Going, Going, Gone: Two Legion Way Trees Come Down

Above: Workers bring down a tree on Legion Way today.

by Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Workers took down two trees on Legion Way today. They were the first of five that will be removed this week. Topping, a once accepted pruning practice, has permanently damaged some of the iconic trees and pose a serious safety risk.

The city of Olympia and the Eastside Neighborhood Association (ENA) are having a Legion Way tree planting and Veteran’s Day celebration on Thursday, November 11, 2010, at 1:00 p.m. Look for the booths and staging area in the First United Methodist Church parking lot at 1224 Legion Way SE.

Legion Way will be local access only on Nov. 11, with parking restrictions on Nov. 10 and 11.

Much like the original celebration and planting in 1928, the community is invited to celebrate, and will include American Legion Post #3, the National Guard, the 2nd Battalion 146th Field Artillery, and Ira L. Cater Veteran’s of Foreign Wars Post #318.

The city and the ENA will be celebrating the planting of 12 new oak trees, a new long-term stewardship plan, and the ongoing living memorial of Legion Way's trees. The 12 new trees will replace seven trees that have been lost over the past few years due to branch or whole tree failures.

The city has developed a long-term stewardship plan to help ensure the well-being of the trees and the safety of those who live on Legion Way.


Above: With the state Capitol Building peeking out from behind Madison Elementary School, a limb is cut and falls onto the sidewalk. Editor's Note: I have lived on the Eastside, including Legion Way, for most of my 27 years in Olympia. Over the years, I have witnessed numerous near misses involving fallen limbs of this size.

The ENA also invites community members to donate for these and future replacement trees. A donation of $200 will pay for a single tree - donations of any amount are welcome. Visit http://eastside-olympia.org/legion-way-trees/ to download a donation form or to donate online.

For more information about the city's Urban Forestry and Legion Way trees, contact Stacey Ray, City of Olympia Urban Forester, at 360.753.8046, or email sray@ci.olympia.wa.us.


Above: Workers chip up the trees.


Above: The tree is gone and workers clean up leaves. First United Methodist Church is more visible.

Interrupting Homophobia In Our Schools

By Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

How safe and welcome are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students in our schools? What can we as a community do to help make our schools safer and more welcoming?

These questions will be explored on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. at United Methodist Church, 1224 Legion Way. The event is sponsored by Parents, Families, & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) - Olympia.

Students and representatives from local schools, the Olympia school board, and the Office of Superintendent for Public Instruction will participate, according to PFLAG - Olympia board member Jeff Loyer. The discussion, which starts at 3:00 p.m., is part of PFLAG's usual monthly meeting. Refreshments will be provided.

The Olympia School District has a policy against harassment, intimidation and bullying. As reported under the policy during the 2009-10 school year, there were five school suspensions related to race, and one related to sexual orientation, according to Peter Rex, communication director for the Olympia School District. There were also seven reported assaults that may or may not specifically relate to that policy.

The school district is being proactive in reducing incidents. “Last year we used a portion of one-time federal stimulus money to do a district wide training called Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS), which provides a way to recognize positive behavior. It’s used in a lot of districts to improve the school’s climate and recognize behavior when it falls outside the model. Now it’s being integrated into the schools,” says Rex.

A National Crisis

The recent suicides of several gay students around the country, including that of the Rutgers violinist, Tyler Clementi, has shocked and saddened many throughout the Northwest.

According to the National Runaway Switchboard, lesbian, gay, bi, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth are over five times more likely to have suicidal thoughts and they are over six times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual youth.

Nearly 60% of homeless and runaway LGBTQ youth have been sexually victimized, while 33.4% of heterosexual homeless and runaway youth have been sexually victimized. Also, LGBTQ youth use illicit substances more frequently than heterosexual youth and use more types of drugs than heterosexual youth.

Northwest Teachers Take Action

Several workshops at the NW Teachers for Social Justice conference held earlier this month in Portland addressed LGBTQ issues and emphasized the importance of interrupting homophobia and gender stereotypes at the elementary school level.

The conference, which gathered 800 participants, including several from the South Sound area, was sponsored by Portland Area Rethinking Schools, Olympia Educators for Social Justice, Puget Sound Rethinking Schools, Tacoma Coalition X, and Rethinking Schools Magazine.

LGBTQ children and teens tend to lack the support and coping skills to deal with harassment which may lead them to consider suicide. Often times, staff wish they can help students they suspect are gay, but know that they walk a fine line in approaching them to assist.

Workshops included role playing scenarios based on real accounts. Teachers expressed the need to learn strategies to address situations when they may suddenly hear a student say, “That’s so gay!” or know how to respond if one student calls another student “gay.”

One scenario, an incident which actually occurred to a second grade teacher, involved one child yelling, “You’re gay!” to another, and the other child yelling back, “You’re lesbian!” The class grew quiet, and the children looked at the teacher, awaiting a response. What to do?

Tactics to diffuse the situation and use it as a teaching moment were explored. Some teachers felt it should be dealt with as a regular conflict and take the kids aside later to discuss what was meant. Some teachers preferred to handle it right there in front of all the kids with open-ended questions that put the conversation back on the children.

Either way, if teachers feel they did not handle a situation well, it was suggested that it’s ok to talk about it with the children later, saying, “You know, something happened earlier today and let’s do a do-over. Let’s discuss it.” Teachers agreed that kids are very aware of silence, and that saying something is important.

Resources for conversations, suggested curriculum, picture books, and community organizations were also provided.

Teachers Coming Out

Students are not the only ones who are bullied, harassed or intimidated for being LGBTQ. Teachers also face the question of how to, or whether or not they should, come out to their students and colleagues.

As a teacher, how do you work with school districts that say they value the diversity of staff? To interrupt homophobia, education also needs to happen on an administrative level.

Teachers often find that principals don’t know how to handle teachers who want to come out. Oftentimes, teachers are temporary employees, and are afraid to come out for fear of losing their jobs. It’s a similar situation to the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Once teachers have more job security, they have more options and can enlist the help of their teacher’s union.

Jess Firestone, a second grade teacher in Oregon, has been out since she was 15. When she got married, she decided not to lie when people see her ring and ask, “What’s your husband’s name?” She says “Sara,” but it hasn’t always been this easy.

“Teaching middle school was too intense,” said Firestone while leading her workshop about interrupting homophobia at the elementary school level.

After an unpleasant experience, she transferred schools. At her new school, she wrote an introductory letter to parents just like straight parents do, making it clear she is gay, and has not experienced any problems.

One gay teacher in the workshop said she feels more scared being around younger kids, and their parents, because of the misconception that gays and lesbians are pedophiles.

“We need more straight allies,” said Firestone.


Above: Zena Britadesco, a K - 8 teacher in the Portland Public School system, is also the community education program manager for Transactive Education and Advocacy in Portland. She offered information to conference participants and presented a workshop called Transgender Youth 101.

South Sound Resources and Upcoming Opportunites to Get Involved:

PFLAG
PFLAG is the nation's foremost family-based organization committed to the civil rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender persons. PFLAG promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, their families and friends through support, education and advocacy. PFLAG provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity. For more information at www.pflag-olympia.org.

