community member that he assisted with her car in a store parking lot. The resident noted that she was having a panic attack upon discovering her tire was flat and she didn't know how to change it. Thanks to Officer Dominguez's help, she was able to make it to pick up her son on time and cook dinner. Police responded to 1,442 calls last month. Two of those calls were for possession of stolen vehicles and narcotics. Read more in the Police monthly report. 

Fire responds to increasing CO2 reports

Tumwater firefighters recently responded to six different natural gas leak calls in a 24-day period. They offer the following advice: Avoid using fuel-powered engines or charcoal grills indoors, ensure proper ventilation when cooking, avoid using ovens or stoves to heat your home, keep chimneys and ducts clear and clean. Read more in the Fire monthly newsletter. 

TED continues fall/winter projects

TED is wrapping up its construction work for the season. The Linwood Avenue sidewalk project will reach substantial completion in early December then will pause until weather permits pavement restoration in the spring.

The Israel Road and Linderson Way Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements Project is nearly complete, though delays in procuring materials for the pedestrian crossings will delay final completion until early 2025.

Projects in design include a roundabout at the Tumwater Blvd/I-5 Interchange, pedestrian and bicycle improvements on 2nd Avenue between Linwood and B Street, and the 2025 Pavement Maintenance Project. Read more in the TED monthly newsletter.

WRS completes water line inventory, reminds staff about EV charger etiquette

The Green Team offers some friendly reminders for staff regarding EV chargers. Please only park at the EV charger if you are using the station, and then only for the length of time required to charge. The public EV chargers at City Hall are for both employee and public use.

Staff recently completed a water line inventory and determined that there are no known lead service lines or galvanized service lines requiring replacement within the city's water distribution system. Read more in the WRS monthly newsletter. 

Socktober recap

WOW Y’ALL! Together, Tumwater staff collected a record number of pairs of socks: 846 pairs. That is several hundred more than last year. Every one of your contributions will help give people in our community warm and dry feet this winter.

The winner this year was again TED, with special recognition to their Sockstar Joe Norman. The finance department was a close runner up. WRS has determined that the pizza party is awarded to both TED and finance given their fun, friendly competition throughout the month and together contributing the lion’s share of socks.
 
Whether you donated one pair or three hundred, we truly appreciate your generosity and care for our community. 

Crock-Pot Cookoff

Did you get a chance to sample your colleagues cooking at the Nov. 5 Crock-Pot Cookoff? The two winners were Bonnie Hale with tri-tip beef stew and Tami Merriman with beef stroganoff. Mallory Coleman's tortellini soup was also a favorite. 

Follow us on Instagram

Did you know that the city has new Instagram pages? The City, Parks and Recreation, and Fire launched their Instagram pages in November. Police Instagram is coming soon! Follow along to keep up with the latest news. @TumwaterCity, @TumwaterParksAndRecreation, @TumwaterFireDepartment