Here’s what’s closed, canceled or altered in Thurston County because of COVID-19

There has been a steady stream of changes to events, government, schools, and business operations in Thurston County as the state adjusts its efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Here are the changes The Olympian is aware of.

Schools

Public school districts in Thurston County are closed until April 24.

South Puget Sound Community College has moved most classes to online instruction until at least May 1. Classes with hands-on components will plan classes with social-distancing measures in mind. Its Winter Quarter is ending early, on March 20, and Spring Quarter will start late, on April 13. Campus, including food service and child care, will stay open unless there’s a confirmed case of COVID-19 connected to the campus — in that case, it would close for disinfecting.

Saint Martin’s University has moved to online classes, but is keeping the campus open.

The Evergreen State College will move instruction online for the first four weeks of spring quarter, which will begin April 2.

Public agencies and services

OLYMPIA

Effective at noon Monday, all City of Olympia buildings and non-essential services closed until March 31. The city will continue to provide essential services such as garbage, utilities, fire, and police. It already had canceled all Parks, Arts & Recreation classes, activities and programs through at least March 31. The cancellations include indoor and outdoor facility rentals at The Olympia Center, Harbor House, city fields and school fields. It also canceled all advisory board and commission meetings and postponed its annual Arbor Day Celebration.

The Olympia Senior Center, inside the Olympia Center, is closed to the public through the end of March. Staff is still answering phone calls during normal business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, and delivering Meals on Wheels meals. If you need transportation, meals or a welfare check, call 360-586-6181.

City parks and park bathrooms will remain open on winter schedule. However, playground equipment will be cordoned off for safety and reduce potential contact with the virus. Homeless services will continue. The City’s Clean Team’s services will still happen, as will building permitting and inspections.

The Olympia City Council will hold a special meeting on Tuesday and is expected to declare an emergency. In anticipation of the declaration, the city will not shut off utilities for non-payment for anyone who cannot pay due to the impacts of the coronavirus.

Olympia Police Department business offices will be closed to the public until March 31, but officers will respond to in-progress calls where a suspect is present or there is a current danger to persons or property. Officers will respond by telephone to most calls that do not involve an immediate threat to people or property.

Residents may report certain types of crimes, collisions and other services online:

• Online crime reporting: Police to Citizen Online Reporting http://p2c.tcrlerms.org/
• Online collision reporting: Washington State Patrol Collision Reports https://www.wsp.wa.gov/driver/collision-records
• City of Olympia Police Department Services: http://olympiawa.gov/city-services/police-department.aspx

The Olympia City Jail is operational, but the business office will be closed to the public until March 31, and there will be no visitation services or volunteer services. If you need to get something essential to an inmate, call 360-753-8417 for an appointment.

LACEY

Effective Tuesday, all City of Lacey facilities will be closed to the public. This restriction includes City Hall, the Police Department, and Public Works Maintenance Facility, and will remain in effect at least through March 31. Updated information will be available at ci.lacey.wa.us/COVID19. During this time, City of Lacey customers can access many services online, including utility bill payments, by visiting ci.lacey.wa.us/OnlineServices.

In addition, any scheduled Lacey City Council meeting will remain open to the public.

Please note: City of Lacey parks gates will remain locked in an effort to reduce gatherings. However, park restrooms will remain open on the normal winter schedule.

Lacey Police Department has temporarily suspended all fingerprinting services, and Thurston County Sheriff’s Office isn’t accepting Concealed Pistol License applications that require fingerprinting and is not providing any other fingerprinting services through March 31.

Lacey Parks and Recreation facility reservations are canceled. This includes indoor and outdoor facility rentals at the Lacey Community Center, Jacob Smith House, city fields, and school fields. All Lacey Parks and Recreation programs and events are canceled, and the Lacey Museum and Virgil S. Clarkson Senior Center are closed to the public.

THURSTON COUNTY

The Board of County Commissioners has suspended all advisory boards, commissions, committees, and councils overseen by the Board of County Commissioners for at least four weeks. It also has asked all elected officials and department directors to submit plans to the county manager for how essential functions would continue if there was a partial government shutdown.

The Thurston County Auditor’s Office has suspended all passport services through April 27.

OTHERS

Intercity Transit closed its administrative building at 526 Pattison St. SE to the public, canceled and postponed public meetings until further notice, and is allowing employees to telework. Most public transportation services weren’t impacted as of Friday, aside from the suspension of Village Vans, which provide free transportation for employment-related activities to people with low incomes.

