Unhealthy Air Quality in South Puget Sound

Above: In a photo taken from Madison Scenic Park, the Washington State Capitol Building in Olympia is barely visible through the smoke Wednesday morning. 

Unhealthy air quality throughout South Puget Sound is making many people feel dizzy, head-achy, and short of breath this week. 

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Dizzy and head-achy? If you woke up Tuesday morning in South Sound feeling like you were experiencing a lingering weekend hangover, you were not alone. 

For many, those symptoms, along with a shortness of breath, were related to poor air quality. The conditions that adversely affect public health continued on Wednesday.

According to the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA), which serves Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Mason, Pacific, and Thurston counties, air quality reached unhealthy levels due to wildfire smoke around the state and Canada.

ORCAA monitors air quality stations in Aberdeen, Cheeka Peak in Clallam County, Lacey, Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Shelton, South Bend and Yelm.

At 11:00 a.m., the Washington Air Quality Advisory (WAQA) level reached 191 in Lacey. According to a chart legend, a range of 151 – 200 is considered unhealthy. A range between 201 -300 is considered very unhealthy.  

Yelm registered a level of 44, within the “good” air quality range of 0-50.

By 4:00 p.m., the WAQA reading for Lacey was 155.

The Washington State Department of Ecology created the Washington Air Quality Advisory (WAQA) information tool to advise the public about air quality levels. It advises the public on measurements of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particle pollution and fine particles and sulfur dioxide.

The data is collected and reported to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The WAQA bases its advice about air quality on lower levels of fine particles than the Environmental Protection Agency's national information tool, the Air Quality Index (AQI). Both use color-coded categories ranging from good to hazardous.

Studies show that certain levels of particles such as smoke and dust in the air can cause illness and death.

For more air quality information, go to: https://ecology.wa.gov/Research-Data/Monitoring-assessment/Washington-Air-Quality-Advisory  or https://www.orcaa.org/air-quality/current-air-quality/

Just Housing, Homeless Camp Residents Organize

Above: Michelle, a former medical assistant, lives at the Nickerson encampment for the houseless off Eastside Street in Olympia. She has gastroparesis, a digestive system disorder, and other chronic illnesses. 

By Invitation, Little Hollywood Visits Nickerson Camp

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

“I had two closets full of shoes!” Michelle laughed, but then paused. “It almost makes me want to cry,” she added.

Michelle, a former medical assistant, has lived at the Nickerson homeless encampment, a wooded, 2.5-acre property located on Wheeler Avenue off Eastside Street in Olympia, for about three months.

She has always worked, and is waiting for her Social Security disability benefits to start.

From Pierce County, Michelle became homeless after a divorce, but says she is healthier now in spirit than she was while married.

Her decline into chronic illness began after colon surgery in August, 2014. She has gastroparesis, a digestive disorder in which the stomach cannot empty itself of food in a normal fashion.

Then she suffered her first heart attack in July, 2015.

She needs regular colostomy supplies but has no address for them to be delivered. Instead, she uses sanitary pads as a heavy duty, makeshift bandage for her stomach so she doesn’t soil herself. She is in pain, which perpetuates vomiting.

“I’m used to being the one who takes care of others, but I’m resourceful,” she says. “I grew up on a farm in Lewis County.” 

Michelle is just one of nine residents at the Nickerson Camp who has a story, illustrating how easy it is to slip into a life of homelessness and lose access to the everyday conveniences of modern life.

Above: A meal of ravioli at the Nickerson Camp.

Nickerson Camp History

The city recently bought the Nickerson encampment area for use as a future park.

Camp residents were served a 72 hour notice of eviction on July 12. The area has been a homeless encampment for many years, but this was the first time this specific property had been served with such a notice.

Last month, Olympia city council members put off the eviction until further notice.

It was the same evening the council declared homelessness a public health emergency and the optics didn’t look good to take action on both actions on the same night.

