The Department of Enterprise Services issued a permit for a Friday, Jan. 12 rally on the Capitol Campus at which participants may be openly carrying firearms, as is allowed under state law.

The Rally 4 UR Rights event is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and end at noon.

The event organizers – the Gun Rights Coalition – estimate that up to 150 people will attend.

Tree and hedge pruning work will be done on locations throughout the Capitol Campus on Wednesday, Jan. 10, and Thursday, Jan. 11, to improve hedge and tree health, ensure public safety and provide clear lines of sight for security cameras.

There will be noise as well as short-term vehicle and pedestrian impacts in various locations on the campus on Wednesday, Jan. 10 and Thursday, Jan. 11. Streets that will have traffic impacts include Deschutes Parkway and Maple Park Drive.

In addition to pruning work, the project will include:

The iconic Territorial Sundial between the Legislative Building and the Joel Pritchard Library will be reinstalled on Thursday, Jan. 4, and a Jan. 30 dedication event will be held to celebrate the sundial's return.

The Department of Enterprise Services will oversee repairs for downtown Olympia's Fifth Avenue Dam beginning Dec. 26, with work potentially extending into early spring.

This $195,000 project comprises a series of critical repairs to keep the dam located between Budd Inlet and Capitol Lake operational.

Linda Kent
(360) 972-6413
linda.kent@des.wa.gov

Olympia Toy Run on Saturday, Dec. 2

The Olympia Toy Run, a yearly event that draws thousands of motorcycles to Olympia, will close Deschutes Parkway from about 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2.

Motorcyclists donate toys and money to The Salvation Army's Toy N' Joy Shop, which distributes the gifts to needy children.

OLYMPIA— Preparations are underway for the state holiday tree, the evergreen that adorns the Capitol Building rotunda each year, to arrive on the Capitol Campus and receive its customary decorations.

For the second year in a row, the Weyerhaeuser Company is donating the tree. The 25-foot Noble fir will make its formal public debut with the traditional lighting ceremony in the rotunda at 6 p.m. Dec. 1.

After a wet weekend, it was discovered that the ramp off 11th Ave. to levels P-1 and P-2 was creating a slipping hazard despite the application of a non-skid coating. As a result, the ramp will be temporarily closed to while contractors find a solution to the problem. All entrances of the garage remain open.

The Department of Enterprise Services has issued three permits for Veterans Day ceremonies for the Capitol Campus this year.

Today

The first event, from noon to 1 p.m. today, is the International Association of Workforce Professionals' Veterans Day ceremony. The rite, in its 25th year, starts at the World War II Memorial, proceeds to the Winged Victory Monument, then to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and ends at the Korean War Memorial.

The Korean fir tree planted in Sylvester Park last April by the Department of Enterprise Services will be decorated for the first time later this month, with a tree lighting ceremony taking place on Sunday, Nov. 26 at 4 p.m.

Enterprise Services will adorn the holiday tree with decorations provided by the Olympia Downtown Association in 2016, and the association will hold the lighting ceremony.