Category: Minutes

Attendance

• Board Members Present:  Nathan Allan, Whitney Bowerman, Pat Bayle, Brian Brannies, Sheena Pietzold, and Mitch Dennis
• Board Members Absent: Katy Beattie, Sandia Slaby, Jim Longley, Kara Randall,
• Other Attendees: MaryBeth Cline, Done Cline, Fran Potasnik, Lee Bickle

Thurston Food Bank Project

Don and MaryBeth (from Cain Road Neighborhood – CRANA) presented a video about the Food Bank Project, “The Power of One Green Bag.” They then presented about the project.

• The Food Project was introduced at a time when CRANA lacked community-building activities. It began with a small group. Project began in Ashland, has now expanded to 22 cities around the US. CRANA currently has 22 neighborhood coordinators and 350 of the 800 CRANA households participating in the program. Other Olympia neighborhoods (Carlyon, Bigelow) have started food projects in their neighborhoods.
• The Food Project involves collecting a bag of food from each participant every two months (2nd Saturday of the month), throughout the year. This provides the Food Bank with a regular influx of food, as opposed to receiving large amounts only during certain times of the year (holidays, for example). The project has become very important to the Food Bank, particularly with other declining sources of revenue (for example, this years’ letter carrier drive was down $20,000). It also provides the Food Bank with a greater variety of food to have available for their clients.
• Each neighborhood coordinator has between 5 and 30 (generally on the smaller side) neighbors they pick up food from.
• The next pick-up is the second Saturday in August.
• The Food Bank can provide receipts for people who want to itemize on their taxes.

What do we need to get this started in the ENA?

• With the other neighborhoods, CRANA gave 20 bags and 20 brochures. Additional bags and brochures were purchased by each neighborhood association. Bags are $1.46 each when CRANA has purchased them in bulk.
• We need neighborhood coordinators – each will be responsible for communicating with their group of 5 to 30 neighbors, which they recruit. CRANA gives each NC a handbook (binder) with info on the program.
• People needed for steering committee: graphics person, someone to compile data (names, addresses, email, phone numbers) in Excel – keep one central list of everyone in the neighborhood participating in the project, ENA treasurer to handle donations to the ENA for the project (for bags, etc), one contact point who will disperse info to the neighborhood coordinators and who will have the global picture.
• Whitney and Brian will work on getting the project up and running for the ENA.

ENA By-Laws Review Committee Report

Tabled until July meeting due to absences.

Dog Waste Stations Update

Whitney will be submitting an application to the City for dog waste stations at properties throughout the ENA. Brian looked at putting a station at Lions Park. There is one existing, however it is stocked with plastic grocery bags, which will soon be obsolete.

Annual Garage Sale

The annual garage sale Saturday July 19, 9 am – 4 pm.

• Some people will end earlier than 4 pm.
• Lee will advertise on KGY, MIXX 96 and KAOS.
• It is the same day Panorama City is having their patio sale, and is also the Saturday of Lakefair.
• The ENA will post the signs with information on the garage sale. Signs will be put out twice – now (a month in advance) and again a week before the sale. Signs will be up for a week each time.
• Nathan suggested the ENA purchase laminator sleeves to laminate the 8.5 x 11 signs. Brian motioned, Pat seconded. All aye.

Annual Picnic

Brian will organize the picnic, which will be held on August 16, 11 am – 2 pm, at Lions Park. He is going to solicit donations from stores.

New Business

Nathan attended the meeting regarding CYS’s expansion of the youth shelter. The shelter is going from 6 – 10 beds, but they are getting a permit for 12 beds.

 

Meeting adjourned at 8:00 pm
Minutes submitted by Whitney Bowerman, ENA Board Member

Attendance

• Board Members Present: Sandia Slaby, Nathan Allan, Whitney Bowerman, Pat Bayle, Jim Longley, Kara Randall, Brian Brannies, Sheena Pietzold, and Mitch Dennis, Sherry Chilcutt
• Board Members Absent: Pat Bayle
• Other Attendees: 30-40 community members attended

Comprehensive Plan

City staff and a representative from the Planning Commission will talk about the revised Comprehensive Plan, set to be finalized in summer 2014. Learn about why the Comprehensive Plan is important and how the updates will affect our neighborhood directly and indirectly.

