Free Home Energy Assessments from PSE

Puget Sound Energy is now offering Home Energy Assessments at no cost.  The assessment is an overview of your home to provide a better understanding of your home’s basic energy consumption.  This written assessment includes useful and cost-effective ways to improve your home’s comfort and efficiency, including a review of your home’s insulation levels, doors and windows, heating and cooling system, major appliances, lighting, and more.


This service was recently written up in The Olympian. Additionally, here is an article about the free assessments.

The assessment also includes replacement of up to 50 light bulbs and two showerheads at no cost. The assessment report will include energy-saving recommendations, information on: energy-efficient product rebates and other helpful energy efficiency tips.  For more information or to schedule an assessment you can contact Energy Efficiency First at: 360-236-9684 or qualityrcss.com.

Madison Elementary Plant Sale

The Madison Plant Sale is this Saturday, May 11, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm in the Madison School parking lot (1225 Legion Way SE, Olympia, WA (98501). Annual and perennial plant and vegetable starts professionally grown and affordably priced.  All proceeds benefit the school’s garden program.  This is a great one-stop spot for your Mother’s Day gifts.

Proceeds support the school’s garden enrichment programs including: the Giving Garden outdoor learning lab, all-school farmers market stands and a mobile classroom cooking cart.

Can’t make it? You can PRE-ORDER plants for pick-up at a later date. If interested, please download the Plant Sale 2013 Order Form and Plant Sale 2013 Plant List and submit your order by Friday, May 10, 2013. Or, if you’d just like to see what plants are available on Saturday, check out the Plant Sale 2013 Plant List.

Stormwater Stewards Recruiting for 2013

Greetings Neighborhood Association Members,

Could you please pass this along this information? This is a great volunteer opportunity to help empower residents and receive extensive free training in Green Stormwater Infrastructure. Also, a Stormwater Stewards site assessment is a great free service for homeowners looking to find solutions for managing stormwater drainage issues.


Stormwater Stewards are recruiting for the 2013 cohort!

View the 2013 Recruitment Packet HERE

Please pass this message along to anyone who might be interested. This year we’re adding new information and installation opportunities; it is going to be really awesome! All details are included in the Recruitment Packet. A print application is available in the packet, but folks can also apply electronically HERE.

You can read the press brief below.
Volunteers Sought for Unique “Stormwater Stewards” Program
Thurston County Stormwater Utility/Stream Team Program and WSU Extension are recruiting volunteers to train as “Stormwater Stewards.” The program works with local residents to help reduce pollution in our local waterways and Puget Sound from stormwater runoff.
Volunteers receive training in many aspects of on-site stormwater management including rain gardens, water-wise plants, sloped biodetention hedgerows, pervious pavements, vegetated roofs, and more. Trained volunteers use their new expertise to work in teams to provide guidance to homeowners who want to do their part to protect local waterways and Puget Sound.
Classes and hands-on field trainings will be held in the evenings and on weekends to accommodate work schedules. Landscaping professionals are also encouraged to take part in the volunteer certification program. The training dates are evenings on Thursdays, May 9, 16, 23, 30; June 6, 13, and 20, with field days on May 19 and June 22 and 29.
To learn more and receive an application packet, contact WSU Extension’s Native Plant Salvage Program at [email protected] or 360-867-2166, or download the packet at www.nativeplantsalvage.org.
Looking forward to working with you all!
Warm Regards,
Krista Elvey
Peer-to-Peer Stormwater Education Coordinator
Native Plant Salvage Foundation
www.nativeplantsalvage.org
360-867-2166

April 2013 Board Meeting Minutes

Facilitated by ENA President Luke Bowerman
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Meeting started at 6:30 at the Swantown Inn


Attendance

  • Board Members: Nathan Alan, Luke Bowerman, Whitney Bowerman,  Sherry Chilcutt, Sandia Slaby, Andrew Beattie, Roberta Golden,  Bev Kooi, Nancy Thompson, Mitch Dennis, Pat Bayle, Jennie Fleming
  • Neighborhood Residents: Domenico Spatola-Knoll, Katie _?_, Karen Rogers
  • Other Guests: Mike Voltz

Previous Meeting Minutes

Read and ratified March General Meeting Minutes

May Quarterly General Membership Meeting & Dinner

Join your neighbors for dinner!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013, 5:30PM until 7:00PM;  location confirmed:
New Bridge Community Church,  810 Central (at the corner of 10th & Central)
ENA will provide hot dogs & veggie dogs & fixin’s, & please bring a side dishes or dessert to share – potluck.  The church will open their cafe & offer complimentary coffee & italian sodas.

Meeting Agenda:

  • Introduction & ENA 2013 Projects (15 minutes)

  • Individual Disaster Preparation (15 minutes) by Sandia Slaby & Paul Peck & Cedar Boya from the NORTH Eastside  Neighborhood and:

  • Smith Building / Family Shelter & Affordable Housing Project at 8th & Pear St., across from the OLD City Hall, (15 minutes) by  Coalition of Neighborhood Association representative.

