Nathan Allan

Smith Building Update

Here is an update from the Family Support Center of South Sound, on the Smith Building Shelter.

The Family Shelter & Affordable Housing Project

What is the proposed project?
The Family Support Center of South Sound, a 501c3 nonprofit organization (Tax ID: 91-2003828), is rehabilitating the Smith Building located at 837 7th Avenue SE Olympia, WA 98501 from a vacant office building to 6 emergency shelter and 7 permanent affordable housing units for families with children with onsite supportive services. The improvements will include remodeling the interior of the building, utilizing best practice environmental standards, to make it suitable for residential use.

When will the project be completed?
Interior demolition was completed in June 2013. Construction begins November 2013 and is expected by complete in late Spring 2014. The current Family Support Shelter located at First Christian Church will relocate to the new facility and apartments will be leased after project completion.

How will this project impact the neighborhood?
We anticipate minimal impact on the neighborhood during the remodeling phase. Once the project is complete, we believe the Family Shelter and Affordable Housing Project will be an asset to the neighborhood. The Family Support Center has been a good downtown Olympia neighborhood and community leader for more than 20 years with a positive track record of providing quality family support services and shelter in our community. Will there be homeless people living here? This project will only serve homeless and low income families with children under age 18. This project will not serve single men or women. The majority of children we serve are under age 5 years of age. Parents/guardians are typically working families or families working to get back on their feet. There will be supportive services provided on-site by the Family Support Center 24 hours a day, 7 days week, 365 days a year to support families in becoming strong, healthy, and self-sufficient. Management will be on-site to respond to any issues that may arise.

How will this project benefit the community?
Family homelessness and poverty takes a big toll on kids, families, businesses, schools, and tax payers. It overburdens law enforcement, health care, and education systems. It affects local tourism and economic development of downtown. Research shows investing in kids early reduces crime, incarceration, unemployment, and school drop-out rates. Building new affordable housing downtown will help to revitalize the neighborhood, create new jobs, and attract and leverage more state, federal, and private dollars to our community. The effective use of vacant buildings for community benefit has positive environmental, social, and economic benefits. Research indicates that it costs $40,000/year for a community to support one homeless person including shelter, health care visits, law enforcement responses, and other public services. With six new affordable family housing units that will provide permanent housing for 28 parents and kids, the community will have a return on investment of $1.12 million!

Why is this project needed?
There is a common misconception that homelessness is an issue that only pertains to single men and women, but in our community more than 1/3 of the homeless population are young children, with many attending school just down the road from the Smith Building at Madison Elementary and Avanti High School. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, families with children may be the least visible, but are the fastest growing population of homeless nationwide. Poverty and the lack of affordable housing are the principal causes of family homelessness. And as we know, housing shapes lives and elevates communities.

How is this project funded?
The total project cost is 1.9 million dollars. This project is largely publically funded through grants from local, state, and federal sources including the Washington State Housing Trust Fund, the City of Olympia, Thurston County, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The City of Olympia sold the property and building to the Family Support Center through a competitive grant process for $1, paving the way for this dream to come true and making it possible for the Family Support Center to leverage other funding sources to develop this project in our community. The Family Support Center has also conducted fundraising efforts to generate private donor support for this project. We are very grateful to all of the citizens, businesses, elected officials, faith based organization, funders, volunteers, and donors, who support this project.

Who is working on this project?
The project owner is the Family Support Center of South Sound. The project has been designed by visionary local architect, Glenn Wells A.I.A. The Family Support Center has contracted with Common Ground, now Bellwether Housing, an experienced affordable housing development firm out of Seattle, to provide project management and consulting services. Demolition was performed by Olympia-based, Advance Environmental Inc. The General Contractor, Integrity Structures LLC, is an experienced Pacific Northwest construction firm, selected through a competitive bid process. Subcontracts with local companies will create living wage jobs right here in our own community.

How can I help support this project?
The Family Support Center relies on public support, donations, and volunteers. We need your help and welcome your involvement! Please contact Schelli Slaughter, Executive Director, at 360-754-9297 ext. 211 or email [email protected] or visit our website at www.fscss.org to learn more.

Who can I talk to if I have questions or concerns?
You may contact Schelli Slaughter, Executive Director, at 360-754-9297 ext. 211 or email [email protected] or contact City of Olympia Community Development and Planning staff at 360-753-8314.

THANK YOU! We look forward to being your friendly, supportive, and responsive nonprofit neighbor!

Nathan Allan

March 2014 Board Meeting Agenda

Swantown Inn Bed & Breakfast, 1431 11th Ave SE (corner of Central)
Wednesday, March 19th, 2013, 6:30PM – 7:30PM

Monthly Board meeting of the Eastside Neighborhood Association.

Agenda

  • Introductions
  • Officer elections
  • ENA By-laws review:  discuss a couple of the by-laws re:  general & board meetings, and officers’ roles. Please review the ENA Bylaws before the meeting – Sandia
  • Board leadership/process/roles & responsibilities – Whitney
  • Working relations on the board – Sandia
  • 2014  meeting calendar (cross checking board meeting dates with Madison PTO meeting dates, May quarterly meeting, summer events) – Whitney
  • ENA communications plan – Whitney
  • Wireless subcommittee update – Mitch
  • Community Garden (archival of documentation) – Nathan
  • Sidewalks – Nathan
  • Thurston Food Bank project – Whitney
  • Thurston Together substance abuse conference on April 30th – Whitney
  • ENA Revenue – memberships, Thrift-e card- Whitney
  • Treasurers Report – Sherry
sandia

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 [email protected].

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.

whitney

(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

whitney

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

February 5th 6:30 – 8:00p.m. New Bridge Community Church Meeting Room

This informational meeting will help set the ground work for future neighborhood discussions and is intended as an information night.   There will be time set aside for questions.

Olympia Police Chief Roberts and Lt. Ray Holmes will present about the policing impacts of increased drug use in our community.  Lt. Holmes monitors crime on the east side of Olympia.  Joe Avalos,the Program Manager with Thurston County Public Health Chemical Dependency Program will also present and share information about programs and resources provided by the County.