Presentation by Amy Buckler, Assistant Planner at the City of Olympia. Also present: Roger Horn (Olympia Planning Commission) and Michelle Sadlier (City of Olympia).

• Required by Growth Management Act
• Updated every 8 years, 20 year plan
• There have been four phases: visioning and Scoping, community Focus Meetings, Planning Commission, council Review
• Urban Corridor: red on map. Main arterial a in olympia, not very pedestrian friendly the way they have developed. It is in the plans to make these more of a mixed use area. Policy discussion on how wide these corridors should be. Make our community more walkable, less auto dependent. Concept of nodes: three areas where there should be focus of most growth, especially in downtown.
• 1/4 mile from center line, along fourth and state and Harrison is gone. Will stay commercial zone.
• Imagineolympia.com Outlines of all the changes from 1994 (reference ‘change box’ in document to see how it has changed within the document)

Amy’s presentation can be found here. The City also has a video that summarizes some of the big topics in the plan.

Dog waste stations

The City will provide dog waste bag stations and/or signs indicating to people to stop and collect their pet’s waste. The ENA needs to submit an application specifying locations.

• We need neighbors willing to host a location. Would you like to host a location? Ideally on private property. ENA would provide and put up a post, and the City would provide bags.
• Locations with willing stewards: Legion & Fir or Legion & Fairview (Sandia); 10th & Central (Whitney); 11th & Central (Nathan).
• Contact Whitney Bowerman if you are interested

Medela Update

Update on the Medela rezone application

• Theresa presented on the updates
• Wrote letter to washington state department of archaeology and historic preservation
• Response from DAHP states the the area has the potential for archaeological resources

Thurston Food Bank Project

This will be on the agenda for June. We will have a guest speaker at that meeting.

Thurston Food Bank Project is based on a program that originated in Ashland, OR, that was brought to Olympia by a resident in the Cain Road Area Neighborhood. Neighborhoods have captains who collect food from the people in their group. Food is picked up every two months. Provides regular stream of food to Food Bank (vs. large donations during the holidays which then taper off during other times of the year). Jeanne offered to pay for bags (two re-usable bags needed for each program participant). Whitney will contact CRANA about presenting about the program at the June Board meeting. We need someone in the ENA to head this program up.

Disaster Preparedness

Contact Sandia Slaby if you are interested in becoming proactive in disaster preparedness.

Community Garden

• There had not been enough interest
• Notes have been archived,
• We needed individuals to help build and maintain plots.
• New Bridge Community Church had been wiling to host.
• If you do have interest, please let ENA board member know.

Membership

• Please sign up online, or by mail
• Membership is on a sliding scale

 

Notes submitted by Katy Beattie, ENA Secretary

Attendance

• Board Members Present:  Sandia Slaby, Nathan Allan, Whitney Bowerman, Pat Bayle, Jim Longley, Kara Randall, Brian Brannies, Sheena Pietzold, and Mitch Dennis
• Board Members Absent: Katy Beattie
• Other Attendees: Jeanne Koenings (ENA Resident), Roger Horn (ENA Resident), Teresa Goen-Burgman

ENA By-Laws and Rules of Order

Nathan distributed a “cheat sheet” of Robert’s Rules of order, which the By-laws specify the Board must follow for meetings. Nathan suggested the Board consider updating the By-laws, considering (at least) these areas:

• A member is anyone who resides or owns property or a business within the neighborhood – should this be residents only or residents and business-owners only? To establish membership a person needs to provide ENA with their contact information – this should be updated to take advantage of available technology.
• Annual meeting is to be in February – should this date to be more fluid?
• At an annual meeting a quorum is 25 members – is this too large?
• Number of members on the Board is 10 – 20 – should this be reduced?
• Quorum is 30% of the Board – should this require a larger percentage?

