Rhenda Strub Announces Candidacy for State Representative

Above: Rhenda Iris Strub at the Washington State Capitol Building on Sunday. Strub, a former Olympia city councilmember, has announced her candidacy for Washington State Representative, 22nd District, Position #1.

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

In the strange and complicated web of local politics, former Olympia city councilmember Rhenda Iris Strub is on a journey and has announced her candidacy for Washington State Representative, 22nd District, Position #1. 

The position is being vacated by current State Representative Chris Reykdal, who is pursuing the position of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Strub served on the Olympia City Council from 2008-2011.

Strub arrived in Olympia from South Dakota in 2002, and is married to LOTT Clean Water Alliance executive director Mike Strub. She has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and worked for many years as an engineering consultant specializing in environmental permitting and compliance. She has four children and lives in the southeast Olympia neighborhood.

She is proud of her accomplishments as a councilmember, and in her interview with Little Hollywood on Tuesday, she specifically mentioned her part in the building of a much needed fourth fire station, city hall, the Hands On Children’s Museum, finding a permanent site for the homeless now called Quixote Village, and the creation of a dog park.

Strub ran for a second term against Nathaniel Jones, but lost. The politics at the time were vicious, and for folks who were involved around that time, Strub’s lack of civility toward community members in written and verbal form, often from her position on the dais, was well known.

Strub explained that her behavior was caused, in part, by her grief in the fact that her youngest son was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in 2008. He is now a student at South Puget Sound Community College.

“I am who I am. I speak my mind and people either love that about me or hate that about me. It’s probably my most prominent characteristic, that I’m plainspoken. It’s my strength and it’s my weakness. It took me time to learn that, when I did that from behind the microphone, the impact was quadrupled. I did not understand that….” said Strub.

Indeed, during our interview, instead of offering a sound bite or two, or a prepared elevator speech about her candidacy, it first took her 20 minutes to explain her role and unpopular vote involving a proposed height rezone of the isthmus area in downtown Olympia in 2008-09. 

Then, Strub struggled to define why she is running for state representative, but said she wants to use her training in science to help inform decisions about the environment and other issues.

As state representative, Strub said her number one priority is to fix the state budget.

“We need to raise taxes, we need an income tax, and I think the wealthy people in this state need to pay more to support the infrastructure and the public employees in this state because nobody got wealthy or stayed wealthy by themselves,” said Strub.

Asked how she will specifically represent the citizens of Thurston County, Strub said that public employees are her largest constituency.

“….Public employees have been mistreated. For eight years, Governor Gregoire balanced the budget on their backs. They took furloughs, they lost pay raises, they paid more for health insurance, and they had to work harder and harder and harder. I think we owe them,” she said.

As a city councilmember, Strub strongly supported keeping Capitol Lake a lake, and supported bills to require the state to manage it as a lake, and not convert it to an estuary. Asked about how she feels about the issue now, Strub said she is reevaluating her position.

“Now I’m intrigued by the idea of an estuary. I’d say my strongest position is, I want the state to do something but they haven’t done a thing.” Strub says she looks forward to the state Department of Enterprise Service’s analysis and recommendation based on science so a final decision can be made.

Regarding the isthmus and the nine story Capitol Center Building, also known as the Mistake on the Lake, Strub said she was in favor as a councilmember for the city to buy and destroy the nine story building, and still holds that opinion.

Strub lamented that the Legislature has taken money from the Public Works Trust Fund, loan money critical to local governments, and the effect of Tim Eyman initiatives.

“The Legislature has an obligation to get out of the way of local governments so local governments can determine their own destiny – it’s the least the state can do after taking away so many revenue streams….”

Strub said she was supportive of a statewide minimum wage increase.

“I’ll carry petitions with me when I doorbell to get that on the ballot.”

Laurie Dolan, former policy director to Governor Christine Gregoire, announced her candidacy for the same position in September 2015, and has garnered a long list of endorsers, including Gregoire. She currently has over $22,000 in the bank, according to the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC).

Strub acknowledged that she is concerned about Dolan’s head start.

