City’s plan to sweep encampment will close down part of Wheeler Avenue next week
The City of Olympia’s Homeless Response Team is planning to close a portion of Wheeler Avenue next week to clean what has been named the Nickerson encampment.
Kim Kondrat, the city’s Homeless Response coordinator, said fewer than 30 people have been residing there and they have been offered alternative housing. She said the folks living there were offered spots at the Franz Anderson tiny home village, Maple Court Apartments and New Hope Village through the state Rights-of-Way safety initiative.
Kondrat said those who were living in Nickerson were given a week to move and collect their belongings, and Friday, Dec. 8, was the last day.
According to a news release from the City of Olympia, Wheeler Avenue will be closed to through vehicle and foot traffic from Central Street to Eastside Street from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 11, to Friday, Dec. 15. Wheeler Avenue lies just south of Interstate 5 in Olympia and runs alongside an urban trail.
The clearing is in partnership with the Washington State Department of Transportation. The move is also part of the city’s One Community Plan, which aims to help address the community’s housing, health and safety needs.
Those traveling in the area will be able to exit and enter Wheeler Avenue from Eastside Street. Local traffic from Central Street will be asked to circle around to Boulevard Road to enter and exit the area.
Kondrat said crews will start with removing structures in the area, and cleanup will take at least all of next week.
This story was originally published December 8, 2023 at 10:36 AM.
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