ENA Board Meeting
7:00 PM January 14, 2025

Swantown Inn, 1431 11th Ave SE, Olympia

Members Present

Jim Rioux (Treasurer), Jim Sweeney (Secretary), Karen Clemens (CNA Representative), Nathan Allan, Abigail Twombly, Cheryl Bayle, Therese Vogel

1) Approval of the Minutes

The December 11, 2024 meeting minutes were approved as submitted.

2) Treasurer Report

Checking $1,969.87

Savings $2,943.25

Total $4,913.12

Jim Rioux reported he received and deposited a Neighborhood Grant check for $1,840.40. He also deposited $90 in cash and checks received at our Annual Meeting. We still owe Laurel $1,200 and Sherry $369.32.
He received a bill for the Post Office box that is due at the end of the month; 12 months for $256. The Board agreed to renew for 6 months and Jim said he would look into less expensive alternatives.

3) January 7th Annual Meeting

Everyone agreed the annual meeting was a success. The table arrangement allowed people to socialize and connect with their neighbors. Jim Rioux did a nice job with the introductions. The guest speakers were interesting and engaging. Many thanks to Nathan and Casey for hosting and providing the excellent food.

4) Election of Officers

All current officers have agreed to continue. Karen agreed to fill the vacant Vice President position and continue as the CNA representative.

5) CNA Report
Karen reported there was no council member present.

Tim Smith reported the City currently has about 60 projects in permit review, including West Bay Yards, SPSCC dormitories, Briggs Village and Henderson apartments. Abigail described a new bank building proposed near 4th and Water, on the site formerly occupied by Procession of the Species.

Fire Chief Matt Morris talked about CERT – Community Emergency Response Team training (see link below). He also described OFD’s Community Assistance Referral and Education Services program.

Larry Dzieza continues to try and open an on-going dialog with the Planning Commission. This could include neighborhood association members commenting during meetings and being added to the Commission’s annual work plan.

6) RNA Grant Closeout

7) 2025 Work Plan & Events Calendar

Nathan projected the ENA website on the screen and the Board discussed what information should be prominent on the home page and in menus. It was agreed we need to update the 2025 events calendar regularly.

8) Other

The Board agreed to schedule time to work on the things that routinely fall through the cracks because we don’t have time for them during monthly meetings. Some examples are newsletters, email lists, the events calendar and website. It was decided to meet Sunday morning January 26 from 10:00 to 12 at Swantown.

Jim S. described a recent Strong Towns article about civic engagement; “How a Walk About Nothing Can Change Everything About Public Engagement” Here’s a link: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025/1/10/how-a-walk-about-nothing-can- change-everything-about-public- engagement?apcid=0060f5c4aeb5b5bba4851200&utm_campaign=25-1-14- digest&utm_content=25-1-14-digest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ortto

Following are links to websites describing the CERT training Chief Morris talked about, and other emergency preparedness sites.

“What is CERT Training?”

https://community.fema.gov/PreparednessCommunity/s/cert- trainings?language=en_US

“Community Emergency Response Team”

https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/individuals-communities/preparedness- activities-webinars/community-emergency-response-team

“Disaster Preparedness Training for Communities and Organizations

The next Board meeting will be February 11th.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM.

Hi neighbors, my name is Jonnita Thompson and I’m a new Lead Neighborhood Coordinator for the Thurston County Food Project. There was a lot of energy at our recent ENA Annual Meeting when we heard from Chris Hyde, Souper Sunday and The Food Source Network founder and Berenice from the Thurston County Food Bank. The theme of addressing food insecurity of our neighbors and friends.

I’d like to invite you to support the Thurston County Food Project. It’s a really easy way to donate to the food bank. I drop off a green bag, you fill it and put it on your porch the second Saturday of even months and I stop by and pick it up. It really couldn’t be easier to make a small but meaningful gesture to support our community. You can sign up to be a donor here;

https://thurstoncountyfoodproject.org/79-2/

The next pickup is scheduled for Saturday, February 8 and I’d love to add you to the route!