“It’s daunting. She has an impressive list of advisors. I have broad grassroots experience and connected to this community in a hands-on way. I was on the (Thurston County) Planning Commission, doorbelled the city twice, and have constituents at every level. I understand this community in a way only someone who has served in local government can….”

When asked, Strub mentioned several community members who are supporting her campaign, such as Lacey city councilmember Jeff Gadman, former state representative Brendan Williams, Thurston County Democratic state chairwoman Debby Pattin, and Mike Simmons, President of the International Association of Firefighters, Local 468.

Isthmus Issues Not Too Long Ago

The area of the isthmus in downtown Olympia is still an issue now, but a particular land use case fraught with emotion about eight years ago arose when an Urban Waterfront Rezone and Height amendment to the Comprehensive Plan was under consideration and would be approved by the Olympia city council.

If approved, height increases in that area would increase from 35 feet, and allow buildings on the isthmus of up to 90 feet.

Tri Vo, and his development company, Triway Enterprises, needed the rezone, and declared his intention to build five and seven story buildings, which would include shops and 141 condominiums that, at that time, were proposed to sell for $800,000 to $1 million.

The proposed rezone also included the area occupied by Traditions Fair Trade and other local businesses. The Capitol Center Building, which stands at 108 feet, was not part of Tri Vo’s desires. 

The issue inspired candidates to run for city council, dominated campaign themes and conversations, and strained community relations and personal relationships.

The city’s planning commission held hearings on the proposed rezone amendment. Organizations like Friends of the Waterfront organized community opposition. The Olympia Capitol Park Foundation was formed. The South Puget Environmental Education Clearinghouse (SPEECH) held a timely, popular public forum about the issue.

Despite massive community opposition, in December 2008, five of the seven councilmembers voted for the rezone, including Strub. At different times in the process, Councilmember Strub also voted against it, but the damage was done. Strub lost her election in 2010 to Nathaniel Jones.

The final outcome? At their first meeting on January 5, 2010, in a democratically choreographed coup of sorts, newly elected councilmembers Stephen Buxbaum, Karen Rogers, and Jeannine Roe led the effort to begin reversing the efforts of the previous council.

With three stunning motions, which all passed, the newly reconstituted council accomplished more for many citizen activists in one meeting than in a whole year of trying to work with the previous council on isthmus-related issues and Triway Enterprises eventually went away.

“It’s democracy at its best, isn’t it? This should give everyone hope that the impossible is possible,” said Bonnie Jacobs of Friends of the Waterfront, after the January 5, 2010 meeting.

Strub Makes Amends and Looks Forward

Strub’s campaign is being managed by a local agency, the Percival Consulting Group, which includes Joe Hyer and Danielle Westbrook.

Hyer was on the council at the same time as Strub, and was part of the effort to oust her from the council. Later, Hyer had his own issues to deal with, and resigned in early 2010. He was replaced by Steve Langer.

Although Strub did not leave the council as friends with Hyer, the two have worked on personal reconciliation issues, and Hyer recently accepted Strub as a client because he considers her to be a viable candidate.

 

The position of Washington State Representative for the 22nd District, Position #2 is being sought by candidates Beth Doglio and Dylan Carlson, who both announced their intentions in October 2015. Strub said she picked state representative position #1 because she likes Doglio and Carlson very much.

“They have both been involved in community organizing a very long time and for causes I support.” When asked, Strub said she has endorsed Carlson because he was her campaign manager the first time she ran for city council.

Westbrook serves as treasurer for Doglio’s campaign, while Hyer is Carlson’s campaign treasurer.

Doglio has amassed a long list of endorsers and nearly $37,000 in the bank. Carlson has not yet listed endorsers on his website, and has nearly $18,000, according to the PDC. The position is being vacated by Representative Sam Hunt, who is pursuing the Senate position currently held by Senator Karen Fraser, who is pursuing the position of Lieutenant Governor.

At the close of our interview, Strub acknowledged, “I am well aware of my history. Clearly there’s been tension. My ability to move through that is an important part of whether or not I will make a good public servant.”

