Lacey City Council approves 2026 sidewalk repair project

More than 180 street trees in the Jubilee neighborhood of Lacey, and along Meriwood Drive, will be removed and replaced in the months ahead.

The Lacey City Council awarded the 2026 sidewalk repair project contract to Tacoma-based P & A Civil, the lowest qualified bidder, in a 4-0 vote at a meeting at City Hall on Monday, Aug. 3. Council members Carolyn Cox and Maren Turner abstained for separate reasons. 

The vote followed months of debate aimed at balancing pedestrian safety, mature tree preservation and long-term maintenance costs. Jubilee will be the last neighborhood sidewalk repair project before permanent repairs shift to a citywide “worst-first” approach. 

The project calls for reconstruction of about 21,000 square feet of sidewalk, and removal of 128 street trees in Jubilee and 57 trees along Meriwood Drive.

It also includes installation of approximately 171 replacement street trees, 5,200 feet of root barrier, restoration of irrigation systems and landscaping, and improvements to curb, gutter and Americans with Disabilities Act ramps. Construction is expected to begin in September and continue for 90 working days. 

P & A Civil submitted the low bid of $1,083,296. That was below the engineer’s estimate of $1,349,980. The city received 10 bids after advertising the project for two weeks. 

Sidewalk repair strategy 

The project addresses sidewalks damaged by tree growth that have become tripping hazards in one of the most walkable neighborhoods in Lacey.

A 2023 citywide survey identified more than 18,000 locations with sidewalk damage, prompting the city to expand its sidewalk repair program. 

Temporary repairs remain part of that program, City Engineer Aubrey Collier told the council during a July 28 work session, though the repairs only offer short-term relief because tree growth eventually lifts the pavement again.  

Contracted arborist Kevin McFarland said those repairs typically last about three years before renewed root growth begins lifting the sidewalk again. 

The Jubilee project instead uses full reconstruction. Contractors will remove each existing tree, stump and root system, rebuild the sidewalk, install a 2-foot-deep root barrier and plant replacement trees suited to the available planting space. 

The newer tree varieties and root barriers offer a better chance of preventing future damage, though they cannot guarantee the problem will not return. 

Resident views 

Public comment at the July 28 work session underscored the divide over how Lacey should repair sidewalks damaged by tree growth. Most homeowners agreed repairs were overdue, but opinions split sharply over the scale of tree removal. 

Jubilee resident Margaret Green said she supported the sidewalk repairs, but urged the city to study more sustainable alternatives before removing street trees.

She also questioned whether the project should undergo additional environmental review under the State Environmental Policy Act, arguing the scale of tree removal warranted further review. 

John Green, another Jubilee resident, opposed the plan, citing shade, stormwater management, property values and livability mature trees provide.

He said root pruning paired with root barriers has succeeded in other communities and questioned removing trees with little or no visible damage. Green also raised concerns about watering replacement saplings during their establishment period. 

Other homeowners said replacing sidewalks and unsuitable trees now would prevent repeated repairs and higher costs later. 

Jubilee Community Association (JCA) Treasurer Charlene McQuarrie said many of the existing trees had outgrown the narrow planting strips and no longer matched the available space. She said postponing replacement would only leave future homeowners with larger infrastructure problems and additional repair costs. 

Jubilee resident Fred Kubasak urged the council to proceed after the homeowners association endorsed the project. 

“This definitive action will reasonably assure sidewalk safety and liability reduction, along with the enjoyment of looking at newly planted replacement trees,” he said. 

Kubasak added that the community should leave a legacy with positive results, saying, “Let’s finally put this project to rest once and for all.” 

As The JOLT previously reported, the JCA Board of Directors endorsed the city’s preferred repair plan after surveying homeowners and holding a community meeting.

Board President Barry Rose said approximately 500 households participated in the advisory survey, with more than 90 percent supporting the board’s preferred option. 

Council concerns 

Collier said Jubilee remained a neighborhood project because planning began before the city adopted its “worst-first” sidewalk repair policy in August 2025.

Future permanent repairs will instead target the city’s most hazardous sidewalks, regardless of neighborhood. 

Before the Aug. 3 vote, Cox said she would abstain because she could not support removing so many trees at one time, despite supporting the project’s safety goals. 

“I just can’t support the wholesale destruction of many trees,” Cox said. “It seems to me there should be a middle path forward that would take care of the worst of the safety hazards, while preserving at least some of the trees.” 

Turner also abstained, saying her decision was not in opposition to the contract. Instead, she wanted to flag a recurring concern about whether the lowest responsible bidder standard, required under state law, delivers the best value for taxpayers. 

Council member Ryan Siu voted in favor, though he said weighing sidewalk safety against the city's tree canopy had been difficult. 

“I really struggled with this particular bid because of all the robust discussion, and my love of trees and the tree density and the canopy that we’d be losing, but also having to put safety first,” Siu said. 

"I had to put that at the forefront. Even though it kills me to say goodbye to all of those trees," Siu said.

He added, "We will be planting new trees, and we have a plan to maintain them." 

City staff will finalize the agreement with P & A Civil, prepare a construction schedule and hold another public meeting with Jubilee residents before work begins.

Replacement trees are expected to be planted during the winter after sidewalk reconstruction is completed.