This week the city council will put the finishing touches on their planning for the September 28 Town Hall meeting down at the Olympia Center. One of the best parts of this, is that it looks like the city will finally put down in writing when they intend to have these Town Hall meetings regularly each year (late September, and the middle of January). Unfortunately, they're only going to hold two a year. Oh well.

To start with, here are the topics that will be covered during the September meeting, and who will be leading the discussions:

Recommended Topics and Suggested Councilmember Facilitation: Focus on the Council’s Goals as follows –
o Putting Sustainability into Action: Waste Management Plan (in particular how to achieve “zero” waste; and Wastewater Management Plan on-site septic options – Joe Hyer.
o Invest in Downtown: Recommendations from the PBIA and potential PBIA focus for 2007 – TJ Johnson and Karen Messmer.
o Improve Effectiveness of Government: Customer service aspects of a new City Hall – Mark Foutch and Laura Ware.
o Focus on Olympia as the Capital City: Olympia’s 2007 legislative action plan – Jeff Kingsbury and Doug Mah.

Here is the proposed schedule:

o 5:15 p.m. – Doors Open
o 5:30 p.m. – “Have a Slice” with City Council, informal discussion time. Informational displays would be set up on Council goals and other timely topics.
o 6:00 p.m. – Mayor’s Welcome
o 6:15 p.m. – Discussion’s Begin
o 7:45 p.m. – Discussions Wrap Up within Each Group
o 8:00 p.m. – End

The topics seem to be broad enough, that if you had a specific topic (ooooh, such as Wifi in Olympia?) you could find a place to talk about that. Unfortunately, they don't seem to specifically tackle any hot topics that would tend to bring folks out of the word work. Though, you can expect a healthy number of folks to show up.

[via omjp]

Olympia's second annual Shadow Project is tonight! We welcome you to come create chalk shadows on Olympia's sidewalks. We'll paint these in remembrance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki's nuclear blasts 61 years ago. This is a serious reason but it's a really fun community art event.

We'll pass out wet chalk from Sylvester Park between 7 and 10 p.m. But before that at 6 pm we'll draw and cut out shadow templates which will bring out your creative side. Sylvester is the sweet little square park in downtown Olympia on the corner of Legion Way and Capitol Blvd. Come anytime between 6 and 10 pm and bring your friends.

We're at Sylvester Park in conjunction with another exciting event, the Veterans for Peace Bike Ride for Sustainability with music and speeches from TJ Johnson, Brian Willson and Lane Anderson. About twenty vets representing five wars are biking from Eugene, Oregon to Seattle. One of their main objectives is to highlight the connection between our need for oil and our wars. Brian Willson is a double amputee who is riding a hand-powered bike! So there's two good reasons to be in Sylvester Park tonight!

Our chalk painting has been ok'd by the Olympia police department for use on our sidewalks, however we'll avoid state property like the sidewalks in Sylvester Park.

Please spread the word.

Namaste,

Jody Tiller

Pitbulls are loose:

During each of their reported sightings, the dogs were either near a dead cat or in an area where a cat was reported missing. They are thought to have killed at least four cats and possibly a deer.

Authorities urge residents in the neighborhood bounded by Wheeler Avenue, Boulevard Road, 22nd Avenue Southeast and Eastside Street to be particularly cautious about keeping their cats and small dogs indoors.

"It worries me because their behavior seems to be escalating after the last sighting," Beauregard said.

If you live in the area bounded by the map above, don't let your cats out. Also, if more details emerge, like a pit bull sighting, please feel free to add that detail to the map above.