The issues about the isthmus, Triway Enterprises, and the proposed rezone is well documented by Little Hollywood, starting in 2009. To read more about the history of the isthmus area, the proposed height rezone, Triway Enterprises, and some of Strub’s involvement, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and use the search button to type in key words.

Editor's Note: Corrections to position numbers were made shortly after posting this article.

Work, Laughs, and Tears: 2016 Olympia City Council Retreat in Review

Above, left to right: Olympia city councilmembers Jeannine Roe, Nathaniel Jones, Jessica Bateman and Jim Cooper work in small groups at their council retreat this past weekend.

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Seven Olympia councilmembers have chosen to take on the challenge of establishing policies for just over 51,000 residents of Washington State’s capital city.

With a 2016 annual operating budget of about $129 million, and a 2016 – 2021 Capital Facilities Plan that features about $133 million in projects, Olympia councilmembers juggle a hefty workload. 

Their collective responsibilities include attendance at weekly council meetings, bi-weekly study sessions, and service on 16 intergovernmental committees, 10 city advisory committees, three council committees, and other committees and meetings as needed. The city calls it a part-time job that takes 15-20 hours a week, but in reality, it takes much, much more to do it right.

A retreat is an opportunity to get to know each other better, but there is a delicate balance: if councilmembers develop a “groupthink” mentality, don't question staff or consultant assumptions, understand the issues, or work well together for the common good, the results can be stressful and unproductive for them and the public.

Worse, such a dynamic can lead to the creation of policies, ordinances and actions that can be downright harmful to residents, the environment, or local economic success.

So, with two new councilmembers, Jessica Bateman, who was elected, and Clark Gilman, who was appointed last Monday, and Councilmember Cheryl Selby in her new role as mayor, the council spent time solidifying their responsibilities at their annual retreat this weekend in a Port of Olympia meeting room near the Olympia Farmer's Market. 

No blood or sweat, but there were plenty of laughs and yes, there were tears.  

In terms of longevity on the council, Councilmember Jeannine Roe, first elected in 2009, has participated in 15 retreats, including mid-year retreats, while Councilmember Jim Cooper, as the second runner up, has participated in a total of nine retreats. Both strongly agree that there was cohesiveness in the group that has never before been seen during their tenure.

Longtime city manager Steve Hall agreed, saying that in the 45-50 council retreats he has attended, he has never seen a more collaborative, open attitude among councilmembers.

The group explored their core values, discussed 2016 council goals, divided up council committee and intergovernmental assignments, and dreamed big. It was serious work that involved some new ways of thinking.

Above: City of Olympia staff members Rich Hoey, director of public works, Mark Barber, city attorney, and Susan Grisham, executive secretary to the council, work on their Three Big Wishes for the City of Olympia.

Looking Forward to 2016

Councilmembers discussed several city challenges in 2015: the officer involved shooting of two African American men, finding new ways to engage the community and better ways to use city advisory board member’s time, city staffing changes, and issues around homelessness.

For accomplishments, councilmembers mentioned the hiring of an economic development director, passage of the Metropolitan Parks District initiative, movement on strategies for downtown revitalization, the election of new mayor, budget completion and work toward sustainability, creation of the Ad Hoc Committee on Police and Community Relations, and the transformation of the old Sears/state office building on the corner of Franklin Street and Legion Way into businesses and housing.

Besides ongoing projects, councilmembers will adopt the 2016 Parks, Arts, and Recreation Plan and implement the Metropolitan Parks District initiative while tackling a whole host of community priorities that fall under the categories of downtown, the economy, the environment, neighborhoods, and community, safety and health.

Leonard Bauer, city deputy director for community planning and development, provided a brief report on those priorities and programs and how they directly relate to the Comprehensive Plan, its action plans, and major planning projects in progress.

Using new user friendly informational graphics and data on the city's website, Bauer showed councilmembers how Olympia residents will soon be able to better track their area of interest, such as urban forestry, police body cameras, sea-level rise, public restrooms, parking and downtown strategies, West Bay habitat efforts, neighborhood pathway projects, and more.

To better communicate with the community, the council also discussed the creation of a city annual report that the city would insert into utility bills.