Pizza Klatch
Pizza Klatch offers facilitated support for GLBTQ youth and their allies. The support is offered during high school lunch periods, with free pizza, to provide a convenient and safe forum for the discussion of topics important to these youths. There are currently four Thurston County high schools with Pizza Klatch groups: North Thurston, Timberline, Tumwater, and Avanti. The group provides pizza and facilitators once a week for each lunch period. The groups typically have eight to 20students per lunch.

To support gay teens, the GLBTQ community is looking for two or three more group facilitators for Pizza Klatch groups - preferably people who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bi, trans or queer. Groups are co-facilitated support groups for high school GLBTQ youth and their straight allies. The Pizza Klatch pays a small stipend for each week, and of course we provide pizza! A facilitator may be any age from 21 to 80. You don't need lots of experience with group facilitation, but you must be good working with youth and be mature and dependable. For more information, contact Lynn Grotsky via email at lynngrotsky@gmail.com.

StoneWall Youth
Stonewall Youth began in Olympia in 1991 as a series of community meetings to discuss the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQQIA) youth in the area. It is an organization of youth, activists, and allies that empowers LGBTQQIA youth to speak for themselves, educate their communities, and support each other. For more information, contact www.stonewallyouth.org or 705-2738.

Stonewall Youth will be having an open house on Tuesday, November 16th from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at 317 4th Ave, 4th floor. Explore their new space which they share with PiPE, UCAN, & Mpowerment, from 6:00 p.m. -7:00 p.m. and learn what's new with their individual organizations during a short informational program from 7:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m. Refreshments provided!

Stonewall Uprising: A Stonewall Youth Benefit Screening at the Olympia Film Festival will be Wednesday, November 17th at 8:00 p.m. at the Capitol Theater. Join Stonewall for the film screening, live youth performances from this year's Drag Show Extravaganza, bake sale, and more!

Stonewall Youth’s 7th annual Winter Gayla!
Fundraising Dinner and Auction, Saturday, December 4, 2010, 6:00 p.m., at the Loft on Cherry, 508 Legion Way. Tickets are $35 before November 20th, $45 after November 20th, or until sold out. Get a group together and buy a whole table for 10! This is a party to celebrate and raise money for the work of Stonewall Youth. Join Stonewall for an evening of delicious food, drinks, and entertainment with auction items, a raffle, a dessert dash, and a photo booth. Come dressed to impress!

Ticket price includes full dinner (vegan and gluten-free options will be available) and one drink ticket. Food is proudly catered by Mujeres Improving Job Abilities and Skills (MIJAS), a transitional restaurant conceived by a group of Latina women supporting women in crisis of domestic violence. Auction includes exciting items like massages, getaways, dinners, event tickets, art, and much more! Seating is limited and attendees must purchase online tickets in advance.

Stonewall is still collecting donations of various auction items if you have any items, services, or experiences you would like to donate. Please email Luna and Nicole at info@stonewallyouth.org.

Washington Safe Schools Coalition
The Safe Schools Coalition is an international public-private partnership in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth, and is working to help schools become safe places where every family can belong, where every educator can teach, and where every child can learn, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

Need help with anti-gay harassment or violence at school in Washington State? The Safe Schools Coalition can help you problem solve, talk with your school administration or your family, help you make a police report, find legal help, or provide training for your Gay Straight Alliance, your student body or your staff. Call toll-free at 1-877-SAFE-SAFE (1-877-723-3723). A Safe Schools Coalition intervention specialist volunteer will get back to you within 24 hours. For more information, contact: http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org.

TransActive: Transactive supports children and youth of all genders. Contact them at: www.transactiveonline.org and www.transgenderlawcenter.org.

National Runaway Switchboard (NRS)
The NRS is committed to helping lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth get the assistance they need to be safe. Their hotline is 1-800-RUNAWAY. NRS also answers questions from parents who may be uncertain of what they can do to help a youth who has come out or is questioning their sexuality. For more information, go to www.1800RUNAWAY.org.

Northwest Teachers Gather for Social Justice Conference

Above: Monique LeTourneau, left, a Tacoma community organizer with STAND (www.Stand.org) role plays with Sunshine Campbell, a faculty member with the Masters in Teaching Program at The Evergreen State College in Olympia. The two participated in the workshop, “Transforming Teacher Education through Grassroots Political Organizing.”

By Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

As public school teachers face with more pressures than ever, nearly 800 regional educators found friendship, education, and support at the third annual Northwest Teachers for Social Justice conference in Portland earlier this month.

Many South Sound teachers and student teachers made the trip to experience the camaraderie of other teachers who care about social justice issues.

The conference was sponsored by Portland Area Rethinking Schools, Olympia Educators for Social Justice, Puget Sound Rethinking Schools, Tacoma Coalition X, and Rethinking Schools Magazine.

What is Social Justice?

According to the University of California, Berkeley Social Justice Symposium,
social justice is a process, not an outcome, which (1) seeks fair (re)distribution of resources, opportunities, and responsibilities; (2) challenges the roots of oppression and injustice; (3) empowers all people to exercise self-determination and realize their full potential; and (4) builds social solidarity and community capacity for collaborative action.

Josh Parker, a third year teacher with the Shelton School District, said, “It’s a delicate balance how social justice issues are introduced and discussed. It’s fine as long as we don’t step on too many toes - but we’re probably stepping on three-fourths of them. To me, reading and basic skills is a social justice issue. We’re allowing our kids to fail towards graduation…that’s unjust.”

Another teacher said she feels that social justice issues are more acceptably discussed in social studies classes, but she faces them all day long, no matter what she’s teaching, and came to learn more.

In front of the children, teachers walk a fine line between parents and administrators on how to address a wide range of delicate racial, social, cultural, political, environmental, economic and sexual orientation issues. Conference workshops included plenty of role playing using real life examples of the questions faced by teachers on a daily basis.

Behind the scenes, teachers face daily administrative pressures including standardized testing debates, merit-pay controversies, required implementation of education reforms such as No Child Left Behind and Race To the Top challenges, budget cuts and layoffs, a lack of resources, paperwork, meetings and more. Some feel that current movies like “Waiting for Superman,” slam public school teachers.

The pressure is felt by teachers and students alike. Recent teacher and student suicides weighed heavily on educators during the conference.

Los Angeles area teacher Rigoberto Ruelas Jr., killed himself after his test score ranking was published by the Los Angeles Times as a “least effective” teacher based upon his student's test scores, and the recent suicides of several gay students, including that of the Rutgers violinist, Tyler Clementi, were mentioned in several workshops.

South Sound Teachers Present Workshops

Two South Sound teachers were presenters of the nearly 70 workshops to choose from, scheduled in three blocks at different times throughout the day.

Katie Baydo-Reed, a 6th grade teacher at Olympic View Elementary School in Lacey, taught a workshop on learning about the history of Japanese American incarceration during World War II.

“When I was in school I had no idea that there were civil rights struggles and violations that occurred in my own back yard, says Baydo-Reed. “Teachers mentioned Martin Luther King, Jr. a little and the civil rights movement of the south briefly, but I never learned about people in my region who were treated unjustly as part of a system of oppression.”

“At Evergreen, I was exposed to more information regarding the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII and as a new teacher I brought that information to my classroom. I discovered that most of my students were completely unaware of how the Puyallup Fairgrounds were used as an incarceration center. In fact, in all the years I have been teaching this, only one student has known about it prior to my unit.”