  • Introduction & ENA 2013 Projects (15 minutes)

ENA Garage Sale

Saturday July  20, 2013,  9-4 pm

Advertising  will be published on/in free locations including Craig’s List, WIP (Works In Progress),  OP&L (Olympia Power & Light), the city Website,  &  KAOS radio’s “community billboard”.  Households that are participating by having a sale that day are asked/encouraged to put up signs at major intersections near your home with the likes of:  “NEIGHBORHOOD Garage Sale – (with your address on them)” ,  and consider also having another sign AT your home saying sales are happening all around the ENA region – maybe with a map showing the boundaries of our ENA,  to prompt people to drive around.   Call Lee for more info & questions 943-1538.

Sidewalk Cleaning/Clearing Project

Further discussion was had re: proposal by Luke last month (to pick 5-10 of the most overgrown sidewalk locations in the neighborhood & spend a morning clearing them up).  A call for a Project Coordinator for this idea, but no one came forward for such.  It was suggested that we could use already established “Newsletter delivery routes” for an initial survey of possible candidate sites for this project, whereby volunteers would take one or more of those ‘routes’/areas and scout for sidewalk areas that are overgrown.  If anyone interested in coordinating such a  project, sooner or later, please contact Luke, ENA president.

Also discussed re: this project was the importance of getting an “ok” for any adjacent property owner before any such clearing occurred, & the issuing of a standard letter clearly stating our work would be a one-time neighborhood volunteer effort.

Though this was not in the scope of the initial proposal for this project, Bev Kooi expressed that in the fall, due to slippery leaves, is a time she could use help keeping her sidewalk strip clear on the 7th Ave hill (east of central).  This showed  how this proposed ‘project’ could possibly expand as we explore one idea of the neighborhood helping neighbors

Online Dues

Online dues paying update given by Luke:  He said that he & Nathan are  going to  write up a ‘Statement’:    “what your dues $$ pays for in our neighborhood?”, to present at the next board meeting  to help people understand why they are encouraged to pay dues to support the activities of the ENA, and to address some board member’s query of what we would do with the $$ if we raised the annual ENA dues amount, which was proposed at the last meeting & tabled.

Other Business

ENA Postcard

Luke presented a sample of the postcard that we agreed last month to send to by US Mail to all residents of the ENA addressing yearly events, etc.  He said they would try to get the boundaries of such a mailing that would best cover, but not exceed our ENA boundaries, but that it will not match precisely, as USPS can not delineate mailings by such criteria.

Sandwich Boards

Making some of these to use around the neighborhood to announce ENA meetings/events has been discussed numerous times over the years, and Mitch Dennis offered & will make a few before the May General Mtg.  Sandia said she could provide some hardware for that project.

Parks & Pathways Proposals

Brad Archibold reported that he submitted them  & that the city is to meet in the next week to review progress & budget on the current projects, and that that review will result in data about available funds for further projects, thus  “Stay tuned”!

ENA Bank Account

The ENA is removing Jenni Fleming and Nathan Allan from being the responsible parties  for the Eastside Neighborhood Association’s WSECU account (number 109001742212),  and placing Sherry Chilcutt (Treasurer), and Luke Bowerman (President) as the new responsible parties.  That transfer will officially take place at the banking institution in the next week.

Name Tags

Sandia proposed we get reusable name tags so we can learn one another’s names more easily  Following some discussion, it was suggested and agreed that Sandia will assess the price & present that info to the board as a purchase proposal that can be addressed via email soon, so we will have them before the May General Meeting.  We will also get single-use ones so everyone attending meetings can have a name tag.

Mike Voltz

Mike Voltz, who is running for City Council, introduced himself & asked to be scheduled for some time to address us at one of our meetings before the election primary in Aug. Luke agreed that we would make that possible.

Announcements

Whitney announced that the Madison/Avanti Garden plant sale is Saturday, May 11, 2013.

Meeting adjourned at 7:30

Minutes by Sandia Slaby, Secretary

 

May 2013 General Membership Meeting

New Bridge Community Church, 812 Central St SE, Olympia
Wednesday, May 15, 2013, 5:30PM until 7:00PM

Quarterly general membership meeting. Join your neighbors for dinner! The ENA will provide hot dogs and veggie dogs, buns and condiments. Please bring a dish to share.

Agenda:

  •  Introduction & ENA 2013 Projects (15 minutes)
  • Personal Disaster Preparation Presentation (15 minutes)
  • Smith Building / Family Shelter & Affordable Housing Project (15 minutes)
  • Q&A / Open Times for Questions (15 minutes)

Please send Luke Bowerman, ENA President, any items you have that you would like to discuss.