South Capitol Neighborhood Association Board Meeting Minutes
Weds, Nov 8, 2023 6:30-8:30 pm
Lincoln Elementary School library
Introductions and Call Meeting to Order
Members of the South Capitol Neighborhood Association (SCNA) in attendance:
John Saunders, President
Gerry Apple, Vice President
Sue Hedrick, Secretary
Treacy Duerfeldt, At Large member
John called the meeting to order and the attendees introduced themselves. In addition to the board members, Valerie Hammett, Fred and Laurie MacInnes, and Kristin Swenddal also attended the meeting.
Approval of October Meeting Minutes and Today’s Agenda
Treacy made a motion to approve the October minutes and today’s agenda. Gerry seconded and the motion was approved.
Committee Reports
Treasurer – Addie Spencer
Addie wasn’t able to attend, but sent out a written report before the meeting – a copy is at the end of the minutes.
Traffic – Gerry Apple and Treacy Duerfeldt
Treacy said he went through the traffic data city staff sent to him. The data was captured by two rubber strips stretched across Capitol Way over a 35-day period between Aug 5th and Sept 9th. Treacy developed a one-page analysis based on the data, which he shared with the meeting attendees.
He said the data shows that 300,000 drivers traveled on Capitol Way during the 35 days. Of those 300,000 drivers, 13% exceeded 35 miles per hour, which amounted to over a thousand “opportunities” between 7 am and 8 pm each day for bicyclists or pedestrians to suffer a 10% chance of death. There were also 4.5 opportunities of getting hit at over 50 mph, which would cause certain death.
Kristin Swenddal asked about options for addressing the problem, and Treacy listed them.
One would be to make the lights at the intersections of Maple Park & Capitol Way and 21st & Capitol Way timed to switch to red without cars triggering them. Another would be to narrow the vehicle lanes and add bike lanes. John said that these are currently projects listed on the city’s Capital Facilities Plan, but unfortunately both are unfunded and are very low on the list, so they would be at least three or four years out to implement, provided they received grant funding.
During the traffic data collection days, city staff placed a speed indicator sign on a post on the southbound side of Capitol Way and then on the northbound side. Treacy said neither the sign nor police enforcement for several days appear to have made much of a difference in reducing drivers’ speeds.
Treacy proposed another solution – his favorite – install a meaningful speed bump at 18th & Capitol Way.
Kristin asked if there is data showing speed bumps make a difference. Treacy said he will get that information.
She said the neighbors on her street (18th Ave SE) put in speed bumps a number of years ago and were one of the first streets to do it. She feels the speed bumps have had an effect in slowing down traffic on the street.
Valerie said she’s in favor of speed bumps.
John pointed out that the city doesn’t do speed bumps now and hasn’t for a long time.
Laurie asked who put the speed bumps on Franklin Street. John said they were part of a settlement with the state when the Jefferson Street building was built.
Fred asked about the cameras that take photos of drivers who are speeding. Treacy said unfortunately lawyers can successfully defend against photo speed traps because there is no actual accuser, just a camera and a photo.
Gerry thanked Treacy for computing the data. He pointed out that the city has seven officers on duty during the day but they have been prioritized for downtown. Treacy added that the city is down 20 officers and the county even more.
John asked where we should go next with this. Treacy said he will share this information with the new mayor, Dontae Payne, then bring back any guidance he receives to the next association board meeting in December.
Safety Committee – Howard Goldberg
Howard wasn’t able to attend, so Gerry provided a report on his behalf. Gerry said he would like to thank Rebekah Ziesemer, Olympia Community Programs Officer, for arranging for four police officers to assist with traffic safety during Halloween. He said that, immediately after the event, Rebekah followed up with the board, suggesting ideas to improve street safety even more next year. Gerry suggested the board send thank-you notes to the police officers and the other board members agreed.
Communications – Emily Tilger
Emily was not able to attend, so John provided a report.
Annual Meeting
John said the neighborhood association bylaws require the board to hold a membership meeting in February each year and he asked that a date be chosen and voted on.
Gerry moved that the board hold the annual meeting on Thurs, Feb 15, 2024 from 7 – 8 pm at Lincoln Options Elementary School cafeteria, pending confirmation of availability by school officials. Treacy seconded and the motion was approved.
John also presented a written proposal (see below Treasurer’s report) for notifying residents of the South Capitol neighborhood of the annual meeting in February.
He said that association bylaws require the board to publicize meetings to members not less than 48 hours before each meeting. There are about 600 addresses in the South Capitol neighborhood made up of homeowners, business owners and renters. John said the neighborhood associations are under some pressure from the Olympia City Council to increase participation of residents, particularly renters, in neighborhood association activities.
He explained how the board could reach neighborhood residents fairly inexpensively by delivering an informational postcard using a service called Every Door Direct Mailing (EDDM) provided by the U.S. postal service. This would reach 413 households in the South Capitol neighborhood, which is most but not all of the residences, so the board would also need to send a separate postcard via U.S. mail or hand-deliver it to the rest.
The draft EDDM postcard is currently one-sided with only information about the annual meeting. John suggested the blank side also be printed – with information about becoming a member of the association and paying dues to support it. This would increase the cost of printing the postcards, but would provide more information to residents.
Attendees discussed the pros and cons of mailing flyers versus hand-delivering them. Fred asked if having sponsors for mailings is illegal. John answered no. Fred then suggested the board might sell advertising to businesses to help defray the costs. Laurie asked about hand-delivering the postcards rather than mailing them. She noted that board members and other volunteers have done this in the past, and she offered to help do it.
