President's Message

By Janine Gates

Spring has arrived - a time to move forward with renewed energy and priorities. For SPEECH, we welcomed the new year with a successful annual meeting. We packed Traditions to hear Doug Myers, Science Director for People For Puget Sound, talk about climate change in the South Sound. An excellent community discussion followed. We also acknowledged our volunteers and welcomed the energy of two new board members, Abby Brown and Kara Tebeau. Regarding our successful transition from our downtown office, we freed ourselves from our expensive business landline to go with a company called EarthTones, an environmental Internet and phone company that donates 100 percent of its profits to various grassroots environmental organizations. Our new phone number is 360- 528-9158. We also have a new email address, speech.greenpages@gmail.com. This issue's content is also available on our website at http://www.oly-wa.us/greenpages.

Incoming financial donations from new and renewing members are creating a bright financial future for SPEECH. And thanks to the efforts of our ad manager, Abby Brown, the costs of producing this issue were nearly covered. Please thank our advertisers when you patronize their businesses. In addition to ad revenue, your continued contributions will allow us to keep publishing the Green Pages and take on other projects, such as producing forums on issues facing our community. On Saturday, March 22, I attended the city-sponsored public workshop for the Urban Waterfront Rezone and Height Amendment at The Olympia Center. Prompted by an application by private developer TriWay Enterprises, the proposed building height scenarios ranging from 35 feet to 90 feet will significantly alter our community's appearance. There are a host of related concerns. Yes, our unique downtown businesses, the heart of our locally produced economy, struggle to make their rents, particularly during the winter months. This hurts all of us.

So, how do we bring affordable housing, accessible parking, and economic vitality downtown when much of the area may be underwater in less than 100 years? How can we consider such growth in that tiny area in light of the potential to restore the Deschutes Estuary? How can we continue to stumble forward with new development in the East Bay Marina area to build a new Hands On Children's Museum so close to the current water's edge, with no plan to hold back the predicted sea-level rise expected in the near future? Our beloved Percival Landing is falling apart. What are our priorities? What do we want Olympia to look like?

I took home a copy of the legal-sized, multi-colored handout with the scenario pictures and taped it to our kitchen wall. They are tough scenarios to swallow. So tough, in fact, you might choke. My 18-year-old daughter asked me to tell her the next time there is a meeting about this because she wants to learn more and make her opinion known. She said, "I plan on living in Olympia a long time and I care about what it looks like."

There are future public meetings planned in June and September. The city council could vote on a scenario, or none at all, in the fall. You can get your copy of the Rezone and Height scenario handout through Jan Weydemeyer, Senior Planner, City of Olympia Community Planning and Development at 360-753-8592.

Many events, such as public hearings, city council meetings, and port commissioner meetings are taped and shown regularly on Thurston Community Television (TCTV). Watching these meetings on TV is a convenient and easy way to stay informed while attending to home needs and children's bedtimes. All these meetings, hearings and issues are integrally related. If you would like to help SPEECH address and respond to these issues, please contact us.

Janine Gates is the President of SPEECH. She can be reached at www.janinegatesphotography.com.