Nathan Allan

September 2014 Board Meeting Minutes

Facilitated by ENA Board President Nathan Allan
Wednesday, September 18th, 2014
Meeting started at 6:30 pm at the Swantown Inn

Attendance

  • Board Members Present:  Nathan Allan, Whitney Bowerman,  Brian Brannies,  Sandia Slaby, Sherry Chilcutt, Pat Bayle, Jim Longley
  • Board Members Absent: Kara Randall, Mitch Dennis, Sheena Pietzold, Katy Beattie
  • Other Attendees: Roger Horn

Dog waste stations update

  • Three installed so far. Six left to install.
  • Requires volunteers, along with a call to 811 as placement is in the city right of way.
  • Sites have all been vetted by the city.
  • Group of stewards and volunteers created on Nextdoor
  • Brian volunteered to help. Pat provide marking paint for before 811 is called.

Crime in the Neighborhood

  • Nextdoor – Crime seems to be a hot topic. Vehicle Break-ins. Petty theft from properties.
  • Members have noted that the “corridors” through the neighborhood have seen increases in unwanted behavior.
  • Do we want to push for more OPD presence in ENA? Question to ENA membership at general meeting.
  • Nathan has direct contact with Lieutenant Ray Holmes who is the Eastside coordinator.
  • Amy Stull has said that Crimereports.com only shows crimes committed that are assigned a case number; “Yes, it shows everything that is assigned a case number and comes directly from our records system. The only thing I can think of is that officers may have decided against writing a case in some instances. That would be their discretion if there was nothing of value taken and no damage to the vehicle.”

Fall General Meeting

  • Trying for Wednesday November 5th from 6:30 to 8pm. Sandia is attempting to secure a location.
  • In light of current hot topics agenda would be; Crime (Invite OPD rep, Amy stull, mention Block Watch), Success of Dog Waste Station Project, Food Bank Project, Matching Grant Ideas (ie traffic circles).

CNA Meetings

  • Both Nathan and Whitney have been attending these.
  • CNA has had a recent change in leadership.
  • Nathan and Whitney agree that more needs to come from this group. That overall representation is from neighborhoods that are more HOA run than our eclectic neighborhood.
  • Nathan suggested we encourage the CNA to push for more community policing and code enforcement than currently offered.

New Business

  • Jim Longley formally resigned from the board due to outside commitments. Sandia, Katy, Pat and Whitney all indicated they will not continue with the board after their terms end in February.  All agree we must build on the good work the board is doing.
  • Whitney will investigate whether the Nextdoor name for our neighborhood can be altered. If so Sandia would like to have a discussion on whether this will clear the sometimes mistakenly blurred lines between the ENA and Nextdoor. Note: Nextdoor is independent from the ENA and simply a tool that the ENA uses to aid in getting our message out.
  • Brian would like to apply for the Community Matching Grant program. He will present and ask for ideas at the next General Meeting.
  • Whitney noted that the creation of the ENA Database for tracking membership is long overdue. Brian acknowledged that as the person who is trying to come up with a solution.

Meeting adjourned at 7:30pm
Minutes submitted by Nathan Allan, ENA President

Nathan Allan

September 2014 Board Meeting Agenda

Swantown Inn Bed & Breakfast, 1431 11th Ave SE (corner of Central)
Wednesday, July 16th, 2013, 6:30PM – 7:30PM

Monthly Board meeting of the Eastside Neighborhood Association.

Agenda

  • Dog waste stations update (call for volunteers to help installations)
  • Fall General Meeting – do we need one?
  • CNA – Report from attending CNA meetings, feedback on what we want to share as an association
  • Nextdoor – Crime seems to be a hot topic. Do we want to push for more OPD presence in ENA?
  • New business.

Please note you do not need to be a board member to attend. We start promptly at 6:30pm. With a light agenda we will finish on time as well.

Nathan Allan

2014 Capital City Marathon, May 18th

Read on to see the Press Release with impact on the Eastside neighborhood.

Call for volunteers: Volunteer Poster 2014

NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEMBERS
NOTICE OF
2014 CAPITAL CITY MARATHON
MAY 18, 2014

Please factor the Capital City Marathon into your morning plans on Sunday May 18th. Our event is large enough that it could affect your mobility at times on Sunday morning. Depending on where you live on the race routes, it is conceivable that your ability to get somewhere or to return home that morning might be impacted.

The marathon run begins at 7:00 a.m., the half-marathon begins at 7:45 a.m. and the five-mile run begins at 8:00 a.m. You can go to the Capital City Marathon website to look at the course map to find out where your house is on the course.

The vast majority of marathon runners will finish between 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Most half-marathon runners will finish by 10:45 a.m. The five-mile race will be done by 9:30 a.m. Those attending churches located along the race courses may be delayed due to runners on the road depending on the time your service begins and ends.

We have volunteers and local law enforcement directing traffic to ensure runner safety and to keep vehicles moving safely. We try to minimize the inconvenience but be aware of the event and please be patient.

Thank you in advance for your tolerance and patience on race day.

Jim Lux, President and Course Safety Coordinator, Capital City Marathon Association

Nathan Allan

Smith Building Update

Here is an update from the Family Support Center of South Sound, on the Smith Building Shelter.

