Crews removed 7,341 lbs of trash from Thurston Co. road officials want to close
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- Thurston County proposes closing part of Sexton Drive NW for up to 10 years.
- Officials hope closure halts illegal dumping, RV camping and theft on the roadway.
- Public Works staff, Sheriff’s Office and property owners support closure, county says.
Thurston County officials want to close a dead-end road for up to a decade to stave off illegal activities.
The proposed closure would affect part of Sexton Drive Northwest, starting 455 feet north of the intersection with Steamboat Island Road.
This part of the road is near U.S. 101, Schneider Creek and the Steamboat Tennis and Athletic Club. However, the area is largely undeveloped and is surrounded by woods. Since 2022, property owners and officials have noticed reoccurring illegal dumping and unauthorized RV parking on the road, according to county documents published as part of the Board of County Commissioners’ Jan. 6 meeting materials.
In response, the county’s Public Works and Public Health departments have stepped up clean-up operations while the Sheriff’s Office has increased law enforcement responses, Public Works Director Karen Weiss told the board Tuesday morning.
“All of the property owners have been contacted and consulted with and are in support of the proposed solution, or closure,” Weiss said. “And the sheriff’s office also is in support of this closure.”
One of the property owners on Sexton Drive is Capitol Land Trust, a local nonprofit organization that conserves natural areas and working lands. The trust owns a 32-acre parcel at the end of the road.
Commissioner Tye Menser said Capitol Land Trust initially brought the matter to his attention.
“The things that were happening there were causing them to question whether they should even own this property or make the investments for the community asset that they had planned,” Menser said.
Menser said he hopes the proposed closure will help lessen the county’s workload in the area and encourage Capitol Land Trust to develop the property they own for the community.
The Olympian asked Capitol Land Trust to comment on the county’s proposed solution to their concerns.
“Capitol Land Trust is appreciative that the county took these concerns seriously and worked collaboratively with affected property owners to identify a possible solution,” Executive Director Dave Winter said in an emailed statement.
Winter said people have trespassed on private property, vandalized vehicles belonging to property owners and stolen assets from property owners.
For example, Winter said people have been cutting and harvesting trees on private property.
Additionally, he said people have camped on both public and private property as well as abandoned vehicles and campers.
Lastly, he said people have been dumping drug paraphernalia, household trash and debris, vehicles, tires and yard waste in the area.
Winter said the trust is still in the early planning stages for the property at the end of the road.
“As a nonprofit land conservation organization, our mission is to conserve and forever care for the lands and waters of the South Puget Sound and Chehalis Basin Watershed,” Winter said.
He said the trust is still evaluating the conservation value
“We are grateful to work alongside with our neighbors, community members and partners in this planning effort,” Winter said.
Washington state owns property between Sexton Drive and U.S. 101. The state Department of Ecology Community Litter Cleanup Program held four events in 2023 and three events in 2024 and 2025 each, according to county documents.
The total amount of debris collected each year has increased from 2023 to 2025. The program reportedly collected 1,001 pounds in 2023, 2,100 pounds in 2024 and 4,240 pounds in 2025.
This totaled 7,341 pounds over the three-year period. These clean-up efforts have required 83.5 supervisor hours, 23.5 seasonal staff crew hours and eight regular crew hours, per the documents.
The proposed resolution states the county will close the road on March 2. To restrict traffic, Public Works staff will install locking gates with an accompanying lock box.
“It does not currently provide public benefit beyond providing access at two different driveways near the beginning of the road, and a gate would be positioned to pass these driveways,” Weiss said.
If it's closed, the county still intends to maintain the road. Emergency services and abutting property owners should still have access as well.
“At any point in time, should any of the property owners need full access restored, we can reopen that road,” Weiss said.
County Manager Leonard Hernandez thanked Public Works and the Sheriff’s Office for their help in developing the proposed solution.
“This is one of those things Commissioner Menser, where it will appear on agenda item, but the public may not understand all the work that went into it and the progress that’s being made, really addressing something that could have become a bigger community blight,” Hernandez said.
The board approved setting a public hearing on the proposed closure for 3:30 p.m. Feb. 3 at The Atrium, the county’s administrative headquarters in Olympia.
