Olympia Port Budget Proposes Raising Taxes

Above: The port meeting room was packed for a community conversation held by Port Commissioner E.J. Zita on Tuesday afternoon. Citing the Washington Open Public Meetings Act, Zita refused to attend a port executive session scheduled for 12:15 p.m. about a log loader contract. Commissioner Joe Downing said the executive session would be rescheduled.

Zita Refuses to Attend Port Executive Session on Log Loader Contract

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The Port of Olympia has a lot on its plate: controversial cargo, a direct action rail blockade that continues in downtown Olympia, a 2018 budget that proposes to raise taxes to the highest extent possible without a public vote, and transparency issues over missing and edited video of public meetings.

To discuss any or all of those issues, Port Commissioner E.J. Zita held a public “commissioner chat” session at port offices Tuesday afternoon, just 45 minutes before she was scheduled to participate in an executive session with fellow port commissioners Bill McGregor and Joe Downing.

She said the turnout was the largest crowd for one of her commissioner chats that she’s ever seen.

In front of about 35 members of the public, including several longshore workers, Commissioner Zita did not attend the executive session, and explained why she believed doing so would be in violation of the Washington Open Public Meetings Act.

The hot button issue of the day was about the port’s proposed purchase of two front end log loaders for $3 million and the legality of the contract to purchase them. It was also the purpose for the executive session. 

A contract for the log loaders signed in June by the port’s executive director, Ed Galligan, appears to have exceeded his delegated authority. The executive director is authorized to sign agreements for up to $300,000 in one year without a vote of the commissioners but unbeknownst to commissioners, the contract was a one year lease to own commitment totaling $720,000. 

Zita said the commissioners were told the lease would be for $60,000 a month starting in November. The log loaders cost $1.8 million to purchase, but the financing arrangement balloons the price to $3 million over a period of 20 years.

A June email to the commissioners from Galligan states, “The rental agreement gives the Marine Terminal Director, Longshore labor and the Port's maintenance crew time to properly test the equipment without an obligation to purchase.” The agreement involves the trade-in of the two existing log loaders.

“....The port commission needs to figure out what to do about this and staff suggested the executive session,” she explained to the group.

The Executive Session That Didn't Happen

The executive session was publicly noticed to discuss potential litigation and was expected to last 45 minutes, with no actions or decisions to be made.

Executive sessions are not open to the public and limited to pending lawsuits, personnel actions and setting minimum prices for real estate. All three port commissioners must be present.

At 12:15 p.m., conversations with just a couple flare-ups around the issue were well underway when Commissioner Downing arrived in the back of the room and informed Zita, who was in the front of the room, that it was time to go into executive session.

Zita informed him that she was not going to do so.

“Yea, I can see you have a great meeting going on,” he said, with more than just a touch of sarcasm in his voice. He started to leave.

Heads swiveled back and forth between the two as Zita asked Downing not to leave until she had her say, stating that she has formally noticed commissioners and staff of the inappropriateness of holding a private meeting. 

She requested that the meeting be held in public.

“Then it wouldn’t be an executive session,” Downing said, adding that the executive session would be rescheduled. He left the room.  

Zita continued the meeting explaining that she was not required to go into executive session. Her interpretation of the law was that if she had attended the executive session, it would be illegal, quoting RCW 42.30.110, which prevents commissioners from discussing the matter in executive session when it has already been brought up in the public.  

The need to hire outside counsel may be necessary since port counsel is present in the meetings.

If there were adverse legal or financial consequences to the Port, those consequences would result from Galligan’s lease authorization in excess of his delegated authority, not from public discussion about it, she said.

While Zita did not question the need for the log loaders, she questioned the manner for their purchase.

“We do not have the funds for the log loaders. We have yet to pass a budget and allocate funds,” she said. Zita says the budget is tight and the commissioners are about to raise taxes as high as legally allowable without public approval.

Several community members questioned why the port hasn’t budgeted in advance for machinery needed to do basic business and suggested raising the rates to the three primary marine terminal tenants so the higher rates could pay for the equipment.

“I think it’s an option worth exploring,” said Zita.

Speaking of a backlog of deferred maintenance, Zita said the marina office has mold in one of the offices making it unuseable. The 2018 budget also is proposing to cut janitorial services and repaving projects.

