Thursday, October 1, 2026
The City of Lacey's 2026 Sidewalk Repair Project is expected to begin this summer, targeting root-damaged sidewalks in the Jubilee neighborhood.
Getting there, however, means taking down 128 mature trees — a proposal neighbors say sidesteps cheaper, greener methods that have worked in other Washington cities.
The project targets 141 sidewalk locations in Jubilee where tree roots have cracked and lifted concrete panels. Meriwood Drive makes up a separate phase involving 57 additional trees, according to information the city provided to The JOLT.
The project, which is budgeted at $1.5 million, is funded through the voter-approved Transportation Benefit District (TBD) sales tax. Tree removal and sidewalk work come first, with new plantings to follow in fall and winter.
Lacey scheduled the project for 2025, but halted it after a neighbor raised concerns during initial survey work.
The Jubilee homeowners association (HOA) board then asked to serve as the city's primary contact for all project-related discussions going forward. Since resuming, the city said it has met with HOA representatives throughout the planning process, including a meeting with two board members last week.
Bid advertisements are going out later this month. The project involves pulling trees at the stump, swapping out damaged sidewalk panels, and sinking root barriers 2 feet into the ground.
To minimize future infrastructure damage, an arborist is assisting with the selection of approximately 125 replacement trees measuring 1.5 to 2 inches in caliper.
Temporary fixes, the city argued, are not a lasting answer.
"Tree roots are the cause of the sidewalk damage," the city told The JOLT. "Temporary repairs (panel lifting/root pruning, grinding, etc.) provide only short-term relief. Roots continue to grow, causing damage to recur and potentially leading to higher future repair costs."
During public comment at a Lacey City Council meeting on June 2, four speakers pushed back on that position. They argued that other Washington cities have managed to preserve trees and repair sidewalks at the same time.
Jubilee resident Margaret Green, a former member of the community's tree committee, said she visited DuPont's sidewalk repair program in person. She also spoke with Brian Holers, founder of Root Cause, an arborist services company serving Seattle and other Washington cities on tree care and below ground root work.
Both DuPont and Seattle have preserved mature trees and kept costs down, Green said.
"I would like to see a commitment by the City of Lacey to investigate alternatives to mass tree removal, and approach the problem more creatively, instead of falling back on tired and old methods," Green said.
"We have smart and dedicated city staff who would be investigating more sustainable alternatives, such as decommissioning sidewalks on one side of the street, more flexible sidewalk materials, sidewalk diversion, etc. I'm very disappointed that this has not been done."
Jubilee resident John Green disputed the city's assertion that root pruning poses a threat to tree health. He said 78 previously pruned trees in the neighborhood are still standing and healthy.
Green further alleged the removal list contains inaccuracies, including seven trees that were pruned last year and no longer have sidewalk damage. Newly planted trees were also included on the removal list, he said.
"There are a lot of errors in this methodology, and we need to do more study on it," Green said. "I urge the council to delay this project until there's more study of alternatives and accurate information can be used to guide the work."
The city told The JOLT the discrepancies resulted from an older version of the project plans that relied on a 2024 sidewalk survey. Nine locations that had since been temporarily repaired were removed from the current scope.
On the root barrier allegations, the city said it is not aware of any errors in its current root-barrier installation instructions, adding the confusion may come from conflating the full reconstruction process with the temporary repairs performed by maintenance staff.
Neighbors and tree advocates also raised concerns, pointing to a January outreach effort by Friends of Trees Action Group Executive Director Lynn Fitz-Hugh.
Fitz-Hugh told The JOLT her organization sent the city a research article on six tree-preserving repair methods. She believes two in particular, the bridge method and the crescent moon method, would cost less than full tree removal.
Neighbor Maureen Dannen told the council that tree loss would translate into hotter streets and higher utility bills.
"If those trees are removed, it will result in a substantial loss of shade and create heat islands in many locations," Dannen said.
