NO IVY DAY AT PRIEST POINT PARK

Olympia Volunteers in Parks is sponsoring an English Ivy removal party at Priest Point Park on Saturday, April 26 from 10am till 1 pm. Join us for this fun, pre-Procession of the Species event and help preserve and restore the forest and shoreline of beautiful Priest Point Park. Meet at Shelter #2 on the Westside of Priest Point Park. Parking is in designated spots only. Bring your favorite gloves and dress for the Weather. Snacks and tools will be provided. No need to RSVP. Contact Volunteer Coordinator Todd Smith (753-8365) with any questions.

[News Release issued jointly by the City of Olympia and the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce]

(Olympia, WA) Local businesses were recognized for their participation in the Thurston Green Business Program today at the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce Forum Luncheon at St. Martins University. The purpose of the program is to recognize local businesses for their sustainability efforts.

Three businesses were given special recognition for their leading efforts in the large, medium and small business categories. They are Providence St. Peter Hospital, Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters, and Premiere Salon & Spa.

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The City of Olympia invites local artists to apply for a project to design tree guards on Olympia’s West side. The City 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 Avenue, 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.

For a prospectus, visit www.olympiawa.gov/cityservices/par or call Stephanie Johnson, Arts & Events Manager at 709-2678.

[City of Olympia News Release]

(Olympia, WA) Join the Olympia City Council for a Town Hall Meeting on Wheels, Tuesday, April 22, and experience how Olympia is putting sustainability into action.

“This will be a fun and informative twist to our semi-annual town hall meetings,” says Olympia Mayor Doug Mah. “Putting Sustainability into Action is one of the Olympia City Council’s four primary goals,” says Mah. “The field trips will give our community a chance to see first hand how Olympia is moving toward zero waste and managing our water resources in a forward-thinking, sustainable way.”

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NEWS RELEASE -- Released jointly by the City of Olympia, Port of Olympia, Thurston County, LOTT Alliance, and Washington State University Thurston County Extension:

Olympia, WA. By mid-April, five agencies are expected to formalize an agreement to work as partners to develop an action plan for Budd Inlet restoration. The agencies are: the City of Olympia, Port of Olympia, Thurston County, LOTT Alliance, and Washington State University Thurston County Extension. The consortium grew from a joint meeting held in 2007 between the Olympia City Council and the Port of Olympia Commission.

“To our knowledge, we are the first consortium of Puget Sound local communities and agencies to step forward with an agreement to work together on action planning and implementation,” says Olympia City Manager Steve Hall. “We are in close contact with the Puget Sound Partnership appointed by Governor Gregoire and the State Department of Ecology.”

The Arts Commission of the City of Olympia invites local artists and arts organizations to join a monthly community arts roundtable that will give participants the opportunity to exchange ideas, share experiences and create strong local support for their work. The next meeting will be held on Monday, April 7, 2008, at 4pm in the Olympia Timberland Library meeting room. Monthly meetings follow on the first Monday of each month at 4pm in the same location.

Artists who sell artwork – from paintings to poetry, mosaics to music - are small business owners. What kinds of support can be found in our community to help artists be better entrepreneurs? Join Celia Nightingale, Director of the Small Business Development Center and Lisa Smith, Director of Enterprise for Equity for a discussion about the business of art.

(Olympia, WA) Olympia residents and City officials will plant the city green on Saturday, March 29. ONE THOUSAND (1000!) trees will sprout along Olympia’s streets and walkways in the morning. A community celebration will be held in the afternoon at the Olympia Timberland Library.

“With our innovative NeighborWoods program and in-house tree nursery, Olympia is a national leader in municipal urban forestry,” says Olympia Mayor Doug Mah. “The community enthusiasm for our 1000 Trees in One Day event has been fantastic. As of today, over 500 community volunteers have stepped forward to help, and locations for over 1,000 new trees have been identified,” says Mah.

The Arts Commission of the City of Olympia invites local artists and arts organizations to join a monthly community arts roundtable that will give participants the opportunity to exchange ideas, share experiences and create strong local support for their work. The next meeting will be held on Monday, April 7, 2008, at 4pm in the Olympia Timberland Library meeting room. Monthly meetings follow on the first Monday of each month at 4pm in the same location.

Artists who sell artwork – from paintings to poetry, mosaics to music - are small business owners. What kinds of support can be found in our community to help artists be better entrepreneurs? Join Celia Nightingale, Director of the Small Business Development Center and Lisa Smith, Director of Enterprise for Equity for a discussion about the business of art.

Saw a weird recreational vehicle downtown, making a lot of noise behind the old Safeway near the dumpsters. Since these dumpsters used to feed a good portion of the people I know in Olympia's downtown, I decided to investigate a little.

Turns out, that the weird tent on top hides the drilling derrick this truck uses to drill core samples of the underlying geology. They were typifying the rock for determining the load bearing capacity before construction design begins. Hope they didn't penetrate any aquifers... I'd just hate for the toxic sludge underlying downtown Oly to spring up in the police parking area in ten or twenty years...

I recently read a series of emails concerning pollution and waste relating to idling cars and trucks. A vehicle that is stopped and waiting in line at a fast food restaurant drive through, or at a traffic signal, continues to emit exhaust even though the engine is not working to move the vehicle.

We have problems with pollution (in re: global warming) and gas consumption (in re: foreign wars of aggression over oil resources.)

Recently I returned from a jog; my route had taken me through downtown Olympia. When I got home I realized that I smelled like automobile exhaust. I was kind of grossed out. I also depend on my bicycle for much of my transportation needs. I don't like breathing automobile exhaust while I am out, and I don't like smelling like it after being out. Reducing the amount of exhaust in the air seems like a good idea to me.

Anyway, I was reading this discussion. Former mayor Bob Jacobs had once proposed to turn the city stop lights to blinking yellow status during off hours. I have noticed that the Adams Street and 4th Avenue stop light seems to be passively blinking yellow all the time recently.

Does changing the traffic signals to a passive blinking status during non-rush hours make sense to you?