Speaking as chair of the Olympia Council of Neighborhood Associations, Larry Dzieza proposed a neighborhood-by-neighborhood approach to address the city's deteriorated sidewalks.
Dzieza urged council members not to wait for long-term policy and launch a streamlined repair campaign now. He made his remarks during the public comment period at the Olympia City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 6.
"At a recent Land Use (and Environment Committee) meeting, staff said that they plan to return in 2026 with a more developed set of policy options for you to consider to direct that work. Meanwhile, people are falling and being injured on broken sidewalks, and others who use mobility devices are blocked from safely using sidewalks, who are not able to navigate them at all," he said.
"Inspired by Ezra Klein's book, 'Abundance,' I propose that Olympia launch a 'Get Stuff Done' initiative focused on immediate sidewalk repairs. Hire a dedicated crew of city workers, give them the tools and materials, and let them repair broken sidewalks across the city. According to your staff, they could do twice the work at half the cost compared to contractors."
He suggested the city fix as many sidewalks as possible in one neighborhood before moving on to the next.
"Pick an area of the city and fix as many as possible in a day or two. Then, move on to the next neighborhood. Your best communication strategy is to show your work," Dzieza said.
He also recommended the crew could place signs on either side of the work area that says: "Your Olympia tax dollars at work. They get stuff done."
In a Land Use and Environment Committee meeting on April 24, Public Works Transportation Associate Planner Max DeJarnatt presented a sidewalk condition inventory that identified 28,000 sidewalk issues. The assessment was conducted by consultant Cross Reiter.
DeJarnatt laid out many alternative models and policy options from other cities. He is expected to return to the committee with more developed recommendations.
In response to Dzieza's comments, Public Works Director Mark Russell said the city invested $500,000 last year to repair 19 sidewalk sites, including tree replacements.
"This year, we are doing another $500,000 project while we continue policy discussions," he said.
Russell noted the city only began collecting one-tenth of 1% sales tax for sidewalk improvements in April 2024.
"Projects are expensive, and we have to collect a certain amount of money before we can get going on that," he said.
Russell added the city, through the capital facilities plan, has outlined how it intends to spend roughly $3 million annually on these efforts.
Russell added that he and City Manager Jay Burney have been discussing the possibility of hiring a dedicated crew for sidewalk repair projects. He said they plan to bring the proposal forward during the budget process.
Council member Jim Cooper said the city is currently using a hybrid approach to sidewalk repairs, combining contractor work with city staff efforts.
Cooper noted that in-house work has proven more efficient in some instances. However, he said even with this approach, it would take more than 100 years to repair all sidewalks.
He stressed the importance of a broader policy discussion to determine the city's level of service, prioritize sidewalk investments, and develop a funding strategy that could reduce the repair timeline from over a century to a more manageable 30-40 years.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the removal of an acronym.
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TheVirtualOne
Sidewalk repairs are extremely expensive and require extensive expertise and skill to do properly. Doing such work in a matter of a few days isn’t realistic. Much of the damage is caused by tree roots that have lifted the ground and sidewalk panels. The wrong trees were planted, so removal is the first task that needs to be completed. Care must be taken not to cause damage to any underground utilities, so that also has to be looked at. Cutting down the trees, grinding the stumps, repairing the sidewalk and then replanting the proper type of tree that will not cause any problems in the future all has to be done in a systematic manner. You don’t want to put new trees in during the early or middle part of summer as they will not have enough water to survive and establish new roots. Planting the new trees in the Fall will allow for a better chance of survival, but they will still need to be watered regularly the next summer to make sure they don’t die. So while it all sounds great to blow through a neighborhood and fix everything in a couple of days, the reality is that it requires a lot more planning, expertise, and execution to it the right way.
Thursday, May 8 Report this
Larry Dzieza
Thank you VirtualOne, what you write is absolutely true, some sidewalk repairs require significant effort, money and time but that is precisely not my proposal.
