South Capitol Neighborhood Association Board Meeting Minutes
Weds, July 8, 2026 6:30 – 8 pm
Lincoln Elementary School library
Note: On July 9, 2026, Theresa Freeman made a motion to approve the July 8, 2026 board minutes via email vote. Gerry Apple 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, Valerie Hammett, Ariel Kay-Barto, Charley Haley, Lorie Hewitt, Abby Mondau, Theresa Freeman, Scott Freeman, Blake Melancon, At Large members
John called the meeting to order.
Approval of Today’s Draft Agenda
John asked if there were any changes or additions to the agenda. There were none. Scott moved to approve the draft agenda, Gerry seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report – Morgan Montes
Morgan previously sent the draft June Treasurer’s Report to the board members, which is under Written Reports at the end of the minutes. Theresa asked how much in dues typically comes in. Morgan said that dues usually come in twice a year – during the annual meeting in June and the Fall neighborhood picnic in September.
Gordon moved to approve the Treasurer’s Report, Theresa seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
2026 Tour of Homes – Greg Griffiths, Olympia Historical Society
Greg said Olympia Historical Society members will hold their annual Tour of Homes fundraiser on the first Sunday of December from 1 – 4 pm. This year, they are planning to feature five homes on the eastside of Capitol Way. So far, they have three yesses and three maybes. Historic homes must be at least 50 years old to qualify.
They will be meeting with the docents, figuring out the route, asking owners if they can provide any insights on their homes, whether they have been remodeled in any way, and whether they have stories of people who have lived in them.
They are also looking for a place, possibly Lincoln Elementary, to sell tickets the day of the event and have companies that work on historic homes on hand. John offered to send Greg the Olympia School District facilities staff’s contact information so he can book space at the school.
Fall Community Forum Planning – John Saunders
John gave some background on the board’s 2025 neighborhood survey that included input on what future events and activities the board might do. One of the suggestions was to hold community forums on topics of interest to the neighborhood.
The board decided to hold two forums and applied to the City of Olympia for a Neighborhood Matching Grant to cover the costs of mailing invitations to all residents in the South Capitol Neighborhood. The topics will be Community Gardening and Housing. John said two members of the planning committee dropped off the board in June, and he asked for volunteers to help contact possible speakers, reserve the meeting space, and set up and clean up during the two events.
Gerry and Lorie volunteered for Housing, Theresa and Valerie volunteered for Community Gardening. One event will be scheduled in October and one in November. They must be completed before the grant deadline of Dec 15th.
Annual Neighborhood Picnic – Gerry Apple, Morgan Montes
Gerry said the picnic planning committee held its first meeting on Tues, June 30th. The next meeting will be on Mon, July 20th from 6:30 – 7:30 pm at Lincoln Elementary library.
Gerry said the Scott Lake Active Men’s Service Club will once again loan us tables and chairs for the event. Blake volunteered to create a playlist of music.
Theresa suggested sending out a list of the items that will be needed for the event. Gerry agreed. Morgan said she recently emailed all South Capitol residents who indicated a willingness to help with neighborhood events to see if they were interested in helping.
Last year, a number of local community organizations staffed information tables at the picnic. Morgan said they usually represent government or nonprofit groups. Theresa asked how they will be picked – by the picnic planning committee or the full board? John said the latter. Theresa suggested adding an item to a board meeting agenda to decide who can and cannot have a table at the picnic.
John quickly shared the draft invitation flyer that will be sent to all South Capitol Neighborhood residents – homeowners, business owners and renters. Sue will email a link to it to the board members so they can review and vote on it.
Motion to adjourn
Gordon moved to adjourn the meeting, Morgan seconded, and the motion was approved unanimously. The meeting ended at 7:04 pm.
Next SCNA board meeting – Weds, Aug 12, 2026 6:30 pm, Lincoln Elementary School library
Written Reports
June 2026 Treasurer’s Report
Period: 6/01/26 – 6/30/26
Business Priming Savings $25.00
Innovator Checking Ending Balance $2,025.80
Innovator Checking Beginning Balance $1,256.85
Difference $768.95
Recent Income:
Membership dues less fees $879.18
Total $879.18
Recent Expenses:
- Google Suite $9.23
- Vic’s Gift Card $100.00
- Total $109.23
Difference $768.96
Our neighborhood showed up for us in a big way! We brought in $349 of dues at the annual meeting and $529.19 of electric dues in the days following. I also just initiated another transfer of $119.49 in electronic dues that will hit our bank account at the beginning of July. That’s a total of $997.68 in dues!
Transactions in process:
An electronic transfer of $119.42 was initiated on 6/30 from PayPal for membership dues and will be deposited in 2-3 business days.
South Capitol Neighborhood Association 