Puyallup student urges closure of Third Street SW outside All Saints Catholic School

Alyssa Lubovitch, a student at All Saints Catholic School, told the Puyallup City Council on May 20 she wants the city to close Third Street Southwest adjacent to her school and convert the roadway to a grassy play area so students would not have to cross the street multiple times each day.

"So my proposal is for, my school. My school is currently separated by Third Street Southwest, and this requires, the kids at the school, ages 4 and up to cross, multiple times a day. And, my proposal is to close the street there so that, we don't have to worry about crossing the street or, like, any accidents. And, it's for the safety of the students, for, like, the cars to not be able to drive by. And if this proposal is accepted, the area would be converted into, like, a grassy area, which my school doesn't have for, like, recess," Lubovitch said during the public-comment portion of the council meeting.

The council heard Lubovitch's remarks after the clerk read public-comment rules, which limited speakers to three minutes and asked that comments be addressed to the council as a body. The mayor thanked Lubovitch for speaking and told her the council would consider the suggestion: "Alyssa, thank you very much. We will consider your proposal. Appreciate that. Takes tremendous courage to come up here and speak. And, Alyssa, we encourage you to ask your classmates to do the same," the mayor said.

Councilmembers did not take any formal action or make a motion on Lubovitch's request at the meeting. The comment was made during the general citizen-comments section; the mayor and clerk noted those remarks are distinct from public hearings or agenda items that require separate notice or follow-up. The clerk had earlier explained that the public-comment period is not the time for debate and that comments supporting or opposing ballot measures or candidates are prohibited under state law.

Because no staff report or ordinance was introduced in connection with the proposal during the May 20 meeting, there is no recorded timetable or formal next step in the meeting record. The mayor's response indicated the council would "consider" the proposal, which the meeting transcript records as a nonbinding acknowledgment rather than a directive to staff to draft legislation or closure orders.

If the council or staff pursue the idea, subsequent steps would likely include an engineering and traffic study, outreach to neighbors and the school, and formal agenda placement for a council decision. Those procedural steps were not discussed or directed at the May 20 meeting.