Board Minutes Mar 2024

South Capitol Neighborhood Association
Board Meeting Minutes
Weds, Mar 13, 2024 6:30-8:30 pm
Lincoln Elementary School library

Introductions and Call Meeting to Order
Members of the South Capitol Neighborhood Association (SCNA) Board in attendance:
John Saunders, President
Gerry Apple, Vice President
Sue Hedrick, Secretary
Morgan Montes, Treasurer
Treacy Duerfeldt, Emily Tilger, Kelley Dolan, Gordon White, Valerie Hammett, Nora Hawkins, Scott Freeman, At Large members

John called the meeting to order.

Approval of January 2023 Board Meeting Minutes, February 2024 Annual Meeting Minutes and Today’s Agenda
Treacy made a motion to approve the January 2023 board meeting and February 2024 annual meeting minutes. Emily seconded and the motion was approved. Today’s agenda was also approved.

Discussion with Olympia Mayor Dontae Payne re speeding on Capitol Way

Treacy began the discussion with a summary of the traffic and speeding challenges on Capitol Way. He previously presented this information at the board’s November and December 2023 meetings.

His report was based on traffic data captured over a 35-day period between Aug 5 and Sept 9, 2023. City staff affixed a speed indicator sign on a post on the southbound side of Capitol Way and then moved it to the northbound side. Treacy said neither the sign nor several days of police enforcement appeared to have made much difference in reducing drivers’ speeds.

Ideas for slowing traffic were suggested and discussed previously. These included: adding a speed bump or narrowing lanes on Capitol Way, or alternating the timing of stoplights at 21st & Capitol Way and Maple Park & Capitol Way without cars triggering them.

Treacy concluded his report by asking the mayor for his thoughts on intermediate steps that might be taken, and the best way for the neighborhood association to request the city council to take action on this problem.

John asked if anyone had comments, questions or ideas to share.

Jeffrey Showman, secretary of the Wildwood Neighborhood Association Board, said he attended the meeting because Wildwood would like to partner with South Capitol on possible solutions. Wildwood is located adjacent to and just south of the South Capitol neighborhood and speeding is a problem there as well.

Jeffrey said that a Wildwood neighbor, who lives on Capitol Boulevard, has documented a number of traffic accidents.

Wildwood Center, home to several businesses, has considerable vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic. There is a crosswalk in front of it, and O’Farrell Avenue, one of the few cross routes between Capitol and Henderson Boulevards is next to it. These increase the potential for accidents, particularly when vehicles are going by at high speeds.

Gerry mentioned that five or ten years ago, the Washington State Patrol issued tickets to speeders on Capitol Way, and this did have an effect, even if not all speeders were caught. He said he felt that putting a permanent speed indicator sign along Capitol Way could also have an effect.

Scott agreed with Gerry that speed indicator signs, similar to the one on Henderson Boulevard near Olympia High School, could help slow traffic and make drivers more aware of their speed.

Tim Davis proposed the idea of installing school zone flashing lights and painting high-visibility crosswalks at every intersection.

John suggested asking Tumwater to reduce the speed limit on Capitol Boulevard from Custer Way to Carlyon Avenue so that it matches the 25 mph limit that Olympia has in place, and Kristin Swenddal agreed.

Mayor Payne listened to the attendees’ suggestions and then spoke. He said he appreciated that folks were offering possible solutions and not just airing complaints. He visits the South Capitol to frequent businesses, visit friends, and participate in neighborhood activities like Halloween, and as such, is aware of traffic conditions on Capitol Way.

Public safety is one of the city’s responsibilities, he said, and one that he personally is focused on. Prior to coming to the board meeting, he asked city staff what had been done to address the problem of speeding on Capitol Way. He was told there has been some increased police presence and the use of speed indicators signs at times, but not much more than that.

He recommended that the neighborhood’s residents attend city council meetings and make their concerns heard during the public comment period. And he advised, “Don’t just do it once,” but continue to attend meetings and speak out to get the attention of the council members and city staff, and offer solutions for them to consider.

He said that city council meetings are held Tuesday evenings at 6 pm, unless there are no items for the council to consider. Neighborhood residents can attend the meetings either in person at City Hall or online via Zoom.

Mayor Payne also recommended that the board loop in the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) since it advises the City Council on ways to encourage biking and walking, and participates in developing plans to make Olympia easier to walk and bike in.

He noted that speeding is a problem for the city in general, and there are fiscal constraints on what the city can do. Local governments are having a harder time raising money due to levy lids, and at the same time are being asked to take on additional things, such as child care, that have not traditionally been done by the city.

He said some solutions to this problem are more complicated than others and would require a lot of funding to do. But some – such as increased police presence, more visible crosswalks, and speed indicator signs seem reasonable to do.

The Olympia Police Department (OPD) is currently completing a staffing study, and it looks like they will probably need 10 more officers. He said it’s possible that some of them could do more patrolling. In response to Gerry’s comments about the State Patrol, he said it was his understanding that the State Patrol’s focus is more on the state capitol campus, but he promised to look into possible coordination between the Patrol and OPD.

Gordon said he has been reading through the city’s comprehensive plan, and there is lots of investment, and “walkability” is mentioned throughout it. He noted that more bicycles on roads can actually have a calming effect on traffic.

He mentioned a fairly simple and inexpensive fix that was made to the crosswalk near the Wildwood Center, which improved safety. The crosswalk was unsafe because pedestrians and bicyclists had to attempt to cross four lanes of traffic at a very busy intersection. Gordon brought this to the attention of city staff who quickly installed an island in the middle of the crosswalk and added orange crossing flags, thereby reducing the potential for accidents.

