2014 ENA Annual Meeting Minutes

Facilitated by ENA Board Member Nathan Allan
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Meeting started at 7:00 pm at the First United Methodist Church

Attendance

  • Board Members:  Sandia Slaby, Nathan Allan, Andrew & Katy Beattie, Whitney Bowerman, Pat Bayle, Sherry Chilcutt Beattie, Whitney Bowerman
  • Others Present: Over twenty other residents & visitors

The Role of Neighborhood Associations

Mayor Stephen Buxbaum & Councilwoman Julie Hankins were invited to speak on the value and importance of active neighborhood associations (NAs) to the neighborhoods they represent, and as a part of the greater Olympia community.

They both emphasized the NAs as a subunit of a larger system, and the residents within them as the “best observers” of things that occur, how things work, and what is needed to best serve the residents. Councilwoman Hankins encouraged the ENA to regularly send a representative to the Coalition Of Neighborhood Associations meetings to find other neighborhoods facing similar issues. Everyone is welcome to attend the Coalition of Neighborhood Association Meetings,  held on the second  Monday of each month at City Hall.

“The best things happen through well-organized neighborhood associations” Mayor Buxbaum stated, “both good thing (building community infrastructure like parks, thoroughfares & gardens), and responding to negative situations.”

City Programs for Neighborhoods

The Mayor introduced three city programs (all are detailed on the City’s website):

  • Matching Grant Program
  • Neighborhood Pathways Program
  • Code Enforcement Program .

The ENA has applied for some of these programs in the past. Some discussion was had this evening regarding the potential development of a walkway on the Madison School property in an area where people already travel. A Neighborhood Pathways Program application could be submitted for this project.

Other Topics Covered

A variety of other topics were touched on throughout the conversation:

  • Monies for sidewalks – There was a bond initiative pasted in ~ 2004 creating money for sidewalks.  The Mayor stated,  “There are so many areas of Olympia that need sidewalks that don’t have them, it would take 50 years to install all of those, as it is now. There is no where near the resources allotted to do so or for the current maintenance alone.”   He then added that this is an example of a topic where the City would welcome input from NAs regarding where  these City funds will be best spent.
  • Olympia’s Comprehensive Plan: the City is in the final stages of updating the Comprehensive Plan. Questions asked regarding the Comprehensive Plan included: Have statistics been gathered re:  peak #s of bicyclists & pedestrians? How to encourage biking? How can the Mayor be stating the City is focusing strategically on  efforts to diminish traffic congestion/bottlenecks, yet he/they voted to advise annexation of the Chamber St. ‘county island’ without any plans to address the increased traffic to through the Boulevard/Pacific intersection that recently proposed development in that area would create? Are there any plans to at least enforce/slow down traffic on Boulevard Rd.? Is there an plans to install the count-down system on the traffic lights on State Ave going down into Olympia?

Get Involved!

The ENA can always use volunteer help. Anyone interested in becoming involved can contact the ENA at pr*******@**************ia.org.

Preservation of the Legion Way Oak Trees

Katy Beattie announced that she’d written and will present a letter to the City Council thanking them, and reminding them that they have made a commitment (and have allotted  funds to maintain, and re-plant, as necessary) the oak tree border along Legion Way.  The trees were topped in the 1960s, thus they are unhealthy, and individual trees are now being taken out and replaced when the City tree specialist deems it is a hazard.

Community Garden Project Update

Sandia Slaby reported that there has not been an adequate response of interest and commitment from ENA residents to warrant moving forward, at this point in time, with a community garden on the New Bridge Community Church property.  Both the church and the ENA want to make sure there is plenty of energy, interest, and commitment before embarking on such an industrious endeavor in order to ensure it is successful.  As of late, there have only been 8 people/households that have expressed  interest in gardening there or providing significant help to build and maintain garden plots there. If anyone in the ENA becomes interested in helping to make this project happen at any time in the future, that person can contact the ENA Board to obtain the info necessary to pick the project back up. The church continues to be very interested in a collaborative effort to build a community garden.