Creating a ‘Gracious Space’

For its retreat, the Olympia city council used the facilitation services of The Center for Ethical Leadership, a Seattle based nonprofit organization. The Center provides philosophies and tools for helping communities and specific groups such as cities, businesses, schools and individuals work through difficult issues.

With the help of materials from the Center, trained facilitator Diane Altman-Dautoff helped councilmembers move forward to create what the Center calls a “gracious space,” for working together. This concept was embodied in the phrase, “A spirit and setting where we invite the stranger and learn in public.” 

Wrapping their heads around this new way of thinking, councilmembers discussed the phrase, and how it feels for them, for example, during council meetings at public comment time, to hear emotional pleas and requests, and not being able to respond or have a conversation with the speaker. They also discussed what it must feel like to be the speaker making those requests, or expressing those concerns.

That unsatisfactory dynamic set up the groundwork for discussing how the city can set up meetings to be more welcoming.

Asked by the facilitator to name a meeting they have attended where they felt welcomed, councilmembers mentioned the Ad Hoc Committee on Police and Community Relations forum at Risen Faith Fellowship, at their homeowner’s association meetings, at board meetings of Garden Raised Bounty (GRuB), and at a recent wedding.

One noted common thread was the presence of food, which led to the free-thinking suggestion of the possibility of coffee and cookies at council meetings and having councilmembers greet the public as they come into the council chambers.

Still focusing on the phrase, “A spirit and setting where we invite the stranger and learn in public,” councilmembers, staff, and others present held moving, small group discussions about implicit bias after watching a brief, powerful Tedx talk by Verna Myers, filmed in November 2014. 

Questions such as, “What happened when you first experienced a difference between you and others, related to your racial or ethnic background?” brought up a wide range of experiences, thoughts, and emotions of being discriminated against, based on a whole host of reasons.

Finally, during a ‘Three Wishes’ dream-big exercise, councilmembers, staff and others present were invited to individually write down three things they would wish for, for the success and well-being of the city.

Those thoughts were then shared with another person, merging the six wishes into three. Then, with another pair of participants, the six wishes were merged into three. After all the wishes of 19 individuals were reported and posted, the group chose two, relatively quickly, about which they felt most strongly:

One: “Everyone has a home that is safe and affordable,” and two, “A thriving downtown economy with no empty buildings, ample parking, sea level rise solved, dirty soils cleaned, seismic risk gone, and transportation solved.”

Sometimes, great ideas emerge out of “crazy” dreams.

For more information about The Center for Ethical Leadership, go to www.ethicalleadership.org

To see the November 2014 Tedx talk about implicit bias by Verna Myers, go to: https://www.ted.com/talks/verna_myers_how_to_overcome_our_biases

For more information about the City of Olympia, go to www.olympiawa.gov

 Above: Renee Sunde, City of Olympia economic development director, and Olympia councilmember Clark Gilman collaborate at this past weekend's council retreat.

Editor's Note: An original version of this article stated that Councilmember Jeannine Roe was first elected in 2006. She was first elected in 2009.

Clark Gilman Appointed Olympia City Councilmember

Above: Clark Gilman, left, greets Doug DeForest after Gilman was chosen Monday night by the Olympia City Council to be appointed to the council. He replaces Cheryl Selby, who won the mayor's seat in November. Gilman will be sworn in at Tuesday night's council meeting and serve out the remainder of Selby's term. 

By Janine Gates 

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Westside Olympia resident Clark Gilman was chosen Monday night out of eight candidates who applied for appointment to the Olympia City Council, Position #4. 

The position became vacant when Councilmember Cheryl Selby won her election and was sworn in as mayor.  

Gilman will serve for approximately 23 months, until the November 2017 general election results are certified and will be sworn in at Tuesday night’s Olympia City Council meeting.

Gilman is a grantwriting and organizational development consultant for a local company, and a special education paraeducator for North Thurston High School in Lacey. 

Prior to that, he worked as a manager for the Harvesting Clean Energy program for Climate Solutions and co-founded a residential carpenters union local in 1996.