December 11, 2024 7PM

1626 7^th Avenue SE

Members Present

Sherry Chilcutt (President, on the phone), Jim Rioux (Treasurer), Jim Sweeney (Secretary), Karen Clemens (CNA Representative), Abigail Twombly, Cheryl Bayle

1) Approval of the minutes

The November 13^th meeting minutes were approved unanimously as submitted.

2) Treasurer Report

Checking   $129.87

Savings   $2,942.88

Total      $3,072.75

Jim R. reported the ENA’s funds will increase when the City reimburses our RNA grant expenditures. We need to continue letting people know how their dues helps leverage grant projects.

3) Tree planting report

Jim R. reiterated that the ENA tree funds have been rolled into our savings account. Sherry mentioned a $300 donation which was earmarked for the tree fund. Tim Smythe used this money to buy a tree to plant at the Armory, but the City is not yet ready, so the tree went to Lions Park. Another tree will be purchased to replace a tree that died. This will exhaust the dedicated tree funds.

A motion was made to give $200 to Tim Smythe to use to replace a dead tree. The motion was seconded and approved unanimously by voice vote.

Jim R. would like to see some recognition for the ENA at Lions Park.

4) January 7^th Annual Meeting

After discussion, the Board agreed to the following:

Location – Swantown Inn

Time – 6:00 to 8:00 PM

Schedule – 6:00 to 7:00 social time; 7:00 to 8:00 program

Menu – Soup and bread

Speakers – 1. Chris Hyde, Souper Sunday 2. Bernice Hartt Plazas, Thurston County Food Bank 3. Possibly another such as Luke Burns, Olympia Community Gardens Program Specialist, or someone from the Thurston County Conservation District’s Healthy Gardens program

Leader – Jim R. will draft and circulate an agenda

Abigail – signs and social media announcements

Karen – will talk to Nathan about food service and logistics

A motion was made to reimburse up to $250 for food and other expenses related to the annual meeting. The motion was seconded and approved unanimously by voice vote.

5) Snowstar event

Nathan reported by email there was some interest in making holiday snowflakes by about ten neighbors. We will need to start earlier next year.

6) CNA Report

Karen reported the CNA discussed the following topics at its December 9^th meeting:

• The RNA grant program
• The Habitat for Humanity project, permits, fees, and possible grant funding
• Potential utility fee increases
• Sidewalk survey data

The Climate Action & Resilience Team did a presentation on its work which led to a discussion on the need for community and neighborhood emergency management planning. It was agreed the ENA needs to add this subject to its 2025 work plan.

7) Madison School fundraiser

Nathan provided the following update via email:

The Madison charity auction was a big success. Well attended (but could always have more) and well supported by downtown businesses for item donations. It raised $8900. It saved the PTO’s ability to put on other events this school year. 

8) Board Recruitment

Board member nominations will be on the agenda for the annual meeting. We can either vote on officers at the January Board meeting or via email.

We need to fill the vacant vice-president position, so everyone was asked to reach out to potential Board members before the meeting.

9) RNA Grant

The schedule for the 2025 grant program is on the City’s website. The application deadline is 5:00 PM on February 28, 2025. The Board suggested the following ideas for a grant application:

• Support & expand the Fall Festival
• Food for Block parties
• Materials for snowflakes
• Eastside neighborhood walking map
• Newsletter printing & postage
• Traffic calming at 10^th & Fir, possibly a painted mandella

It was agreed we need to talk to Brittany Gillia, the new grants program manager, about grant ideas. Jim R. agreed to help Sherry with the final report to close out the 2024 grants. Jim S. and Abigail can provide pictures if needed.

10) Other

Jim S. provided an update on the CNA Sounding Board’s review of the Land Use and Urban Design chapter of the comprehensive plan update, and urged everyone to take a look at the information on the City website.

The City’s holiday light parade will be in the Eastside neighborhood on Thursday December 19^th starting at 6:00 PM. Jim R. mentioned the parade is using GPS that can be tracked online.