Baydo graduated from The Evergreen State College’s Masters in Teaching Program in 2006. “It's been a busy six years!” says Baydo.

“It is important to me that students connect with their region and the place they live and this is one way to bring history literally closer to home. Through this kind of instruction they begin to realize that there are some similarities between events of the past and current events, and they are much more willing to learn about civil rights when they know it connects to their lives in place, if not exactly in time.”

New Washington State Tribal Sovereignty Curriculum Introduced


Above: Michi Thacker leads a workshop at the NW Teachers for Social Justice Conference in Portland in early October. Her students were a little bigger than her usual ones at Lincoln Elementary School in Olympia, Washington.

Michi Thacker, a 4th/5th grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in Olympia, presented a workshop on new place-based education and tribal history and culture curriculum created by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) for Washington State.

The curriculum, called, “Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State," was developed with state tribal leaders and is now available online at www.Indian-ed.org.

The curriculum’s goal is to provide schools, students, tribes, and local communities with the information and resources that will enable them to have a better understanding of the numerous tribes that are the foundation of Washington State.

There are three tiers for each level of the program: elementary, middle and high school, with expectations for what the students should have learned by the end of each curriculum. It encourages teachers and students to address several essential questions in the context of tribes in their own communities. Teachers choose how much time to spend on tribal sovereignty content to complete their units throughout the year.

The curriculum, a result of 2005’s House Bill 1495, which officially recommended inclusion of tribal history in all public schools, was pilot tested for two years in 14 schools around the state. The bill is now known as RCW 28A.345.070, which encourages districts to work with tribes on a government to government basis.

Thacker participated in the development of OSPI’s curriculum, which included the participation and endorsement of Washington’s 29 federally recognized tribes. She test piloted it at Lincoln two years ago.

Thacker, who emphasized at the outset of her workshop presentation that she is not representing OSPI or any specific tribe, is part Cherokee and Choctow. She says she didn't grow up with those traditions or culture, and is still learning.

She came to the subject because she was teaching about coastal tribes in her classroom. She wanted to learn more about how to make it meaningful and not just about “the other.” There is a small Native American population at Lincoln. “There were ways I taught it that I wasn’t sure about and I wanted it to be culturally accurate,“ said Thacker.

One student teacher said, “Reading Little House on the Prairie, you may not think about how Indians are described, but as an adult, you become more aware…As a teacher, you can use it as a starting point for conversations. You need to have those conversations, those deeper questions….”

Another student teacher agreed, saying, “What’s scary is if you don’t discuss them….”

Thacker asked participants to discuss, in small groups, their understanding of basic questions such as, “What is sovereignty?” What is an Indian? What is a tribe? What do you know about the tribes in your area? How many are there?”

Workshops participants expressed hesitation in word usage between Indian and Native American, a lack of basic knowledge and were concerned about using materials that portrayed Native Americans in stereotypical roles. They were grateful for the information and resources.

Mary Ann Bassett of the Yakama Nation and a 7th grade teacher in the Mount Adams School District on the Yakama Reservation, participated in the conference and Thacker‘s workshop, saying she “saw it (the conference) on a website and came on over.”

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, one teacher asked how to address the subject in her classroom. Bassett shared that Thanksgiving is not a traditional holiday for Native Americans. Instead, in April, each longhouse will have their own root feast and a salmon feast to celebrate the salmon migration. “By fall, we’re ready to hunker down!”

Thacker suggested practicing “place-based” education when connecting to the tribes in one's own region, picking up resources at tribal organizations, museums and reservation stores, and using authentic resources.

For this article, OSPI's Indian Education Director Denny Hurtado was asked for more information about the curriculum.

"It’s all about establishing long standing relationships between the tribes and non- tribal communities. Our first experience with schools was the Indian boarding school - their philosophy was to save the man, kill the Indian, so we still to this day are leary of the education system. We want our history, culture and government to be taught in the school system as well. One main reason for this is to break down all the stereotypes, myths and misinformation that non-Indians have of us! With that said, once you develop these long term relationships with the tribes, then comes trust, followed by positive actions for our students," said Hurtado.

This year, four schools will be selected to test the curriculum: the Muckleshoot elementary tribal school, Kingston Middle School in North Kitsap, Fife High School, and Ridgeline Middle School in Yelm, said Hurtado.

Next Steps

As the conference wrapped up, first year Olympia teacher Kevin Marshall said, “I’m thoroughly inspired and exhausted…I feel ridiculously blessed to already be so connected to so many inspiring teachers so early in my career.” Marshall, who spent the last year as part of the conference’s organizing committee, lives in Olympia and teaches in the Parkland School District in Tacoma.

The conference has grown in size each year and rotates the host city. Last year, it was held in Olympia. Next year’s conference will be held in October, in Seattle. For more information, contact http://www.nwsj.com.

Olympia Educators for Social Justice

Olympia Educators for Social Justice meets on the third Friday of each month during the school year at Traditions Café on Water Street in downtown Olympia. Several members of the group were coordinators of the conference. The meetings include introductions and announcements and focus on one or two subject matters for conversation, problem-solving and resource sharing. Meetings are from 4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. For more information, email Jana Dean at jdean@reachone.com.

“For me, our group has been about finding a balance between being an agent of change and a source of cultural continuity in my role as a teacher, says Dean. “Reading Rethinking Schools has provided inspiration for the social change aspect of that work. Writing for Rethinking Schools has provided an opportunity to clarify through my writing how I'm serving the greater good through my work as a public school teacher.”

Rethinking Schools

Rethinking Schools is a nationally prominent publisher of educational materials and a quarterly magazine of the same name. It is committed to equity and the vision that public education is central to the creation of a humane, caring, multiracial democracy. Throughout its history, Rethinking Schools has tried to balance classroom practice and social policy. It is an activist publication, with articles written by and for teachers, parents, and students. Go to www.rethinkingschools.org for more information.


Above: Loren Petty of The Evergreen State College, staffs a table for Evergreen's Masters in Teaching Program. For more information about the program, go to www.evergreen.edu/teachers.

Planning Commission Tables Isthmus Rezone Discussion

By Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The city’s planning commission voted on Monday night to table further discussion on the isthmus rezone issue until November 15th, when city staff will provide them with more information. Deliberation about the rezone was scheduled to last about an hour, but took three hours before the subject was tabled pending the need for legal advice.

The Olympia City Council, with three new members, voted in January to overturn the actions of the previous council, who rezoned the downtown area known as the isthmus as Urban Waterfront-Housing (UW-H).

Many community members - including several planning commissioners - feel this new designation was a "spot rezone," thus increasing building heights from 35 feet to 90 feet to accommodate Triway Enterprises' land use application for a massive housing and mixed-use building project. (For more information, see other articles about this issue at www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com).

The new council adopted an interim rezone for the area to revert to its previous designation, Urban Waterfront (UW), and have it remain in effect through the completion of the 2010 Comprehensive Plan update, which is currently underway. Procedurally, the council has a year to make this designation permanent, or it reverts back to Urban Waterfront-Housing.

On October 4, the Planning Commission held a public hearing to consider the proposal to rezone the property. Based on city staff information and public comment from that hearing, the planning commission tonight was expected to provide a recommendation for the Olympia City Council’s consideration. Staff provided the planning commission with two options: amend or not amend the zoning from UW-H to UW. The city manager’s recommendation is to rezone the property to Urban Waterfront.