“I am a person who can work hard as part of a group and live with the decisions of the group. A career as an elected local leader and a regional staff person for the Carpenters Union offered me a great deal of practical experience in this area….As a regional leader of the Union, I would often represent the organizations’ position on contentious issues to diverse interest groups and use my position to work towards resolution of those difficult issues,” Gilman said in his application to the city.

Above: Eight candidates applied for the appointment to the Olympia city council. Left to right: Dr. Karen Johnson, Paul Masiello, Allen Miller, Marco Rosaire Rossi, Max Brown, Clark Gilman, Chase Gallagher, and Peter Tassoni. The interviews were open to the public, and taped for replay on Thurston Community Television (TCTV). 

Councilmembers took turns asking questions of the group of eight, in two groups of four. Candidates had two minutes to answer each question. After the interviews, councilmembers voted for three candidate choices. Although the council unanimously chose Gilman as a choice in its first round, they chose to do a second round, asking the top four vote getters an additional four questions. 

In the first round, Gilman received six votes, Johnson received four votes, and Brown and Gallagher each received three votes. In the end, allowed one vote, five councilmembers voted for Gilman. Councilmember Jeannine Roe chose Max Brown.

Jimmy Haun, political director of the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters which covers six western states, came down from Seattle to attend the interviews and lend moral support to Gilman. He expressed full confidence in Gilman’s abilities to be a councilmember for the city.

“Clark has been an advocate for carpenters working in the residential construction market for many years. In most cases, carpenters who are not represented by a union are not aware of their rights and are victims of payroll fraud. Many of these workers are Latino and are not familiar with how overtime works or how much they should be getting paid on prevailing wage projects. Some are misclassified as "independent contractors" by their employers who avoid paying Labor and Industries premiums and payroll taxes. Clark worked to help educate these workers so they were able to collect the wages that they were duly owed. He also help found a residential carpenters local, and a vast majority of their members are Latino,” said Haun.

For the City of Olympia, Gilman is chair of the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, which he said allowed him to have a closer look at the work of the council.

“As chair of the BPAC my focus has been on taking care of the committee members and the process. I have worked hard to make sure that every voice is heard and that our decisions reach consensus as often as possible. With support from Council we have moved forward with modestly funded innovative initiatives that kept the bicycling and walking agenda in action through the leanest of city budgets,” Gilman said in his application.

During the interview, Gilman said he feels blessed to have developed broad constituencies and relationships with shop owners downtown, neighbors on the westside, colleagues he works with, and people he has represented as a union representative.

 

“…I take very seriously the trustee role of overseeing a municipal corporation.  I see that as a responsibility and as a call to look at the best interests of the community, putting aside some of those particular issues and constituencies dear and closest to my heart….

“I generally feel really good and excited about where Olympia is at right now today…I am very proud of the work that the city staff’s been doing…so I don’t have any hesitation in putting my energy toward the agenda the council has right now and trying to push implementation of the good work of the staff,” said Gilman.

Gilman did gently suggest that the council has gradually shifted its attention over the years from overseeing the big policy picture to spending too much time on details about programs that the city implements such as the comprehensive plan and downtown strategies.

When asked by Councilmember Jim Cooper, in a hypothetical scenario, how he would pick one parks related project, have five million dollars to spend, and build community consensus around it, Gilman said that if the purchase of the LBA Woods was already accomplished, he would be responsive to and satisfy the community need for a dog park.

Gilman said he lives near Sunrise Park and was part of a group that had concerns about the dog park in that area. The park inadvertently became a regional magnet for pent-up city-wide off-leash dog park needs and was disruptive to nearby neighbors.

As a result of those concerns, he said he spent about a year working with a parks and recreation subcommittee to try and find another location, and spent days riding around with city staff to look for appropriate land with buffers that would not adversely impact neighbors.

“I think it would be such a different ride if I had that check in my hand,” Gilman said, eliciting laughter from councilmembers and the audience.

Without the benefit of running a recent campaign and hearing first hand from voters what is on their minds, Gilman was asked by Councilmember Bateman what he thought were the top three issues most important to the community members. He responded: the use of the Parks and Pathways fund and lack of land acquisition; safety, particularly since the officer involved shooting of two African American men in May; and the condition of downtown sidewalks.

