Author: Dan Rydholm

ENA Board Meeting, Swantown Inn, 8/10/22

Attendees: Sherry Chilcutt, Roger Horn, Cheryle Bayle, Nathan Allen, Jim Rioux, Jim Sweeney, Karen Sweeney, Anna Stussah

Treasury Reports

There were three new memberships this month. Nathan mentioned that he wanted to discuss the new system for membership email.

• Checking $759.55
• Savings $963.27
• Signs $1306.91
• Trees $153.36
• Beautification $409.97

Minutes Approval

Minutes for the July meeting were approved.

Picnic Report

• Sherry asked for receipts, but everyone that contributed said they were willing to cover their costs.
• Sherry mentioned that she made a point of talking with everyone that attended.
• Overall, everyone felt it was a good and successful event.
• Most of the food that was brought was eaten and we didn’t run out.

CNA Report

Karen provided a brief update on the following items that were discussed at the August CNA meeting:

• City council is looking at housing code changes to increase renter protection. Some of the ideas being discussed include rent increase notification requirements, limits on pet damage deposits and move in fees, and requirements that would allow renters to pay fees in installments.
• There was a presentation on the proposed Regional Fire Authority:
  • The idea is to combine Tumwater and Olympia into a separate entity for fire protection.
  • One of the benefits mentioned would be shorter response time.
  • The proposal would require a property tax increase.
  • They expect the issue to on the ballot soon.
  • A calculator will be available on the City’s web site to see what the increase will be an individual property owner.
  • There is a virtual town hall scheduled for Monday, August 15 at 6:00 pm.
• Dave Marty discussed using a Neighborhood Grant to develop and support a web site program. The idea is to come up with a host that all neighborhoods could use so that they do not have to spend their own money on a web site. It would also provide a consistent format and look for all RNA’s.

Tim Smith provided an update for CPD:

• The city is working on a project to build workforce housing at the former mitigation site on Franklin St. More information can be found on the City’s web site.
• The city currently has 324 building permits in process. He anticipates they will see approximately 714/yr for the next five years to meet expected growth.
• The Ecosystem Alliance is taking the West Bay Yards developer to court over SEPA violations.
• The Capital Mall Triangle process continues to move forward.
• The 3900 Boulevard Road project has a public meeting schedule for September 14.
• Cari Hornbein gave an update on the Neighborhood Centers project:
  • Karen asked about how to get one in the Eastside Neighborhood but got no response.
  • Roger mentioned that he attended the public meeting that was held on the westside. He was able to talk with Cari and Mike Reid. He was not clear on next steps.
  • Nathan thought that a meeting with Jay may be what we need to do.
  • Roger also suggested a meeting with Leonard.

Talent Show

Roger has been talking with the Director of Salvation Army. Roger suggested moving the event to October 15.

The northeast neighborhoods do not want to participate so we will need to find people from the Eastside Neighborhood to take part in the show.

Member Address list

Sherry complied the two lists that she had. We need to verify that all of the addresses on the list are valid.

Jim offered to try to organize the list to make it easier to verify different sections of the neighborhood.

Rebuilding Together

Sherry and Hank attended a meeting of this county wide organization. The intent is to invest about $5000 into houses that need repair, then use volunteers to actually do the work.

Sherry would like to establish an ENA crew for houses in the Eastside neighborhood.

Web Site Update

Nathan demonstrated the website he found that he feels we should migrate to. The primary benefit is the ability to pull member data, our current host does not have that capability.

One major change is that we need to determine four discreet member levels, as opposed to our current sliding scale. The board asked Nathan to propose the levels and we can then vote on via email.