After a couple hours of discussion, Commission Chair Roger Horn asked commissioners for their thoughts. There was strong support expressed to reduce height but several questioned the wide variety of undesirable land uses that could occur under the Urban Waterfront designation.

Lengthy clarification about the differences between Urban Waterfront and Urban Waterfront-Housing was made by city staff. Ironically, neither zoning designation requires housing, however, a bonus for height is extended to developers if residential housing is included. Both designations allow for parks.

Commissioner Carol Law expressed her dismay with having to choose between the two options provided by city staff. After receiving confirmation that the Capitol Center Building (a.k.a. the “Mistake on the Lake”) can be made into a hotel under the Urban Waterfront designation, but not under Urban Waterfront-Housing, Law said, “I cannot support Urban Waterfront. There are too many uses. We’re safer with Urban Waterfront-Housing and it meets our comprehensive plan goals. We need a compromise.”

Several commissioners did not like either option and wanted to craft a third alternative: Urban Waterfront-Housing at 35 feet, a zoning designation that currently does not exist.

As the commissioners pursued this path, senior city planner Cari Hornbein stopped the process to express her reservations.

“I hate to throw a wrinkle in this but if you’re creating another alternative, you may have to have another public hearing…I just want to caution - I’m not comfortable that you can create a third alternative without consulting the city attorney. I would hate for this process to get tripped up in procedural errors,” said Hornbein.

City planner Brett Bures agreed, saying that a new State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) may have to be reissued to make sure the determination is consistent. City community development and planning director Keith Stahley agreed with Hornbein’s concern.

Planning commissioner Richard Wolfe said he didn’t mind the extra time this may take. “We need to do this and get it right - let’s do it and get it right.”

Wolfe is one of several commissioners who have invested a tremendous amount of time and effort for the last several months working on the Shoreline Master Plan (SMP) update. The SMP update includes the update of zoning designations for Olympia's shorelines, including the isthmus area. Drafts of the plan will be made available at an open house in the city council chambers on October 20, from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Amy Tousley, chair of the planning commission's SMP subcommittee, expressed concern about the timing of the whole process, as it overlaps with the SMP public review process. "We're making a decision (on the area) before we have public input," said Tousley. The Washington State Department of Ecology has approved the city's request for an extension of its SMP update to June 2011.

After considerable discussion, it was agreed that city staff needed ample time to consult with the city attorney, craft more option proposals, and reissue a notice for another hearing. City staff will come back to the planning commission’s meeting on November 15th with the needed legal direction and more information.

At 10:15 p.m., nearly four hours after the meeting began, Commission Chair Roger Horn thanked commissioners for their patience and participation. “This is tedious and painstaking, but a good process,” he said.

Proposed Chambers Lake Residential Development Application Withdrawn

by Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The application to the city for the proposed Chambers Lake Residential development in southeast Olympia has been formally withdrawn by the applicant, Triway Enterprises.

A terse, two sentence email to city planner Brett Bures yesterday afternoon sent by Jeff Pantier of Hatton Godat Pantier, who represents Triway Enterprises for this application, states, "The applicant has decided to withdraw the preliminary plat application. The Public Hearing will no longer be necessary."

The public hearing was scheduled for Monday, July 26th, in the Olympia city council chambers.

Asked to comment today on the email, Pantier told this reporter, " Tri - (Vo) - Triway - just decided to focus on other things they have going on. The city was recommending a denial, you know, so, not to say it couldn't go through...."

Jeanette Dickison, formerly Jeanette Hawkins, a project manager and frequent spokeperson for Triway Enterprises, is out of the office until Monday and was unavailable for comment.

Tori Cookson of Triway Enterprises said the application withdrawal was "just about timing and other issues I wouldn't want to comment on."

Triway Enterprises is known to be facing bankruptcy issues.

When asked, Bures could not guess how many hours he has spent on this application, which he has worked on since it was first submitted in 2004. The application has taken several forms since that time.

If the application is ever resubmitted to the city for review, the project would have to comply with the latest regulations, such as stormwater and engineering design, said Bures.

Lou Guethlein, a resident on Wiggins Road, and president of the Association of Citizens Concerned About Chambers Lake Basin (ACCCLB), was thrilled with the news.

"You should have seen me when Brett told me the news - I let out a whoop and gave him a big hug," said Guethlein, during a break in today's proceeding on the proposed Trillium development. "This is a tremendous victory."

Proposed Trillium Hearing Update

The hearing for the proposed Trillium development in the Chambers Lake Basin area concluded today. The hearing was held at the Eastside Fire Station. It began at 9:00 a.m. and adjorned at 5:40 p.m. The hearing examiner is under a two week requirement to reach a decision, however, the attorney for the applicant, DR Horton, said she would waive the requirement to give city hearing examiner Tom Bjorgen more time to deliberate.

The county gave its presentation on stormwater issues in the morning. Traffic related testimony, with cross-examinations, and final remarks took up the bulk of the afternoon.

Chairs were set up in the room for community members to observe the proceeding.

Cristiana Figueroa lives on Hoffman Road near the proposed development, and was present as a private citizen all day at the hearing. Professionally, she is a chemical and environmental engineer for the state Department of Ecology.

Asked to comment on the proposal during a break in the proceeding, Figueroa offered her unique perspective:

"I strongly believe that the city has rushed into a position that is not consistent with citizen benefits. I wanted to hear what the county said about stormwater issues and I was delighted that they provided a bigger perspective that clearly shows that this project should be denied. Further stormwater analysis should be done," said Figueroa.

"The benefits of the forest next to LBA Park has not been fully recognized, and what the destruction of that forest would mean. It's a natural space that holds volumes of water. It's a pollutant filtering agent and has wildlife habitat."

"I understand engineering disciplines - we are taught to understand the intersection of mathematics and the natural environment. We see such a level of detail that we lose the big picture - I see this over and over again as an engineer. I can see where they (the applicants) are coming from, but we are at a stage as a society where we need to get beyond the individual project impacts and look at the regional big picture."

Correction

In a previous story, "Trillium Development Hearing Continues Next Week," dated July 14, 2010, a caption under a future street connector sign was incorrect. A major collector gathers between 3,000 - 14,000 daily trips, not between 3,000 - 4,000 as written. I guess I just could not believe my notes, which were written with the correct information.

For more information and previous stories on proposed developments in southeast Olympia, search this blog at www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com.

Former Port Commissioner Offers Dogs Now, Not Logs

Above: Hyejin Nofzinger with her children, left to right, Jenna, 4, Hannah, 6, and Justin, 8, enjoy their dogs and drinks from Steve Pottle's and Cameron Jutte’s hot dog stand near the Olympia Farmer’s Market. Nofzinger and her children just arrived here last week from Korea. Her husband, who serves in the military, arrived here last April and told her about the rain, wondering if he had made a mistake in settling his family in the Northwest. “I can’t believe there’s a rainy season here - the weather is so beautiful!” said Nofzinger.

By Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

If a vendor down near the port property looks a little familiar, look again. He's former Port Commissioner Steve Pottle - but instead of serving up Weyerhaeuser logs, he's serving up wiener dogs.