When asked by Councilmember Jeannine Roe who he would choose to be the next councilmember if the councilmembers didn’t choose him, Gilman said Dr. Karen Johnson, saying that she was eloquent, gracious, and would be an asset in the process of group dynamics.  In answer to the same question, three other candidates also mentioned Johnson, who received the most votes of confidence by interviewees.

Mayor Cheryl Selby and councilmembers thanked all the candidates for their knowledge, ideas, and passion, and welcomed them all to stay involved in city issues. The meeting was Cheryl Selby’s first as mayor, and Jessica Bateman’s first as a councilmember. 

Above: Jimmy Haun, political director for the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, greets Dr. Karen Johnson, during a break Monday night of the interviews for Olympia city council. Johnson received four votes of confidence from other applicants when asked who they would chose for the seat, other than themselves.

Nature at McLane Creek

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Above: Just before snow turned the South Sound into a winter wonderland on Sunday afternoon, a bald eagle kept a watchful eye at the McLane Creek Nature Trail. The short, one mile, family friendly walk off Delphi Road on Olympia’s westside is popular in all seasons. 

The McLane Creek Nature Trail on the eastern edge of the Capitol State Forest features a peaceful, up close look at beaver ponds and wetlands, ducks, frogs, newts, red-winged blackbirds, eagles, berry-eating cedar waxwings in the summer, and spectacular salmon spawning in the creek in fall. 

Above: McLane Creek pond scene. 

Although there are flat, wooden boardwalks and viewing platforms in several places, the trail is not technically wheelchair accessible. The trail is managed by the state Department of Natural Resources.

Above: Ice crystals on cattail fronds at McLane Creek.

Happy New Year 2016!

On December 18, 2015, President Obama signed into law H.R. 2270, the “Billy Frank Jr. Tell Your Story Act,” which redesignates the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge as the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.

Olympia Heron Preservation Group Becomes Land Trust

Above: With the donation of two land parcels on Olympia’s westside by Alicia Elliott, the Olympia Coalition for Ecosystems Preservation (OlyEcoSystems) organization is now applying for certification as a land trust. The Pacific Great Blue Heron makes nests in these trees during the breeding season of February through August and visit at other times. The nests, seen here, make the trees look like the Truffula trees in the Dr. Seuss book, The Lorax. Daniel Einstein, chair of OlyEcoSystems provided Little Hollywood a tour of the property on Wednesday. 

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The powerful story of a few dedicated community members with the Olympia Coalition for EcoSystems Preservation (OlyEcoSystems), a group on a mission to save and restore a local heron rookery on Olympia’s westside, continues to unfold.

Alicia Elliott, Olympia, recently donated to the group two parcels, totaling 4.7 acres, that she acquired last year to protect Olympia's lone colony of Pacific Great Blue Heron. 

With her donation, made in early December, OlyEcoSystems announced this week that it is becoming a land trust, thus protecting the woods in perpetuity. Elliott is a board member of the group.

The rookery parcel is about 1.9 acres, and the adjoining parcel, which will act as a buffer for the rookery, is about 2.8 acres.

In two years’ time, when the group is eligible to do so, it will apply for certification from the Land Trust Alliance, said Daniel Einstein, chair of OlyEcoSystems, on Wednesday as he gave Little Hollywood a tour of the property.

“Certification is going to be good for us…it will hopefully invite more donors, and we can turn those donations into land transactions. To be eligible for certification, we need to hold two or more parcels for two years,” said Einstein.

Land trusts enhance the economic, environmental and social values of their communities, and the support of the Land Trust Alliance will be crucial to the local organization for fundraising, legal support, and other benefits.

Founded in 1982, the Washington D.C. based Land Trust Alliance represents more than 1,100 member land trusts nationwide.

According to a 2010 survey by the Alliance, Washington State has 37 state and local land trusts, owning a combined 32,852 acres. The Alliance will conduct another survey in early January, the results of which will be available in Fall of 2016.

