Board minutes Dec 2025

South Capitol Neighborhood Association Board Meeting Minutes
Weds, Dec 10, 2025 6:30 – 8 pm
Lincoln Elementary School library

Note: On December 11, 2025, Gerry Apple made a motion to approve the December 10, 2025 board minutes via email vote. Morgan Montes seconded. Nine board members voted in favor, and the motion passed.

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
Gordon White, Eric Seder, Tyler Graber, Kelley Dolan, At Large members

John called the meeting to order.

Approval of Today’s Draft Agenda
Parking Lot Items was added to the agenda. Gordon moved to approve the agenda as amended, Gerry seconded, and the motion was approved unanimously.

Treasurer’s Report – Morgan Montes
Morgan went over the written report she previously sent to the board members, which is under Written Reports at the end of the minutes.

Board members then discussed a bill from the Olympia School District for use of the Lincoln Elementary playshed and gym, and the cost of a janitor during the Fall BBQ Picnic/Social.

There were some questions about whether the charges for the playshed and gym were correct. When holding previous events at Lincoln School – annual meetings, BBQ socials, and monthly board meetings – the board has not been charged for their use.

Gerry will reach out to Carmen Banaag at the Olympia School District to confirm whether the charges for the playshed and gym are correct. Morgan will pay the bill for the janitor (and the two facilities, if deemed necessary) with City of Olympia neighborhood matching grant funds.

Board members also discussed neighborhood association dues – whether it might be good to send a reminder to folks in the neighborhood, perhaps before the annual meeting in June, and clarify what dues are and what they are used for.

They also discussed what the word “dues” might imply. Residents in the South Capitol neighborhood can become members of the neighborhood association for free – there is no cost to join – so calling them “dues” can be somewhat confusing. The suggested amount is $15 annually, but it is completely voluntary.

John noted that Article 8 of the neighborhood association’s bylaws says this:

8.1 In General. The Board of Directors may determine the amount of dues per calendar year that may be asked from each member. Said amount shall be subject to membership approval, and payment of it shall not be a prerequisite to continued membership in the Association.

Again, this can be confusing, but the point is this: joining the neighborhood association and supporting it financially are not tied together. Folks can sign up to be a member of the association for free, and they can support it by giving a donation at any time without having to become a member.

Morgan made a motion to have the Treasurer create a flyer to share with neighborhood residents at the next annual meeting and at other SCNA neighborhood events to better explain dues and what they pay for. Kelley also suggested posting it on the SCNA website. Tyler seconded the motion, and it was approved unanimously.

2026 Neighborhood Grant – John Saunders
John said the board should be receiving information soon from city staff about 2026 neighborhood grants, including deadlines for submittal. He asked if any board members were willing to work on a grant submittal once the board has decided what they would like to use grant money for. Eric, Morgan, Gerry and Sue volunteered.

Council of Neighborhood Associations representative – John Saunders, Gerry Apple
John said that he, Gerry and Sue have been covering the Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA) monthly meetings for the past couple years. He learned recently that neighborhood and homeowner associations must formally vote on a representative to attend the meetings on their behalf and report on their issues and activities.

He nominated Sue Hedrick to be the SCNA’s representative to the Council of Neighborhood Associations. Morgan asked if CNA representatives have a specific term, and John said they do not. They can serve for as long as the board wants them to.

The CNA meets monthly, usually online via Zoom, and is made up of representatives of recognized neighborhood and homeowner associations in Olympia. Its mission is to promote and enhance the quality of life in Olympia neighborhoods by providing a forum to collaborate to achieve common goals.

The council also helps associations connect with and learn from each other on how to organize and advocate more effectively. The CNA first began in October 2006 as the Coalition for Neighborhood Associations and was later renamed the Council of Neighborhood Associations.

A list of recognized neighborhood and homeowners associations is on the City of Olympia’s website and the Council of Neighborhood Associations’ website.

Update on Comprehensive Plan – John Saunders, Gordon White
John said that, at the Olympia City Council’s December 9, 2025 meeting, councilmembers approved changes to the city’s comprehensive plan for another 10 years. In updating the plan, they are required to plan for future growth and address any changes in state law. [Discussion and passage of the comprehensive plan begins at 1:06:40.]

In the comp plan, the city council included language the SCNA board and some South Capitol neighborhood residents have been trying to get added in the city’s Land Use and Urban Design chapter about the challenges the neighborhood faces with homes being converted to businesses and left vacant.

This is the new language that will now be in the Olympia Municipal Code:

PL24.2 Unless necessary for historic preservation, prohibit conversion of housing in residential areas to commercial use not designed to serve local residents; instead, support redevelopment and rehabilitation of older neighborhoods to bolster stability and allow home occupations that do not degrade neighborhood appearance or livability, nor create significant environmental impacts.

With the passage of the 2045 Comprehensive Plan, the city’s next step is to update the municipal code.