The Family Shelter & Affordable Housing Project

What is the proposed project?
The Family Support Center of South Sound, a 501c3 nonprofit organization (Tax ID: 91-2003828), is rehabilitating the Smith Building located at 837 7th Avenue SE Olympia, WA 98501 from a vacant office building to 6 emergency shelter and 7 permanent affordable housing units for families with children with onsite supportive services. The improvements will include remodeling the interior of the building, utilizing best practice environmental standards, to make it suitable for residential use.

When will the project be completed?
Interior demolition was completed in June 2013. Construction begins November 2013 and is expected by complete in late Spring 2014. The current Family Support Shelter located at First Christian Church will relocate to the new facility and apartments will be leased after project completion.

How will this project impact the neighborhood?
We anticipate minimal impact on the neighborhood during the remodeling phase. Once the project is complete, we believe the Family Shelter and Affordable Housing Project will be an asset to the neighborhood. The Family Support Center has been a good downtown Olympia neighborhood and community leader for more than 20 years with a positive track record of providing quality family support services and shelter in our community. Will there be homeless people living here? This project will only serve homeless and low income families with children under age 18. This project will not serve single men or women. The majority of children we serve are under age 5 years of age. Parents/guardians are typically working families or families working to get back on their feet. There will be supportive services provided on-site by the Family Support Center 24 hours a day, 7 days week, 365 days a year to support families in becoming strong, healthy, and self-sufficient. Management will be on-site to respond to any issues that may arise.

How will this project benefit the community?
Family homelessness and poverty takes a big toll on kids, families, businesses, schools, and tax payers. It overburdens law enforcement, health care, and education systems. It affects local tourism and economic development of downtown. Research shows investing in kids early reduces crime, incarceration, unemployment, and school drop-out rates. Building new affordable housing downtown will help to revitalize the neighborhood, create new jobs, and attract and leverage more state, federal, and private dollars to our community. The effective use of vacant buildings for community benefit has positive environmental, social, and economic benefits. Research indicates that it costs $40,000/year for a community to support one homeless person including shelter, health care visits, law enforcement responses, and other public services. With six new affordable family housing units that will provide permanent housing for 28 parents and kids, the community will have a return on investment of $1.12 million!

Why is this project needed?
There is a common misconception that homelessness is an issue that only pertains to single men and women, but in our community more than 1/3 of the homeless population are young children, with many attending school just down the road from the Smith Building at Madison Elementary and Avanti High School. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, families with children may be the least visible, but are the fastest growing population of homeless nationwide. Poverty and the lack of affordable housing are the principal causes of family homelessness. And as we know, housing shapes lives and elevates communities.

How is this project funded?
The total project cost is 1.9 million dollars. This project is largely publically funded through grants from local, state, and federal sources including the Washington State Housing Trust Fund, the City of Olympia, Thurston County, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The City of Olympia sold the property and building to the Family Support Center through a competitive grant process for $1, paving the way for this dream to come true and making it possible for the Family Support Center to leverage other funding sources to develop this project in our community. The Family Support Center has also conducted fundraising efforts to generate private donor support for this project. We are very grateful to all of the citizens, businesses, elected officials, faith based organization, funders, volunteers, and donors, who support this project.

Who is working on this project?
The project owner is the Family Support Center of South Sound. The project has been designed by visionary local architect, Glenn Wells A.I.A. The Family Support Center has contracted with Common Ground, now Bellwether Housing, an experienced affordable housing development firm out of Seattle, to provide project management and consulting services. Demolition was performed by Olympia-based, Advance Environmental Inc. The General Contractor, Integrity Structures LLC, is an experienced Pacific Northwest construction firm, selected through a competitive bid process. Subcontracts with local companies will create living wage jobs right here in our own community.

How can I help support this project?
The Family Support Center relies on public support, donations, and volunteers. We need your help and welcome your involvement! Please contact Schelli Slaughter, Executive Director, at 360-754-9297 ext. 211 or email [email protected] or visit our website at www.fscss.org to learn more.

Who can I talk to if I have questions or concerns?
You may contact Schelli Slaughter, Executive Director, at 360-754-9297 ext. 211 or email [email protected] or contact City of Olympia Community Development and Planning staff at 360-753-8314.

THANK YOU! We look forward to being your friendly, supportive, and responsive nonprofit neighbor!

Nathan Allan

March 2014 Board Meeting Agenda

Swantown Inn Bed & Breakfast, 1431 11th Ave SE (corner of Central)
Wednesday, March 19th, 2013, 6:30PM – 7:30PM

Monthly Board meeting of the Eastside Neighborhood Association.

Agenda

  • Introductions
  • Officer elections
  • ENA By-laws review:  discuss a couple of the by-laws re:  general & board meetings, and officers’ roles. Please review the ENA Bylaws before the meeting – Sandia
  • Board leadership/process/roles & responsibilities – Whitney
  • Working relations on the board – Sandia
  • 2014  meeting calendar (cross checking board meeting dates with Madison PTO meeting dates, May quarterly meeting, summer events) – Whitney
  • ENA communications plan – Whitney
  • Wireless subcommittee update – Mitch
  • Community Garden (archival of documentation) – Nathan
  • Sidewalks – Nathan
  • Thurston Food Bank project – Whitney
  • Thurston Together substance abuse conference on April 30th – Whitney
  • ENA Revenue – memberships, Thrift-e card- Whitney
  • Treasurers Report – Sherry