Greg Cuoio Park's First Fall and the Pipe That Isn't There Yet

"This park will be here long after us. It's one of a kind. It's irreplaceable," Greg Cuoio told the crowd on September 24, 2026. People had come out in the rain to watch Lacey cut the ribbon on the park that carries his name. The former city manager was speaking at 2711 Carpenter Road NE. The trails there wind through second-growth forest and around an old farm field. At the edge of the property, water and wastewater lines have been built and capped off at Carpenter Road. They're waiting for a city main that doesn't reach that far yet.

Those capped lines explain a lot about the park as it stands this fall. Greg Cuoio Park was assembled mainly to protect land and water. The recreation came later, built around the same limits that made the land worth protecting. Once you know that, the portable toilets and the small parking lot make sense, and so does the forest you can't walk into.

Bought for the Water, Opened for the Weekend

According to the 2022 master plan, Lacey closed on the core 400 acres on March 3, 2011. The land almost became something else. The Olympian reported that it had been slated for 313 homes until the development company foreclosed and the city stepped in.

At the grand opening, Mayor Andy Ryder said the purchase had always been about more than a future park. "At the time, we weren't simply buying land because we thought it might someday make a great park. We were making a much bigger investment in Lacey's future," he said. The Thurston Chronicle reported that the protected land is now a key part of the city's long-term water strategy, helping protect water quality and supply as Lacey grows.

You can see that priority in the plan itself. The full park-and-greenways area covers about 537 acres. It holds roughly 50 acres of mapped wetlands and about 9,000 linear feet of streams. Fox, Palm, Eagle and Jorgenson creeks all feed Woodland Creek, which carries fish. The protected water-rights conservation area is closed to the public. The plan allows only limited escorted visits there for education, maintenance or monitoring. The trail map marks those boundaries as "No Public Access."

So the 139 acres that opened in July are the public part of a much larger protected area. Even so, they make this Lacey's largest park and one of the few green spaces north of Interstate 5 in the city.

What the Open Acres Hold Right Now

Phase 1A sits where the land used to be farmed. A 2024 environmental checklist describes the area as a rolling field ringed by Douglas fir, alder and bigleaf maple. Jen Burbidge of Lacey Parks, Culture and Recreation described the terrain to The Olympian as rolling grass pastures that drop into steep valleys and ravines along the creeks.

There are nearly three miles of trails. About 2.5 miles are gravel and mulch over natural ground, and about half a mile is flat pavement around the picnic shelter. The posted trail map names four routes:

Alternate paths connect the named trails. The map also marks steep terrain, which matters once fall leaves cover the mulch. Dogs are allowed, but city rules require a leash and cleanup.

The developed area by the parking lot is bigger than the park's first impression suggests. The nature-themed playground covers 8,000 square feet. It has three slides, a tree house, synthetic turf and a companion swing. Next to it is a 2,200-square-foot picnic shelter, the largest in Lacey, with 12 tables. They're free and first-come, first-served, and several groups can share the space at once. The rest is two acres of open grass, on-site maps, portable restrooms and a 75-space lot.

The Pipe Stubbed Out to Carpenter Road

The biggest gap in that list comes back to water. The city's park page spells out what permanent restrooms would take. Water and sewer mains would have to run north to the park from Britton Parkway. Then a wastewater lift station would have to push waste south on Carpenter Road and up the hill to Britton Parkway. Phase 1A built the lines inside the park and capped them at the road, so the hookup is ready once a main arrives.

The missing utilities affect more than restrooms. The city says rentals are limited because of the parking lot and utilities, and it doesn't expect to be able to host most large groups here. Instead, it invites groups to get in touch so staff can help them find a better fit for their event.

Phase 1B is next in line. Burbidge told The Olympian that permanent restrooms on city utilities are a high priority, but no funding has been secured for Phase 1B or anything after it. She estimated the full project at $80 million. Phase 1A cost $6.5 million. Nearly $1 million of that came from grants, including a state appropriation of $499,550 and $500,000 from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. The city's list of future plans includes:

• Restrooms and utilities
• Vehicle access improvements along Carpenter Road
• Landscaping
• More trails and a playground zipline
• A potential dog park

The city says each of these depends on finding the money. One possible source has already been turned down. In August 2025, Lacey voters rejected a proposed Metropolitan Park District measure, 4,052 against and 3,388 in favor, according to JOLT's report of unofficial results. The City Council held a 2027 budget workshop on September 22, 2026, and the park wasn't among the listed agenda items. The 2027 budget presentation is set for October 20, 2026. That meeting will show whether the portable toilets stay through another season.

A Disc Golf Course Still Being Laid Out

The disc golf course is the clearest example of how unfinished the park is, and it's the one visitors can help shape. The city plans a permanent 18-hole course built with the South Puget Sound Disc Golf Association. For now, a temporary layout is open for play. The city is candid about conditions. There's a lot of brush, so it suggests looking over the course before you play and bringing a spotter to find your discs.

The final tee and basket locations haven't been set. The city is asking players for feedback at [email protected], and the association plans work parties to clear fairways and put in temporary tee pads. No dates have been posted. At its September 1 meeting, the association noted that its usual work-party coordinator would be unavailable until November. Its events page and the course's UDisc listing showed no upcoming events as of early October. A 2022 design presentation for Phase 1A also showed a second 18-hole course as a future expansion.

An October Visit, Practically

The park is open daily from 7 a.m. until dark, which means closing time gets earlier through November. Some practical notes:

1. Parking. The lot has 75 spaces, and the city warned of limited parking even before the grand opening drew a large crowd. On a busy weekend, a short visit is the easier choice.
2. Restrooms. The portable toilets are near the playground. There are none along the forest trails.
3. Footing. The half mile of paved path around the shelter is flat. The rest of the trail system is gravel and mulch over natural ground, with marked steep sections.
4. Disc golf. Look over a few holes before your first round, and bring a friend to spot.
5. Boundaries. Stay on the mapped trails. The areas marked "No Public Access" protect the wetlands and creeks the park was bought to preserve.

The city's park page says the rest of the master plan will be built "in phases, as funding is secured." Until a main reaches the capped lines at Carpenter Road, the park will look much as it does this fall, with the playground, the shelter, three miles of trail and the larger protected forest around them.

Land that's protected for decades, like Greg Cuoio Park, takes the same patience and long view as a family property passed down through generations. If you're thinking about the future of land you love in the South Sound, Morrison House Sotheby's International Realty would welcome the conversation. Request a private consultation.