Council of Neighborhood Associations

December 2023

DRAFT December 11, 2023 CNA Minutes
Location: Zoom

Attending:  

Bob Jacobs, Gov. Stevens NA; Tim Smith, Olympia; Melissa Allen (Bigelow Highlands), Dana McAvoy (East Bay Drive NA), Jeffery Showman (Wildwood), Donna Holt (Redwood Estates), Charlotte Persons (Bigelow), Karen Sweeney (Eastside NA), John Newman (Burbank/Elliott), Jenn Wulf (Downtown), Mike Ruth (Evergreen SC), Judy Bardin (NWONA), Larry Dzieza (Nottingham NA)

Quick recap

The meeting covered a range of topics including the importance of neighborhood schools in community development and safety and the progress and issues related to city development projects. The conversation emphasized the potential for neighborhoods to address issues such as sidewalk quality independently and in cooperation with the City. The CNA also explored outreach initiatives, including using the sidewalk survey tool application to connect with schools, churches and small businesses and using the newly required rental registry.  The meeting ended with Melissa announcing her intention to step down from her position as vice chair of the CNA Executive Committee.

Neighborhood Reports

Dana reported on the cleaning of two murals along East Bay drive, which had been in need of maintenance for about 10 to 12 years. The cleaning process involved around seven volunteers, including some hired help, and plans were discussed to seal the murals in the future.

Donna reported that leaves on their street in Redwood Estates had been mostly cleared and mentioned a potential issue with new neighbors causing disturbances.

Melissa discussed the plan to create an informational sheet about the upcoming multifamily tax exemption and zero parking requirement for new construction.

Judy shared updates from their neighborhood meeting at Garfield, including plans to hire an artist for a temporary mural for the Volunteer Park and possibly secure a space for a year-end celebration for NWONA.

Charlotte reported that the Bigelow Neighborhood Association decided to wait until spring to assess the damage to their orchard from the previous summer.

Karen reported that the East Side had taken a break in December to allow their members to focus on their families.

Jeffrey mentioned that the Wildwood Neighborhood Association had organized a holiday singalong and shared updates on the Olympia Municipal code concerning neighborhood associations and potential interest in applying for a matching grant with the South Capital Neighborhood Association.

John raised concerns about the impact of school closures on Elliot Road due to the lack of sidewalks and narrow shoulders, which could lead to traffic issues. They mentioned plans to collaborate with the city to improve safety despite resistance from the Transportation Department who wants to rebuild rather than find a temporary solution.  Melissa added her concern over the absence of sidewalks on the main part of Elliot, identifying it as a hazard.

Larry informed the group of a break-in at the Nottingham neighborhood’s mailboxes, leading to insurance claims and the need for new installations. Jeffrey offered to provide contact information for their board member’s husband, a chief post office officer, for assistance. There was also discussion about neighborhood matching grant applications eligibility for mailboxes and the need for sturdier mailboxes overall. Larry said that most HOAs like his have insurance but pointed out that it doesn’t cover everything. Larry also said they are active in increasing the number of neighborhood activities and a likely increase in dues due to inflation.

Sidewalk Second Version, User Manual

Mike from Evergreen State College shared his role in teaching geographic information systems and work on the sidewalk application.

The group discussed the development of a second version of the sidewalk application, with Mike Ruth handling the development.  Larry said he was working on a user manual to anticipate potential user questions.

Sidewalk Quality Assessment and Collaboration Initiative

Mike let the group know about the Evergreen GIS certificate program and a summer drone mapping certificate. They then moved on to discuss a smartphone application for assessing sidewalk condition, explaining that it has been used to collect data at about 70 test points.

The CNA also discussed collaborating with the city to address the community concerns, with plans to collect data on problem areas to help prioritize mitigation efforts. They also considered the potential for neighbor-to-neighbor engagement to address issues such as vegetation encroachment and low hanging branches.

Mike demonstrated a new survey for reporting sidewalk problems and explained how to use the camera feature to capture images of sidewalk problems. It was agreed that a training session would be arranged at some point to go into more detail on how to use the app. The CNA also discussed assessing the quality of sidewalks, allowing users to rate the severity of different types of sidewalk issues.