Based on the City's recent city sidewalk assessment only 6% of the most common identified sidewalk problem (panel uplift) have damage that require full panel replacements. The next worse category of Moderate Severity (16%) may be addressed by "grinding/beveling uplifted panels, crack repair, partial panel replacements". The remaining 78% require even less effort to be addressed. Getting to work on the easiest to fix 78% to 94% of the problem is the most cost-effective and quickest way of making miles of sidewalks usable, safer and more accessible.
I acknowledge that my "...approach won’t solve all our sidewalk problems, but it is the single most cost-effective and quickest way of making miles of sidewalks usable, safer and more accessible." Waiting until 2026 to begin to "consider" policy options while sitting on over $3 million dollars of annual sales tax revenue dedicated for fixing sidewalks and pathways is a missed opportunity for the reasons below.
Here is my council presentation in full:
In November of 2023 speaking as Chair of the Olympia Council of Neighborhood Associations, I expressed our support for increasing the sales tax to raise millions each year to “be used solely for Sidewalks, Pathways, Bicycle, and Safety Improvements.”
At a recent Land Use meeting, staff said that they “plan to return … in 2026 with a more developed set of policy options for you to consider to direct that work.” 2026!
Meanwhile, people are falling and being injured on broken sidewalks. And others who use mobility devices are blocked from safely using sidewalks or are not able to navigate them at all.
I want to suggest something inspired by Ezra Klein’s book “Abundance”; I am suggesting that we adopt a “Get Stuff Done Initiative”.
Let’s streamline the work of fixing our broken sidewalks.
1. Concentrate mainly on repairs as they don’t require major design work because you are fixing what is already there.
2. Hire a dedicated crew of city workers to do the work. Give them the tools and materials and, according to your staff, they would get twice the amount of work done at one-half the cost of contracting it out.
3. Spread the work throughout the city. Show each neighborhood in the city that you are using their tax dollars in ways that have a visible benefit to them where they live.
4. We know where the problems are. You just did a sidewalk survey, and many neighborhoods have identified problems using the CNAs GIS Sidewalk app. Pick an area of the city, and fix as many as you can in day or two and then move on to the next neighborhood.
5. Your best communications strategy is to show your work. While they work on the sidewalk the crew can place signs on either end of the work area: “Your Olympia Tax Dollars at Work” “A Get Stuff Done Initiative”.
This approach won’t solve all our sidewalk problems, but it is the single most cost-effective and quickest way of making miles of sidewalks usable, safer and more accessible. And it will send a signal to Olympians that the city is making a difference where they live, being smart with their money and increasing their confidence in our elected government.
Friday, May 9 Report this
KarenM
Yes, fixing sidewalks can be complex. And yes, it should be done with care. But simply planning is not getting any of this repair work started. Sidewalks are the way we travel to get to the bus, or get to school, or walk to the store, or go see our neighbor. They are a vital part of our infrastructure. There have been mistakes made, including the type of trees that are planted, and the quality of sidewalk construction. It is time to get going on repairing sidewalks and making it safe for people to walk.
Walking, is the number one form of exercise but it also happens to be fun, easy, and enlightening.
Friday, May 9 Report this
jimlazar
SOME sidewalk problems are complex, but the majority are pretty simple.
There are thousands of simple problems that can be fixed with a pavement grinder in a few minutes. Olympia High School put in the wrong trees, and has a lot of sidewalk panels lifting, but they dramatically reduced the tripping hazard after one citizen (me) took a fall, and encouraged them to work on it. It's not a permanent solution, but a two-person crew fixed about 30 different sidewalk heaves in a day. That's the kind of work the City can do.
There will also be more complex problems, that require removal of the old concrete, removal of the underlying problem (often roots) and replacement of the concrete. Those will go slower, but a three-person crew can do a few of those per day.
The City has been collecting this money for over a year. More than $3 million has been collected. It's time to invest that money in solving the problems for which is is being collected.
I have written to the City Council and the relevant advisory committees, urging the City to hire two crews, one for grinding, one for panel replacement, while they study the best solution for the larger problem areas.