John said that a long-term solution for addressing speeding on Capitol Way – narrowing the street and adding bike lanes – is already in the city’s capital plan – perhaps it could be bumped up on the list?

Tim Davis asked the mayor if riding a bike on a sidewalk is not allowed? The mayor confirmed it is not. Tim then wondered if it might be possible to get a variance to allow it in some places. A discussion ensued about the safety of pedestrians who use the sidewalks and would have to compete with bicyclists on them.

Scott noted that, in Portland, a number of streets have rubber poles installed to delineate bike lanes and make drivers more aware of them. He suggested maybe trying those.

The mayor said the city council is currently in the middle of an update to its comprehensive plan – how does it fit in line with walkability goals?

Kelley asked when the update would be open for public comment. The mayor suggested searching “Olympia 2045” for information about the update and how the public can get involved. There are several steps and opportunities to review and comment on parts of it before formal adoption.

John said the Olympia 2045 Comprehensive Plan Update is being released chapter by chapter. There are three chapters out right now.

Regarding walkability, Valerie asked if the sidewalks could be fixed? The mayor said the city is currently doing a citywide sidewalk assessment and then will prioritize those that need repairing. The Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA) has also created a cell phone app that residents can use to document damaged sidewalks on their streets. This information will be shared with city staff.

The board members and attendees thanked the mayor for attending the meeting and listening to their concerns about speeding. Treacy suggested an item be added to next month’s agenda to discuss specific steps for the board to take in communicating concerns with the city council and staff.

2024 Annual Meeting – Lessons Learned

John asked if anyone had thoughts to share on what went well or what might be improved. He said he was particularly interested in knowing what made folks decide to come to the meeting and what made those who joined the board do so.

Kelley said the flyer that was sent out encouraged her to attend, in particular because it said “renters welcome” on it. Nora agreed and added that Kelley made her go. Scott said he has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years and hasn’t previously been involved, but felt it was a good time to do so.

Folks liked the refreshments served at the meeting, particularly the cupcakes. One suggestion was to have more pens and sign-up sheets available at the entrance table to allow several people to sign in at the same time.

Sue asked if the many blog posts she had sent out prior to the meeting were helpful or too much. The general consensus was that they were interesting and helpful. Morgan said she liked that the posts explained just how easy it is to become a member of the neighborhood association and pay annual dues, and she appreciated knowing more about the officer positions and their specific duties.

Treasurer’s Report
Morgan sent out a written report before the meeting – a copy is at the end of the minutes. She said the board needed to approve payment of $75 to the Washington State Secretary of State’s Office for the annual filing. John made the motion, Treacy seconded and the motion was approved. (Note: it was later determined that the cost of the annual filing is $20, not $75).

Committee Reports

City of Olympia Neighborhood Association matching grant
John said that our 2024 matching grant was approved by the Olympia City Council, so we will need to create a committee to organize our early Fall barbeque/picnic social event. He reminded those that volunteer that they will need to keep track of any time they spend planning and putting on the event since it is a requirement of the grant. Gerry will take the lead on assembling the committee to plan the event.

Parking Committee – Valerie Hammett
Valerie said that the next meeting of representatives of the South Capitol Neighborhood Association, City of Olympia and the State on parking issues will be in September.

The first meeting of the year was held on January 26th. Valerie, Rachel Newmann, Collum Liska, and John Saunders attended. A number of items were agreed to at the meeting, which John summarized and shared with the neighborhood in a recent blog post: Changes Coming to Local Parking

Communications – Emily Tilger
Emily reported that the South Capitol Neighborhood Facebook page now has almost 500 followers, and blog posts from the SCNA website are being posted on the Facebook page as well.

Scott offered his expertise to help John and Sue with the neighborhood association’s website and Emily with the Facebook page.

Additional item to the agenda
Fred and Laurie MacInnes requested time on the agenda to share some information about an incident that took place recently near their residence. A mail carrier was attacked by a neighbor’s dog, and as a result, the postmaster stopped delivery to a number of streets in that area of the neighborhood for a week.

Residents were then forced to go to the post office to retrieve their mail, and it was initially proposed that they be required to purchase and install two blocks of multiple mailboxes. This was of concern to the residents, as these mailboxes are known to be at risk for being broken into.

Fortunately, a compromise was reached with the owner of the dog, and mail delivery was resumed. The MacInnes’ mentioned this incident to remind dog owners in the neighborhood to be diligent about ensuring the safety of those who deliver mail, packages and other items to their residences.

Motion to adjourn

Treacy moved to adjourn the meeting, Emily seconded, and the motion was approved. The meeting ended at 8:05 pm.

Next SCNA board meeting – Weds, April 10, 2024 6:30 pm, Lincoln Elementary School library

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Written Reports

3/13/24 Treasurer Report

The Twin Star Account Balances as of 3/2/24:
Business Prime Savings: $20.00
Innovator Checking: $2, 227.83

We need a second person on the account as good practice. John has volunteered.

Recent Income:
Annual Dues Checks $240.00
Annual Dues PayPal $99.04
Annual Dues/Donations Cash $95.00
Total: $424.04

Recent Expenses:
Google G-suite monthly fee $13.14

Upcoming Expense:
Washington Secretary of State Filing $75

Filing is due at the end of the month. We will need to approve this expense before we can complete the filing. New for this year is the requirement to file a beneficial ownership information report.