Almost every week this is the "What's on the city council's plate this week" review. I don't cover everything, so if you want the full rundown, read the packet and agenda yourself.

I was asking myself just last week, "how does Olympia rank in terms of security against other midsized cities?" Thank goodness for the good people at the Farmers Insurance Group, because according to them, we rank pretty well.

From a staff report (pdf):

In 2004, the Farmers Insurance Group began looking at what it meant to be a secure city. The motivation for this effort was the recognition that, in our post-9/11 world, safety has become a prime concern of communities across the nation. When families choose a place to live, they now not only look at the schools and job market, they also look at a community’s security status.

... 

The Olympia metro area (including the cities of Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater and Yelm; the towns of Bucoda, Rainier, Rochester and Tenino; and unincorporated Thurston County) has been selected as the 2007 Most Secure Mid-Size City in the U.S. Farmers notes that “Olympia, the State capital, has become a hub for artists and musicians thanks to its extremely clean air and the long life expectancy of its residents.”

Usually not my thing, but I found this today while looking for something else:

The City of Olympia will commission one local artist to design a suite of five visually or conceptually related vertical tree guards at the intersection of Black Lake Boulevard and Harrison venue, for the functional purpose of protecting trees and supporting locked bikes as well as adding an aesthetic amenity to West Olympia. Fabrication of the tree guards will be undertaken by the South Puget Sound Community College Welding Program, with consultation from the artist.

...

Eligibility:
Practicing artists, dedicated to producing artwork on a regular basis, who reside, own a business or are actively engaged in the Olympia area arts community may apply. This project is intended to be a learning opportunity for established artists who do not have previous experience in the field of public art.

Scope of Work:
• Design 5 tree guards that have a visual relationship to each other and the viewer, as they walk, bike or drive past.
• Be sensitive to the history, environment, and current feeling of the neighborhood where the work is to be located while developing design.
• Work creatively within the general tree guard design that has been approved by the City’s Urban Forester.
• Work with South Puget Sound Community College Welding Program for fabrication of the work.
• Work with City crews to install work.

Here's the entire call for artists in pdf.

This is interesting given the recent discussion regarding the search for artists for Olympia City Hall. Whether this sort of announcement is new, I don't really know. But, if it is new, its nice to see the city changing the way it does things because of discussion in the community.

James Edward Riordan was born in Kentucky, Feb. 1859 to Thomas and Elizabeth (Reynolds) Riordan. His father was born in Ireland, his mother in Kentucky. In 1881 he married Mary and started a family.

By 1900 he was in Anaconda, Mont. and politically active as a Socialist. The Anaconda Standard of Feb. 20, 1903 describes Riordan's contribution to a public debate on the doctrine of Socialism held on the previous evening:

"J.E. Riordan opened the argument for the socialists. He defined socialism as the public ownership and control of the sources of production and distribution. His 20 minutes were devoted to the most part to a discussion of present evils and assertions that socialism would cure them."

Sometime in 1903-1904 the Riordan family moved to Seattle, where James found employment as a streetcar operator. This was his occupation for many years.

It is unknown at what point he became involved with the Seattle branch of the Socialist Labor Party, but this dogmatic splinter group felt the mainstream Socialist Party had grown too willing to compromise their principles for political gain. In 1916 the national Socialist Labor Party considered the question of unity with the Socialist Party, but it was not meant to be.

Ignored by the press, and without a newspaper of their own, the Socialist Labor candidates in Washington State were basically invisible. Riordan's run for Governor was ignored even by the Socialist newspapers. He placed a very distant 6th out of 6 candidates with a statewide total of 623 votes (0.17%). He placed 5th in Clallam and Mason counties, and tied with Bradford for last in Garfield (1 vote each) and Wahkiakum counties (2 votes each). In Columbia, San Juan and Skamania counties Riordan tallied a grand total of zero votes.

Music of Carole King from the '60s and '70s

Masterworks Choral Ensemble revisits the brilliance of Carole King and the legacy of the Brill Building. "Singing in the Halls" is Masterworks' season finale, celebrating the music of Carole King from the 1960s and 1970s. The 65-voice choir, Singers ensemble, and soloists perform with an instrumental combo on June 14, 2008 at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts. The pops-style concert begins at 7:30pm, with a pre-concert lecture at 7pm, and complimentary desserts during intermission.

Historical Perspective Let's go back to the 1960s and look in on the Brill Building, a place of great influence, and the amazing talent of one individual, Carole King. The Brill Building seems to be the center of the music industry's universe. Located in New York, it attracts the best and the brightest: mainstream popular music's singers, songwriters, publishers and producers. In this setting, Carole King and partner Gerry Goffin turn out song after song for pop vocalists, girl groups and boy bands. From 1960 to 1968 Carole King captures popular sentiments in words and melodies for more than 20 major hits, all written for others. From our present-day perspective, we can say Carole King's beginnings as a songwriter seem selfless. As we know, she came into her own fame with a string of hits and top selling albums, starting with Tapestry in 1971. The rest, as they say, is history.

Something Good

Hello. This show was originally scheduled at the Artisan's but has has now moved to Caffe Vita (124 4th Avenue East).

An Evening of Solo Guitar

Saturday May 17, 2008

Caffe Vita Olympia, WA

8pm FREE

Mike Fekete

Ron Atkatsh

Almost every week this is the "What's on the city council's plate this week" review. I don't cover everything, so if you want the full rundown, read the packet and agenda yourself.

Seriously, RVs. Never would have thunk it, but I probably should have (below).

First, from the staff report:

Downtown parking spaces are currently being used by owners of recreational vehicles that park in the city rights of way for a long term. These trailers often park at the 9-hr designated meters, deposit the meter amount for 9 hrs of parking, during business hours, and remain parked in the space permanently. During the evenings, week-ends, and holidays, parking at these metered spaces is free and regulations are not in effect. There are approximately 7 trailers that have been parked
in the downtown area on a long term basis, and a few others outside of the downtown area.

These trailers and their occupants take up parking spaces designed for visitors and customers, operate power generators on sidewalks which create noise pollution, store gasoline cans next to the generators and, in some instances, dump raw sewage onto city streets. In general, they create a permanent living space on a public right-of-way to the exclusion of the general public and potentially pose a public health and safety issue.

And, what they propose to do:

1. Prohibit the overnight parking of recreational vehicles on all city streets between the hours of 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. including holidays and weekends. This regulation would apply city-wide to prevent trailers currently parked in the downtown area to move elsewhere in the city.