ENA Board Meeting, Swantown Inn

Attendees: Sherry Chilcutt, Roger Horn, Cheryle Bayle, Nathan Allan, Jim Rioux, Jim Sweeney, Karen
Sweeney, Dan Rydholm

1. Treasurer Reports
   Sherry delivered the following report via e-mail.
   Checking $759.55
   Savings $963.27
   Signs $1306.91
   Trees $153.36
   Beautification $409.97
   So far this year, we have $255 minus fees in membership revenue.
2. Minutes Approval
   There were no minutes because the June meeting was primarily focused on reviewing and editing the newsletter content.
3. Newsletter Mailing Report
   There were a significant number or of returns, Sherry is going through the mailing list we got from the city’s database and comparing it to an older one the that Brian had. She estimates approximately 300 houses were missed. When she is done, she will split up the list and give each of us a portion to verify. We still have some grant left to pay for a follow-up mailing.
4. Van Camping
   The board discussed the issues of vacant houses and van camping. Dan asked if the association had any policies because someone was car camping for multiple weeks outside his home. The board does not have any policies on this topic. Nathan and Sherry recommended approaching the individual and checking in to see what he may need and request that he respect the rest of the neighbors. Update – the van was towed by the city a few days after the board meeting.
5. Plum Street Village
   Nathan mentioned that the city’s coordinated entry program is not working very well. The only way to get into a house is through the city and they are not processing requests effectively. He is concerned that the Quince St. mitigation site will have a negative impact on Plum St. He is also concerned the Community Action Committee is not being heard by the city.
6. Block Party Report
   All four block parties were well attended and overall great events for the neighborhood. We estimated about 30-40 attendees at each event. The McCormick St. party may have gone as high as 50 attendees. The board discussed the need for “Block Party Kit”, or at least a checklist to remind hosts about items like recycling and compost containers, name tags, and sign-up sheets.
7. Events at Lions Park
   Sherry expressed concern about not being notified when there are events at Lions Park. Dan asked whether someone at the city could put us on a notification list.
8. Neighborhood Centers
   The city’s consultant is holding a number of in-person and virtual events to hear what people think about their draft report. The report focuses on 12 existing centers. This is a disappointment since we worked directly with the city to get support for new centers in our neighborhood. Jim Sweeney plans to attend at least one of the meetings. Nathan thought that he and Roger should contact Jay Burney directly.
9. CNA Report
   Karen provided a brief update on the following items that were discussed at the July CNA meeting:
   • The neighborhood grant program had left over money for the first time in many years.The CNA is considering using the neighborhood grants for additional technical support.
   • Discussion continues about creating a common web site that all neighborhoods can use.
   • Clark and Dante are the CNA liaisons at this time.
   • Dante did not attend but Clark provided the following updates:
     • The city is evaluating response times for ambulances<.
     • A regional fire authority is currently under consideration,
     • There will be an Olympia Bicycle Rodeo on July 30 from 11- 2pm.
     • Council approved making Olympia a sanctuary city for reproductive rights.
     • Tim Smith shared that the development permit list is huge.
     • There will be some affordable housing as well as some new businesses.
     • He said that we should expect Olympia to be crowded in the near future.
     • Randy Haines introduced himself as the new emergency response lead. Karen asked about the Neighborhood Mapping program. He was not familiar with the program. Karen will meet with Randy to discuss starting one again.
     • The CNA will discuss the comprehensive plan update at their next meeting.
10. Annual Picnic
    Shelter reservation is made for August 6th. We should put out signs on August July 30th. Jim R. will send out files for sign inserts. Nathan will check with Tom for hamburger donations, but he is not sure that we’ll be able to receive them.
11. Fall Events
    Roger shared that he is discussing the talent show with the Salvation Army and the Elks club. The Salvation Army seems like the best location, but the Elk board is meeting tomorrow to discuss our request. Our tentative date is October 8th with the 15th as a backup. The Art Crossing community discussion is scheduled for Sept. 29th at the Armory. Sherry will connect with Stephanie to see what we can do to promote the event.
12. Rat Control Concerns
    Dan asked about rats in the neighborhood. Everyone acknowledged that rats are a problem throughout Olympia. The best actions are to contact Thurston County Health and do everything you can to try to keep them out of your structures.
13. Sidewalk Repair Inventory
    Mark Foutch heard that Lacey is getting ready to spend money on sidewalks. This would be a good time to pitch specific sidewalk needs to the city. Everyone agreed that a prioritized inventory of sidewalks needs would be good and should put the 7th Avenue facility high on the list.
14. New WebSite CMS
    Nathan demonstrated a new web CMS that he is using with the Beekeepers Association. It’s a bit easier to use and has better functionality for collecting dues and maintaining member data. The board agreed to continue looking into the CMS.