Hi Everyone,  

I hope you all had an opportunity to enjoy our brief taste of spring with the 60+ degree weather during the first days of March! And, hold on to your hats! If the old wives’ tale is true, when March comes in like a lamb, it goes out like a lion!    

Spring is always a time to reawaken and refresh after the winter season, including here at the City of Tumwater. Police have entered their busy season, among all their busy seasons. Water Resources is providing spill response training, and Transportation and Engineering is wrapping up the Israel Rd. and Linderson Way projects. Parks & Recreation once again met the tremendous challenge of maintaining trails during wintery, windy, and watery weather. 

In terms of staffing, we have a variety of arrivals and exits, from the well-earned retirements of Police Chief Jon Weiks and Community Development Director Mike Matlock later this year, to the addition of new Medic One personnel and our new Assistant City Administrator, Kelly Adams. For those moving on to new adventures, you and your work will always be a part of the fabric of this community for which we are all eternally grateful, and for those joining us, welcome aboard! 

As always, thank you for all that you do to make Tumwater a great community! 

Lisa 
City Administrator 

A busy season for police 

The Police Department responded to several complex calls during the month of January, including a protection order violation, drug and paraphernalia possession, mental health crisis, assault, and burglary. School resource officers provided education and support for students throughout Tumwater schools. K9 Thor was deployed twice. Read more in the Police Monthly Report.

Fire department responses and promotions

The Tumwater Fire Department recently completed the testing process for the positions of Fire Lieutenant and Paramedic Lieutenant. The department responded to 482 calls during the month of January, 162 were advanced life support and five were cardiac arrests. Crews also responded to a natural gas leak and a structure fire. Read more in the Fire Department Monthly Newsletter.  

WRS provides spill response training

Water Resources & Sustainability staff recently teamed up with Thurston County Pollution Prevention Assistance Program to conduct a joint inspection at a gas station in the city. It was determined that a fuel spill was not properly cleaned up. The gas station owner was provided education and a spill response kit. Energize Thurston is offering incentives for homeowners to install heat pumps. There are a number of staff changes and vacancies. Read about that, and more, in the WRS Monthly Newsletter.

TED construction and design projects

Substantial completion of the Israel Road and Linderson Way pedestrian and bicycle improvement project is expected soon. Due to winter weather, paving of the roadway on Linwood Avenue from Susitna Lane to 2nd Avenue will be completed in the spring or early summer. An engineering firm has been selected for the roundabout between North Interstate 5 on and off ramps and Tumwater Blvd. Pavement maintenance will begin this summer, funded by the Transportation Benefit District. Read more in the TED Monthly Newsletter.

Parks & Recreation completes projects around the city

Thank you to parks maintenance crews for clearing and salting numerous lots and sidewalks around the city during recent winter weather. Crews are busy working to maintain trails at Pioneer Park and Tumwater Hill. New fibar engineered wood chips were placed at Historical Park. Read more in the Parks & Recreation Monthly Newsletter. 

Tumwater city logo trademark

Our Tumwater city logo is now officially trademarked. Please see the new letterhead with the trademark symbol in the communications toolkit. If you have any questions about the logo, contact communications@ci.tumwater.wa.us. 

Energize Thurston

Tumwater and the Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative are hosting an educational workshop about electric heat pumps and home energy savings on March 20, 2025, 6:30 – 7:30 pm at Tumwater High School. The City of Tumwater is partnering with Thurston County and the cities of Lacey, Olympia, and Tenino to launch Energize Thurston: a heat pump group purchase campaign that offers discounted and streamlined installations of heat pump heating/cooling and water heating systems. A limited number of subsidized installations will be available to income-qualified households. To learn more and sign up for this workshop, visit www.energizethurston.org.

News from Green Team

Are you familiar with environmental purchasing requirements? If you are responsible for making purchases for the city, please take a moment to review the environmental purchasing requirements in the purchasing policy manual, located on the G drive under CAO. Some notable items include a requirement to purchase 100 percent recycled copy paper, avoid bottled water, and purchase rechargeable batteries for all purposes except emergency management.

Comp Plan Update Transportation Element

Field trips are always a great time! Last week, our City of Tumwater Planning Commissioners took a transportation tour to look at sidewalks, bike lanes, intersections, and other features of the roadways that we maintain. Do you have feedback about our city transportation plan? Send an email to compplan@ci.tumwater.wa.us. Keep an eye on our city website for an announcement about an upcoming Transportation Element Open House on March 19. 

Commute Trip Reduction Incentive

All regular-status employees are eligible to participate in the city Commute Trip Reduction Incentive. Staff members who purchase or lease an electric vehicle can receive $720 or $360 for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Employees who choose non single occupant vehicle (SOV) methods of travel to work are eligible to receive $20-$60 depending on the frequency of non-SOV commutes. 

New staff members

Welcome to our new staff members who were hired in February. 

• Alixander Holman, police officer
• Kelly Adams, assistant city administrator

Accident Investigation Forms

Human Resources provides an Accident Investigation Form in case an employee has an on-the-job injury. Ideally, no one will get hurt, but accidents do happen. If it's needed, please complete the form and provide to HR the same or following day so they can take the proper steps toward employee recovery.