“The marine terminal needs at least half a million dollars a year to repave port property due to wear and tear. It’s currently budgeted at $450,000 and that amount is proposed to be cut to $300,000….We shouldn’t have to do that. We’re already behind on deferred maintenance and trying to meet our financial goals….We’re not meeting that goal,” she said.

Log Loader Use

Logs from Washington State are exported to Japan, China and South Korea. According to the port, it takes about 1,200 truckloads of logs to fill one vessel arriving in Budd Inlet. 

The front end log loaders are used by three primary marine terminal tenants: Weyerhaeuser, Holbrook, and Pacific Lumber and Shipping.

In an email to Little Hollywood, Galligan said that all the port's loaders are “governmental property,” and used for a broad range of cargo handling, operated by the longshore union ILWU, Local 47, and billed at an hourly rate per the port's tariff.  

He said the loaders were used for the movement of corn and gold ore that the port handled earlier this year. 

 

Longshore workers present at Zita’s meeting said they could use better equipment and ships can be loaded quicker and more safely. Zita questioned whether or not the economics of better productivity with the new log loaders is beneficial for the longshore workers

Chris Swearingen, a longshore worker, said it takes Olympia longshore workers five days to load a ship, compared to seven to ten days in Aberdeen and eight days in Tacoma. 

“We’re a good port,” she said.

“You’re already highly productive,” Zita interjected.

“….When a machine breaks down it takes us six days sometimes…we’re not losing hours or pay when we get good equipment and good machines. We’re going to keep to that five days. It’s about safety. We want safe equipment. We’ve been trying to get new log loaders for four years. I’ve been trained on a log loader. It scares me. They’re big machines, they’re breaking down....It’s like a car and it starts getting miles on it. You don’t say, 'I can’t afford it' when the tires are on treads - you go for the safety….The machines are wearing out. We need to get them taken care of....The company is getting more hours when the machines break down….” said Swearingen.

The port commission is set to vote on its 2018 budget on November 27, 5:30 p.m. at 626 Columbia St. NW, Suite 1-B, Olympia.

Above: Robert Rose of the longshore union ILWU, Local 47 and other longshore workers attended Commissioner Zita's community chat on Tuesday afternoon. Rose complained that the meeting wasn't posted on the port's website and accused Zita of illegal use of port property for campaigning. Zita said port staff did not have time to post a notice of the meeting on its website and trusts that will happen in the future.

“If you want to talk about transparency, a lot is being dropped by the port,” responded audience member Robert Jeffers, referring to recent videotapes of public meetings that have not been recorded or have been edited. Zita said she knows staff is working on solving those problems as well.

Little Hollywood writes extensively about Port of Olympia issues. For more information and photos, go to https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type key words into the search engine. 

Port of Olympia, Rainbow Ceramics, and Cows

Above: The Port of Olympia was seeing an increase in rainbows and revenue at its marine terminal in 2014. The port saw its busiest years in 2013-14 with its contract with Rainbow Ceramics, signed in 2012. According to Port of Olympia executive director Ed Galligan, 15 longshore workers were assigned to the port to assist with the cargo of ceramic proppants, adding more than 30,000 hours in each of those years. The industry has declined ever since. 

By Janine Gates
Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The Port of Olympia contract with Rainbow Ceramics expires July 14, 2019, and for many, it can’t come soon enough.

There is a scheduled discussion and vote on acceptable cargo at the Port of Olympia’s regular Monday night meeting of its commissioners on December 12, 5:30 p.m., at 626 Columbia Street NW, Suite 1-B. 

Staff has drafted a “decision needed” resolution that explains the parameters around the port's imports and exports. 

The resolution centers around the Federal Shipping Act of 1984 that states that “terminal operators cannot unreasonably discriminate in the provision of terminal services.” 

The resolution also makes several statements regarding the port's expectations for law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction to promptly take appropriate action in the event protest activities violate local, state and/or federal laws.

The agenda is available at http://www.portolympia.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2853

The conversation about the port's cargo at its marine terminal has been going on for years, from its long-term contract with the Weyerhaeuser Co., to an eclectic mix of cars, wind blades, garnet, military equipment, corn and cows. 

The previous commission's acceptance in 2012 of a five year contract with Rainbow Ceramics to accept ceramic proppants has particularly attracted the attention of many community members not previously involved with port issues. 

According to port documents, an early September review of the Rainbow Ceramics contract states that the Port of Olympia has received $6,568,102 in revenue from Rainbow Ceramics since 2012.

