If Tillicum were a house, it would be a fixer-upper.

It’s run-down, but it has a lot of promise. Its location – along Interstate 5 and near major employers (Fort Lewis, Madigan Army Medical Center) couldn’t be better for economic development, and its amenities include public access to a lovely lake.

But it’s been held back by a crippling structural defect: crappy plumbing, to put it bluntly. Tillicum isn’t on sewers, which puts a damper on redevelopment prospects. The kind of businesses Lakewood would like to locate there aren’t interested in gambling on a failing septic field.

That’s all about to change. Tillicum – a mostly low-income part of Lakewood along the west side of I-5 – is poised on the brink of an extreme makeover, thanks to a massive sewer project funded by Lakewood taxpayers and a combination of state and federal grants.

The project – which will also extend sewers to the Woodbrook community on the other side of I-5 – was originally supposed to get under way last summer, but permitting with Pierce County took longer than expected. Now groundbreaking is scheduled for Thursday.

The delay has turned out to be a lucky break for Lakewood. The downturn in the economy means that the city will be able to build the sewer project for $2.5 million less than earlier estimated, and the construction company is motivated to get the job done in 12 months, not the earlier projection of 18.

The delay has also allowed Lakewood to get further along in the Tillicum Neighborhood Plan – a blueprint for improving the community over the next three to five years. Key items include improving transportation corridors; replacing or redeveloping substandard housing; and building walkways, trails and bike paths.

The neighborhood plan and the sewer project can work in tandem to revitalize one of the poorest areas in Pierce County (only five of the county’s 158 Census tracts have lower median incomes). But success will depend on community members stepping up to play leadership roles in making change. And it will also depend on most of them agreeing to hook up to the new sewer system.

At least for now, hookups are voluntary, and financial aid is available for low-income residents. But if there’s not enough participation, the city might have to make it mandatory.

Tillicum is on the brink of taking off. Residents should be excited about taking part in their community’s revitalization. The rest of Lakewood is helping foot the bill for Tillicum’s transformation; the folks who stand to benefit the most now need to do their part.