"Not only will the loss of shade impact the day-to-day activities of the community, increased sun exposure on concrete and asphalt will result in higher ambient temperatures, leading to higher indoor temperatures and increased air conditioning costs for citizens living in these areas."
Neighbor Diane Chamusco, drawing on a recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, said a 30-foot tree generates 70 percent more environmental value than a 3-foot tree. Replacing the ecological benefits of a mature tree can take up to 100 years, she said.
The city's 2025 Sidewalk Repair Project, a separate undertaking, removed 268 trees citywide, the city said. Bid documents show R.W. Scott Construction Co. submitted the lowest of nine bids at $1,296,654, below an engineer's estimate of $1.78 million.
According to the city, the Jubilee HOA board has notified officials that it wants the project to proceed as proposed.
Homeowners and the HOA will take on watering responsibilities for the new trees, particularly through the first three summers, along with long-term upkeep, the city added.
If the HOA preferred, the city said it was open to narrowing the scope to the most severely damaged locations. It cautioned, however, that pulled work would go back into the citywide queue with no guarantee of coming back up soon.
Funding through the TBD expires next year. Voters are scheduled to decide whether to renew the tax measure in February 2027.
7 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
johngreen
In an August 2025 email from a City department manager, it was acknowledged that the installation instructions for placing root barriers was incorrect and would be in the process for correction. We have yet to find the corrected instructions and are concerned that Developers only have old instructions available and that the Sidewalk/Tree removal/replacement project contractor will not be informed of the proper instructions. Root barriers are key to prevention of future lifts and proper installation is critical.
John Green
Tuesday, June 9 Report this
The_Armed_Gardener
You folks need to get off your climate change high horse and understand global greening. In the life of a boomer, trees are growing faster than ever seen before. Global greening is increasing in our area, and it's absolutely beautiful. Take them down and put them up as needed. It's going to work out. Earth loves CO2. Don't get me wrong. Everything is not perfect. It never will be because perfect is not taxable.
Tuesday, June 9 Report this
Boatyarddog
The_Armed_Gardener, There is plenty of CO2 on Mars, Elon Needs you to go and be a pioneer of the CO2 national religion he is starting. I URGE you to follow!
Tuesday, June 9 Report this
2theroots
Armed gardener you are not following the most recent science which shows that older trees do more of the eco services: carbon capture and sequestration and pollution removal, stormwater management, etc then younger trees and as mentioned in this article take decades to catch up to the older trees. Also under the increasingly hot summers of climate change many new saplings are not even making it where as older trees are more resilent to harsh conditions - so no it is not just take one replace one. That is debunked science.
I find very disappointing that the city is not being more responsive to the excellent suggestions here of using alternative methods to fix the sidewalks but leave the trees and thus also save the city more money so actually more sidewalk repairs could be made.
Wednesday, June 10 Report this
JHermes
Good to see that "Lacey: Tree City" is getting some pushback before it decapitates another couple of hundred mature trees. What happened last fall all along major thoroughfares was shameful. I'm glad they're being pressured into considering better methods.
Wednesday, June 10 Report this
The_Armed_Gardener
Because of global greening and CO₂ fertilization, trees are growing 20% to 30% larger than they were a few decades ago, with some temperate regions seeing growth rates up to 77% higher. This accelerated growth is primarily driven by longer growing seasons (up to three extra weeks) and abundant atmospheric carbon dioxide driving faster photosynthesis.
Also,
Wednesday, June 10 Report this
Olyrkrgrrl
Mature trees are irreplaceable, and every measure to keep them, should be taken. I urge the city of Lacey to fully explore and find ways to do things other than just cutting them down. Shade is becoming a valuable resource. Even if new trees were planted, they would take years, decades, to provide the same level of shade for people and pets. Why not try a new method in one area, and see what the results are, and then choose how to proceed. At least, listening to the people who live near these trees, seems like the most sensible way to proceed.
Thursday, June 11 Report this