Pottle says he's "just an investor" in his nephew’s new business, Man Bites Dog, but he's clearly helping out in many other ways, showing his nephew, Cameron Jutte, 21, the smoother side of what it takes to run any business: excellent customer service and the benefits of having an outgoing personality.

“Thank you for your business,” Pottle is heard to say, as every customer leaves.

The hot dog stand is located outside the Market Center Building across from the Olympia Farmer’s Market and operates Wednesdays through Sundays, from about 11:00 - 3:00 p.m.

The two attended the recent Winter Olympics and were inspired by the street vendors and thought, "we can do this." Both admit to being "foodies."

Asked how they came up with the name for the business, Pottle said it was originally the name started at the World’s Fair in Seattle in 1962 by the guy who later started Costco. After checking with their attorney, they found out they could use the name. “We originally wanted “Top Dog,” but that was taken,” says Jutte.

The pair say they go through about 45-50 hot dogs a day, although Pottle says how much product to buy is hard to tell. They sometimes run out before 3:00 p.m. To add to various dogs and a barbeque pork sandwich, they will be adding a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich to the menu soon.

A New York Polish Dog smothered with sweet grilled onions is five bucks. Chips and cold drinks are also available. One day last week, the special was a free drink with any dog. Folks familiar with Pottle, such as Mr. Panowicz of Panowicz Jewelers, stopped by to say hi.


Above: Steve Pottle, right, and nephew Cameron Jutte served up a lot of dogs during this interview.

Since their grand opening a couple weeks ago, ("Every day is a grand opening!" quipped Pottle) business has been brisk.

Turns out, it's not so much of a leap to go from port to pork. Running a hot dog stand sounds similar, if not just about as complicated, as running the Port of Olympia.

“The biggest challenge is going through the whole process of setting up the business and legal entities," says Pottle. "Getting the permits, sourcing the cart, securing a location, testing the product…you have to have a substantial amount of money to get it going,” he says.

Not only money, but obtaining the proper permits to get a business license, food handler’s licenses, a permit with the county for food handling, having a commissary with a three station sink, and a dishwasher, are all part of the challenges of owning your own food vending business. Pottle and Jutte lease the space for their cart in front of the Market Center Building from the Rants Group.

Pottle served nine years on the port commission, from 1997-2006, and was an original board member of Thurston First Bank, serving there for five years. He left Olympia four years ago, going to Everett to start the Snohomish County Office of Economic Development for County Government. He was there two years, and came back. Now, he’s consulting in business and sales.

Asked if he follows port business now, he said, “Nope! I don’t belong to nothing now - I don’t sit on any boards or commissions - zip - nothing. I did my time!” Pottle laughs, and is happy to report that he recently ran a half marathon in June, for the Seattle Rock and Roll event to benefit the American Cancer Society.

Jutte says this isn’t just a summer job for him - this is what he wants to do for the foreseeable future. “I want to cater events, if possible, small events,” he says.

Pottle adds, "That’s why we got a cart with wheels - so we can cater on a dime."

Editor's Note: According to NPR this morning, today is National Hot Dog Day! And by a strange coincidence, Janine was planning to post this story today!

Full Disclosure: The fact that Mr. Pottle gave me a fifty cent discount on a dog last week and loaded it with free onions had absolutely no influence on the outcome of this story. And the fact that Janine went back again another day and got another New York Polish Dog (just to make sure it was as great as the first one) still had no influence on the outcome of this story.


Above: Diane Harpel, an employee at the nearby Panowicz Jewelers, doesn't have far to go for lunch.

East Olympia Firefighters Are Ready

By Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

East Olympia volunteer firefighters got their first chance in two years to fight an actual house fire in a live training exercise held yesterday on Normandy Road in Thurston County.

The three hour exercise involved about 20 firefighters, according to Fire Chief Mel Low. “We usually get about one house donated to us a year but we’ve gone two years without one,” said Low.

It is a National Fire Protection Association requirement to provide live fire training before volunteers can be involved in a real call. This past winter, volunteers were sent to Tenino to participate in a live fire training exercise.



Asked how houses come into their hands, Low said citizens contact them when they have bought land and don’t need or want the existing structure, or want to build a new house. To prepare the house for the training, it has to have the asbestos removed, but they don’t take out the carpeting or take off the shingles, because that would change the behavior of the fire and wouldn’t be realistic.

“When we get a house, we usually like to use it for two to three months and utilize it to its fullest capacity. In this case, the house was given to us just two weeks ago, so we’ve had 10 days to use it before the county burn ban goes into effect today through October 15th,” said Low. In the last ten days, the house has been used extensively for training in search and rescue and trapped firefighters.

In yesterday’s exercise, plywood and cardboard was set up and crews took turns going in and putting out the fire, each having multiple opportunities to be the first one in.


Above: East Olympia firefighters train in a live exercise yesterday on Normandy Road.

The East Olympia Fire District covers 30 square miles, and protects a population of 14,000 and 5,500 homes. The district has 16 paid employees and 47 volunteers, mostly young people. They have six to ten volunteers on duty each shift, and beds for thirteen.

East Olympia staffs two fulltime engine companies, one on each side of the railroad tracks: Station Headquarters on Normandy, Station #61, and Station #64, on Old Highway 99 near The Barn Nursery.

An average of 65 trains a day run through East Olympia, including eight Amtrak trains. The rest are freight trains. Almost all the freight trains carry hazardous material.

The district gets about six to ten volunteers a year and can always use more, says Low.

For more information, contact the East Olympia Fire District at (360) 491-5533 or go to their website at www.eofd.org.


Above: An East Olympia firefighter rests after training yesterday.

Trillium Development Hearing Continues Next Week

by Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The hearing for the proposed Trillium development in southeast Olympia continues next week. The hearing so far has taken up three evening meetings in June, each lasting about four and a half hours.

At the close of the third day of the hearing on June 29th at 11:00 p.m., Olympia Hearing Examiner Tom Bjorgen said it was clear that one more full day would be required to potentially conclude the hearing.

The hearing will reconvene July 22, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at Fire Station No. 1, 100 Eastside Street, Olympia, in the Training Room. No public comment will be taken. Public comment was already taken at two hearings, June 14th and June 28th. (For more information, see articles at www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com)

The city of Olympia is recommending approval of the Trillium development and has provided the applicant with a list of conditions it must meet for final approval.

Sensing the public's difficult feelings for the city staff's position on this development, deputy city attorney Darren Nienaber opened his remarks on June 28 by reminding the audience that city staff are simply carrying out zoning approved by the city council.

"Staff has no authority to question the council nor can city staff take a position that it (a project) is good or not. Our job is to determine compliance or not. That's it. Is there compliance or is there not?"

On June 28, witnesses for both sides testified to project details about school capacity, traffic, groundwater monitoring and drinking water resource protection.

The applicant presented a list of objections and clarifications to the conditions of approval, which were discussed. The attorney for DR Horton often reminded the city that the project is vested to 2005 standards and did not have to comply with the city's current, more stringent ordinances, including those involving public safety, such as providing automatic fire sprinklers in all single family dwelling units and townhouse units.


Above: Deputy City Attorney Darren Nienaber looks over the proposed development plans for Trillium with former Olympia city councilmember Karen Messmer at a hearing about the project on June 28.

On June 28th, the public was allowed to continue their testimony.