Expenses related to the acceptance of the cargo totaled $3,893,547 from 2012 through September 2016, for a profit of $2,674,555.

Jeff Smith, port financial officer, said that the expenses involved with the import of ceramic proppants include longshore labor to discharge cargo or load it onto rail or truck to send out, line labor to tie up or loosen ship from dock, discharge and load out machinery, and mandatory security from the U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security when there is a vessel in berth.

Vessel counts for 2012 was four, 2013 was 10, 2014 was 11, and in 2015, just one.

It is undetermined how many more proppant shipments the port anticipates.

“The number of ships that Rainbow brings in is predicated on the market. We do not have a forecast,” said the port stated in an emailed response to a request for information.

Above: Union Pacific Train 404 leaves Olympia loaded with 15 cars of ceramic proppants, escorted by the Washington State Patrol and Thurston County Sheriff's Deparmtent, in the early morning hours of November 18.

Union Pacific Train 404, which left the Port of Olympia loaded with 15 cars of ceramic proppants in the early morning hours of Friday, November 18, came back into port on Tuesday, November 22, just before noon.

The train whistle has blown several more times since that date, possibly indicating more shipments, however, requests for information by Little Hollywood to the Port of Olympia to learn if shipments since November 18 have taken place have not been answered.

Keith Bausch, former president of the Local 47, International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), attended Commissioner Zita's community chat last week.

“If I understand correctly from longshore leader Keith Bausch, 13 rail cars of proppants moved out in the recent operation, with 64 bags of proppants per car, approximately 1.5 tons per bag,” said Commissioner Zita to Little Hollywood this weekend.

“If I understand correctly from port finance director Jeff Smith, the Port grosses about $10 per ton of proppants, and nets about $1 per ton after direct expenses. So, 13 cars x 64 bags x 1.5 tons per bag X $1 per ton would net the Port under $2,000, if my calculations are correct.

“When fracking proppant cargos peaked in 2014-2015, the marine terminal was still in the red….What are other costs of doing this business? Greenhouse gas emissions from transport of proppants, fracking operations, and transport and burning of harvested fossil fuels….Environmental, social, and cultural costs of fracking, pipelines, and fossil fuel transport, e.g. Standing Rock….Potential injury and distress to concerned citizens, workers, and/or law enforcement….Polarization of communities such as Olympia.

“We need open, civil discussions to weigh costs and benefits of this fracking business. Public servants have an obligation to share relevant information with the public, to facilitate open, civil discussions, and to weigh costs and benefits in decision making,” said Zita.

Bausch also told her that corn was loaded and ready to go by rail to its destination.  

“I am generally not informed about port movements of cargo, despite repeated requests to the executive director,” said Zita.

There is ample evidence to refute the Port’s assertion that it just accepts whatever cargo comes its way.

An article, “Port Cargo Concerns Community,” by Hildi Flores was published in the South Sound Green Pages’ Spring 2013 issue, and explores the same questions and concerns raised by community members now.

In the article, Flores describes how the Port actively solicited the contract of Rainbow Ceramics by sending its port business development manager, Jim Knight, to North Dakota. According to Knight, the cargo was a good fit for the port’s break-bulk facilities.

In keeping with the conversation in 2013, meeting minutes for the April 22 port meeting indicate that former port commissioner Jeff Davis asked that if the port should decide against shipping proppants through the port, what would the next step be to halt fracking in the Midwest? 

Davis, a longshore worker, said it might be beneficial to commissioners to learn what that might entail because the port has deferred shipment of other materials only to have them shipped from another port. 

As for studies related to climate change and the industry's use of proppants, employing fracking to extract oil, and the impacts of the use of petroleum products, the port does not have any such studies in conjunction with or related to contracting with Rainbow Ceramics. 

“Industry-wide impacts would constitute Scope 3 emissions from a carbon accounting standpoint. Department of Ecology’s greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting methodology that is used for those entities with emissions large enough to mandate reporting, excluded Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions. Scope 2 emissions are excluded due to the high risk for double counting that would result from their inclusion. Scope 3 emissions are excluded due to their being outside of the jurisdiction of the reporting entity. Scope 3 emissions are those outside of the Port's capacity and capability to directly affect,” wrote Galligan in an email to Commissioner Zita in September.

