Council of Neighborhood Associations

August 2026

Monday, August 10, 2026

  • City Councilmember Update with Councilmember Clark Gilman
    • Upcoming City Council Meetings
      • 8/10 | View Agenda Here – local food systems plan, partnering with local school district 
      • Next Tuesday (8/18) – building a new maintenance center, deciding if the city’s solid waste should be contracted out (study session) 
    • Restoration is happening this week at the Artesian Well
    • Currently budget season – no big changes are expected 
  • City Planning Projects Update with Nicole Floyd
    • Long Range Planning Projects
    • West Bay Yards
      • Went to the Hearing Examiner, staff review’s was upheld
      • There was an appeal on SEPA determination, the determination was upheld 
      • Multiple rounds of review through Ecology, WDFW, and Army Corps are still upcoming 
    • Springwood Gardens 
      • Located in the Northeast neighborhood
      • Wetlands and stormwater review is currently under review by city staff. Staff will make their recommendations to the Hearing Examiner, likely in September
    • Briggs Professional Offices
      • Currently under review – dentistry on ground floor, likely offices above that 
    • Wingstop opened on the West Side – Announcement in the The Olympian 

  • Honoring the life of Peter Gutchen, former CNA Chair 

  • Local topics
    • Capitol Land Trust with Craig Partridge
      • Connecting to the Land Campaign (link) – cultivating accessible, meaningful, and repeated experiences with nature that inspire connection and cultivate stewardship
        • Bayshore Preserve (open now) – 73 acres in Shelton, open since 2015
        • Inspiring Kids Preserve – open late 2027
          • Located within a 20 min drive of 32 schools 
          • Has outdoor classroom space 
      • Working for 40 years to protect waters and lands in the South Sound and Chehalis Basin
        • Property transactions
        • Working outside the urban growth boundary 
      • Within the last 10 years, they’ve carefully opened up protected land to public access to cultivate connection with nature. Currently four are open. 
      • Public Access Fund – supplied by donations to help with maintenance 
      • These are not parks, they don’t have the facilities typically associated with those spaces (playgrounds, picnic spaces, etc). 
      • Events – https://capitollandtrust.org/events/ 
    • Sidewalks with Larry Dzieza
      • The city’s sidewalk policy has been failing since the 1990s and the city is considering a new policy on sidewalk maintenance and repair. 
      • City voted to increase sales tax by 0.1%, raising over $3 million a year for “active transportation” projects like sidewalks
        • Estimates that it will take 250 years to repair the high and moderate damage locations 
      • Policy used to be that property owners were responsible for repairing sidewalks = network of deteriorated sidewalks throughout the city
        • Downtown was the exception to this policy, city was responsible 
      • Solution Proposals:
        • The city should make investments in sidewalk repair beyond the downtown core
        • Activate your neighbors to engage with city council and the planning commission on this issue 
      • Sidewalk Repair Value Calculator – currently uses dummy data until feedback is provided by city staff
      • Additional Reading
      • JLARC has started to tackle the question of – who is liable for sidewalks?
    • Youth Climate Action Grants

  • Recognized Neighborhood Associations (RNAs) update
    • Eastside
      • Hosted an Emergency Preparedness Event; will offer again on Sept 26th @ Lions Park alongside Apple Press and Annual Picnic 
      • Offering CPR training 
    • South Capital
      • Fall Picnic @ Sept 13 @ Lincoln Elementary 
      • Hosting two community forums: community gardens and homebase business amendment 
    • Nottingham
      • Night Out was cancelled due to poor air quality 
    • Bigelow Highlands
      • New people are needed for leadership in the CNA or else it may disperse 
      • Needs to be a conversation on how to encourage involvement in the admin of CNAs – topic for the MOU
    • Downtown
      • Jennifer Kuhns is back at the Artesian Well Mosaic to do repairs all week – call for volunteers and community (join for coffee and conversation)
    • Northwest
      • Summer Fun Fest – Aug 23rd @ Woodruff Park
      • Justin is running all the streets of Olympia – keep a look out!
    • Southwest
      • West Central Park Stewardship Work Party @ Aug 16th 
      • Summer Event – Aug 29th @ West Central Park
    • Briarwood
      • Summer BBQ – Sept 13th 
    • Wilderness Properties Owners Association
      • Received neighborhood matching grant, put in pedestrian pathways which have been particularly good for kids 
      • Highlights potential school consolidation – talk to your neighbors