Karen Messmer, who served on the council from 2005 - 2009, and also served on the Olympia Planning Commission from 1995-2005, including four terms as chair, testified on behalf of Olympia Safe Streets. She took issue with the Trillium plans on the grounds that they do not conform to proper alternative transportation design and development standards put in place to implement the goals and policies of Olympia's comprehensive plan. She said that there appears to be a problem with the interpretation of the standards by developer and the city.

"The key policy here is that Olympia’s standards call for a gridded street network, on a 250’ – 350’ grid. Where streets are not provided at that network spacing criteria, we require that bicycle/pedestrian connections be provided in lieu of street connections...."

"This development has done a relatively good job providing connections within the development. There are streets, alleyways, and pathways provided, however, the proposed design utterly fails the standards for connections to the periphery of the development. This fails to serve the needs of current and future residents in and around the development to access transit, schools, services, or just go for a walk or visit to a neighbor," Messmer said in her testimony.


Above: If you see this sign in your neighborhood, you might want to call the city. This sign is near Log Cabin Road. The proposed Trillium project is so large that it will require, if approved, three classes of streets including major collectors, which would generate 3,000 - 4,000 daily trips.

County Concerns

The remaining portions of the consolidated preliminary plat and State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) hearing were scheduled for July 22 to include only the conclusion of the city's case and the applicant's, DR Horton's, reply and rebuttal case.

However, last week, Cliff Moore, director of the Thurston County Resource Stewardship Department, contacted Bjorgen to request the presentation of information related to updated precipitation records for use in the flooding analysis; potential downstream impacts of increased stormwater volume on properties immediately north and south of Yelm Highway and suggested mitigating strategies, and the status of monitoring and maintenance of the Chambers Ditch to avoid an increase in flooding.

After considerable communications with all parties, Bjorgen says he will allow the new information to be presented at the hearing July 22.

In Bjorgen's email to all parties, Bjorgen stated that although the county should have presented the information during the public testimony portion of the hearing, "the subjects touched by the requested evidence go to the heart of...public health and safety....It hardly serves the interests of applicable law to ignore potentially valuable evidence simply to sanction the county for lateness...."

Bjorgen also stated that the potential value of the evidence is high and "when one considers the nature and size of the proposal, the years it has taken to develop and present it, and potential risks from a less than fully informed decision in these areas, it is clear to me that the interests protected by all applicable law, including those of fairness, would be damaged more by excluding the evidence...."

After the testimony is completed, then the hearing examiner may ask additional questions to items that may have not been answered and ask the applicant, city staff, or the public for a response to those questions. The examiner will decide this after the next hearing.

The hearing examiner will provide a recommendation on the development to the city. Ultimately, the final decision to approve or not approve the project lies with the Olympia City Council.

Chambers Lake Residential Hearing

In an update on another proposed development in southeast Olympia on 37th Avenue Southeast, near Trillium, a public hearing on Chambers Lake Residential will be held July 26, 6:30 p.m., in the Olympia City Council chambers, 900 Plum Street. This is a date change from previous information provided to the public.

The applicant, Triway Enterprises, is proposing a 40 acre subdivision for 153 dwelling units, including 52 multi-family units, 35 single-family townhomes, and 105 single-family detached homes with reduced setbacks.

City staff is recommending a denial of the application based on inadequate stormwater management and other reasons detailed in the city's staff report.

Hearing dates are subject to change. Contact the city for the latest information. For more information about the Trillium or Chambers Lake Residential projects, contact Brett Bures, (360) 753-8568, or bbures@ci.olympia.wa.us. Written statements may be submitted to the Olympia Community Planning and Development Department, PO Box 1967, Olympia, WA 98507-1967. Written comments must be received at or prior to the public hearing.


Above: Brett Bures, Olympia city planner, is buried under a few Trillium related papers at a recent hearing.

School District Says: No Capacity in Southeast Olympia for Trillium

Above: Where the Sidewalk Ends: These girls have just a little bit more sidewalk ahead of them. Will they: a) turn right and run along the track on Washington Middle School grounds, b) risk crossing Boulevard, the street to their left, where cars often whiz by, much faster than the posted speed limit or c) continue straight, and choose to walk in the bike lane on the same side on the street, perilously close to cars. Answer: The girls ran onto the track to join friends.

by Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

A hearing on June 14 for a proposed development called Trillium in southeast Olympia prompted some alarming public testimony and questions about nearby school capacity issues.

The hearing examiner, Tom Bjorgen, asked city planner Brett Bures to bring a representative of the Olympia School District to the next hearing to answer questions.

The next Trillium hearing will be on Monday, June 28, 6:30 p.m., at Olympia City Hall in the council chambers. The hearing is a continuation of the first one, which ended at 11:00 p.m. due to time considerations.

A master planned development proposed by DR Horton, Trillium would consist of 500 single family and multi-family dwelling units bordered by Morse-Merryman Road Southeast, 40th Ave, and Highline Drive. The preliminary plat would subdivide the 80 acres into 313 residential lots.

In a letter dated April 15, 2010 to Cari Hornbein, senior planner for the city of Olympia, Olympia School District's (OSD) supervisor for capital planning and construction Tim Byrnes, states, "The District has no capacity for any students who may be generated by this large development. Therefore, we will bus students from this development to either Madison or Garfield Elementary School, until a new school is built to serve the students residing in the proposed Trillium development."

The letter concludes, "The District would like to suggest that owners of developments in the Southeast portion of Olympia consider land be provided for a future elementary school that could meet capacity needs."

In an interview, Byrnes acknowledged that he will likely be asked to testify at the hearing examiner's meeting on June 28, to answer Bjorgen's questions about school capacity issues. His letter to the city says the elementary, middle and high schools currently serving the proposed project's area, as well as two other local elementary schools, are over capacity.

Despite a population growth in Olympia over the past several years, overall enrollment has remained stable, hovering right around 9,000 students for the past several years within the school district, says Byrne.

Asked specifically about the proposed southeast Olympia developments such as Trillium, Chambers Lake Residential, and Bentridge, Bryne said that he knew about the hearing examiner's public hearing on Trillium on June 14, but had to attend a school district meeting.

"A few years ago, Trillium and Bentridge really concerned us because McKenny and Centennial (elementary schools) are over capacity. There's not even room for more portables. There's a little capacity at Pioneer, but with Briggs going in, perhaps next year they will reach capacity."

Byrne said, "One of my concerns is that the Boulevard/Yelm Highway interchange is a mess in the morning and afternoon. I can't imagine what it will be like with 1000 homes - 2000 additional vehicles. I don't see how the existing road can deal with the additional traffic."

The district also submitted a letter to the city in 2007 regarding its concerns with Trillium. It requested various off-site improvements in order to provide safe-walking routes to McKenny Elementary School, located on Morse-Merryman Road.


Above: The T-intersection of Boulevard and Morse-Merryman Roads at a quiet moment.

Bryne says he calculated numbers for the Bentridge and Trillium developments a couple of years ago and estimated that they would generate about 160 total new students for each development. Each development is similar in size. The type of proposed housing is important to consider when making these calculations.

"We have predicted that the number of students generated might be reduced because of the economy. We are getting more families in apartments than in single family dwellings," says Byrne.