The next Board meeting will be Tuesday January 14^th. The agenda will include election of officers and the 2025 work plan calendar.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM.

November 13, 2024 7PM

1626 7^th Avenue SE

Members Present

Sherry Chilcutt (President, on Zoom), Jim Rioux (Treasurer), Jim Sweeney (Secretary), Karen Clemens (CNA Representative), Abigail Twombly, Cheryl Bayle

1) Approval of the minutes

The October 9^th meeting minutes were approved unanimously.

2) Treasurer Report

Checking   $105.20

Savings   $2,924.52

Total      $3,029.72

Jim R. reported he moved $300.00 from savings to checking to cover paying for the memorial tree. The check was made out to the City of Olympia. Jim filed our annual report with the Secretary of State. There was one $20 deposit which was assumed to be someone paying dues. Sherry gave him a check for $80 that was donated during the rod & reals event.

It was suggested we work on getting people to pay their membership dues. Very few deposits have shown up suggesting no one is paying dues. The pay program we’re using charges about $2 for each deposit and may be a barrier. Karen suggested increasing the dues to make up for this.

Sherry will be sending paperwork to Lydia in January or February to close out our RNA grants, at which time we will replace funds used from our accounts.

3) Meeting time

The Board discussed changing our regular meeting time for 2025. It was agreed we will change the Board’s meeting dates to the second Tuesday of the month, starting on January 14.

4) Harvest festival October 12th

Everyone agreed the event was a big success mainly due to teamwork by everyone helping out. The children enjoyed all the activities, including helping with apple pressing, and the band added a nice touch.

Jim S. said he updated the write-up he started with the first fall festival in 2018 to capture ideas in case this turns into an annual event. If we do the event again we will want to reserve the shelter for the entire day.

Abigail submitted receipts for items she purchased including paper table cloths and bungee cords. Cheryl will submit receipts for food stuffs she purchased. Jim S. suggested buying a couple of replacement apple pressing mesh bags ($12.95 ea.). The cost will be covered by funding the Board previously approved.

Cheryl suggested combining the Fall Festival with the annual picnic. This would avoid having the annual picnic and block parties too close together. The consensus was that this is a good idea for next year. We may want to wait until after the Parks Department closes the sprayground for the season.

5) Snowstar event

Several Board members said they plan to attend the event Saturday from 10 to 11:00AM at the Swantown Inn.

6) CNA Report

At their October meeting, the CNA discussed:

• Housing affordability, grants to help pay impact fees, etc.;
• Using the 1% utility tax to reduce fees for low income housing;
• Using leftover neighborhood grant funds for sidewalks;
• If you see someone having a mental health episode you can make a request for services, call the non-emergency number (360 753-8101) or call 911;
• and neighborhood police patrols.

Councilperson Vanderpool updated the CNA on increasing the minimum wage, and Tim Smith reported on new development proposals.

7) Annual Meeting

Sherry suggested a fundraiser for Souper Sundays. People could donate soup ingredients, gift cards or money. Nathan previously said he would contact Chris Hyde once we have a date for the meeting. The Board suggested either Tuesday January 7th, or Thursday January 9^th, starting with a social event at 6:00.

Note: Nathan said he prefers January 7th.

Cheryl will call someone from the community garden.

Karen will contact someone from the food bank.

8) Board Recruitment

The annual meeting agenda will include asking for Board member nominations. Later, we can vote on Board officer positions via email.

Please reach out to any potential Board members before the meeting.

9) Next year’s calendar

Last year Cheryl and Abigail drafted the 2024 events calendar which Nathan posted on the ENA website. All agreed this was helpful and that we should do something similar for 2025.

The Board agreed to continue working with partners such as New Bridge, FUMCO, and Madison School. Cheryl mentioned the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum’s annual holiday historic homes tour is coming up December 8^th from noon to 4:00.

10) Other

Jim S. suggested we make sure we’re tracking ENA events and accomplishments, such as the murals and apple press, from year to year, particularly when these involve RNA grant funding.

The next Board meeting will be Wednesday December 11^th.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM.