Updating the By-laws would require voting at a General Meeting, a vote of 25 members (quorum). A committee was formed to review the By-laws (Sandia, Brian, Whitney, Sherry, Nathan, Jim). The plan is for the committee to propose amendments that the Board can then discuss, and later would be voted on at a General Meeting.

Dog Waste Stations

The City will provide dog waste bag stations and/or signs indicating to people to stop and collect their pet’s waste. The ENA needs to submit an application specifying locations.

• What about Lions Park? This would fall under City Parks, not City Water Resources (which is providing the stations to homeowners). Brian will contact Parks re: getting a waste station at Lions Park and a second at Madison Scenic Park at the top of the hill.
• Other locations with willing stewards: Legion & Fir or Legion & Fairview (Sandia); 10th & Central (Whitney); 11th & Central (Nathan).
• Place stations in blocks that are more walkable.
• City will potentially do a mailing to ENA residents telling them where stations are .
• Whitney will post on NextDoor asking for volunteers to steward waste stations on their property.
• What about asking the neighborhood churches if they would be willing to host a station? Sheena will contact churches directly.

Amazon Smile

• Amazon will donate 1% of purchases made to a designated non-profit.
• Sandia motioned to register the ENA for Amazon Smile. Sherry seconded. All those in favor? All aye.
• Nathan will register the ENA.

May Quarterly Meeting

The meeting will be on May 14, 2014, at 6:00 pm at New Bridge Community Church. New Bridge has approved ENA to use their Adult Education Room. There will be no charge. 6:00 pm meeting, with set-up beginning at 5:00 pm. Meeting will last approximately 1.5 hours. Attendees are asked to bring a dessert item to share. Brian will contact New Bridge to see if they will have their coffee bar open. Brian motioned to donate $50 to New Bridge if the coffee store is open. Sherry seconded. Sandia abstained from voting, the rest aye.

• Comprehensive Plan – issues of key interest/concern to the ENA (including urban corridors, neighborhood centers, upzoning potential).
• Dog waste stations – update and whether or not we are still looking for volunteers.
• Medela proposal.
• Thurston Food Bank Project

ENA Signage & Advertising for Meetings

• Discussion of allocating funds to print signs for advertising meetings and events. Brian motioned to approve funds to print 15 signs (~$200). Sandia seconded. All aye. Each Board member will steward one sign. Nathan will obtain and disperse the signs to Board members in the next couple of weeks.

Sidewalks

Neighbors are responsible for repairing the sidewalks in front of their property, but the City owns them. The City has extremely limited funds to repair sidewalks. The Board would like to continue discussions about sidewalks.

Thurston Food Bank Project

Thurston Food Bank Project is based on a program that originated in Ashland, OR, that was brought to Olympia by a resident in the Cain Road Area Neighborhood. Neighborhoods have captains who collect food from the people in their group. Food is picked up every two months. Provides regular stream of food to Food Bank (vs. large donations during the holidays which then taper off during other times of the year).  Jeanne offered to pay for bags (two re-usable bags needed for each program participant). Whitney will contact CRANA about presenting about the program at the June Board meeting. We need someone in the ENA to head this program up.

ENA Database

We’d like to create a database of addresses for the neighborhood. This would allow the ENA to mail newsletters. Brian will work on improving the list of addresses we currently have. Further discussion needs to be had over how to structure obtaining and using this information.

Wireless Subcommittee

Kara informed that AT&T plans to put another cell tower on the water tower.

Treasurer’s Report

Sherry would like to be able to send out postcards to remind people when their dues should be paid again. Luke Bowerman would like to be removed from the checking account, someone else needs to be put back on (in addition to Sherry). Nathan will be put on the checking account.   Meeting adjourned at 7:35 pm Minutes submitted by Whitney Bowerman, ENA Board Member