For Bentridge, in the proposed single family dwellings, Byrne calculated the development would generate 55 elementary school students, 32 middle school students, and 46 high school students. Numbers for the multi-family dwellings within Bentridge came out to 16 elementary students, three middle school students, and nine high school students.

School Capacity Options

When schools are over capacity, the district has a couple of options: change boundaries to shift students to those schools where there is additional classroom space or new schools can be built.

Byrne says that each year, the district monitors new housing as well as developments that are in the permitting stage, as part of their capital facilities planning process. The district's facilities advisory committee met a couple times a month last year to stay on top of all the proposed southeast Olympia developments.

"We came to realize with all the developments, we will need a new school or move boundary lines to include Madison," said Byrne. Students from McKenny could be bussed to Madison, located on Legion Way. Madison Elementary School is currently under capacity.

Byrne says the Olympia School District will be initiating a review of its current school service areas and boundary lines in the fall.

The other solution is to build new schools.

"We are currently in the planning phase for a bond proposal for voters to consider in 2012. That would likely address the longer term capacity needs for students living in the southeast part of the district as well as other service areas," says Bryne.

"It's really difficult the way the housing market is - it's flat now but we could be in a pickle."

Building new schools requires approval by voters. As a result, the district has historically taken a cautious approach to capital construction, building new schools or adding classrooms.

"I recently reviewed some older student growth projections for 2010 that were done several years ago. Those projections put us at several thousand students beyond where we are currently. Obviously, if we had built schools based on those older projections, we would have a lot of empty buildings right now. We will continue to monitor potential developments like Trillium as well as others that are planned in this area to make sure we have capacity to serve those families who reside in the Olympia School District. We will need to build a new elementary school in the southeast area sometime," says Byrne.

Asked to comment on where this land might be, Bryne said that the Olympia School District owns land at the site of the former McKinley elementary school on Boulevard, where Eastside Pre-School currently sits, and land next to Centennial Elementary School.


Above: Olympia School District property at 12th Avenue SE and Boulevard could be the site of a future school.

Olympia High School

At the June 14 Trillium hearing, several current students or former students of Washington Middle School and Olympia High School, including a parent, testified regarding overcrowding issues at both schools.

Testimony included the serious allegations of students having to sit on the floor to eat lunch at Olympia High School. At Washington Middle School, a student testified that food was not available for those who ate at the third lunch period.

Asked to comment on this testimony, Olympia High School Principal Matt Grant did not want to directly dispute the student's testimony that students sit on the floor during lunch period.

"There is some element of truth to the comment. This is true especially at the beginning of the year when we're just getting settled. Students like to sit in groups, and they like to sit all together. If there isn't room for all of them to sit together, they will sit in a group on the floor. And if it's raining, it does get crowded....As the weather warms up, more students choose to sit outside, and that leaves more room for students to sit all together at the tables in the lunchroom."

As for the possibility a third lunch period, Grant says, "We're weighing that option right now. It really tears up your fourth period and brings with it a host of trash and supervision issues."

Washington Middle School

Regarding the comment by a Washington Middle School student that there is no food available at the third lunch period, Peter Rex, communications director for the Olympia School District, said that school principals typically monitor the food situation very closely and immediately bring concerns to the district.

Rex consulted with Peter Flock, the school district's food director, who said he has never heard of a lack of food in the twenty years he has been in the position. The district offers two or three entree choices. Flock suggested that perhaps the student's entree choice was not available by the third lunch period, but other options were available.

Students who have concerns about any issue are encouraged to speak with the principal of the school, say both Grant and Rex.

Washington Middle School principal Pat Robinson did not return phone calls to comment on this topic this past week.

Chambers Lake Residential Hearing Date Change

The hearing date for the proposed Chambers Lake Residential development has been changed to July 26, 6:30 p.m., at the Eastside Fire Station at 100 Eastside Street, off of Fourth Avenue.

The applicant, Triway Enterprises, proposes to develop the 40 acre parcel into 221 dwelling units. City staff has recommended a denial of this application based on the applicant's inadequate storm water design standards to deal with the southeast Olympia area's high groundwater levels. Other reasons are detailed in the city's staff report.

For more information about Chambers Lake Basin related developments, see the June 15 article, "Citizens Speak Against Trillium Development at Hearing," at www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com.

For more information, and to confirm the latest information, as hearing dates often change, contact Brett Bures, City of Olympia City Planner, at (360) 753-8568 or bbures@ci.olympia.wa.us or go to the City of Olympia website at www.olympiawa.gov.


Above: A sign like this means Something Is Going To Happen. Pull over carefully and check it out, or if that's not possible, contact the city of Olympia for more information. This sign, announcing the proposed Trillium development, is on Morse-Merryman Road, across from Sugarloaf Street.

Who Advises The Port of Olympia?

Above: The Port of Olympia's logyard at the 60 acre Marine Terminal on Budd Inlet. The Port of Olympia owns and operates the Marine Terminal, Olympia Regional Airport, Swantown Marina and Boatworks, and various real estate holdings, including the New Market Industrial Campus in Tumwater.

by Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The Port of Olympia met in a special session Monday with their advisory committee to review the work of the group, called the Port Advisory Committee (PAC).

The PAC, composed of 12 volunteer citizens, was formed in 1994 as an outcome of the Port's strategic planning process and provides advice and assistance to the Port Commission on a variety of issues and projects.

At Monday's meeting, the group produced a report of its year long study regarding the New Market Industrial Campus Development near the Olympia Airport. Four out of twelve of the PAC were in attendance.

The New Market area is owned by the Port and is a mixed-bag of potential opportunities, depending on economic variables, regulations pertaining to threatened species such as the pocket gopher, and wellhead protection zones. The property is characterized by high groundwater and is served by two watersheds, Salmon Creek and the Deschutes River.


Above: The New Market area looking from Airport Road and 76th Avenue.

In general, the group told the commissioners that the property is a Catch-22 situation: is it worth the money to fix the problems to attract investors or do nothing, and take a "wait and see" approach.

Commissioner Jeff Davis, a former PAC member, thanked Cosmillo for the information, saying, "I understand that the PAC can't make a recommendation - I appreciate the amount of time you put into it. I hope we can make a decision in the next couple years and not let it just fall stagnant."

"The market is starting to heat up. We want to be ready. We can start moving this forward - we need to start looking at the next step, like scheduling a meeting with the Salmon Creek Neighborhood Association," said Commissioner Bill McGregor.

Commissioner George Barner agreed, replying, "I'm sure they'll have strong opinions and concerns. I was impressed with their level of engagement (in the past) so we should be availing ourselves of their knowledge before we head down the road of development....There's so much sensitivity about how viable this area is - what is a valid method to dispose of it (groundwater)? What are the costs? How much can we pump into this property to make it viable?"

"If you don't do anything, you don't know how viable this property is," said PAC member Don Melnick.

PAC chair Lisa Cosmillo, a real estate broker, said, "It's a Catch-22. A lot of tenants won't come unless everything's there (in place)."

Meeting minutes on the Port website say that the group held a public hearing about the issue in January, but no one showed up. Regarding public engagement, the report says, "If development is given serious consideration, the Port should engage the nearby residential community in preliminary discussions. It is better to involve critics early on since they will likely be involved ultimately."