John said he and some other board members and South Capitol residents will take a walk around the neighborhood with Greg Quetin, chair of the Olympia Planning Commission, in the near future. Previously, Olympia City Councilmembers Clark Gilman, Robert Vanderpool, Kelly Green and Dani Madrone have done walkarounds with them.

Gordon asked what the city’s guidebook is on small-scale commercial. How is it going to be configured to allow small businesses in neighborhoods and not big businesses?

Morgan asked about the significance of an addition to the parking permit application form that Sue had shared with the board. Under Section 1. Affidavits to be signed by the applicant, it now includes:

b. I swear that if a business is being run at the address listed above, for which a Residential Parking Permit is being requested, that all applicable Home Occupation Permits required pursuant to the regulations of the Olympia Municipal Code have been previously obtained and are current.

Gordon said this means that, in order to get a parking permit, residents will have to attest to whether they need a home occupation permit.

Update on Capitol Way Improvements – Gerry Apple
Gerry mentioned there was a good crowd for a Capitol Way Corridor Project Open House held on Thurs, Dec 4, 2025 at Olympia City Hall. City staff shared project information, including concept graphics, proposed timelines, and more. Materials from and a recorded version of the presentation are available on the city’s website.

Gerry said that, while he is very happy about the long-term improvements that will be coming, he would like to see some shorter-term improvements happen sooner, like creating a school zone near Lincoln Elementary, adding flashing lights at the 18th Ave and Capitol Way crosswalk, and collecting more data on whether the improvements that have already been made have had an effect. He said the last time the city collected data was last Spring and they’re not going to collect it again until this coming March.

Gerry said improvements to the Capitol Way corridor also were discussed at the Nov 20, 2025 Triad meeting. This once-a-year meeting of representatives from the city, the Legislature, the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services and Washington State Patrol and the South Capitol Neighborhood Association allows for discussion of issues of mutual concern.

Morgan asked if the board might partner with the Olympia School District to create a school zone for Lincoln? John said the idea would need to be proposed at a higher level than school district staff, most likely the school board members.

Kelley suggested doing a blog post on our website to raise the issue with those neighborhood residents who are parents of Lincoln students.

Parking Lot Items
Board members reviewed and discussed a list of items captured in responses to a recent neighborhood engagement survey. Items from the survey included:

• Holiday party
• Grant funds for picnic – do it or not
• Candidate forum
• Invite city planners to a forum on middle housing
• How to move forward in engaging with the city or legislators on issues, if there are varying opinions on issues
• Low-flying aircraft
• Connect with Lincoln on the Winter Market or Flea Market
• Do things at the Coach House
• Develop a true dog park/off-leash area
• Host or organize community projects or community events
• Invite Fish & Wildlife to talk about urban wildlife (e.g. bird feeders, peanuts for squirrels)
• Olympia Airport expansion

The board chose six items from that list to consider:

• Host or organize community projects or community events
• Low flying aircraft
• Future of St. John’s Episcopal Church
• Candidate forum
• Dog Park
• Middle Housing Forum

John then went around the table, asking each board member to list their top two choices.

The highest choice on the list was Host or organize community projects or community events. It was agreed that a flea market and inviting the Department of Fish & Wildlife to talk about urban wildlife could be put under this.

The second highest choice was putting on another Middle Housing Forum (the board’s first forum on this topic was held on March 19, 2025 at Lincoln School).

It was agreed to bring these items back to the board’s January 2026 meeting for further discussion.

Report on December 8th Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA) meeting – John Saunders, Gerry Apple, Sue Hedrick

CNA Executive Committee Positions
Larry said the two-year terms for the CNA Steering Committee chair, secretary, communications coordinator, and program & events coordinator will end this year. Larry asked CNA members to reach out to him if they are interested in serving in any of these positions.

Development Update
Tim Smith, Community Planning & Economic Development deputy director, said that TVW plans to expand in its current space on Capitol Way and Union.

Motion to adjourn
Eric moved to adjourn the meeting, Gordon seconded, and the motion was approved unanimously. The meeting ended at 7:55 pm.

Next SCNA board meeting – Weds, January 14, 2025, 6:30 pm, Lincoln Elementary School library

---

Written Reports
November 2025 Treasurer’s Report
Period: 11/01/25 – 11/30/25

Business Priming Savings $25.00

Innovator Checking Ending Balance $2,727.78
Innovator Checking Beginning Balance $2,855.01
Difference $(127.23)

Recent Income:
Total $0.00

Recent Expenses:
Google Suite $9.23
Check #1603 Scone reimbursement $118.00
Total $127.23

Difference $(127.23)

Notes:
Outstanding notes for Picnic:
Scones Reimbursement Check 1584 was replaced by check #1603 for $ 118.
Our grant report was submitted to the city on 11/26/25, and was the final requirement of our agreement.

Transactions in process:
A transfer of $28.16 for membership dues was initiated from our PayPal account.

John Sanders will also be reimbursed for $153.72 for a two-year subscription to WordPress. WordPress is the company we use to maintain our website.

Janitor expenses in the amount of $664.50 were received from the Olympia School District. We will submit this for a grant reimbursement if these charges are correct.