Last week the Eastside Neighborhood Association conducted its Annual Meeting to a great turnout  thanks to Nathan and Casey Allan of the Swantown Inn, who supplied not only the location, but a soup supper! The program that followed included two guest speakers: Chris Hyde, the Souper Sunday guy, and Berenice Hartt Plazas from the Thurston County Food Bank.  Both spoke on the topic of food insecurity.

Chris Hyde has been a great asset to the people of Olympia and has followers from all over the United States, some of which have begun their own free food give aways. He has just successfully become a nonprofit organization, Food Source Foundation, and is hoping to expand to provide more types of free food to more people.

Berenice Hartt Plazas spoke about the Thurston County Food Bank program in existence for over 50 years. It has 20 locations and 18 mobile programs. Besides Thurston County, their programs serve some surrounding counties.  She noted that in the last six years there has been a real increase in need for those who work but do not have enough money for food after paying all their bills. The number of seniors needing food has increased by 50%.

Programs provided by the Food Bank include:  Backpack food for Kids, Holiday meals, hygiene supplies, Birthday bags and Newborn bags. Funding comes from City, State, Federal and donor programs. They have 32 employees and all the rest are volunteers.

For more information on these programs go to:

foodsourcefoundation.com or tcfb.org

To learn more and or become involved with the Eastside Neighborhood Association contact:

pr*******@ea**************.org

October 9, 2024 7PM

Swantown Inn 1431 11th Ave SE, Olympia

Members Present

Jim Sweeney (Secretary), Karen Clemens (CNA Representative), Nathan Allan, Abigail Twombly

1) Approval of the minutes

Following the September 11^th Board meeting it was pointed out the Board had not approved any fund expenditures to support the upcoming Fall Festival event. Therefore, six Board members agreed via email to expend up to $100 on incidentals for the event.

The September 11th meeting minutes were approved with the above addition.

Following the October 9^th Board meeting, Tim Smythe requested $300 the Board had previously approved to fund a memorial tree to be planted at the Armory. Sherry emailed the Board making a motion to fund the $300 tree project at the Armory. The motion was seconded and approved unanimously.

2) Treasurer Report

Checking   $306.16

Savings   $3,242.12

Total      $3,548.28

3) How are funds requested for events, setting budgets, and getting approval?

The Board needs to set maximum limits on funding for events by category, and include this in grant requests. The ENA’s annual calendars will help us keep track of spending. Nathan explained the calendar on the ENA website is a “page” and not a “post” so it’s not included in the weekly emails. He will be looking into creating curated quarterly e-newsletters which would allow us to control what’s included.

4) Harvest Festival Oct. 12th 1-4 PM

The Board discussed last minute preparations and the volunteers who are expected to help.

Abigail said the acoustic band will perform from 2:00 to 3:00.

Jim talked to Tim Smythe and the Parks maintenance people. He will also contact someone from the food bank.

5) Freedom Farmers event

Nathan reported on this organization which provides food for Olympia schools. They were very appreciative for being able to use the ENA cider press.

6) CNA Report

The next CNA meeting will be on Monday October 14^th. The agenda includes a discussion of Olympia’s homelessness progress and challenges, with Housing Response Coordinator Kim Kondrat.

7) January Annual Meeting

The Board continued to discuss topics for the annual meeting. There was general agreement we should focus on food security as the primary topic. Potential guest speakers include Chris Hyde, someone from the Food Bank, and someone representing the Olympia Community Garden on 13^th Avenue. One idea is to work with Souper Sunday to provide hot soup for the meeting. We will make final decisions at the November meeting. The meeting will be at the Swantown Inn, starting with a social event at 6:00 PM.

8) Tim Smythe conversation about armory tree planting

Sherry will be discussing tree planting at the Armory and other topics with Tim. Jim mentioned that Tim plans to be at the Fall Festival on Saturday.

9) Mark Foutch forwarded an article about the South Capitol neighborhood using its RNA grant to have a huge barbeque, paying for the mailing, 350 burgers, etc.  

