Thurston County leaders review years past, express need for further partnering in 2022
During the 2022 State of the Community Address on Wednesday, Thurston County and city leaders expressed that the places they call home and help run are in good shape, but there’s plenty of work to be done — work that can’t be done alone.
The event, sponsored annually by the Thurston Chamber, featured the mayors of Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater and Yelm, as well as Tye Menser, the previous chair of the County Commissioners. They were asked to comment on positive changes their communities have seen with the local economy and new public projects, as well as on the COVID-19 pandemic and the housing crisis.
Overall, the message from each leader came down to the need for more collaboration between cities and on a regional and state level as well.
Lacey Mayor Andy Ryder said that economic growth has picked up across the county and local spending has rebounded in his city. He said Lacey will be hitting record sales tax collection numbers in 2021, which is continuing an upward trend. But he said that couldn’t have been done without the continued collaboration between all cities in the county.
He continued to say that the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the county shouldn’t be the only effort the cities band together on. In particular, he said the region needs to collaborate more on addressing homelessness.
Ryder said Lacey has used its American Rescue Plan Act dollars to construct permanent supportive housing and is working with the county to potentially purchase a hotel for more housing. He thanked the leaders of Olympia and Tumwater for the efforts they’ve made so far to address homelessness in their communities.
“Successful partnerships start with good communication,” he said.
Olympia Mayor Cheryl Selby went over the top three priorities for the City of Olympia for 2022: public safety, housing and homelessness, and the sustaining local economy.
Selby said she’s working with people on the state level to draft amendments to bills addressing police use of force. She said the bills passed during the 2021 session left people confused on how to handle certain cases, especially mental health calls.
She said the city is planning to dive deeply into reimagining public safety. This would involve getting a better understanding of the inner workings of the public safety system to ensure everyone is able to do their jobs safely and equitably.
Regarding housing and homelessness, Selby said the city ended 2021 with a ribbon cutting on Unity Commons on Martin Way, a supportive housing project with 60 units and a 53-bed connected shelter. She said she’s excited for continued conversations about a county-wide Home Fund, which the Thurston County Board of Commissioners will be discussing Jan. 18. She said, in the end, Olympia will combine its housing programs with the Thurston County home fund in hopes that more supportive housing projects can be pursued.
Selby said that funding to address housing and homelessness must come from the state level as well. She said Gov. Jay Inslee has set aside $334 million of emergency capital to purchase multi-family housing and hotels to address the housing crisis statewide.
Selby apologized to any Olympia business owners for the continued burden the housing and homelessness crisis has had on business and the local economy.
“It’s a sign of our times,” she said. “There are no easy answers; I don’t have any for you today.”
New Tumwater Mayor Debbie Sullivan said that despite constant building in Tumwater to address the housing crisis, it’s still not enough. There have been hundreds of homes built this past year, and businesses are continuing to expand throughout the city, but the population is growing very quickly.
Sullivan said the city has worked to amend codes and zoning ordinances to allow for more permanent affordable housing. She said there is also work being done to diversify types of housing in neighborhoods so that affordable housing isn’t all in one place.
Yelm Mayor Joe DePinto shared his deep connection with his city, having moved there when he was just 5 years old. He said that even though Yelm is smaller than the other cities at the event, issues such as homelessness are still prevalent in the community.
DePinto said the city has had a homelessness task force established since before some of the other cities. He said the city opens a community resource center once a month where people can come in and talk to case workers and representatives from programs designed to help get people on their feet. So far, he’s seen positive results from the resource center.
Menser, former chair of the Thurston County Board of Commissioners, said he’s convinced 2022 will be a good year for the county. He said the county is continuing to partner with cities on supportive housing solutions, and the county-wide Home Fund is on its way to being established. There are more residential and commercial development projects in the works, and the county also hired a full-time regional climate mitigation coordinator.
One concern Menser shared was that the county is losing agricultural land at “an alarming rate,” which has made the Board of Commissioners turn their attention to preserving land and emphasizing the importance of agricultural business.
Each city leader had accomplishments and projects to share, from arts and culture, parks, water rights and more.
DePinto highlighted that Yelm was recently ranked one of the top 10 fastest growing cities in Washington and is about to see an even bigger explosion of growth after securing new water rights.
He said planning of a Yelm bypass is in its final stages, and construction is expected to begin in 2023 with a finish date in 2025, lessening traffic congestion in the city and making it easier to travel to different parts of the county.
He highlighted the importance of south county and the sometimes “forgotten cities” of Rainier, Tenino and Bucoda. He said he appreciates being invited to the event, but he believes the mayors of those towns should have been as well.
“They often get left out or marginalized when it comes to grants from the county or state, regional stakeholder groups, events like these, or in roundtable discussions with congressional or state leaders,” he said. “I understand that sometimes the big dogs of Thurston County gotta eat, but there needs to be some more equity in the smaller communities here in Thurston County as well.”
Mayor Selby shared her goals of promoting arts, culture and heritage in Olympia. The deed to the Olympia armory building was recently transferred to the city from the military, and it will soon be used as a regional creative campus.
Mayor Ryder said Lacey was voted the best small Washington city to start a business in last year. He said the police station is approaching its fourth decade and that there will soon be chances for public input on a $40 million plan for a new station.
Ryder said the city is making progress on the creation of Greg Cuoio Park, a 537-acre public park that links a few existing parks together.
Lastly, Mayor Sullivan highlighted the importance of her being elected the first female mayor of Tumwater, as well as the election of Peter Agabi and Angela Jefferson to the city council. She said the two are the city’s first Black man and woman to serve on city council.
Sullivan said there’s been continued support on the city’s rehabilitation of the Olympia Brewery brewhouse. She said she’s hoping the city can continue to spotlight the people, businesses and attractions that are unique to Tumwater.
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