Your Home Town Bulletin • February 2024
NW Landing office closed February 19
The Northwest Landing office will be closed on Monday, February 19, 2024, for President’s Day. The office will reopen Tuesday, February 20, at 9 a.m.
Information for new (and longtime) residents
Are you new to Northwest Landing? Even if you have lived here for several years, you may not know who to call – Northwest Landing or City of DuPont. Whether you are an owner or renter, there is information for you on the Northwest Landing website. A Who You Gonna Call webpage includes common topics our office gets questions about. Governing documents for the association are also available without logging into the members’ portal.
Reminder about trash pickup change beginning February 5
LeMay Pierce County Refuse will begin picking up garbage and yard waste on February 5. Garbage and recycle will be picked up February 12. Yard waste will no longer be picked up the same day as recycle. Download the LeMay phone app and set up reminders for what gets picked up when.
Assessments and fines – what’s what
All property owners pay an assessment or dues to the Northwest Landing Residential Owners Association. Like utility providers, if you don’t pay your 
monthly assessment on time, you will be charged a late fee. If you don’t pay the following month, there are added late fees. Fines add up quickly. Before you know it, you could owe more than $1,000, which is double what you would have spent if you paid your annual assessment all at once. After several months of non-payment, your account is sent to collections. To avoid all of that, consider paying annually (currently $516) or set up automatic payments, which usually are charged the first week of the month.
Avoiding fines for non-compliance
Do you have moss or mold growing on your roof, siding, walkway or fence? You will likely receive a violation notice in the mail. The weather has been more cooperative to be able to take care of some or all of those issues before spring. Your house may also be in need of painting. Some maintenance – such as painting – is best to have done when we have less rain (late spring and summer). If you receive a violation notice, contact and give us a timeline for when you will be completing the maintenance.
Protecting our homes from fire
Less than two years ago, three homes in Northwest Landing caught fire – and were totally destroyed. Homes on either side were also damaged. All homes in Northwest Landing were built with wired smoke detectors and ceiling sprinkler systems. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the lifespan of a smoke detector is 10 years. Most homes in Northwest Landing are older than 10 years, so updating your fire protection system is critical. More information is available on their website: Installing and Maintaining Smoke Alarms
In addition to smoke detectors, Northwest Landing homes have sprinkler systems installed in the ceilings. The sprinkler system is triggered by heat, not smoke. More information can be found on the U.S. Fire Administration website. For more about maintaining your fire sprinkler system, download Living With Sprinklers produced by the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition.
A final note about the August 2022 fires in DuPont: These fires all started on the outside of the homes. Be sure to keep all fire bowls and grills away from your house, especially if you have vinyl siding. If you are using charcoal or wood fires, be sure nothing is left burning or smoldering, even if there is a lid over the grill or fire bowl.
Northwest Landing Events
Register for Daddy Daughter Dance here
Registration not required for the Easter Egg Hunt
ROA Meetings
Board of Directors – 5:30 p.m. – Wednesday • April 17 • online via Zoom
Members are welcome to attend Board meetings but must make a reservation by April 10, 2024. Call 253-964-1289.
ROA Annual Meeting – Priorities in 2024 and beyond
Look for a member survey later this month about ROA priorities – what would you like to see? At our April 24 annual meeting, we’ll talk about some suggestions the Board of Directors has received from homeowners and results of this survey. The survey and the annual meeting are for property owners, who will receive an invitation by mail.
Property Improvement Committee – 5:30 p.m. – 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month
NOTE: Meeting dates are subject to change. Check the calendar on the homeowner’s portal. This committee reviews all exterior modifications, including painting, roofing, adding central air conditioning or solar panels, fences, sheds, patios, patio covers, decks, landscape renovations, adding or removing trees. Some projects may also require a city permit. Project forms can be downloaded from the homeowner’s portal on the website.
City of DuPont Events
Sign up for city news
You can sign up for city email lists on a variety of topics including parks and recreation, public works, and city council news. Sign up for City of DuPont newsletters and alerts here
Senior Lunch & Movie • Tuesdays • February 6 • March 9 • 11 am
Cost is $10 plus tax, choice of several movies at Regal Martin Village Theaters in Lacey.
Valentine Card-Making • 2-4 p.m. • Saturday • February 10 • DuPont Historical Museum • for ages 3-10 years old
Free but please RSVP to 253-820-3656. DuPont Historical Museum is located at 207 Barksdale Avenue in the Historic Village.
Board Game Day • February 19 • March 17 • 1-4 p.m. • DuPont Historical Museum
“Stitches in Time” • Cherry Blossom Tea • 2 p.m. • Saturday • March 9 • Eagles Pride Golf Course
This annual benefit for DuPont Historical Museum features high tea and special treats. Presentation by Phyllis Beaver, quilt historian. Tickets must be purchased in advance: $35 per person or $264 for a table of 8. For reservations, call 253-459-4339 or email .
Dear ROA,
I understand all our mailboxes will be replaced. What’s the timeline and who will alert us? One of my neighbors in another part of town showed me a photo of their mailbox which was open with no mail in it.
- Wondering where my mail went
So far, about half of the mailbox clusters in Northwest Landing have been replaced. Mailbox clusters have begun being replaced in Yehle Park Village and into Hoffman Hill Village. Not all mailboxes will be replaced. In some neighborhoods, there are a few metal mailboxes, which are more secure. The U.S. Postal Office will unlock the mailbox the day before the mailbox cluster will be replaced. You might not receive much notice. The contractor has been installing mailbox clusters when they can fit it into their schedule coordinated with the DuPont post office.Getting ready for spring
Many of us in Northwest Landing moved here from other U.S. states or countries. Caring for lawns and gardens may be different than where we lived prior to moving here. One of the best resources is the Washington State University Extension Service which produces recommendations for all parts of the state. Western Washington, especially near Puget Sound, has a different climate that other parts of the state. A lawn care guide for our area can be downloaded here. WSU’s suggested timeline for fertilizing lawns in western Washington is November 15–December 7, April 15, June 15, and September 1. They also recommend staying off your rain-soaked lawn as much as possible in February.
To improve thin areas – aerate, overseed and top-dress with about ¼” compost – April/May or September are the best times. New lawns should be seeded in spring, prior to Memorial Day or in fall, after Labor Day. Choose a lawn seed suited to the Pacific Northwest – a fine fescue and perennial ryegrass mix based on your sun conditions. Check WSU resources for ways to control moss, clover, and dandelions in your lawn.
Gardening resources for Washington State – flower beds, fruits, lawns, pest management, and more
The ROA is responsible for alley maintenance, but homeowners are responsible for maintaining shrubs and trees on the property in the alleys. Be sure to 
trim them so that they are always at least a few inches away from and off of the asphalt. ROA staff members have found that currently many gardens and plantings along the alleys are unkempt and need the owner’s attention to meet community standards. Also check and clean up your plantings around and off of sidewalks so that they can be used without ducking under branches, or walking around bushes or other plantings.
Rhodie love
Most of us have rhododendrons and azaleas somewhere in our yards. These popular evergreens also were blooming in our warner January this year, only to be hit with a hard freeze. Usually early winter is the best time to prune rhodies and mulch them to protect from freezing. For more information on rhododendron care, visit The American Rhododendron Society. Azalea blooming in early January >
Do you have pics of winter-blooming plants that you’d like to share with your neighbors in the bulletin? Email them to
< Daphne odora or winter daphne blooms here in winter, is very fragrant, and is attractive to hummingbirds
If you have suggestions about plants and plant care for the bulletin, email