Cameron Powell, operations and service manager for Rainbow Ceramics in Houston, coordinates logistics from Rainbow Ceramics' manufacturing plants in China to Canada and U.S. ports, which are the Port of Houston Authority, San Antonio, and Olympia. 

Her job is to “research new projects to capitalize on various shale plays such as the Bakken, Eagle Ford, and Permian Basin, analyze inventory and reports of incoming and outgoing ceramic proppant, and manage rail cars going to and from transloading facilities in North America.”

Per Powell’s request, rather than speaking on the phone, Little Hollywood offered a written list of about 15 questions on December 1 pertaining to its business and contract with the Port of Olympia. Those questions have yet to be answered.

As for alternatives to ceramic proppants and other controversial cargo, community member Greg Schundler was one of the speakers at a recent port meeting who encouraged the Port to use data to drive its goals toward a more sustainable existence.

He offered his research on this issue, available at www.slideshare.net/gregschundler/port-of-olympia-from-extraction-economy-to-sustainable-growth

Oh, and those cows?

In November 2015, the Port of Olympia was proud to announce their involvement in the movement of 1,400 head of dairy cattle to Vietnam.

According to the port’s press release at the time, Vietnam launched a campaign geared toward minimizing childhood malnourishment through a strategy of providing one glass of milk per child per day. The dairy cows came from Idaho and Washington farms, and following a required holding period, were then loaded onto a ship.

Through a public records request, Little Hollywood found out that the port showed net revenue of approximately $25,000 for the shipment.

Based on economic viability, its ongoing conflicts with the City of Olympia, and stress on local, regional and state law enforcement agencies, the Port of Olympia marine terminal may be looking at some hard choices in its future.

Above: Bags of ceramic proppants are still at the Port of Olympia, as seen in November. Commissioner Zita was told at her informal community chat that there were about 20 rail cars of proppants still at the port with no set date for shipment.  

Editor’s Comment/Full Disclosure: The South Sound Green Pages was a print and online publication of the South Puget Environmental Education Clearinghouse (SPEECH). Janine Gates, then Janine Unsoeld, was president of the organization and editor of the publication at the time. The article by Hildi Flores is at http://oly-wa.us/GreenPages/Article.php?id=2013;05;201305e

For more pictures and information about the rail blockade of the Union Pacific train in downtown Olympia in November, the Port of Olympia, Rainbow Ceramics, ceramic proppants, and the City of Olympia, go to Little Hollywood, http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, and type key words into the search button.

Going…Going…Gone! The Olympia Brewery Sold to….

Above: The auction sign as seen at the “modern” brewery on Sunday.

Auction Time for “Modern” Tumwater Brewery

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

It’s a diamond in the rough and the outcome of Tumwater’s land use future is in someone’s hands.

The sprawling “modern” brewery is hard to miss from any direction and it’s now up for auction. Dull beige buildings with broken windows boarded up with plywood, the vacant eyesore is taking up vast acreage in the heart of the City of Tumwater.

Four separate parcels are for sale with three buildings on 7.2 acres with frontage on the Deschutes River, two industrial warehouses on 22.2 acres with rail service via Union Pacific and two vacant lots are zoned multi family. The buildings were built anywhere from 1930 – 1973.

Over 300 brewing tanks are located throughout the buildings. The main brew house contains the former brewing operation, fermenting vat storage and cellaring. In the six story “M” Cellar building, each floor is devoted to large stainless fermenting vessel storage with the majority of vats still in place.

Real estate agent Troy Dana has been marketing the location for years as a possible mixed-use combination of brew pub, contract brewery, winery, distillery, office, restaurant, and retail space.

The auction will be held Wednesday, October 28, 11:00 a.m., at the Red Lion Hotel, 2300 Evergreen Park Drive, Olympia.

Details are at http://www.hudsonmarshall.com/upcoming-auctions/item/brewery-commercial-washington-tumwater.html

Above: The back of the RST Cellars building on Custer Way as seen from Tumwater Falls Park last week. The fence delineates the park and the thin, one lane road down to the Old Brewhouse. The widening of this road, required to meet current standards for transportation and emergency vehicles, would result in the loss of trees along Tumwater Falls Park.

Public Comment for Draft Old Brewery Plans Due October 30

Meanwhile, the historic Old Brewhouse is not readily visible unless you’re on top of it. It too is old and vacant except for occasional trespassers and sits like a medieval castle, deteriorating on the shores of the ever changing Deschutes River. 

