January 2015 Board Minutes

Attendance

  • Board Members Present:  Nathan Allan,   Brian Brannies,  Sandia Slaby,  , Katy Beattie
  • Board Members Absent: Kara Randall, Whitney Bowerman, Mitch Dennis, Sheena Pietzold, Sherry Cillicut

February Annual Meeting

Time: Wednesday 18th, 6:30pm

Location: New Bridge? Brian will look into location, asking the churches for use of their location

Agenda for Annual Meeting:

  • Food Project will be on the agenda
  • Pest control; guest speaker to educate?
  • Bread and Roses; information on new format?
  • ENA vs. NextDoor
  • Change the Bylaws for the Board
  • Dog Poop Bag Stations
  • City of Olympia Matching Grant Program
  • Elections will take place; Board members, Vice President, Secretary

Become a Board Member!

Your voice is your power to affect change in your community. Please join the board and help us accomplish items that are good for our neighborhood! We accomplish, at least, one big project a year. We appreciate a wide representation of our neighborhood being represented on the board so that the many voices, from many areas of our vast neighborhood are heard. For more info on joining the board check this informational page.

Dog Bag Stations

One more has been installed and there is only one to go. One has been requested up towards Lyons Park, but there is one in the park already.

City of Olympia Matching Grant Program

Brian has located two areas that he will pursue a matching grant for. We will also look into obtaining the matching grant for our Annual Summer Picnic.

CNA Meetings

Nathan can no longer attend on Mondays, so we need another member to attend so that we can maintain a presence. Brian can go. We would like to have another member who is able to back Brian up with this, in case he can’t attend.

Annual Calendar:

  • Nathan to create calendar of meetings and events for the 2015 year
  • Flag football event on Thanksgiving morning – Katy and Andrew will set up the day of @ 6:30-8

November 2014 Board Meeting Minutes

Attendance

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

Dog waste stations

Church will help with dog waste stations; There are still troubles Getting a hold of people; Locations of sites were discussed;

Purchasing bags….biodegradable bags are they worth it? Cost effective? Sandia would like to look into the cost difference and what that means for ENA. Cost of bags (Nathan added to minutes when he found the details relevant);

$138.18 for 4000 Biodegradable bags (funny thing only considered so in 49 states not CA)
Shipping did cost.
What Aly found on Amazing is basically $31.38 for 1000 bags. So about the same.
Nathan searched around a little and did not find an alternative that works.

Future of the board

Join the ENA board! Four members are not continuing, possibly five. Become an active advocate for your neighborhood. Once a month meetings, and accomplishing tasks like the dog poop bag stations, food bank donations, etc.
February is goal for annual meeting.

Newsletter

  • Some neighbors have said they miss it.
  • Idea to send postcards directing people to read more at the website.
  • Print a few newsletters for those who may request it.
  • Brian is willing to print off postcards; ENA may still have credit at a local printshop.
  • Brian is willing to spearhead getting this accomplished.
  • We hope that mailing list is more accurate than in the past. A lot of effort has been put into verifying addresses.

CNA

It seems the focus of the CNA is less about working together and more about listening to presentations.  ENA has been represented in some capacity at almost every meeting this year. Representatives are wondering about the effectiveness of the CNA and the overall purpose of it as it seems to be very much concerned with big picture issues like city planning. Our presence is valued at the CNA meetings is that our voice is then reported back to City Council. CNA can, and has been in the past, be an effective voice.

Treasurers report

  • Sherry was absent from the meeting but reported $750 in checking.
  • Nathan still needs to get on the account as back-up.

Madison Holiday Store

Madison Elementary PTO Representative, Eddy, says they are looking for donations for kids to purchase for presents for their families.

Report from City Council

  • Providing $250,000 for downtown plan
  • Talk of changing code to work on creating neighborhood centers like Westside coop or San Francisco street bakery
  • Putting money into hazard trees which would affect legion way

 

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