Then, on July 24, the city announced the proposed locations of two city sanctioned sites for the homeless. A council finance committee met July 31 to discuss financing options for those sites and other homeless response efforts.

Councilmembers will hold a study session on August 21 to discuss those financing options, which include current operating and capital budget monies, and the possible use of Home Fund sales tax dollars, parks funds, and emergency reserves from the city’s operating budget.

City manager Steve Hall says the Nickerson site is not an ideal site for a permanent camp due to the environmental sensitivity of the area. In reality, hundreds of Olympia residents are living in wooded areas around Thurston County and all of them are environmentally sensitive.

Residents of the Nickerson Camp are interested in being part of the solution.

Prior to the eviction notice being served, they had collected numerous bags of trash to take off the property. The bags have been removed by members of Just Housing, an all volunteer advocacy organization, without the assistance of the city. 

With boots-on-the-ground, the group works directly with the homeless on daily and long-term solutions to local homelessness issues and urges councilmembers to adopt realistic, cost-effective approaches to managing the city’s unhoused residents.

Above: Tye Gundel of Just Housing takes a call while sitting at the Woodland Trail trailhead near the Nickerson Camp. 

Tye Gundel of Just Housing visits the Nickerson camp and other homeless encampments several times a week. She not only listens to residents, she washes their laundry at laundromats, brings needed supplies, and facilitates communication among residents, councilmembers, the faith community, and other community social service providers.

“City staff and councilmembers are gradually taking steps to embrace some of our ideas,” Gundel said diplomatically this week.

Gundel has suggested numerous goals, policies and procedures regarding local homelessness since the group started its work advocating for open 24/7 restrooms in November 2016.

Recently, the group created several half-inch binders, one for each city councilmember and some for staff, chock full of solid local research and practical strategies. Gundel gave them to councilmembers prior to their July 24 study session on homelessness.

For example, Just Housing provides suggestions for regulating camping rather than imposing an outright ban.

One approach includes a “shelter-in-place” plan to working with existing encampments, in addition to the creation of alternative legal and safe encampments, like the two recently proposed emergency housing locations.

People will camp even if it is banned, because some people have no other choice, says Gundel.

The study session fell flat, as Just Housing and other community social service providers were not offered a seat at the table and the material did not appear to be used.

Now, as the days inch toward cold weather months, councilmembers are increasingly interested in making sure community partners and social service providers are included in future conversations.

In the meantime, Gundel will continue her efforts.

“I have had some great meetings with folks about structure and organizing the camp. 

We are also continuing to look for a partner for a camp. So far, two churches are interested. Our next step is to arrange a meeting with some representatives from the churches, the city, the camp, and some of our folks to go through more of the details of how we should move forward,” said Gundel this week.

Nickerson Camp Residents Speak to Little Hollywood

Above: Micky Nelson, 34, a resident of the Nickerson Camp, has twice addressed Olympia city council members during public comment time, and has ideas for organizing the camp.

Little Hollywood visited the Nickerson Camp property, by invitation, with Gundel in late July and last week.

Many residents of homeless encampments do not want to or cannot live in an enclosed shelter or camp-like environment.

Mickey Nelson, 34, moved from Texas to Washington State in 2009. He and his girlfriend, Jackie Taylor, 39, have lived at the Nickerson Camp since January, making them the longest, consecutive resident campers on the property.

Nelson is a jack-of-all-trades and has worked in construction, remodeling, steel fabrication, welding, auto body, detailing, lawn care, dog services, and cook.

Nelson has back issues which began with a motorcycle accident, then a car accident, in which he was a passenger, three months later. He is on state disability and is reapplying for Social Security. He says he has a long standing mental health history and is a participant of Capital Recovery Center programs. 

Capital Recovery Center is a community nonprofit, peer-supported agency that has special programs such as Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH), a point of contact for adults experiencing homelessness who also suffer from mental illness.

