Busy time for projects in City of Lacey

During the past six months, the City of Lacey has completed or nearly finished a number of projects, from a road extension to a park phase and vehicle charging stations.

But more projects are underway, and eight other ones are slated to begin later this year.

Lacey Public Works Engineering Construction Manager D'Andra Buchanan and City Engineer Aubrey Collier delivered an update, which covered completed work, active construction and upcoming projects, to the Lacey City Council at a work session on Tuesday, March 24. 

Completed and nearly finished projects 

Among the completed or nearly completed projects, the College Street Northeast Extension created a T-intersection at Sixth Avenue Northeast and College Street Northeast, where the two roads previously curved into each other.

College Street is now a through street, with Sixth Avenue stopping at the intersection. Striping and hydroseeding were pending at the time of work session because of weather. 

Greg Cuoio Park Phase I is nearly complete. The park now features an 18-hole disc golf course, an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant playground, a picnic shelter and paved and soft-surface trails along Carpenter Road. Some grading punch list items remained pending at the time of the work session because the items are dependent on dry weather conditions. 

City Manager Rick Walk said the intent is to keep public access within the improved disc golf area to protect riparian zones and wildlife corridors on the broader 139-acre property. 

The Jacob Smith House received a new 3,900-square-foot cedar shake roof, with a structural inspection finding the underlying framework in good condition, Buchanan said. 

The house, built in 1859 at 4500 Intelco Loop SE, is among the oldest in Thurston County and has appeared on the Washington Heritage Register since 1988. The Lacey Historical Commission will hear the nomination for the Lacey Register of Historic Places at its April 15 meeting. 

Rounding out the completed projects, six electric vehicle charging stations were installed in the Lacey City Hall back parking lot for the city's fleet vehicles. 

Active construction 

On active projects, the new Lacey Police Station is expected to be substantially complete by the end of April. 

Remaining work includes generator testing, sewer lift station startup and permanent security fencing. Collier said staffers do not anticipate a move-in date until sometime this summer, pending punch list completion. Material delays have been a significant factor, she said. 

The 2025 Sidewalk Repair project, which began in October 2025, is expected to finish in June. As of mid-March, contractors have replaced 20,000 of 45,000 square feet of tree-root-damaged sidewalk panels in the Camacho neighborhood, one of six project areas citywide. 

Of the 160 trees removed during repairs, 128 have been replanted. Eight of 10 ADA-compliant curb ramps have been installed. 

The Bush Park playground replacement is on schedule for a summer 2026 opening. The new structure, designed to resemble a tugboat, replaces equipment approximately 30 years old. 

Four lift station projects and three well projects are among the 12 currently under construction. Lift Station 3 and Lift Station 23 are both in suspension pending parts delivery. Both are anticipated to reach completion in the fourth quarter of 2026, contingent on generator delivery. 

The city also acquired water rights from the Washington State Department of Ecology for the Marvin Road and Meridian Campus well sites. Both are potable water production wells. 

The third well, the Source 6 (S06) Grays Production Well, is needed to perfect an existing water right for domestic and fire flow supply. At least two of the three wells are expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2026, possibly extending into early 2027. 

Upcoming projects 

Looking ahead, eight other projects are slated for 2026.  

The Lakes Elementary School Fire Flow project will loop a dead-end asbestos concrete water main by connecting it to an existing main on Mullen Road SE. Construction is scheduled between the end of the 2025-26 school year and the start of the 2026-27 school year. 

The Hawks Prairie Reservoir Rehabilitation will reline and repair a 4 million gallon welded steel tank built in 1995. Interior coating and deteriorated bearing plates need replacement, Buchanan said. 

The Jubilee Stormwater Pond Restoration will restore impermeable liners in two wet ponds and conduct maintenance work on an infiltration pond in the Jubilee neighborhood. 

The full list of upcoming 2026 projects also includes the Chatham Looping wastewater project, Lift Station 6 replacement, the Madrona Connection to the 337 water main replacement, the 2023-24 Lift Station Awnings project and Veterans Services Hub improvements.