Neighborhood Engagement and Inclusivity Articles

Karen shared their plan to write an article for Jolt about neighborhood associations, emphasizing inclusivity and the mutually beneficial relationship between neighborhood associations and the city. The CNA also discussed neighborhood news articles and an upcoming city survey.

Neighborhood Schools and Walkability in Community Development

The CNA discussed the importance of neighborhood schools in community development and safety. They decided to reach out to neighborhood schools to understand their sidewalk issues and how neighborhood associations can contribute to improving them. The CNA also discussed the imminent closure of certain schools based on their walkability score, highlighting the significance of walkability in the decision-making process.

City Development Projects Progress and Challenges

Tim and Larry discussed the progress and issues related to approximately 50 city development projects. A townhouse development at 1515 Middle Street, which has faced neighborhood opposition due to potential traffic impacts, was highlighted. Other projects, including a senior housing project and a low-income housing project on the Westside, were also mentioned. The CNA also reviewed the City’s internal GIS platform which manages new developments, which is set to be made external next year.  The pipeline of upcoming projects, including the West Bay Yards project was discussed. 

The connection between growth driven by multifamily homes and school demand was discussed.  The number of school age kids in multifamily units is a fraction of those of single family homes. The conversation emphasized the complexity of housing planning and the need to accommodate demographic trends across multiple levels of government.

Melissa raised a question about integrating a tracking system for developers applying for the multifamily tax exemption, to which Tim responded by promising to check with the housing program.

Planning Commission Relations, Annexation, and MOU Discussion

The conversation then shifted to a discussion about a meeting with the Olympia Planning Commission, where there was reluctance due to a previous lack of action. The CNA also discussed various topics, including their roles and perceptions, the issue of annexation, and the memorandum of understanding with the city. There was uncertainty about whether they were seen as a political body and the need to clearly articulate their roles.   The PC did indicate that they will consider a meeting with the CNA at a retreat and will discuss more about that in the near future.

The annexation issue was complex, with skepticism from some council members and uncertainty about whether it was desired by residents. The city proposed pausing the decision and seeking further input from the county.

Regarding the memorandum of understanding, there was a plan to schedule a meeting with two city council members. The CNA acknowledged the city council’s facing multiple challenges ranging from taxes, to budget, to international affairs.

Exploring Outreach, Rental Registry, and Web Building

The CNA explored potential outreach initiatives, including using sidewalk applications to connect with small businesses and developing a rental registry to understand the needs of renters. The city’s Housing division plans to hire a specialist in 2024 to run the rental registry program.

News about a new neighborhood association in Briarwood, near McKinney School being formed was shared.

Web Hosting and Urban Farming

The CNA also discussed the web building project, with Dana clarifying the decision to use WordPress.com for neighborhood associations’ websites due to its user-friendly backend management and support. They mentioned documenting the process for others to use and the availability of grant money for interested neighborhoods.

Dana presented the results of an analysis suggesting a hosting solution that would allow the CNA to focus on content creation. The CNA decided to dispense with a webmaster and instead send out communication about potential subscription opportunities. A discussion about adding a donate button to the website was held, with Dana confirming its possibility.

The city initiated an urban farming program aimed at addressing food security and community engagement, with plans to create a commissary kitchen, tool sharing space, and classroom. Larry shared research from a California community that could be a vision of community collaboration to improve food quality and accessibility in the city, emphasizing the use of garden produce from city-owned farms and delivering meals to those in need for Olympia.

Melissa announced her intention to step down from her position as vice chair of the CNA Executive Committee. The group also discussed potential venues for their next meeting due to scheduling conflicts, proposing the possibility of holding the meeting entirely online.

Next steps

  • Melissa will work on creating an informational sheet about the upcoming multifamily tax exemption and no parking required for new construction.
  • Karen will work on getting her Jolt article published and will help others with their articles.
  • Arrange a training session for the neighborhood sidewalk survey app.
  • Mike will incorporate the schools layer into the map.
  • Larry will create a training manual and schedule a training session.
  • Tim will check with the housing program about how they’re tracking developers applying for the multifamily tax exemption.
  • CNA will send an email to the membership about the potential opportunities for neighborhood associations to get subscriptions to WordPress.com.
  • Consider using a hybrid or fully virtual meeting format for the next CNA meeting due to potential winter weather conditions.