Madison Elementary School Update

Dominico Spatola-Knoll, the new principal of the Madison Elementary (who is also an ENA resident)  reported on the status of the school after the  construction job that occurred there this last fall into this winter. All the students, pre-school through 5th graders, are back in the Madison Elementary after spending months at two other locations (one being  New Bridge Community Church, which is the old Madison Elementary), while the unplanned structural renovation took place. Over 70% of the building’s outer walls had to be replaced due to finding severe deterioration inside the walls in the early fall. Some changes have occurred in the building (including energy-efficiency upgrades), and “the people (teacher/staff/students) are back, and it feels like we never left. Everyone is very happy with the results and with being back,” Dominico said.

An Open House at the school is scheduled for Tuesday, March 11th, the exact time TBA.

Election of ENA Board Members

The ENA by-laws state that the ENA must have between 10-20 board members at all times.  This year we had several members with terms expiring.  We thank each of you for your help and service to our community. In calling for new members tonight, four residents stepped up to join the Board, and they were unanimously approved (they will each now serve two-year terms).  The new Board members are: Jim Longley, Kara Randall, Brian Brannies, & Sheena Pietzold.

Announcements

  • Dianna Fairbanks, of the Olympia Arts Commission, and a ENA resident, said they are looking for neighborhood artists that are interested in being part of an area art/artist tour, for folks to visit you at your home/studio to see you and your work in that location. They are also looking for artists to help organize this possible tour.  Contact Dianna at  olympiawa.gov/community/parks/arts-commission.
  • Julie Puhich,  of Common Ground Farm/CSA  (from just west of Olympia’s westside) announced that they are expanding their membership & vegetables production for more households this year, including having a vegetable/share drop-off site on the Eastside this year.  If you are interested in knowing more about what they grow, what is a CSA?, or other details, call 866-9527,  or go visit the farm during their Open House (s) on either Saturday, March 15th  or  Sunday, April 13th – noon-4:pm.

Treasurer’s report

We neglected to read the treasure’s reported at the meeting. Below is ENA’s current financial  status:

  • Checking account $275.56
  • Savings account $328.52
  • Neighborhood signs $1295.99
  • Legion way trees $151.05
  • Community beautification $504.68
  • CD long term savings $1038.35

 

The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 pm.

(Minutes) Information Night: How a national trend of increased IV drug use is affecting our community

Over 25 people gathered in a meeting room at New Bridge Community Church to take part in a conversation about the national trend of increased IV drug use.  Local service providers helped frame the discussion and shared their experiences.  

Chief Ronnie Roberts from the Olympia Police Department talked about the policing aspect and reminded us that Olympia is one of the few jurisdictions in the area with a true “downtown” so in many ways it serves as the downtown for most of the County.  Joe Avalos from Thurston County Public Health and John Lanning from Providence St. Peter Hospital both talked about the realities of addiction and the current challenge that there is more demand than availability for services, including the County-run needle exchange program and many of the rehab/detox options.  Jeff Doyle, a volunteer with EGYHOP (Emma Goldman Youth and Homeless Outreach Program), shared the realities of needle exchange and that the demographics of those using this service include housed populations.  He also shared how there is a strong sense of pride in Olympia’s street culture, with many individuals initiating their own cleanups of  downtown areas.

Those gathered talked about moving forward from this conversation toward action. Ideas included: speaking up at City Council meetings, organizing with Thurston County Health to do “sweeps” of our neighborhood parks, encouraging the jurisdictions and professionals to collaborate, lobbying for more open hours for the Thurston County needles exchange, installing a permanent needle drop in the urban core somewhere outside, and looking at how other cities and counties are dealing with the problem.

Some individuals who attended the meeting plan to organize a spring sweep of one of our neighborhood parks.

Documents distributed at meeting:

Eastside Neighborhood Presentation 2-5-14 Final
amfAR Fact Sheet on Syringe Exchanges
EGYHOP 2014 fact sheet

Minutes submitted by Eastside resident Joellen Wilhelm

January 2014 Board Meeting Minutes

Facilitated by ENA Board Member Whitney Bowerman
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Meeting started at 6:30 at Pat & Cheryl Bayle’s home

Attendance

  • Board Members:  Sherry Chilcutt, Mitch Dennis, Brad Archbold, Nathan Allan, Sandia Slaby, Pat Bayle, Katy & Andrew Beattie, Whitney Bowerman
  • Others Present: Teresa Goen-Burgman & Mike Carny

Community Concerns

Teresa Goen-Burgman and Mike Carny attended the board meeting to express a number of concerns they had.

