The city of Lacey and one of its residents find themselves at odds with each other.

The resident accuses the city of not doing enough to address a rodent problem at her home — a problem she says was exacerbated by nearby construction — while city officials say they have tried to be a good neighbor and help.

The result is not a lot of movement in either direction.

Resident Althea Sims, who says she has lived in Lacey for more than 25 years, recently filed a claim for damages with the city that the city turned over to its insurance company, the Washington Cities Insurance Authority.

In a letter to Sims that was shared with The Olympian, the WCIA denied her claim this past week. But Sims remains undeterred and immediately responded with an email inquiring about an appeals process.

“I totally disagree with your conclusion,” she writes, adding that she will “take this as high as needed.”

Sims told The Olympian on Friday she is now weighing a small claims court action against the city.

At a council meeting

The Olympian first learned about Sims when she addressed Lacey City Council in March and presented her concerns.

Sims said she lives near a water tower construction project that has disturbed “critters,” “animals” and “rats” in the area, pushing them in the direction of her home.

The construction project is the Terry Cargil reservoir, where construction got underway in 2022. It overlooks the Lacey Crossroads shopping center at College Street and Yelm Highway.

Construction is expected to last until late this year, The Olympian has reported.

During the meeting, Sims threatened to file a claim against the city. She followed through on her threat and filed the damages claim on May 23, which The Olympian received via a public records request.

A dollar amount is not identified in the claim, but it does reference “pain and inconvenience.”

“For over two years, I have been unable to enjoy my patio due to the city’s construction which disturbed the soil and caused my patio to be infested with rodents.”

She goes on to say that she contacted a city official on numerous occasions but the city did nothing, Sims writes.

“It wasn’t until I attended a city council meeting that anyone acknowledged me,” she writes.

The city responds

Lacey officials say they first heard from Sims and her concerns in the fallof 2022. Since then, they have hired a pest-control business to set up traps around the construction site — traps that showed no evidence of rodents — and they agreed to reimburse Sims for her pest-control needs.

The city has already cut her a check for some of the costs and is prepared to do that through the remainder of the water tower construction project. City staff also says that no other residents in the area have complained about a similar pest problem.

Public Works Director Scott Egger said a typical construction site is bare land, equipment and construction materials, and does not contain things like food that might attract pests.

“We just want to be good neighbors,” he said.

In its letter denying Sims’ claims, the WCIA made some of the same arguments, pointing out the contractor’s work has been within standard practice and there have been no other complaints.

“Having observed the construction scene, we cannot find action or lack of action by the contractor that would direct rodents to your home,” the letter reads. “Reviewing aerial photos of your home from Google maps, it appears there is debris in both yours and your neighbors back yard that may be contributing to rodent presence.”

Sims disputes the accuracy of the photo. She doesn’t buy the argument that a lack of complaints somehow undermines her own concerns.

“There can be a pothole and 90 people can drive that road and not hit the pothole, but if one person hit it, that one person can be damaged and the state or the city would be responsible because that pothole is on their road. That’s the same thing in this case,” she said in an email to The Olympian.

Sims came before city council again on June 4. She acknowledged that when she first bought the home an inspection showed the presence of pests, which prompted her to secure a pest-control contract. However, she again told the council that when construction started, the situation only got worse.

“This has caused a lot of stress and turmoil for me,” she told the council that night.

The Olympian caught up with Sims after she spoke during public comment. She made clear the issue between her and the city is not over yet.

Sims added that she’s not looking for thousands of dollars from the city, but she wants to be compensated.

“I’m not going away, I’m not,” she said. “I’m just not going away.”