Nelson says the camp is on good terms with its housed neighbors, and one neighbor brought them trash bags. He credits Taylor for cleaning up the camp, almost single-handedly. Trash is gradually taken off the property by individuals with Just Housing, without the assistance of the city.

“Evicting us off the property would push us back into downtown, or on other city property,” he said. “Since we have been here, foot traffic and noise has gone down. It’s a safe place for the sick, youth, pregnant women, and domestic violence victims.

“We are looking to be a camp that has a positive impact on society. Not all of us have the desire to live indoors because we’ve been homeless for so long. We have to do the best we can with the best we have.”

Nelson hopes to start a nonprofit whose mission it would be to purchase property for homeless people to camp on and use as a safe place.

He is co-director of InReach, an organization organized by the homeless community. In collaboration with James Joy of The Jungle, Olympia’s largest homeless encampment of about 200 residents, Nelson is creating a practical survival guide for the houseless. The guide would be updated every six months.

“I’ve done so many bad things in my life as a kid. Doing this is my way of atoning for the people I can’t ask forgiveness from, for whatever reason. I’m making it up to the universe,” he said. Nelson has an eight year old son and a 21 year old cousin living elsewhere.

“I want this world to be better than mine was,” he said.

Jackie Taylor, sitting nearby, was born and raised in Olympia, and patiently waited to tell her story. 

To relieve her stress and anxiety, she likes to bicycle at night.

“I don’t do daytime. I can’t be around traffic and people,” she says.

She says the state department of social and health services provides outdated information, such as telling women who are homeless to go to Bread and Roses, a former shelter for women that has been closed for years.

It is her goal to create a donation supply drop off center at the Nickerson Camp, similar to the one at The Jungle.

She also wants a more organized camp. All the area camps are currently self-managed through peer-support but Taylor wants the city’s support in establishing a resident list and process for approving people as new residents.

Taylor brainstormed a Nickerson resident code of conduct and her wish list for the camp: it must be clean and sober, no theft, no bullying, and no violence. She would appreciate it if the city would provide the camp a small dumpster and a porta-potty with a sink.

“This is my safe haven – a small community where people follow the rules and help out. I don’t want the city to spend a lot of money,” said Taylor.

Taylor says the Just Housing organization has been supportive of their work. “You couldn’t ask for anyone better,” she said.

Little Hollywood often writes about homelessness issues, and unsheltered, street dependent individuals. For more information about these issues, go to Little Hollywood and use the search button to type in key words.

Independent, local journalism takes time. If you appreciate community journalism and photojournalism, please consider a donation to Little Hollywood. A PayPal donation link is located on the sidebar of Little Hollywood’s main page at www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com. Other ways to donate are also available. Thank you!

County Prosecutor Tunheim Defends Career, Successes

Above: Thurston County Prosecutor Jon Tunheim speaks at his campaign kick-off party held May 14 at St. Martin’s University in Lacey.

County Prosecutor Has Challenger in Reelection Campaign

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

“I was a soldier in the War on Drugs,” said Thurston County Prosecutor Jon Tunheim, speaking to a room of over 200 supporters at his campaign kick-off party held May 14 at St. Martin’s University in Lacey.

In his speech titled, “The Changing Notion of Justice,” Tunheim chronicled the role of prosecutors, the definition of justice, and changing attitudes toward issues of addiction and mental illness.

Defending his career in a campaign for re-election, Tunheim did not shy away from admitting his role as a tough prosecutor in the 1980s. He said he prosecuted criminals to the fullest extent of the law.

“The rhetoric was all about fighting the fight and winning the war. Justice for a prosecutor back then meant getting the conviction, getting that long sentence. Our performance was measured by conviction rates and sentence length….I tried a lot of cases and frankly, won most of them.”

Tunheim said he used to jokingly say that dismissal was not in his vocabulary.

Tunheim explained that while the crime rate has gone down, the national criminal justice system has become one without compassion and hope.

