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School district and city begin narrowing list of safe‑routes projects from capital levy funds
Summary
City and Olympia School District staff reported progress narrowing a list of sidewalk, crosswalk and curb‑ramp projects that could be funded from capital levy proceeds and a city contribution; officials warned available funds will not cover the full need and urged prioritization by equity and reach.
The Olympia School Board and the Olympia City Council on Tuesday discussed narrowing a long list of potential sidewalk, crosswalk and curb‑ramp projects that could be paid for with School District capital levy dollars and a city contribution.
District Superintendent Murphy and school board members said the capital levy that voters approved provided “a nice chunk of money, couple million dollars,” and that the community supported the levy by about 70 percent. The levy funds are intended in part to improve student routes to school, and both the district and city said staff are working now to select projects that meet equity and access criteria.
Why it matters: Officials said the funds will not cover all needs. City Manager Dave Burney and school staff described many more sidewalks and curb ramps in need of work than the roughly $2,000,000 the partners have set aside for joint projects. That gap makes the selection criteria — prioritizing projects that serve students who lack safe walk, bike or transit options — central to decisions about which projects move forward.
District and city staff told the joint meeting they plan to narrow the list in coming meetings and present specific project recommendations for funding. The school board’s director who chairs the regional planning committee (TRPC) said equity is a leading criterion and staff will analyze school catchment areas against pedestrian access so investments go where students most need them.
Cost context and constraints: In the discussion Superintendent Murphy warned that construction and permitting are costly: “For a quarter mile of sidewalk … permitting, everything, all the stuff that goes into the engineering … is $1,300,000,” he said, noting that even a multi‑million dollar pool can be quickly consumed by a single long sidewalk segment.
City and district officials suggested a dual approach: make smaller, visible investments that benefit many campuses, while directing larger sums to targeted projects that improve access for students with the greatest needs. Staff will produce more detailed route‑level and equity‑weighted data to inform the next selections.
Next steps: City and district staff will continue their project screening and bring narrowed recommendations back to elected officials at future meetings. No formal motions or votes were taken at this session.