Salmon Creek Basin Neighborhood Association

Throughout the New Market report, the public, including the Salmon Creek Basin Neighborhood Association, is described as "critics." Concerns have been primarily increased air traffic and environmental issues related to eliminating native forest. According to the Salmon Creek Basin Neighborhood, there are fewer than 200 forested acres remaining in Tumwater on land owned by the Port of Olympia.

Although the commissioners and the advisory committee readily mentioned engaging the nearby neighborhood in its discussions, E.J. Zita, vice-president of the association, was cautiously optimistic about their sincerity. No representative of the group was present at the meeting.

Asked to comment on the report and the invitation to participate in future conversations, Zita said, in a telephone interview, "We would love to be part of the planning process - we've tried to for years and feel like we've been excluded. This area affects our homes and our lives, and the safety of children in our neighborhood, including Bush Middle School."

Zita says that the Port owns Kimmie Street, and started to develop the land five years ago for mega-warehouses.

"We didn't have an association then. The city of Tumwater estimated that if the projects the Port wanted went through, there would be an estimated 12,000 trucks per day on the roads in our neighborhood. The city worked closely with us and restricted the size of the warehouses and the distance from the school. We're grateful to the city for protecting us from the Port of Olympia. The port was not interested in the health and safety of our neighborhood. They chose not to have an open dialog at that time."

"But the threat had a positive outcome. Now we're well organized and can work together to meet challenges if necessary. I hope that won't be necessary," Zita added.

Zita says she applied for a position on the port advisory committee when it was first formed and was not chosen. She was later invited to be a member, but the offer was rescinded.

"The port has found ways to reduce public input over the years and has traditionally not been forthcoming. I have spent years attending port meetings, trying to work with them, but I have not found that effort has been productive," said Zita.

The Port Advisory Committee (PAC)

According to the Port website as of last week, current Port Advisory Committee members are Joseph Downing, Riley Moore, Darlene Kemery, Joe Raudebaugh, Rodney Edgbert, Len Trautman, Jim Wright, Keith Laws, Don Melnick, Kevin Partlow, Clydia Cuykendall, and Lisa Cosmillo.

Lisa Cosmillo says she used to work with the Economic Development Council and is most interested in job development and real estate. She just handed over the chair position to Riley Moore in Monday's meeting. She will stay on the committee.

According to Kathleen White, Port media relations director, Kemery, Raudebaugh, Edgbert, and Trautman have just finished their terms. Interviews have been conducted for their replacements. Twelve applied and were interviewed by Commissioner Jeff Davis, Port Director Ed Galligan, and Lisa Cosmillo. Each term is four years. The new members will be announced on June 28 at the port's regular meeting.

The Future of PAC

At the end of the meeting, Cosmillo gave Commissioner Barner a list of ideas the PAC could explore for what to do next. Historically, the Port points the PAC in a particular direction and the PAC reports back to the Port on their findings.

It would appear that the group is still trying to find its purpose and trying to be more proactive.

In a quote from the memo, a PAC member states, "Since the PAC is officially a public advisory body itself, and since meaningful public input is what the Port seeks, I wondered if the PAC might in this instance be a more credible source to the Commissioners than staff in recommending how more meaningful public input might best be obtained. I think the PAC could undertake a learning process to determine what kinds of public input processes, in addition to formal hearings, are used elsewhere and why. We could reach out to nearby public bodies to learn what kinds of processes they are using and how well they are working. We might even reach out to public involvement professionals and the like to help us understand better what works and what doesn't."

The list includes suggestions and comments from individual PAC members including topics such as the shoreline management plan update, sea level rise, earthquake risks, military shipments, and public access to the port.

McGregor says public involvement was high on his list.

Davis and Barner agreed. Barner said, "I'd like to see us look at Northpoint - that's an imminent discussion."

"I'd like to offer our services soon. We're going to have a dynamite PAC this year - it's going to be hard to choose. I wish we can keep them all," Cosmillo said.

Davis asked Moore if it was possible to have more than one project going on at a time. This seemed possible if they divide into subcommittees.

Davis said, "The port's direction should be outside Olympia, I just don't know where that is. It's one of those things the chambers and the Economic Development Council players could get involved with. Bringing jobs to Thurston County - that's a long-term commitment."

Jim Wright, a former port commissioner, agreed but said, "We would need specific direction from the commission."


Above: Port of Olympia Commissioner Jeff Davis volunteered at the Wounded Warriors event today at the Olympia Regional Airport. Here, Davis serves Army Specialist Steven Ferrick, a transportation truck driver, who was wounded in February by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan.

The event, now in its third year, is a partnership between the Washington State Patrol and the Port of Olympia to honor and appreciate our wounded servicemen and women. Davis, a longshoreman, served salmon, rice pilaf, bread and chowder donated by the Alaska Scallop Association.


Above: An F-18, "The Legacy", in town for the Olympic Air Show this weekend, gets gassed up at the Olympia Regional Airport today. According to AD2 Rodriguez of the US Navy, left, the plane holds 10,000 pounds of gas, which is about 1400 gallons. It goes 1.8 mach, about 1400 miles per hour.

The Port Website

In an interview later, Kathleen White admitted that the port website is lacking in information. While doing research for this story, this reporter saw that four PAC meetings were held in 2009, and no meeting minutes for the PAC were posted since January, 2010. That meeting convened for nine minutes. The last PAC meeting agenda posted is for February 24, with no minutes from that meeting available. From the website, it would appear that no meetings have been held since.

This is not true, according to White.

"We had a staff member go on maternity leave and some things have slipped through the cracks. As a matter of fact, we just put out a RFP (Request for Proposals) today to update the website," White said on Monday. "We ourselves have a hard time finding things - we need professional help with it." The website should be updated by the end of the year, she said.

The next Port of Olympia meeting will be Monday, June 28, 5:30 p.m., at Tumwater City Hall.

The next PAC meeting has not been scheduled.

Update on Cascade Pole

At Monday night's Port meeting, the commissioners approved the expenditure of just over $1 million for in-house costs to pursue the capping of Cascade Pole. A contract was awarded of $678,353.06 to PI Resources, LLC to do the actual capping work. Future costs will include post-construction monitoring and reporting.

According to the port, the capping project will excavate contaminated soil from the approximately one acre area outside of the slurry wall containment wall; test the in-place soils, and backfill with clean soils. A shoreline walking trail will be built to connect to the existing trail. The remaining area outside of the slurry wall will be secured in preparation for future development.

The excavated soils from outside the containment wall will be placed inside an approximately one acre area inside the slurry wall, then the grade compacted and capped with an asphalt cap which will include the required storm water systems.

Construction will occur June 26 through October 31.

The bid process for the job was advertised from May 11 to May 26. Bids opened on June 3, the same day as a community event with port and state department of Ecology staff was held. Many in the audience at that meeting expressed opposition to asphalt capping.

According to Rick Anderson, the port's engineering director, the bid included the Port's request to do a partial asphalt cap over the contaminated soil inside the slurry wall.

"We are going for unrestricted use for the area outside the slurry. We will be digging down 18 inches and putting in clean fill. The port has determined that an asphalt cap is the safest possible cap for the area inside the slurry wall."

For more information about the Port of Olympia, call 528-8000 or go to www.portolympia.com. Commission meetings are televised by TCTV and broadcast on cable channel 3 on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. and Thursdays at 12:00 p.m.

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Above: The Cascade Pole area in early June.