While some cases need a criminal justice resolution, Tunheim said, reform means changing the definition of a win, whether it means dismissing a case, getting someone into treatment or alternatives to correct issues, or not charging someone.

Citing reform effort successes, Tunheim mentioned the establishment of the Monarch Children’s Advocacy Center and the establishment of several alternative, therapeutic courts: drug, mental health, driving under the influence, and veteran’s court, the first such court in Washington State.

Tunheim touted Thurston County’s court programs as a model system and mentioned a new unit, called “First Look,” established to proactively identify cases that would be appropriate for diversion prior to charging.  He mentioned the creation of the Family Justice Center, construction of a new mental health triage unit, and a new case management protocol for felony cases.

“The new model of justice is smart on crime. Smart does not mean soft on crime….There is evil in this community…and prosecutors still need to be on the front line to protect the community from that evil,” he said.

While the crowd ate pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans and coleslaw, about 20 elected officials stood when recognized, as did about 12 deputy prosecuting attorneys. The other attorneys, Tunheim said, were doing their jobs, “keeping the community safe.”

In the end, Tunheim received a standing ovation.

The position of prosecuting attorney and the issues associated with it may not be on voters’ radar because current Thurston County prosecuting attorney Jon Tunheim has never had a challenger. Now he does.

Local attorney Victor Minjares, who is running on the issues of reform, respect, and justice, says there are serious issues with the criminal justice system in Thurston County.

Little Hollywood interviewed Minjares for an article posted May 3 at http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com/2018/05/minjares-makes-case-for-prosecuting.html

Tunheim first took office in 2010 and is running for his third term. Each term is four years. Before Tunheim, Ed Holm had been prosecutor for three terms, from 1999 to 2010 and did not run for reelection. Tunheim, who was chief criminal deputy prosecutor at the time, ran for the position and won, and won reelection in 2014.

Tunheim first joined the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office as a legal intern in 1988 and has won many awards for his community service.

Minjares and Tunheim are running as Democrats.

Coming Up Next: Little Hollywood recently interviewed Tunheim on themes mentioned at his campaign kickoff party and took a deep dive into a 2017 independent report about Thurston County Superior Court felony case flow and calendar management. Tunheim responds to the report, which is particularly harsh in its findings about the processes within the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. 

Above: Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney Jon Tunheim filled a room with supporters at his campaign kick-off party on May 14.

Editor’s Note/Clarifications, June 3: An edit was made to clarify that the treatment courts were established prior to Tunheim’s election as prosecuting attorney. An edit was also made to clarify that the Family Justice Center is not a jail program. It is a program that provides support and services to victims and survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. It is located in the Family Support Center of South Sound and is a partnership between the Prosecutor’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office, the County Clerk’s Office and the Family Support Center.

Dennis Mahar Remembered

Above: A talented and articulate master of ceremonies, Dennis Mahar prepares to introduce Robby Stern of Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA) at the Washington State Senior Citizens’ Lobby Fall Conference in October 2015 in Tacoma.

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

A determined advocate for all, Dennis Mahar will be remembered as someone who was a “go-to” guy, always going the extra mile for seniors, children, family, friends, co-workers, and dogs alike.

Hundreds were in attendance at a celebration of life for longtime community leader Dennis Mahar on Sunday afternoon at The Olympia Center in downtown Olympia.

Mahar, 63, the executive director of the Thurston Mason Lewis Area Agency on Aging, died of esophageal cancer on June 7.

Staying true to his well-known, meticulous attention to detail, Mahar organized his own service with friends and family.

In his own words, read by his friend Dale DeGabriele, Mahar asked that we “celebrate our lives together, make significant impact and pledge stronger engagement, do everything for the better, and always do what you know is right, based on what you know is wrong.”