No matter which path they choose, the people of Olympia will pay the costs. And if they don't do anything, it the people of Olympia will will suffer from trip and fall accidents like the one I had. The City's experience is that having city crews do the work is the fastest, cheapest, and most immediately available solution.
No more studies, consultant reports, and thinking about it for a year. Hire four or five new employees out of the $3.2 million/year the City is collecting.
Buy a couple of Ford Lightning pickups, electric concrete saws, electric jackhammers, and electric cement mixers that can all plug into the truck. Put the equipment on a trailer. Head out into an area where there have been complaints of uneven sidewalks, and GET STUFF DONE.
Friday, May 9 Report this
susanh
Why is the city wasting money on a survey of the sidewalk problems? Anyone can see what needs to be done and the city seems to be dragging its feet on getting started with repairs. Use the available money that has already been collected for this purpose and start with the easy fixes that have been outlined by other commenters.
Friday, May 9 Report this
TheVirtualOne
Not a fan of hiring more city workers for a specific job that will go away in a couple years. What’s their incentive to get the work done quickly and efficiently knowing their job will go away after completion? This would be better done by contractors. We don’t need more unnecessary government bloat.
Friday, May 9 Report this
johngreen
Cutting trees and replacing is much more expensive than just repairing sidewalks. In addition, trees add to property values, quality of life as well as environmental values. Sidewalks can be repaired without removing trees if done properly with root barriers added. This is a problem in Lacey and many other cities as well. The city of Lacey budgets $9 million dollars per year for street repair and $300,000 for sidewalk repair. For whatever reason cities do not consider sidewalks as infrastructure and have ignored the repair for years. Olympia and Lacey need to investigate proper ways to repair sidewalks, allocate the money and get with the program. Cities would not dream of asking citizens to repair potholes so don't ask citizens to repair sidewalks. The city requires developers to plant street trees and and install sidewalks, the least they can do is maintain the sidewalks in ADA accessible modes.
Friday, May 9 Report this
Larry Dzieza
Thanks Johngreen.
I loved your comment, "Cities would not dream of asking citizens to repair potholes so don't ask citizens to repair sidewalks."
Lacey takes responsibility for sidewalk repairs and employs a "Sidewalk Maintenance" crew for which in their current budget is around $300k. They also plan on spending an additional $1.5 million in 2025 for sidewalk repairs.
Here is a 2023 JOLT article about Olympia comparing their approach to Lacey and other Washington cities https://www.thejoltnews.com/stories/exploring-options-for-sidewalk-repairs-policy-olympia-is-comparing-other-cities-plans,10823
Friday, May 9 Report this
MrCommonSense
Quit studying and start repairing. We have a City Manager, Public Works Director and staff who should be able to quickly put together a plan for this work. What are we paying these folks to do? Spend the consultant money on repairs. Prioritize the repairs and get going. Delay and over-analysis again. There are lots of good ideas here that simply need implementation. "Paralysis by Analysis" should be the motto of our City Council.
Thanks for listening.
Friday, May 9 Report this
BobJacobs
I support Larry Dzieza's suggestion to get going with the easy stuff.
That said, it is also important to do the full analysis of the street tree issue. This issue has been talked about forever, but never in a holistic way. Street trees are great, but we need to be realistic about their cost. We need to budget the full costs of such a program, including measures to either prevent infrastructure damage or repair it.
Bob Jacobs
Saturday, May 10 Report this
Gabeowen13
It is this city's sidewalk situation that both landed me in a wheelchair, and makes it hard for me to navigate life now that I'm in one. I'd be thrilled to find out that my tax dollars are going towards improving public sidewalks for everybody.
Sunday, May 11 Report this
SpenceWeigand
Thank you Mr. Dzieza for your spot-on synopsis. And I concur with Jim Lazar and MrCommonSense as well.
The only thing city leadership is more fond of than proclamations.....are studies and employment of consultants.
The need is there, and any citizen of our city can see it without further documentation. The city council as a collective body can't seem to stop walking around their elbows to get to their asses.
Tuesday, May 13 Report this