Teresa Goen-Burgman, who manages property adjacent to the Eastside, stated that at a recent Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (CNA) meeting decisions were being made that will affect our neighborhood in ways that we might want to better understand.

Mike Carny, who does not currently live in the Eastside neighborhood but has in the past, added that he opposed the planned annexation of the Medela property into the City of Olympia. City Council recently voted (5-2) to recommend this annexation to the County Commissioners, who have that final say. He encouraged us to advocate for our neighborhood with the City & County. Another example of changes he sees coming to the Eastside is the City’s plan for a cell tower on the 7th Ave water tower.

In discussion of the above presentations, the Board agreed that it would be in the ENA’s interest to be represented regularly at the monthly CNA meetings.

Legion Way Trees

Katy Beattie read a letter she wrote to the Olympia City Council thanking them for their recognition in 2010 of the value of the Legion Way oak trees, and their having set a policy & funded a program to protect, maintain & re-plant (as needed) these heritage trees. Her letter asked that the re-planted specimens be somewhat larger than they have been. Katy and Nathan Allan will collaborate on a presentation of the letter at a City Council meeting in the near future.

Community Garden Update

Sandia reported that the New Bridge Community Church’s management team has voted in support of hosting a community garden site on their property, and to work collaboratively with ENA residents on the project if there is enough interest from ENA residents to gardening there. They have designated $5,000 toward the start-up of the project (for such things as fencing, framing for garden beds, tools & a storage location for them, etc.)  A church member has volunteered to be New Bridge’s liaison for this project. Anyone interested in participating should contact Sandia (sa****@***********nd.org).

Board Members & Officer Elections

Election of board members and officers occur at the February 19 Annual Meeting and the March Board Meeting, respectively. We clarified which current Board members want to stay on the Board & which officers we need replacements for. Three new board members are needed, for a total of at least 10 and no more than 20 board members, per the ENA by-laws. The President and Vice President officer positions will also be vacant, and will need to be elected at the March board meeting. Board member terms are 2 years, officer terms are 1 year.

February 19 Annual Meeting Agenda

  • The importance and role of neighborhood associations in City planning (Stephen Buxbaum, Julie Hankins and a representative from the CNA will be present)
  • Legion Way trees
  • Update on New Bridge Community Garden project
  • Update on Madison Elementary construction
  • Board elections

Neighborhood Education Forum

An ENA resident is organizing a forum to discuss the issue of heroin use and drug needles being found in the Eastside. More information will be provided in the coming week.

ENA Member Dues Changes

The ENA will implement online payment for dues in the near future. Nathan suggested Gravity Forms. Whitney will check with Luke regarding finding a less costly or free option. If none is available, the Board approves spending $199 to obtain Gravity Forms.

The Board also approved changing ENA annual dues to come due on January 1 of each year, and to change the amount from $10 annually to a self-determined sliding scale of $10 – $30 (each household can determine what they feel they can afford to contribute). The purpose of a due date is to alleviate the confusion many dues paying residents have of when their payments are due.

Treasurer’s Report

  • Checking $180.50
  • Savings $528.48
  • Neighborhood signs $1295.90
  • Legion Way Trees $151.03
  • Community Beautification $504.63
  • CD unspecified use $1028.13

Newsletter Distribution

Sandia presented the historical newsletter distribution list to this current Board.  This is the list of volunteers, and the routes that they have been distributing. Ruth Middlebrook had established and coordinated the distribution effort for years, through January 2013 (THANK YOU, Ruth!). Sandia recently contacted the listed distributors, updated their interest and availability, and confirmed their routes.  Approximately 2/3 of the households in the ENA are currently covered for newsletter distribution  – there still remain 6 routes for which we need volunteers to distribute newsletters.

Anyone interested in helping with newsletter distribution should contact Sandia at sa****@***********nd.org or 866-4561.

Meeting Dates for 2014

Meeting dates for 2014 were set and are available on the Calendar.

  • Board meetings (3rd Wednesday, 6:30 pm): January 15, March 19, April 16, May 21, June 18, September 17, October 15, November 19, December 17
  • Quarterly General Membership meetings: February 19, May 14, October 8
  • General Neighborhood Summer Picnic:  Saturday, August 17th  (11 am – 2 pm)

 

The meeting adjourned at 8:00 pm.
Minutes submitted by Sandia Slaby, Secretary