Above: As Congressman Denny Heck holds the microphone, City of Lacey councilmember Virgil Clarkson remembers Dennis Mahar at the celebration of life for Mahar on Sunday. Heck, in his remarks, credited Mahar with pulling together the people needed to produce Washington State’s first ever written strategic plan for Alzheimer’s and other dementias. A culmination of numerous public and private partnerships, the recent report was developed by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.

The afternoon was filled with music, slides, poetry, and stories, as family, neighbors, friends and colleagues shared their memories and told numerous stories about Dennis’ passion for life and genuine love for others. 

Through laughter and tears, the words and phrases used to describe Mahar included tenacious, wise, patient, loyal, organized, humble, articulate, respectful, visionary, “encyclopedic” smart, a true change agent, the “ultimate friend,” a mentor, an outstanding role model “at the ground floor,” a “natural born leader who possessed unbelievable negotiating skills and was able to find compromise in any situation that required it,” a second father to many who was often present at sporting events, birthdays, and holidays, and “someone who cared about how you felt, and tried his best to be for everyone.”

A world traveler, music lover and dog lover, Mahar was also a loving husband to his wife Lorrie, for nearly 40 years. A community member since 1979, Mahar actively served in a variety of leadership capacities with the United Way of Thurston County, the Thurston County Food Bank, Leadership Thurston County, and more.

“He paid attention to virtually everything that was important…and he always wanted to help in the background, with the physical work, even loading up the truck for events,” said Jack Kiley, coordinator for the Washington State Senior Games.

Lois Sauvage, who served as a past member of the Area Agency on Aging Council, said she knew Mahar as a devoted husband and public servant, financial whiz, music lover, and baseball fan. 

“....He enjoyed service to others. His mind was a veritable operating system, always balancing, managing, and organizing. He could have managed any major corporation in the country, but to our benefit here in Thurston, Mason, and Lewis counties, he gave us the best leadership any citizen could ask for. Hats off to his moral integrity and boundless energy. I will miss him very much.”

Above: Dennis Mahar, in just one of his best elements, at the podium.

For more information about Dennis Mahar’s involvement and advocacy for senior rights and issues, read “Senior Group Examines Statewide Progress, Challenges,” written by Janine Gates in October 2015 at the Washington State Senior Citizens’ Lobby website, http://www.waseniorlobby.org/senior-group-examines-statewide-progress-challenges/  The article was also reproduced in the January 2016 issue of the Thurston-Mason Senior News, a publication of the Thurston County Council on Aging. 

Olympia Community Responds to City Sea Level Rise Report

Above: A high tide laps at the back door of Bayview Thriftway in downtown Olympia on December 18, 2015. Percival Landing is seen on the right. The tide was 16.2 feet at 10:13 a.m., just about the time this picture was taken.

Community Members Offer Sea Level Rise Comments, Solutions

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The underlying message by City of Olympia public works staff to city leaders last week, that sea level rise planning must become incorporated into responsible community conversations and downtown land use decisions, seemed to take councilmembers by surprise.

After all, the message was in conflict with the fact that the council has moved forward on multiple downtown development projects in precisely the area destined to be first impacted by sea level rise.

Disregarding past reports and persistent community voices, the city embraced the massive 123 4th Avenue housing project, and allocated $250,000 to form a downtown strategy. That money came from 2014 year end savings and is anticipated to be adopted at the end of 2016.

To encourage new development, the city recently hired an economic development director, and is hammering out a downtown Community Renewal Area (CRA) plan. Begun in 2013, the effort now needs $40,000 more to complete its work with its legal consultant. The city also approved $35,000 for developer Walker John and his company, Urban Olympia, to scope out a plan of work for the aptly named Water Street Redevelopment Area.

The total CRA budget revised for 2016: $342,500.

In an oral staff report provided to the city’s Community and Economic Revitalization Committee (CERC) on February 8, it was noted that the same developer is moving quickly in his efforts to develop the parcels owned by the Port of Olympia bordering State and Cherry Street, across from the Hands On Children’s Museum. Concept plans have already been drawn up by architect Ron Thomas.