Visible from Tumwater Historical Park, peek-a-boo views of the six story tower can also be seen from Tumwater Falls Park. 

Owner George Heidgerken has made public his desire to fully develop this property to the maximum intensity possible. 

The Old Brewhouse would never be allowed to be built at its current location today, according to current shoreline management and environmental regulations, and yet two out of three draft planning options presented by the City of Tumwater are to explore significant mixed-use redevelopment of the area.  

A deadline for the public to comment on these scenarios is October 30.

The first scenario, a “do-nothing” approach, assumes the development would occur within the site consistent with existing zoning and development regulations. Any development that occurred would require the repair of existing structures.

The second scenario, one that the Old Brewhouse Foundation prefers, is still an impressively built out design, and includes a parking garage for 600 vehicles.

The third scenario, preferred by property owner George Heidgerken, and his development company, Falls Development LLC, is a full build out.

At an informational public meeting last week hosted by Tumwater city staff, former Olympia Mayor Bob Jacobs suggested a fourth scenario, which is not in the city’s plan: move the historic, six story Old Brewery tower, brick by brick, and rebuild it in a different location altogether.

“All three of the alternatives they're considering all seem impractical to me…Another possibility would be where the newer brewery stands now. That building could be torn down and replaced by new development with the old tower as a centerpiece and visibility from the freeway would be excellent…other possibilities exist too, of course.  A public process would produce lots of ideas for evaluation. Even the airport area or the city center area,” says Jacobs.

City of Tumwater's permit manager Chris Carlson said that in the 25 years he has been at the city, he has never heard that approach suggested. As for the end-of-the-year limitations for the state Department of Ecology grant that funded the city’s planning action, Carlson said he did not think there was time to assess such a possibility.

Above: Tumwater Falls Park, owned by the Olympia-Tumwater Foundation. This view could change dramatically if a planned action proposal by the City of Tumwater is approved.

At the time the Old Brewery was built in 1906, Model T cars were popular. Today, the creation of any access to a proposed parking garage by the Old Brewhouse would require that the narrow road, currently about 15 feet wide, be widened to 32 to 36 feet. 

In a conceptual cross-section of the proposed road leading down to the old brewhouse, a sidewalk is also shown as being a minimum of six foot wide, but the preferred width is eight feet wide, with four foot planters on the other side, said city staff.  This will require a lot of trees to be cut down.

Nancy Partlow, a Tumwater resident, also attended the city meeting, and sees problems with many aspects of the scenarios presented by the city.

“For years I've heard Tumwater city staff and elected officials say that the Old Brewhouse would never be allowed to be built at its current location today due to the environmentally sensitive nature of the site....

“The combined footprints for a parking garage, residential units, and access roads to the Old Brewhouse site constitute an excessive amount of forest destruction in Tumwater's most environmentally and historically important area.

 

“The access road to the Old Brewhouse appears to be nearly a third of a mile long.  For about two thirds of that length, the road parallels the Deschutes River and the Tumwater Falls Park fence line. Some of the trees seen above the river from inside the park aren't actually in the park itself, but on the Falls Development LLC property next door.  A great number of those would have to be cut down to widen the road.

“An additional access road down to the proposed parking garage is being suggested from the north end of a parking lot owned by the Olympia-Tumwater Foundation. This road would also be built through a forested area, and next to the Union Pacific rail line,” says Partlow.

Above: Another required access road for a proposed parking garage in the area of the Schmidt House would be located here, next to the Union Pacific railway. The parking lot drops off steeply to the railway and through the trees, the Old Brewery. 

The Olympia Tumwater Foundation has almost no comment on the Tumwater’s brewery planned action draft environmental impact statement or Heidgerken’s plans, says the Foundation’s executive director John Freedman.

The Foundation owns Tumwater Falls Park and the Schmidt House and related property. Heidgerken will need the Foundation’s cooperation to access a proposed residential area and parking garage through the Schmidt House’s back parking lot.

A heavily treed, steep ravine and the Union Pacific Railway is in that area of the property.  No conversations about access have taken place between the Foundation and Heidgerken’s company, said Freedman.

“We have not seen anything concrete that requires action on our part. We have no objections to any progress…we’d like to see it historically developed,” he said on Friday. 

As the Foundation expands its history program, Freedman has said that they would want to become involved in the proposed craft brewing and distilling center project in the area of the Old Brewhouse.

To comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Tumwater Brewery Planned Action, contact Chris Carlson, Permit Manager, City of Tumwater, 555 Israel Road SW, Tumwater, Washington 98501, ccarlson@ci.tumwater.wa.us, (360) 754-4180.

For more information about Tumwater, brewery district planning, the Old Brewery, George Heidgerken, go to www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type in key words into the search button.

The Stranger Reports Bullet Fired Into Nearby Home in Olympia Police Shooting of Two Men

City of Olympia - Police Guild Contract Ends December 2015

By Janine Unsoeld

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

According to an article by Ansel Herz posted May 22 in The Stranger, a Seattle publication, an Olympia police officer who shot two unarmed African American men also fired a bullet into a nearby home.  

The article is at: http://www.thestranger.com/blogs/slog/2015/05/22/22265239/olympia-police-officer-who-shot-two-unarmed-black-men-also-fired-a-bullet-into-a-nearby-home  

Olympians Express Continued Shock, Anger, Concern

Conversations this weekend in most Olympia restaurants, coffee shops, homes, and social media sites continue to express a wide range of emotions about the shooting incident.

Reflecting the thoughts of many Olympians, many wonder why local corporate media has already seemingly moved on from the shooting.

Zoltan Grossman, a faculty member at The Evergreen State College, knows the young family whose window was said to have been shot out by the officer’s bullet and confirmed The Stranger's story for Little Hollywood.

“Why hasn't this angle been covered in the Olympia police shooting?  I know one of the young people who lives in the house that was struck by Officer Donald's bullet. The residents report that there were around 10 gunshots. I have seen other photos of the broken window on the second floor,” says Grossman.

Following the incident, Grossman says he wrote an email to The Olympian but has not yet heard back from the newspaper, and shared it with Little Hollywood:

“….You've covered every possible angle to support a pro-police point of view--the video from Safeway, the records of the victims, windows broken by protesters separate from the larger protests. But I haven't seen a word about the bullet breaking the upstairs window of an Olympia home, in what could amount to reckless endangerment by Officer Donald. The police themselves have recovered the bullet and interviewed the residents --why haven't you? It deserves a separate article and interviews with the residents,” wrote Grossman.

Wendy Tanowitz of Olympia spoke at a downtown community gathering last Thursday night at Temple Beth Hatfiloh.

Tanowitz has conducted much research into local and national law enforcement actions, and was asked by Little Hollywood today for more information.

“....I'm very concerned and hyper-sensitive to systemic and institutional abuse of power in all its forms….Many factors contribute to a culture of impunity among people who work in law enforcement, not the least of which is that they are almost never held accountable for their actions, and the criminal (in)justice system exists to protect and shield them from the legal consequences of shooting or killing someone,” she said.

In researching how many people are killed while in contact with police, Tanowitz learned that there is no national database where these figures are available. She says a grassroots-generated site exists at www.killedbypolice.net but it is incomplete.

That group estimates that 1,000 people were killed by police or while in police custody in 2014. Their Facebook page is:   https://www.facebook.com/KilledByPolice/posts/1026884260673044?_rdr

She said that the use of a Taser instead of a firearm and the officer calling for backup before he shot two men should have been considered.

“People who work in law enforcement should never take it upon themselves to act as judge, jury and executioner. Many hundreds of people - the number sometimes approaches 1,000 - are killed or injured in the United States each year by law enforcement who said they felt threatened. This must end. Police are hired to protect public safety and must held be accountable for their actions….There must have been other ways to have handled this situation short of using potentially deadly force. We need to know what happened Thursday morning in Olympia, but we have no video record. This can and should be remedied in the future by mandating that all Olympia police department officers wear body cameras.”

City of Olympia-Olympia Police Guild Contract

The three year contract between the City of Olympia and the Police Guild ends in December 2015, just in time for a new contract to mandate body cameras for the Olympia Police Department.

The January 1, 2013 - December 31, 2015 contract is located here: http://www.codepublishing.com/wa/olympia/mobile/?pg=labor/OlympiaLabor05.html

Although Article 22 of the contract details the use of dash-mounted video systems, it has not been implemented.

Related to a police incident involving local resident Scott Yoos, Tanowitz read the Police Guild contract and in an October 8, 2013 meeting of the Olympia City Council, she asked when the dash cameras would be installed.