Above: Daniel Einstein today on the property adjacent to the rookery near Dickinson Avenue on Olympia’s westside. The property provides a critical buffer habitat in an urban setting for Pacific Great Blue Herons, and is also home to Cooper’s hawks, peregrine falcons, coyotes, red fox, deer, and many small mammals and reptiles.

Grants Focus on Restoration, Water Quality

Rounding out a successful year for the group, mature alders on the rookery property are now freed of 100,000 tons of ivy, thanks to teams of volunteers at regular work parties, who have also replanted the area with ferns, Oregon grape, and vine maple. 

The property also used to be a holly farm, and about 40 mature holly trees have been taken out because it too is an invasive species.

“The holly trunks are so big, it looks like we’re logging, but we’re not….It’s going to take some years to get it where we want it, but it’s really important to get it out now,”  said Einstein.

With a $10,000 grant from the Rose Foundation, they will be putting in 5,000 additional plants on the property.

Einstein pointed out the direct, stunning view of Mt. Rainier and explained that the group will be placing a picnic table and benches here for the public.

Einstein said the organization is also looking forward to creating a rain garden and planting 2,000 Pacific Willows and vine maples around it that will line rock-lined swales for untreated stormwater from Dickinson and Hays Avenues.

“In our neighborhood, all stormwater goes into Budd Inlet. None of it goes to LOTT - not a drop…most of it just runs off through the woods, or is dumped there by the city through a pipe. The woods act as a filter for the whole system as it moves through to Budd Inlet…. so our grants focus on water quality,” said Einstein.

The LOTT Clean Water Alliance is the regional wastewater system comprised of the cities of Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater, and Thurston County.

Besides stormwater issues, legacy dioxins from Olympia’s industrial past are known factors along West Bay Drive. The OlyEcoSystems property is directly upland of the former Reliable Steel on Budd Inlet, and property owned by local architect Glenn Wells. 

Einstein says that for now, the organization is focused on restoring and maintaining what it has, but if purchased by the group, the Wells property could provide neighborhood connectivity to and from West Bay Drive. Wells is asking a price that is double its assessed value of $100,000, says Einstein.

OlyEcoSystems currently pays about $1,500 in property taxes on the rookery parcel and received a conservation easement on it from Thurston County. 

“We were able to get that because of the heron’s nests. That reduced our property tax by 70 percent on this parcel. We could have gotten more of a property tax reduction, but we don’t allow year round public access because of the rookery….If it were a city owned property, there would be no way to close it, so that’s one reason we prefer to hold onto the property ourselves,” said Einstein.

Herons are sensitive to disruptions, and their breeding season starts in February and runs through August. The public is not allowed at the site during those months. The site has been used by herons for about 35 years, and thirty herons came back this past February during the breeding season. The herons also visit in the off breeding season.

“This year, they spent two to three months here, then were chased away by eagles to a location about 800 feet south of here. They were chased again and ultimately ended up on the other side of the inlet….that site is also part of their memory. They move around as needed based on safety and other reasons," said Einstein.

The OlyEcoSystems group has a solid vision and plan to continue their environmental efforts, with the community's help, for years to come.

“As we transition to a land trust, we also intend to remain a forceful advocate for habitat and water quality in our urban core,” said Einstein.

“The idea is that we need to preserve these trees and create a habitat for the herons that gives them flexibility to adapt, particularly as we change their landscape as we become more urbanized. That's why we don’t just want these two parcels, we want as much of the woods as we can get. We’d love to buy the woods on the other side (of the inlet), and work on the shoreline, where they can forage….There’s a connection between the fish and the birds….”

January Work Party

On Saturday, January 2nd, 2016, from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., volunteers will be clearing ivy from the trees on the parcel in back of Hays Avenue, and clearing ivy off the remaining flat areas on the parcel at the east end of Dickinson Avenue NW. What to bring: gloves, a rain coat, hand saws, chain saws and clippers.

February Fundraiser

The OlyEcoSystems annual fundraiser will be on February 27th at 7:00 p.m. at the Abigail Stuart House (Women's Club), 1002 Washington St. SE, in downtown Olympia. There will be live music, refreshments, beverages, and a silent auction of works by Olympia artists. The event is open to the public. The group says that even if you cannot make a donation,“come and celebrate another year of successful advocacy for our environment.”