As the council subcommittee bantered around their work plan goals, questioned whether or not a CRA is really needed given the fact that the economy is moving, and welcomed the planning of two developer roundtable discussions specific to the downtown strategy by the end of March, the words “sea level rise” were never spoken.

Above: Walking along Percival Landing near Sylvester Street on December 18, 2015, electrical boxes and lighting components behind the Oyster House are clearly submerged by Budd Inlet. The tide was 16.2 feet at the time this picture was taken. 

Community Efforts and Responses to Sea Level Rise Report

Given downtown Olympia’s proximity to Budd Inlet, the sheer amount of engineering that needs to occur to prepare downtown Olympia for climate change and sea level rise is almost unimaginable.

But some South Sounders have offered their expertise, thoughts, and solutions on the matter for years.

Following the sea level rise report delivered by staff to Olympia city council on February 9, community member and economist Jim Lazar issued a few ideas during public comment period.

“Aberdeen and Hoquiam require all new buildings in their downtown areas to mound up their building sites at least three feet. We can do that here. Some people have said that we will not abandon downtown. If that’s what you believe, start budgeting like you mean it. The engineered response to sea level rise will cost tens of millions of dollars.”

Saying he was the part owner of a downtown business, he requested that the council poll downtown business owners to see if they were willing to approve a two million per year local improvement district or diking district levy to start paying for this.

“…But if the owners of these buildings are not willing to invest what it will cost to protect their investment, maybe that tells us something. If asked…I would vote no unless there was some certainty that a long-term plan was in place, adequately funded, and likely to succeed. A reasonable plan would be to impose a development moratorium on the low-lying parts of downtown until a plan is perfected, and funding is assured,” said Lazar.

Community member Daniel Einstein immediately submitted a letter to councilmembers, taking issue with staff comments that without the dam, the lake would flood more frequently.

“An important question is, how do we translate those 2007 Capitol Lake Adaptive Management Plan (CLAMP) report findings ten years down the road when sea-level rise must now be considered inevitable? There is no perfect translation of course, but here are a few things to consider,” he wrote.

“First, as sea-level rises, the 5th Avenue dam will become inoperable. Tides will flow back into the basin no matter what we do. In other words, given the forecasts…the dam will not be relevant. Second, a lot has changed from a regulatory point of view since the dam was constructed. There is no way a new, higher dam would ever be permitted, even if it could be engineered.”

“An additional point to be considered is that the lake is filling up rapidly with sediment. As it does, its capacity to hold water decreases making flooding more likely. This was the Deschutes Estuary Feasibility Study’s (DEFS) conclusion. If the estuary were restored there would be more capacity for the rising sea - more room for the waters to flow.  As it is now, there is no depth in the “lake” and a dam plugging up the system. However, when the DEFS was done sea-level rise was a less thought of phenomenon….

“I do believe this is an issue that we should look into further as we decide what and where to protect and how to pay for it. It is also something to consider as we decide the future of the isthmus,” wrote Einstein.

Sue Patnude of the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team (DERT), a local nonprofit, also weighed in:

“....The lake is getting shallower and shallower, eliminating its capacity to hold water, and the dam is in disrepair. Constant repair and money will be needed to monitor the ability of the dam to function in the future. It is old, and should it fail in a closed position, flooding will be inevitable.”   

Patnude said the state Department of Enterprise Services (DES) has proposed $500,000 in its capital budget for routine inspections of the dam and upgrades to the service life of the facility within the resources provided. The dam was built in 1951.

Above: Roger Horn stands on Percival Landing near Bayview Market on December 18, 2015. The tide, at the time this picture was taken, was 16.2 feet. The high tide for December was 16.4 feet. Percival Landing was constructed in three phases in the 1970s and 1980s.

Upon hearing the report, Roger Horn, a former, longtime member of Olympia’s Planning Commission, became concerned about whether or not the 30 foot setback as stated in the city’s new Shoreline Master Plan is going to be enough for new construction.