In response, according to the minutes, Police Chief Ronnie Roberts addressed the council and the issues regarding record retention and additional staff needed to manage the large amount of data. He said body mics or cameras would also impact records requests.

In a vote of 6 – 1, the contract was approved at that meeting by Councilmembers Stephen Buxbaum, Nathaniel Jones, Jim Cooper, Julie Hankins, and Jeannine Roe. The only one who did not approve it was then-Councilmember Karen Rogers.

At the time, Mayor Buxbaum asked that a list of frequently asked questions regarding dash cameras be produced for the public and include the cost breakdown for records requests.

A search on the City of Olympia website, www.olympiawa.gov for that list brought up no results.

Future Police Accountability

The Olympia police department does not currently have a police auditor - the position was cut for budgetary reasons in 2009. The department has never had a citizen review panel, although there has been discussion about it.

In the past, a police auditor reported directly to the city council. The auditor, hired on an annual contract, reported on a quarterly basis, and conducted an internal affairs investigation, looking into use of force and other complaints.

In an interview with Little Hollywood in December 2014, Laura Wohl, who was then public information officer for the department said:

“It is very unusual for a department of our size to have a citizen review panel. If a citizen makes a complaint, a professional standards lieutenant does a complete investigation into policy and law. For some complaints, a dispute mediator is used, for example, if a complainant feels an officer was rude....it's different than any other employment situation. It's a full investigation when a complaint is made of any kind,” said Wohl.

“After the professional standards lieutenant makes his or her findings, it is reviewed by the commander and chief of police. If it is sustained, disciplinary action is taken. If somebody doesn't like the determination, and feels they have been harmed, they can make a claim with the city, or file a civil liability tort, and sue us.”

Little Hollywood has written many past stories about the Olympia Police Department, including the crisis intervention training of a police officer, police accountability, statistics on officer demographics regarding gender, race, and language diversity, the incident regarding Olympia resident Scott Yoos and more. For more information, go to www.janinelittlehollywood.blogspot.com and use the search button to type in key words.

Tumwater Brewery: A Contract Brewery for Samuel Adams or Sierra Nevada?

Above: The brewery and the swollen Deschutes River as seen yesterday from Tumwater Falls Park.

 

Positive Prospects Emerge For Tumwater Brewery Property

 By Janine Unsoeld

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The last few years have been frustrating for Troy Dana, commercial real estate agent and property manager for the former brewery in Tumwater. Selling 800,000 square feet of cold, empty, dark and decrepit looking buildings is not easy, but recent prospects may be looking more positive.

No doubt, the removal of the covenant restricting production of alcoholic beverages at the property last June helped, but recent rumors brewing in the rainy South Sound air can now be confirmed to be based on truth.

In response to an inquiry from Little Hollywood, Dana offered tantalizing hope yesterday in exclusive interviews just before and during last night’s Brewery District Plan open house. A public hearing was held after the open house by the Tumwater Planning Commission and Tumwater city council.
 

“I can’t make a comment on specific companies, but several large brands are interested in the possibility of utilizing a contract brewery in Tumwater. It’s safe to say there are four that have expressed interest and would like to know more. I’m ready. It’s time.”

And no, it’s probably not MillerCoors time. The Miller days are gone, having blown the last whistle here in 2003, putting 400 people earning family wage jobs out of work.

 

Above: A Miller Brewing Company advertisement from a 2001 Lacey Thurston Chamber of Commerce membership directory.

 

Dana says the 31 acres involving the brew house and warehouse have been appraised at $16 million, and the building still has 300 barrel tanks, infrastructure, and plumbing to support a viable contract brewery here.

Dana says he receives, on average, about two inquiries a week about the property from around the world. Tumwater’s slogan, “It’s the Water,” comes from the production of beer since 1896 until 2003, with the exception of Prohibition.

In early February, Dana told the council that he is working with a developer from California who has redeveloped breweries and constructed breweries. The developer is reviewing the brewery property and considering the facility as a 250,000 barrel contract brewery.

Current Craft Beer Trends

According to the Brewers Association, a not-for-profit trade group, the craft beer industry is defined by four distinct markets: brewpubs, microbreweries, regional craft breweries, and contract brewing companies. Contract brewers hire underutilized but well-equipped regional breweries to produce a recipe with the contract brewer's own ingredients and formulas.