We might want to do one big event with financial support.

10) Other

Nathan met with Lisa at New Bridge about making giant snowflakes. He agreed to work with the artist and others to make similar holiday decorations to be displayed around the neighborhood, starting with Central Street. Details concerning funds for materials and a possible grant request will be determined later.

Abigail said she would like to do another Meetup event at BeerWorks.

The meeting adjourned at 8:15 PM.

Join other locals for an afternoon of food, drink, community and live entertainment! 

$40.00 General Admission Soiree Ticket includes, admission to the event, food and live entertrainment.

$75.00 Madison Lover Soiree Ticket includes entry into the event, food, two drink tickets, one GOLDEN raffle ticket and live entertainment.

Go to the Event Page

Bid on items from all of these wonderful Olympia businesses;

• Swantown Inn
• Radiance
• Great Wolf Lodge
• Bucks Spices
• Rainy Day Records
• Queen Bs Cupcakes
• Alderbrook Resort and Spa
• Jujus
• WA Performance Center
• Captain Little
• Legends Arcade
• Ilk Brewing
• 3 Magnets Brewing
• Bayview Cooking School
• Hands on Children’s Museum
• Capital City Marathon
• Left Bank
• Flipped Pot
• Cascadia Grill

September 11, 2024, 7:00 PM

1613 Union Avenue SE

Members Present

Sherry Chilcutt (President), Jim Sweeney (Secretary), Karen Clemens (CNA Representative), Nathan Allan, Abigail Twombly, Cheryl Bale

1) Approval of the minutes

The August 7^th meeting minutes were approved.

2) Mural Celebration Report

The celebration was described as “fantastic.” About 30 people attended including the artist and many children. The homeowners were pleased and the Olympia Beekeepers presence was appreciated.

3) Harvest Festival Oct. 12th 1-4 PM

Tim Smyth has offered to bring apples.

It was suggested we ask each person to bring about a 5-gallon bucket of apples.

If too many people show up at the same time we may need to assign them a time so they don’t have to wait.

Jim will contact Parks staff about a water source for cleaning apples and cleanup.

Karen has a list of people who have indicated they are willing to help.

Jim and Karen will work with Abigail to promote the event.

Following the September 11^th Board meeting it was pointed out the Board had not approved expending funds to support the upcoming Fall Festival event. Therefore, six Board members agreed via email to expend up to $100 on incidentals for the event.

4) Armory Naming  

Jim described voting for a new name for the Olympia Armory on the City’s Engage Olympia page. Voting is open until September 27.  

5) CNA Report

The CNA met on September 9. Discussion topics included:

Missing Middle – now referred to “Middle Housing” after the 2023-24 Legislative session.  

Budget – the 2025 preliminary budget process has been underway for roughly five months and is nearing the beginning of the Council stage of the process.

Sidewalks survey – the contract is about 25% completed. The CNA’s app is still important as local information may identify higher priority projects.

Olympia Airport – there has been considerable discussion on noise, pollution and other impacts of increasing air traffic.

Community connections – the importance of community connections in countering loneliness is being recognized, particularly since the pandemic.

6) Annual Meeting

Food security was mentioned as a possible topic with Chris Hyde, the Souper Sunday guy, as a potential speaker. We discussed inviting comedian Sam Miller and decided to look into the possibility of paying him to perform next year. Other ideas were to invite someone from the City such as Mayor Payne, Councilmember Clark, or Kim Kondrat to talk about housing. The item was continued until the October meeting at which time we will decide on who we want to invite. The time for the annual meeting is tentatively set for 6:30 PM Wednesday November 6 at the Swantown Inn, with time to socialize at 6:00.

7) Plum Street Village Report  

Nathan and Sherry toured new buildings at Plum Street Village and met the new managers.

8) Utility Commission report

Sherry described on-going discussions by the Utility Commission about the City’s utility tax.

9) Other

Nathan mentioned a Madison school PTO auction on Dec. 7. The Board agreed to partner with the PTO to promote the event. He also proposed having the Inn sponsor ENA events.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM.