BIG HAPPENINGS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD 

READ ON FOR 5 UPDATES!

Our Secret Garden Needs You! 

EARTH DAY IVY PULL & REPLANTING!

WHERE: Garfield Nature Trail, 620 Rogers Street NW, Olympia

WHEN: Sunday, April 22, 1 to 4 p.m.

WHAT: Pull English ivy & other invasive plants, replant with beneficial native plants
BRING: Work gloves, sturdy shoes, clothes that can get dirty

Please join the North West Olympia Neighborhood Association, WSU Native Plant Salvage Project, and City of Olympia Parks as we continue to restore the ravine of this urban nature trail that is considered by many a secret treasure on the Westside!  Please come prepared to dig and get dirty and wet!

Youth under age 14 must be accompanied by an adult and all youth under 18 years must have a signed Waiver and Medical Alert or have a parents' signature on the sign-in roster at the project work site. WAIVERS WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE AT THE EVENT!

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Recruiting for "Executives" -- No Experience Necessary!

The North West Olympia Neighborhood Association (NWONA) is now recruiting for new Board members.  No experience necessary!  Duties:  one meeting per month.  Required skills: interest and enthusiasm for continued neighborhood improvement. Benefits: meeting new friends; opportunity to display creative imagination. 

Projects include continued improvement at Mad-Tom Park, the Garfield Nature Trail, engaging neighbors in dialogue about issues that affect our neighborhood.  Future projects include drafting a neighborhood land use plan as part of Olympia's Comprehensive Plan implementation. 

Application procedure: Send e-mail response to Jerry Parker at jerome.parker@comcast.net

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Resolution of Boys and Girls Club Facility Appears Near

At a meeting convened by Olympia City Manager Steve Hall on April 16, Hall, Bill Lahmann of the Olympia School District, David Hanna of the Olympia Parks Department and Joe Ingoglia of the Boys and Girls Club reported a tentative agreement to site the facility in the bus turn-around adjacent to the west side of the Garfield School. A draft lease is being reviewed by all parties.

Questions regarding the details of the draft agreement should be directed to City Manager Steve Hall at 753-8447, shall@ci.olympia.wa.us

A public briefing of the Olympia City Council regarding the draft agreement is scheduled for May 8.  Before that date, Steve Hall plans to schedule a meeting at Garfield School to present a description of the tentative agreement and to receive response from residents.

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The North West Olympia Neighborhood has an opportunity to make the neighborhood more pedestrian friendly. But this is an opportunity only if residents decide to become involved in both defining new pathways and then building them.

The Board has previously proposed defining a designated "walking loop" with the intention of requesting the City to assign a priority to the sidewalks to fill in missing sidewalk links in the loop.  The actual cost and construction would have been done by the City.

Given the current capital budget of the City and the inventory of sidewalk projects, the probability of funding for any such "walking loop" is quite low. However, the City appears ready to launch a new effort to increase "walkability" with "pathways." Pathways are shortcuts for bicyclists and pedestrians. "Pathways" have already been tested out in the Northeast and Eastside Neighborhood. Based on these pilot programs, the City has dedicated funds to expand the pathways program to all neighborhoods.  Within the next month, the City will be asking neighborhoods to identify their priority pathways.  Once priority pathways are defined, a neighborhood can apply for a grant to improve a pathway themselves. A neighborhood can also submit a proposal for the City to construct more extensive improvements to a pathway. 

In anticipation of the City's announcement of the pathways program, we suggest interested residents of our Northwest Neighborhood visit the pilot projects and then begin the process of selection our targets for "pathways."  If you are interested in being a part of this process, please respond to Jerry Parker, NWONA President, directly at: jerome.parker@comcast.net

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LOCAL FOOD DISCUSSION APRIL 25!

The City of Olympia is reviewing its approach to urban agriculture and wants to hear from YOU! You are invited to a community meeting to discuss issues related to local food and agriculture, hosted by the City and Sustainable South Sound. 

WHEN & WHERE: April 25th at 7 p.m., Olympia City Hall, 601 E. Fourth Ave

For more info, contact: Jennifer Kenny, Associate Planner

City of Olympia Community Planning & Development

601 4th Avenue East

PO Box 1967

Olympia WA 98507-1967

Tel: 360-753-8031

Fax: 360-753-8087

jkenny@ci.olympia.wa.us