The Olympia City Council proclaimed October as Walk to School Month to boost safer routes for kids, endorsing projects such as the Westside Bike Corridor that will begin this year in key neighborhoods.
The city also plans traffic calming near Roosevelt Elementary and will refresh over 100 crosswalk markings to support sustainable transportation.
OSD is engaging parents, students and residents as it considers closing LP Brown, Madison and McKenny elementary schools to meet its budget requirements for the 2025-26 school year.
Superintendent Patrick Murphy answered board and community questions at a meeting on Oct. 8.
Olympia City Council approved $12,500 to create an educational program at the OlyAHA Museum and Visitor Center.
The city will work with the Olympia School District to develop a curriculum for kindergarten through 12th grade students in a program scheduled to launch in 2027.
City officials plan to close The Jungle, the last large homeless encampment, by closing each section sequentially as housing becomes available after contacting about 290 individuals in May.
Local residents express skepticism about the timeline while officials promise to keep the community updated.
Olympia City Council approved an Indigenous Peoples Day proclamation for Oct.
12 to honor the Squaxin Island Tribe and other Indigenous nations. The celebration at Squaxin Park will run from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (free shuttle service begins at 11 a.m. from the Farmers Market parking).
Olympia City Council approved a $17.7 million contract with Active Construction Inc. for the first phase of Jolene Unsoeld Community Park at Yelm Highway and Wiggins Road, where groundbreaking is expected later this year.
The project includes sports fields, pickleball courts (one accessible) and community amenities.
Registration is now open for the public hearing on the proposed closure of McKenny Elementary School on Oct.
12 at 6 p.m. at 3250 Morse-Merryman Road SE + people can sign up online or on-site until 7 p.m. to share their views on the school's future.
At a meeting on Monday, Sept.
28, Port of Olympia Commission members criticized the Washington State Department of Ecology’s communication about a joint resolution to support the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project—raising concerns over project timing and funding. The commission will revisit the resolution on Oct. 13 to address these planning issues.
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