Above:  Olympia's westside as seen from the Fourth Avenue bridge today. The rookery is directly upland of the Reliable Steel site located on Budd Inlet at 1218 West Bay Drive, as illustrated by the vacant metal warehouse on the right. The site was originally developed as a lumber mill. From 1941-2009, the site was used for boat building, steel fabrication, and welding. From 2010 - 2013, the former owner and the Washington State Department of Ecology investigated the site and found contaminants above state cleanup levels. In 2014, Ecology held a public comment period on a draft partial cleanup plan for the site. Under the plan, Ecology will clean up some contaminated upland areas of the site.

OlyEcoSystems is committed to environmentally restoring its 4. 7 acre property, but also has other goals related to improving the water quality and health of Budd Inlet. “…The time is now. OlyEcoSystems is dedicated to affecting public policy and educating the community, but there is no ignoring the fact that our window of opportunity is closing.” – OlyEcoSystems website.

Past articles about Alicia Elliott, the rookery, and OlyEcoSystems can be found at Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, by typing key words into the search engine.

For more information about the Olympia Coalition for EcoSystems Preservation, go to its website, www.OlyEcoSystems.org.

Olympia City Council Vacancy Attracts Eight Candidates

Councilmember Nathaniel Jones to Stay on Council

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Eight candidates have applied for the appointment to Olympia City Council, Position #4, which will be vacant January 1 due to the election of Cheryl Selby as Mayor. The deadline to apply for the position was December 14.

 

The applications are now posted on the city website at http://olympiawa.gov/city-government/city-council-and-mayor/council-vacancy.aspx

The candidates are Max Brown, Chase Gallagher, Clark Gilman, Karen Johnson, Paul Masiello, Allen Miller, Marco Rossi, and Peter Tassoni.

The person who is appointed will serve for approximately 23 months, until the November 2017 General Election results are certified.

Interviews will be held at 5:30 p.m. on January 4, 2016, and January 6, 2016, if needed, in the Olympia City Council Chambers, 601 4th Avenue East. The sessions will be open for public viewing and taped for replay on Thurston Community Television (TCTV).

After completing the initial interviews, the city council will decide the next steps in the process, such as whether to select an individual that evening, develop a short list of applicants for a second round of interviews or solicit additional applicants.

The city council has up to 90 days to make a selection. If a selection is not made within 90 days, the decision rests with the county board of commissioners per RCW 42.12.070.

The council intends, however, to appoint someone in time to participate as a member at the council’s annual goal setting retreat on January 8-9, 2016.

Jones Decides to Stay on Council

In an open letter provided to Little Hollywood on Monday, Olympia city councilmember Nathaniel Jones announced his intention to stay on the council, and not seek the state House of Representatives for the 22nd District.

“The enthusiastic support I have received from all corners of the district has been extraordinary.  I have been moved by the trust placed in me to represent the needs and the values of our community and our state,” says Jones in his letter.

“…I am not disappointed in my decision to stay with the City Council; this is not a concession, rather, the Council provides the best fit for me at this time.  I am excited about serving the City and I am convinced that this is the place where I can be the most effective.

“It was only a month ago that Olympia voters reelected me to the City Council.  These next four years present unique challenges for our community. The South Sound region is making a meaningful comeback from the Great Recession.  Olympia and its partners are at the heart of it all.  Rebuilding our economy and our community requires local leaders and an understanding of how this region works.

“…As we enter 2016 and the presidential campaign year, there are many local races and issues which need your attention.  Public policy issues affecting our community are at a cross-road; our education system depends on upon unreliable local districts across the state to meet basic needs, our energy systems are not evolving fast enough to overcome the negatives of fossil fuel dependence, our regressive tax structure does not reflect our intent, and both economic development and social equity lag.  Yet there is good news.  We know how to fix these issues; they can be addressed within our existing systems.  All we need is people who are willing to get involved and get creative.  We can affect the outcome of critical policy issues,” said Jones.