IT also will temporarily discontinue some routes and reduce service on others. Nightline, The One and Dash service will be discontinued until further notice. The number of daily trips on the Olympia Express service to Pierce County will be reduced. Olympia Express service between Lakewood and Tacoma Dome Station will be discontinued until further notice. All northbound trips will end in Lakewood at the SR 512 Park & Ride. All southbound trips will depart from the same park and ride.

Timberland Regional Libraries are closed until at least April 24. All book return locations also are closed. The library system encourages patrons to keep the materials they have until the buildings reopen. No late fees! If materials are left at book drops or library locations, fees could occur for lost or damaged items.

STATE OFFICES

The state Department of Enterprise Services, which manages the state Capitol Campus, has canceled all permitted events through April 24.

The Office of the Secretary of State will suspend public access to critical in-person services until further notice.

The Public Disclosure Commission has closed its office to visitors. The agency continues to operate, and assistance remains available. Email your question to pdc@pdc.wa.gov, and a PDC staff member will reply. If you don’t have access to email, call 360-753-1111.

The Department of Retirement Systems is closed to in-person visits and services. Online services remain available, including customer account access, live webinars, information resources and tools to apply for retirement online. DRS also continues to process retirement applications and benefit payments as normal. Email and telephone services will continue on the regular schedule of 8 am to 5 pm weekdays.

Businesses and organizations

▪ Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound will close until April 2.

▪ Thurston Chamber of Commerce has postponed all chamber events, including TYP Smart Talks, Business After Hours and A Night on the Town through March 31.

▪ LeMay Pacific Disposal has temporarily closed its front office in Lacey to walk-in traffic. Customers can still make payments via mail, drop off (night drop box is on the side of building), phone and online.

▪ REI Co-op has closed its 162 retail stores nationwide until March 27.

Governor’s Mansion

All Wednesday tours of the Washington state Governor’s Mansion are postponed until September. At that time the Women’s History Tours focusing on Woman’s Suffrage, previously planned for March, will be presented.

In addition, the “Four Seasons of Tango” quarterly concert scheduled for March 30 has been rescheduled to May 17. Those making reservations will be contacted directly by the Concerts Chair regarding payments. The planned concert for May 18 is still scheduled at this time.

Also postponed until September:

• Helmi Juvonen Exhibit Opening – the program featuring works by Northwest Artist Helmi Dagmar Juvonen has been postponed to Sept. 22 for the exhibit installation and the opening reception postponed to Sept. 24.
• The Rembrandt Peale Portrait of George Washington — originally scheduled for April 23 — has been postponed until later this fall or 2021. Information will be provided when a new date is set.

Other community cancellations, closures, and changes

▪ The YWCA Olympia has ended office hours through at least March 27. It has postponed its YWCA Luncheon, the first 2020 event in the Social Justice Event series, until May 15 at the South Puget Sound Community College Lacey campus.

▪ The Hands On Children’s Museum is closed until March 31. Find more information here: https://www.hocm.org/covid-19/

▪ Harlequin Productions has suspended the final weekend of “The Highest Tide” along with all operations until further notice. If you are a ticket holder, Harlequin will honor your tickets and will contact you as soon as its plans solidify. Ticket holders also have the option of converting their tickets to donations to support Harlequin.

▪ Barnes & Noble at 1530 Black Lake Blvd. SW, Olympia, has postponed its March 21 author event for the novel “Gazing at the Distant Lights” by Doug Margeson. The store hopes to reschedule.

▪ Capital City Pride for June 2020 has been canceled, according to announcements on its website and Facebook page.

▪Squaxin Island Tribal Council has notified Shelton School District that children from the tribe will no longer be going to school. The tribe is also limiting the number of people who come onto the reservation from outside, putting projects and construction on hold, and operating tribal government with essential personnel only. The Child Development Center will stay open.

▪ WET Science Center is closed until further notice.

▪ The Olympia Center is closed until further notice.

▪ The Medicare 101 class at the Olympian Senior Center on March 19 has been canceled.

▪ The Olympia World Affairs Council is canceling the March 19 event, “Ethiopia: Ethnic Federalism and the Narrow Path to Peace.”

▪ The Olympia Tumwater Foundation’s “Heritage Builders” local history programs at the Schmidt House in Tumwater are being canceled until further notice, including the noon history talk series for the remainder of the season through June, and monthly guided tours with Bob Crim.

▪ The Luminary Procession and Procession of the Species will not take place on April 24-25, Earthbound Productions announced, but they will be rescheduled for later in the year.

▪ Bikini Kill shows to benefit Interfaith Works have been postponed and are expected to be rescheduled in October or November. Tickets will be honored at make-up shows or refunded for people who can’t attend.

If your organization is changing plans due to the COVID-19 outbreak, please send the information you’d like to share with the public to news@theolympian.com.

This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 8:23 PM.