“In terms of possible solutions, I’d prefer on-shore berms to bulkheads or seawalls….The first thing that came to my mind was the Percival Landing replacement project and how that project will address sea level rise since super high tides already come within inches of businesses at Fourth and Water Street,” he told Little Hollywood.

Phase two improvements for Percival Landing are slated for the area around Water Street and the Oyster House restaurant, near The Kiss statue. To ensure continued progress towards the replacement of Percival Landing, the city’s current capital facilities plan budgets $199,000 for design efforts, to be spent in 2016. Actual initiation of the project is not scheduled to occur for several years.

TCAT Survey Reveals Possible Local Solutions

Another non-profit, the Thurston Climate Action Team (TCAT), recognized the risk of sea level rise to the city, and inventoried greenhouse gas emissions in Thurston County and its cities.

Recently, TCAT led a detailed survey of attitudes within the county on energy and climate change and the willingness to address it financially.

One survey question asked, “If nothing is done to reduce global climate change, how serious of a problem do you think it will be for Thurston County—very serious, somewhat serious, not so serious, or not serious at all?”

Combining the “very serious” and “serious” responses, 76 percent of respondents believed there will be serious local consequences for not addressing climate change.

Respondents were asked about their willingness to personally contribute money for renewable energy and energy conservation projects and what kind of taxing mechanism they would prefer for financing those efforts. Dollar ranges were provided as options. 

Over 75 percent of respondents indicated they were willing to pay something to promote renewable energy and energy conservation, and a solid majority, nearly 69 percent, were willing to pay at least $10 per year.

Another surprising result was the number of people willing to pay over $60 per year. Among those willing to contribute, the highest number, nearly 22 percent, indicated they would pay over $120 per year. To generate those revenues, nearly 63 percent mentioned they would support a tax increase of some sort.

“This creates an opportunity for local governments (county, city, PUD, Port and others) to coordinate a county wide effort to encourage and incentivize the use of clean energy. A reasonable next step toward creating a county-wide clean energy program would be a collaborative design effort led by local government, completed in a relatively short period of time,” says the report.

The report was completed in September 2015 with financial support from Thurston County and LOTT Clean Water Alliance and faculty participation by The Evergreen State College, Saint Martin’s University, and South Puget Sound Community College.

Tom Crawford, vice president of TCAT, is leading the Climate and Clean Energy Work Group within Thurston Thrives. Thurston Thrives is the county Board of Health's initiative to engage the community in taking action to improve the health of Thurston County's population. The environment is one of the nine key areas. 

“These survey products become resources to form a solid foundation for local solutions,” said Graeme Sackrison, former mayor of Lacey and board chair of TCAT.

Upcoming:

For more information about the City of Olympia's Downtown Strategy, go to www.olympia.wa.gov/DTS. On Saturday, February 20, 2016, 9:30 a.m. - noon, at the Olympia Center, 222 Columbia Street NW, the city is sponsoring a workshop to evaluate downtown strategy proposals about the mix and areas of emphasis for downtown residential, retail, entertainment, and more. All this planning takes on a new meaning in light of the sea level rise report.

Community Discussion of Climate Crisis Actions, Sunday, February 21, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m, United Churches, Fireside Room, 11th Avenue SE, Olympia. The event is sponsored by the Olympia FOR Climate Crisis group, who welcomes new people to the movement to address climate change.

For more information about Thurston Thrives, go to www.thurstonthrives.org. Its next meeting is February 29, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00.p.m., Thurston County Courthouse. 

For more information about the Thurston Climate Action Team’s work, go to www.thurstonclimateaction.org.

For past stories about the City of Olympia's sea level rise report, Capitol Lake, high tide pictures in 2010 and 2012 around Percival Landing, the Community and Economic Revitalization Committee (CERC), and more, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, and type key words into the search button.