- Introductions and Call Meeting to Order
Members of the South Capitol Neighborhood Association (SCNA) and interested neighbors introduced themselves.
In attendance:
John Saunders, President
Gerald Apple, Vice President
Addie Spencer, Treasurer
Sue Hedrick, Secretary
At-large members: Emily Tilger, Lorie Hewitt and Treacy Duerfeldt
- Presentation and discussion with representatives of the Olympia Police Department – Rebekah Ziesemer, community programs officer, Police Officer Alex Watkins, and Community K-9 Bentley.
Ms. Ziesemer shared a number of brochures with the meeting attendees, and she and Officer Watkins gave tips for reducing the possibility for crimes of opportunity to occur. They talked about a 9 pm checklist residents could do each day for preventing theft – checking that vehicles and exterior doors are locked, garage door openers are inaccessible, and turning on porch lights and other outdoor lights to reduce dark places where thieves can hide.
They shared information about Block Watch, a neighborhood crime watch program, and recommended calling 911 right away if anyone witnesses a crime in progress or has any concerns about their safety. They also recommended installing security cameras, which can help identify potential thieves or prowlers, and suggested that neighbors look out for one another.
Officer Watkins also reiterated, if you see something, say something. The police department can’t act on possible crimes unless they are reported, and the sooner they are reported, the better.
Lorie Hewitt asked whether more lights or fewer are better around the house and property. They recommended at least the front door light be kept on at night and said that more light is usually a deterrent because prowlers run a greater risk of being seen.
Treacy Duerfeldt asked about personal and workplace safety and taking pictures of a possible attacker or whether that might escalate a situation. Ms. Ziesemer and Officer Watkins said it depends on the situation and the person’s comfort level. It’s possible that taking a picture of someone could act as a deterrent and scare them off, but it may not. They suggested thinking ahead of time about what to do and where to go in an unsafe situation, particularly if it does escalate, and they recommended calling 911 if there was an opportunity to do so.
Ms. Ziesemer added that the Olympia Police Department has a workplace safety presentation they do for schools and businesses and they also have a crisis response unit.
Discussion then switched to traffic and speeding in the neighborhood on Capitol Way. Jeff Stillman described a number of accidents, near misses and reckless driving he and his wife have seen and experienced on the curve near the freeway overpass. Other attendees voiced concerns as well. Everyone agreed that speeding has gotten worse and it’s only a matter of time before someone is injured or killed.
Ms. Ziesemer said the city’s 20-year Master Plan has some possible solutions for Capitol Way and other problems areas they’ve identified in the city. She promised to send a link to it and the Street Safety Plan to the board members.
Dana Costello asked about the possibility of setting up cameras to take pictures of speeders and then send them a ticket. Officer Watkins said they would have to identify the driver and not just the vehicle in order to ticket them. Dana also brought up concerns about armed protestors parking in the neighborhood east of Capitol Way during demonstrations at the state Capitol. Officer Watkins suggested that, if anyone sees aggressive behavior that concerns them, call the Olympia police department and report it.
Gerry Apple and Treacy talked about their plan to collect baseline data about speeders on Capitol Way by using one of the city’s radar guns that they loan out to neighborhoods. They also read a list of suggestions for slowing down traffic such as installing speed bumps, putting a left-turn lane in the middle lane and bike lanes on either side, installing roundabouts and a flashing light crosswalk, possibly at 18th Avenue, and having police park along Capitol Way and give out tickets.
The board members and neighbors thanked the OPD representatives for coming to the meeting, listening to their concerns and sharing valuable information and safety tips.
- Minutes of the May 10, 2023 meeting and today’s meeting agenda
Lorie moved to approve the meeting agenda and the minutes of the May 10, 2023 meeting. Addie Spencer seconded the motion, and the board approved.
- Committee Reports
- Treasurer – Addie Spencer
Addie sent out a written report prior to the meeting. She mentioned one item from the report – a small increase in expenses due to the price of the Google suite of tools increasing from $6.79 to $13.14 a month. She moved that the board approve the additional expense, Gerry seconded, and the board approved.
- Traffic – Gerry Apple
John Saunders asked about the possibility of inviting someone from the city’s transportation department to attend a future meeting to discuss the master plan and the street safety plan for Capitol Way improvements. Gerry said he will reach out to the city and make the request.
- Safety – Howard Goldberg
Howard was not able to attend the board meeting, so John asked on his behalf if the board members would like to have a representative from the Olympia Fire Department attend a future meeting. They agreed it would be a good idea. John said he would let Howard know so he can make the request.
- Communications – Emily Tilger
Emily said that she has started a neighborhood event, Drinks in the Driveway, at her house. She is advertising it on her private Facebook Group, which now has 428 followers. She invited the board members to participate.
The annual National Night Out event will be held on August 1st. There was some discussion about whether the neighborhood association would want to participate this year and where it might be held. Emily said she will reach out to the Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA) representative to learn more.
- Legislative Campus Modernization project – John Saunders
John gave a brief report on the project. Construction on the Newhouse building replacement is well underway. There has been considerable construction noise recently; the workgroup submitted a complaint about it to the state.
Design work on the Pritchard building project continues. It will be at least as, if not more disruptive to the neighborhood since the new addition will be as big as the Newhouse building. The LCM workgroup submitted comments to the State on its recent State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) checklist for the Pritchard Building regarding the building size, design, and the amount of parking planned.
- Additional items
Emily moved to have the board approve Treacy as an at-large member, if he was willing to serve. He indicated he was. Addie seconded and the board approved.
Lorie asked about the outreach plan for St. John’s Church. The members of the congregation are waiting for the consultant’s report, which should be released sometime this summer or fall. Lorie said she will reach out to Lou MacMillan to suggest a follow-up meeting with them once the report is out.
John asked if one of the board members would agree to attend some of the meetings of the Council of Neighborhood Associations. The council meets regularly and is very involved in what goes on in the city. John mentioned a recent forum the CNA held with the city on what can be done to fix and build more sidewalks. Gerry offered to serve as John’s backup to attend the CNA meetings as the South Capitol Neighborhood Association representative.
Lorie also mentioned she had heard that the city is planning to change the parking fees in the city core, which may include paying on Saturdays. A decision will be made in September. Lorie said she will research this more and bring it to the next meeting. Emily offered to put this information on the neighborhood Facebook page as well.
- Motion to Adjourn
- John moved to adjourn the meeting, Emily seconded the motion, and the board approved. The meeting ended at 8:20 pm.
Next meeting – Weds, July 12, 2023, 6:30 pm, location to be determined
____________________________________________________________________________
Written Reports
Treasurer’s Report – June 3, 2023
Twin Star Credit Union account balances:
Business Prime Savings $20
Innovator Checking $2,835.58
Recent income:
PayPal $18.93
Checks $0
Cash $0
Recent expenses:
Google Gsuite $13.14 each month (increased from $6.79)
South Capitol Neighborhood Association 