The Brewers Association tabulates production statistics for the U.S. brewing industry, and says that of the top 50 overall brewing companies, 39 are small and independent craft brewing companies.

“In 2012, craft surpassed six percent of the total U.S. beer market, with volume and dollar sales reaching record levels,” said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association. “Increasingly, beer lovers are turning to craft brewed beer from small and independent producers to satisfy their thirst for bold, innovative and flavor-forward beers.”

The top five U.S. craft brewing companies based on 2012 beer sales volume are: 

1. Boston Beer Co. Boston, Massachusetts

2. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico, California
3. New Belgium Brewing Co. Fort Collins, Colorado
4. The Gambrinus Co. San Antonio, Texas
5. Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Oregon

Dana declined to comment yesterday when asked about a particular company or brand. Samuel Adams is an American brand of beer brewed by the Boston Beer Company and its associated contract brewers.

Sierra Nevada is based in California. According to an upcoming March issue of Forbes magazine, Sierra Nevada will host a participatory “Beer Camp Across America” traveling festival this summer to highlight its place within the broader craft-beer movement.
 
Other Offers

In early February, Dana also shared information with the Tumwater City Council about an opportunity that came and went last year.

He said he was contacted by a man representing a national company that provides short-term storage for vehicles for soldiers deployed overseas, who asked about the potential of utilizing the brewery warehouse and parking lot. The individual received a federal contract and faced a tight timeline on whether it could be used. The rate the company was prepared to pay would have been satisfactory for a developer to offset the cost of acquiring the facility.

Dana advised the individual that he didn’t believe it was possible under the interim zoning but contacted Tumwater city administrator John Doan and met with staff to explain the situation. City staff advised Dana that under the provisions of the interim zoning, the use wasn’t allowed. Dana had offered to meet with the council to request reconsideration of the request but learned the company had moved forward to select another site. He asked the council to consider exceptions to the interim zoning, which is mixed-use.

Dana said the situation was frustrating, because “it was the right opportunity for the right reason.”
 

Dana said one of the most lucrative, attention getting ideas he’s been approached about has been interest expressed by local and national marijuana growers to use the facility and use the beer tanks.

“I’ve been told they would be perfect, hermetically sealed vessels for growing marijuana.”

The budding pot market aside, Dana says his focus has always been to bring another brewery back to Tumwater. He even thinks the brewery could attract 500,000 barrel contract brewery.

Asked if the building wasn’t too old and decrepit, Dana said, “We need to find that developer with experience with mixed use, brew pub tasting, who knows how to redevelop a site, identify that developer, and introduce them to this opportunity....We need to find out what kind of market opportunities are out there, and face the realities of what we have. Given what we know today, a contract brewery makes a lot of sense.

“A contract brewery here would be a strong logistical advantage....Breweries ship their product from the East Coast, with plenty of transportation costs. The brewery is a complex site. It’s going to take a visionary to take the next step to mitigate the risk.”

Dana, a resident of Thurston County since 1973, says he’s lived through the cultural changes of the area and remembers when “your manliness was determined by how many beers you could drink in five minutes,” he says, laughing.

Dana has attended previous Brewery District Plan open houses. “They’ve been good, and create community involvement, but at the end of the day, it will take viable capital solutions. Until then, it’s still a lot of good ideas.”

He says Centralia and Port Townsend are great examples of communities with downtowns that have come back from the brink of economic decay.

“Their downtowns are remarkable. I went to Centralia in December for the Christmas Tractor Pull and thousands of people were lining the street at 7:00 p.m. to see 40 to 50 tractors decorated with Christmas lights. I held hands with my wife, drinking coffee, and at no point ever did we feel uncomfortable with the quality of people there.

“We’re at the tipping point…at some point, somebody has to step up and we’re going to turn this around. I have invested endless energy and countless resources trying to create an economic interest in this. There’s still extraordinary brand equity in that complex. Bring it back and you’ll have substantial community support,” said Dana.

 

Above: Proving It's Still the Water, the mighty Deschutes River runs through Tumwater yesterday afternoon. The former brewery is in the distance. The Falls Terrace restaurant can also be seen in the video.

 

Above: Close up of easel poster on display at last night's Brewery District Plan open house in Tumwater. The circles indicate proposed roundabouts.

 

For more information about Tumwater businesses, land use, environmental issues, or the draft Brewery District Plan, read other articles at Little Hollywood at www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and use the search button.