Tuesday, February 7, 2012

ALERT! TWO PUBLIC MEETINGS ON PROPOSED BUILDING ON GARFIELD PLAY-FIELD

The Boys and Girls Club of Thurston County has submitted an application to the City of Olympia for construction of a major recreation building on the northwest quarter of the Garfield Play-field.

A public meeting on the proposal is scheduled for Wednesday, February 22, at 6:30 at Garfield School.

The City's Design Review Board will meet to discuss the proposal on Thursday, February 23 at 6:30 at City Hall.

Additional details regarding provisions for public comment and written comment have been requested from the City and will be posted when we, the Northwest Olympia Neighborhood Association (NWONA) receive them.

The parcel proposed for the structure is 38,330 square feet, approximately one quarter of the play-field. The actual structure will occupy 19,850 square feet.  According to the application, the building will contain classroom and activity areas, a teen center, and a gymnasium, plus storage and office space.  The proposal includes 16 on site parking spaces.  The play-field is owned by the Olympia School District which has agreed to lease the parcel to the Boys and Girls Club for $1.00 per year. 

Concerned local residents met with representatives of the City, the School District, the Parks Department, and the Boys and Girls Club on February 1 to discuss alternative locations adjacent to Garfield School that would not result in the loss of this community open space.  There was agreement that the City and the Boys and Girls Club would review at least three alternative options: incorporation of a facility within major improvements planned at Garfield School; construction at the site of Police sub-station, with incorporation of Police facilities; construction wholly or partially within the City's Woodruff Park.  This review is currently in process.  

Despite the apparent conflict of two public meetings on one proposed site while alternative sites are under consideration, the City has determined that by code, it must proceed to conduct the public meetings on the current application. 

The Northwest Olympia Neighborhood Association is encouraging your comments to this blog and at the two meetings scheduled by the City.

5 comments:

  1. I am not the information authority on this, just a concerned neighbor. I suspect that if someone could only make one of the meetings, the first one (Wednesday, February 22, at 6:30 at Garfield School) would be the more important of the two.

    The reason I say this is that the Design Review Board (DRB) is just doing its usual design code review of the project (they do not have a say so on whether a project may or may not happen)and as a a City Advisory Committee, the meeting is public. To my limited knowledge, DRB does not specifically solicit public feedback on designs, as evidenced by the lack of Public Communications on their agendas that I have seen.

    That said, I do encourage folks to attend both not only to get every bit of information and detail about this important issue, but also to have a persistent presence before the applicant and staff.

    - Larry Leveen

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  2. I am glad there is a new meeting scheduled and this is not a "done deal". Hopefully we can stop the destruction of the garfield ballfields. I'd sure pay the school $1 per year to keep the field.

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  3. makes me sad they would get rid of nice open community play space for another building especially when there is the old police station on the property that is just sitting there waiting to be renovated for something just like this. Why oh why get rid of the playgrounds? This will make a lot of people pretty upset I would imagine.

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  4. I put up my sign neighbours want to know where to get one...?

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