A discussion then ensued about possible edits to the verbiage on the draft postcards.
John suggested the board pay for two printings, the first to be delivered by the post office and the second to be hand-delivered.
Given that the cost of two mailings could amount to $1,200, John recommended the board submit a grant proposal to the city to cover the cost of future mailings. Those in attendance agreed with this plan.
John said he would like to move forward on preparing to do mailings in January. More editing will be done on the draft postcards to include additional information.
Legislative Campus Modernization project – John Saunders
In the interest of time, John deferred a report to the next board meeting in December.
State, City and Neighborhood Triad Meeting – John Saunders
In the interest of time, John deferred a report to the next board meeting in December.
Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA) – Gerry Apple
Gerry said he attended the recent CNA meeting via Zoom on November 6th.
One of the ongoing items discussed was city sidewalks. The city is doing a sidewalk conditions survey, and the city council is considering imposing a 0.1% sales tax to raise approximately $3.1 million annually for transportation capital projects. A 0.1% sales tax, collected through the city’s transportation benefit district, would generate approximately $3.1M annually. The revenue could fund pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure projects identified in the transportation master plan.
The South Capitol Neighborhood Association sent a letter to the Olympia City Council on November 3rd in support of increased funding for improving existing sidewalks and building new sidewalks in Olympia.
Gerry noted that the CNA recently sent a letter to the Olympia City Council requesting an increase in neighborhood grant funding from $23,000 to $57,000 per year.
Other Items
City of Olympia Grants – what to use grant money for and how to apply
Meeting attendees discussed ideas initially floated by Gerry on things we could do with neighborhood grant funds, should we choose to apply. These included purchasing a speed advisory sign for Capitol Way, working with Lincoln Options on improvements to their garden or other needs at the school, or paying for neighborhood events, signs and mailings to advertise the events.
Treacy volunteered to draft a note for the neighborhood association board to send out to the listserv (email distribution list) asking others in the neighborhood for ideas for grants.
Membership in the SCNA – how to encourage residents to join and support
Meeting attendees discussed how best to encourage South Capitol neighborhood residents to join the association and support it. Kristin, Fred, Laurie and Valerie all agreed to join so they will be put on the membership list.
A blog post on the neighborhood association website asking people to join was suggested. Sue said she would take care of that. Others said they will help spread the word and ask family and friends in the neighborhood to join.
Appointment of Valerie Hammett as at-large member
Treacy nominated Valerie Hammet as an at-large member of the South Capitol Neighborhood Association. Gerry seconded, and the motion was approved.
Alley Etiquette and Guidance
Treacy mentioned a situation he recently dealt with in the side alley next to his house. He had parked his car in the alley temporarily to unload his groceries. Someone approached him in an agitated manner, telling him to move his car. Treacy said he thinks there should be some sort of guidance or etiquette on the use of alleys in the neighborhood. He said he had only parked briefly in the alley; however he has encountered contractors who block the alley for long periods of time when working on projects and then no one can travel through. He said he would like the board to put together some guidance to share with the neighborhood, so everyone is aware and more courteous.
Possible closure of Lincoln School
The Olympia School Board is considering the possibility of closing and consolidating some schools to save money. One of the items up for consideration is a proposal to move Lincoln Options Elementary School students to the Olympia Regional Learning Academy (ORLA) and close the school. Gerry and John met with the principal to discuss the neighborhood association board’s support for Lincoln.
Gerry said he will draft a letter for the neighborhood association board to send to the Olympia School Board in support of keeping Lincoln Options open. He will share it with the other board members for review and editing.
Motion to adjourn
Treacy made a motion to adjourn, Gerry seconded, and the motion was approved. The meeting ended at 8:28 pm.
Next meeting – Weds, Dec 13, 2023, 6:30 pm, Lincoln Options Elementary School
Written Reports
11/4/23 Treasurer’s Report
Twin Star Credit Union account balances:
Business Prime Savings $20
Innovator Checking $2,244.72
Recent income:
PayPal $0
Checks $0
Cash $20
Recent expenses:
Google Gsuite $13.14 each month
Summer Party Summary
Total spent = $764.24
A Proposal for Notifying Residents of the South Capitol Neighborhood of the Annual Meeting
Nov 8, 2023
Why are we doing this?
Our SCNA bylaws require notice of the annual meeting to all residents:
“3.4 Notice of Meetings of Members. Written or printed notice stating the place, day and hour of the annual meeting and, in case of a special meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called, shall be delivered not less than 48 hours before the meeting to each member entitled to vote at such meeting.”
Promote equity by maximizing the awareness and participation of residents who may not own their homes
How will we do this?
Deliver pre-printed postcards with invitation to attend the annual meeting, the date, time and place of the meeting, and a url and QR code to the SCNA website.
Cards will be printed by a commercial printer setup for Every Door Direct format
Raffle to encourage attendance
Delivery methods
Every Door Direct service of the USPS for all addresses in Route 1; approximately 413 addresses
Pre-print addresses for those recipients not on the route Every Door Direct; approximately 130 addresses. Manually add postage and mail via First Class delivery.
How much will it cost?
Preprinted cards, color, 413 pieces for EDDM $382.34
Preprinted postcards, color, 150 pieces for first class $150.00
Every Door Direct Service (413 pieces each) $81.77
First Class Postage (130 households * $.66) $85.80
Raffle $100.00
Total $799.91
Printing only and hand delivery of 560 pieces $400.00
South Capitol Neighborhood Association 