Your Home Town Bulletin • June 2023
Coming to your neighborhood
String Lights: ROA staff will begin monitoring string lights this summer. In January, following a member survey and review of similar rules in large Washington homeowners’ associations, the ROA board passed a new rule about the popular café lights, also called Edison lights. Why the new rule? The current rules about string lights, only allow them during holidays when it is traditional to hang decorative lights. So, what is the new rule? Basically, string lights are only allowed in the back yard, except during holiday lighting times. The lightbulbs must be low-wattage white, off-white or clear, and no longer than 4 inches. These lights can be up year-round, 24 hours a day. Read the guideline here
August 5 Community Yard Sale: The Northwest Landing ROA sets two dates each year when residents may hold a yard sale. The last one for this year is August 5. Please be sure to remove any directional signs before dark on August 5.
Northwest Landing Events
The Fourth of July Hometown Celebration
Your ROA contributed $40,000 to DuPont’s July Fourth festivities and fireworks. The annual Pancake Breakfast begins at 8 a.m. at Clocktower Park to benefit the DuPont Historical Society. The Independence Day Parade kicks off at 10 a.m. Then from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., visit Clocktower Park for music, food, games and more. Bring folding chairs, blankets, and snacks to Patriot’s Landing for fireworks at dusk. Details here: https://www.dupontwa.gov/532/Fourth-of-July-Hometown-Celebration
About setting off fireworks in DuPont: The city allows fireworks to be set off within city limits on private property only from 6 p.m. until midnight on July 4. Fireworks are not permitted in the streets, parks, and definitely not on trails. Fireworks also may not be set off in alleys or Northwest Landing greenspaces. Western Washington has a high fire danger with dry conditions, so check the city’s website – dupontwa.gov – for late-breaking changes. If you see someone setting off fireworks in city streets or parks, call 911. If you see debris from fireworks in alleys or ROA greenspaces (the parks with red benches), report it to the ROA office on July 5. DuPont fireworks online guide.
Mother-Son Par Tee – Saturday • July 15 • 6 p.m.
Swing by for a fun evening of miniature golf, dinner, prizes, and a raffle for moms and sons at Tower Lanes in Tacoma. Register here by July 6.
City of DuPont Events
Thursdays • 7-8:30 p.m. • June 22 and 29, July 27, August 3 • Clocktower Park
Saturday, July 29 – 10 a.m.-noon • DuPont City Hall and Sequalitchew Creek Trail • Children up to age 8 • $10 per child (2 and under, free)
SequaliShoot 24-hour Photography Challenge
From noon Saturday July 29 to noon Sunday, July 30 • all DuPont trails and parks • All ages • FREE
Museum seeks Northwest Landing photos
If you haven’t visited the museum, summer is a great time to stop by. The museum is located at 207 Barksdale Avenue in the Historic Village. From Northwest Landing, take Wilmington north to Barksdale or take I-5 to Exit 119, then go straight across at the traffic light, rather than turn right to take DuPont-Steilacoom Road. The museum is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, and 1-4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free and there’s a gift shop with history books, postcards, and specialty items like mugs and bags.
Dear ROA,
I saw a notice on Facebook that children aren’t allowed to play in the alleys. Where are they supposed to play? It seems like the alley is way more safe than my kids riding their little cars on the main road. I have no backyard and my front yard isn’t flat.
– Perplexed Parent
Dear Perplexed,
I don’t know where you live, but all homes in Northwest Landing have a park or green space close by. It’s dangerous to play in an alleyway. Alleys are intended for vehicle traffic. The Northwest Landing rule reads: “alleys are only for ingress and egress.” Basically, that means vehicles entering and leaving the alley from a garage. Maybe there aren’t many neighbors who park in their garages or driveways in your alley. But there are still vehicles driving through the alleys – including delivery and service vehicles. We need to treat alleys like streets. Also, if you park vehicles in a driveway that you access from an alley, be sure the vehicle fits completely on the driveway and doesn’t block alley access.
Got a question for ROA? Send it to with ASK ROA in the subject line.
Who let the dogs out?
Did you know that the City of DuPont requires all dogs and cats to be licensed? You may wonder why, especially if your pets are microchipped. Pet licensing requires that you show proof of rabies vaccine (which is required by state law). Also, the city and DuPont police will have your contact information. If your dog or cat decides to tour the neighborhood without you, it makes it easier for the city to help get the family back together again!
By the way, city code states that no pet may be “at large.” That includes cats. Even if your kitty was an indoor-outdoor cat elsewhere, your cat will be safer staying indoors. We’ve lost many kitties to coyotes and even eagles. Keeping a collar on your pet with either a DuPont pet license or a tag with the pet’s name and your phone number will help get them back to you quickly. Did you find a pet? Here are some tips from the City of DuPont if you find a wayward pet
Check with neighbors because our pets usually don’t go far from home. Post a photo and description with cross streets on social media where the pet was lost or found. There is a DuPont Lost and Found Pets group on Facebook. Also consider posting on NextDoor and PawBoost.
Many of us in Northwest Landing moved to Washington from someplace else. What we knew before moving here is that it rains here – a lot. And it’s green. After all, it’s the Evergreen State, right? Mostly right. It rains here, but not much in the summer. To keep things green, we need to water. Many of the native plants here have adapted to the changes in weather. But others – like rhododendrons and fruit trees – need extra water. Your ROA allows lawns to “go golden” in summer but they still need water once or twice a week.
A quick warning about a particularly invasive plant: bamboo. There are two types of bamboo: clumping, which is easier to contain, and running, which does exactly that. Clumping bamboo is not invasive. Running bamboo eventually forms dense forests with shoots that pop up everywhere. Some of your neighbors have been trying to eliminate bamboo that was planted several years ago and is spreading to their yards. Tips for Containing and Removing Bamboo
If you have questions or suggestions about plants and plant care, email .