Happy August, everyone! This monthly newsletter includes updates about family-friendly events coming up, opportunities for residents to share their thoughts, progress on construction projects, and more. Please read on!

As a reminder, this month's City Central newsletter is available for viewing or downloading at wallawallawa.gov/newsletter.

This year's National Night Out event is coming up next Tuesday, Aug. 5, at Pioneer Park. Join families and emergency services personnel from across the Valley for free games, raffles, food, the Chief for a Day presentation, and plenty of fun! (The Chiefs for a Day for 2025 are shown above.) The event kicks off at 5 p.m. with the Emergency Services Parade and runs until 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 5 is also the deadline to submit Primary Election ballots. Walla Walla residents are being asked to vote on Proposition 1, which would increase the sales and use tax by 2/10ths of 1% in Walla Walla County. If the tax is approved, it would provide sustainable, long-term funding to support local emergency communication through WESCOM, our area's 911 Dispatch center. More information is available here.

Recent events here and around the globe have highlighted how disasters can strike suddenly. In emergencies, residents depend on clear communication from response agencies to help save lives and protect property. Walla Walla County Emergency Management uses the Everbridge system to inform the public about critical situations, including evacuation orders and shelter-in-place notices. Visit this site to sign up for local Everbridge notifications. 

The City is excited to announce the launch of its first Civics Academy, an interactive program designed to help residents gain a deeper understanding of local government operations and how they can participate in the process. Starting Oct. 2, 2025, the City of Walla Walla Civics Academy will offer participants a behind-the-scenes look at how City departments work, how decisions are made, and how community members can become more involved with the City. Interested residents can find more information and an application form at wallawallawa.gov/civicsacademy.

Community members are invited to share input on the new Climate Resilience Element of Walla Walla's Comprehensive Plan, which is a state requirement for agencies when they update their comprehensive plans. Residents can visit this page to learn more and find a link to a survey you can use to share your views on how Walla Walla should prepare for natural hazards such as rising temperatures, smoke from wildfires, more intense storms, and flooding. This input is essential in shaping Walla Walla’s climate goals and policies.

The Walla Walla Public Library hosted Pirate-Palooza last month, with pirate-themed crafts, stories, snacks, and more. Visit the library's calendar for all upcoming events for kids, families, teens, and adults, and follow WWPL on Facebook for the latest updates.

The library's 50-day Summer Reading prizes were awarded starting on July 21, with excited readers of all ages coming in to collect prizes provided by generous local businesses. The Adult & Teen Summer Reading Challenge continues through Aug. 16. Pick up a tracking sheet at the library starting June 1, or join via the Reader Zone app and enter program code da880.

A recent showing of "The Wild Robot" was planned for Heritage Square, but high winds forced the event to move to the library (shown here). Staff will give Heritage Square another try on Aug. 15 with "A Minecraft Movie." The movie starts at dusk, but attendees are invited to show up early — Parks & Recreation Director Andy Coleman will be available starting at 5 p.m. to talk with residents, and Library & Garden Club members will be on site  with fun activities for families from 6 p.m. until the movie starts.

July was Parks and Recreation month in Walla Walla, a celebration that included the annual Parks & Rec Day event at Memorial Pool. More than 1,800 residents attended the event, which included free swimming, a cannonball contest, pizza, inflatables and more. 

The full summer schedule at Veterans Memorial Swimming Pool runs through Aug. 19, with the 2025 pool season ending Sept. 1. Pool visitors were able to resume using the yellow slide again recently thanks to the efforts of Sanitation Operator Is Caballero, who stepped in to repair a section of the slide that had been damaged. Thanks for the great teamwork, Is!

This year's All Comers Swim Meet will take place from 8:30 a.m.-noon on Aug. 8, at Veterans Memorial Pool. Events are offered in the main four strokes across a range of distances and age categories, with competitors of all ages and abilities welcome. Register online on Parks and Recreation's website.

Registration for Fall Youth Soccer is open through Aug. 18. Teams are grouped by gender and age from kindergarten through 8th grade. To sign up, and to see more information about all the upcoming recreation programs, visit Parks and Recreation's website.

A lot of progress was made on the Howard IRRP project in July, including installation of curbs, utility infrastructure, and most of the roundabout at Howard and Chestnut streets. Roadway grading is ongoing in preparation for paving between Chestnut and Juniper Street, and concrete curb and sidewalk installation is scheduled to begin next week. Visit the GoWallaWalla website for information about all the City's current and upcoming construction projects.

Meanwhile, over at the Myra Road South Extension project, the contractor continued work on the retaining wall between Highland and Taumarson roads, along with utility adjustments on Taumarson. Work also progressed on the joint utility trench and the installation of the stormwater system.

The Street Division completed paving work on Division Street and Moore Street as part of this year's Pavement Maintenance Program, representing another example of cross-division collaboration. Last year, the Engineering Division coordinated stormwater system upgrades and ADA improvements on both streets, which enabled the Street Division to proceed with pavement overlay work this season. Streets crews also completed paving on Sturm Avenue between Aubin Road and Shelton Drive, and soon will pave the south section of Sturm from Shelton to Abbott Road.

In July, City staff from six departments teamed up to host a public open house to kick off the Comprehensive Plan update project. The event was a success, drawing nearly 100 participants and more than 100 public comments. A resident survey about the Comprehensive Plan is currently open, and staff are hoping to hear from as many folks as possible. Visit the 2026 Comprehensive Plan Update page to learn more and to access the survey.

Walla Walla Fire Department crews have been involved in fighting wildfires across our region this summer, including three who were deployed to help with the Hope Fire in Stevens County and the Western Pines fire in Lincoln County. Our state has been experiencing seasonal highs in temperatures with very little moisture, creating extreme fire weather conditions. Please use caution if you are an outdoor enthusiast, and follow all burn ban restrictions in those areas.

On July 12, personnel from Walla Walla's Police and Fire Departments were among the service agencies who participated in Walla Walla Special Olympics' annual Fire & Cop on Top fundraiser and water fight. The money raised goes toward our local Special Olympics chapter. WWPD was first out of the gate to start the event, but WWFD took first place by raising the most money during their time slot.

Congratulations to WESCOM (Dispatch) Manager Esther Click (front row, second from left in this photo) for completing the Certified Public-Safety Executive Program and earning the ACPO Certified Public Safety Executive designation. The CPE program is the only executive leadership program focused specifically on the public safety communications profession. By earning this designation, Esther has shown her dedication to excellence in leadership, which helps the WESCOM team provide the highest-quality Dispatch service to Walla Walla area residents.

The City is currently hiring for a variety of full-time and part-time positions, including Accounting Supervisor, Civil Engineers, Entry-level Firefighters and Police Officers, Landfill Equipment Operator, temporary staff in Public Works and Parks and Recreation, and more. For details and to apply, visit our Human Resources page.