Neighborhood Notes: 3 important events

[Elaine Nelson]

Three big events in the next week that you might want to attend about
future plans for the neighborhood and the city as a whole:

== Olympia Comprehensive Plan – Shaping Olympia’s Future ==
The Imagine Olympia Kick Off on November 14th from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at
the Olympia Center is the official launch of the city’s multi-year
process to update our city’s guiding planning document, the
Comprehensive Plan.

They will feature information on past Comprehensive Plans and the
process for the update. Additionally, staff and Advisory Committees
members will be available to answer questions about the Plan’s
elements and the public involvement process.

This will be no ordinary meeting! They’ll have local musicians,
snacks, and plenty of time to mingle with our fellow citizens and
staff. We hope you’ll join us!

Want more information? Visit the Comprehensive Plan website,
www.imagineolympia.com

== Calling All Gardeners (and Community Activists, Neighbors,
Fundraisers, Teachers, Learners…) ==
Exciting plans are underway to develop a cooperative garden at Madison
Elementary School and Avanti High School. Our hope is to partner with
community members in the Eastside neighborhood to make this project
stronger and more sustainable. That is where YOU come in!

We are still in the planning stages but some ideas of how the
neighborhood can be involved are to have a community use pea patch
space and to establish a student mentorship program using neighborhood
garden experts. At our next meeting, we will assess the level of
interest from the community so please come to share your ideas and
show your support for this important project!

What a wonderful opportunity to connect children in our neighborhood
schools with folks in the community who have a green thumb and love of
gardening to share!

Monday, November 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the Madison school library (enter on Legion)

RSVP to Katie: kate_...@yahoo.com

== The Future of Public Pathways ==
Public Pathways are short cuts for bicyclists and pedestrians that
connect streets to parks, schools, and other streets where no motor
vehicle connection exists. These pathways shorten trip lengths and
provide more comfortable off-street routes for bicyclists and
pedestrians. (In the past, Public Pathways were also called
“Neighborhood Connections.”)

There are no City funds identified for improving or maintaining these
pathways. Long term, a formal program to construct and maintain
pathways would be desirable. In the interim, work by neighborhoods to
improve these pathways could be appropriate.

In August of this year, the City Council directed the Bicycle and
Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) to develop a program that
provided guidelines to residents so that they might improve pathways
on a volunteer basis.

Draft materials have been developed for this program: an introduction
to the program, guidelines, an application, and an agreement.

Input from neighborhood representatives is sought about this program
proposal and the draft materials. (Attached as a zip file containing
four Word documents)

Please provide input by either:

Attending the Wednesday, November 18, BPAC meeting

6:15 to 8:15

825 Legion Way, southwest corner of Legion Way and Pear Street

Or

Send your comments to Sophie Stimson, ssti...@ci.olympia.wa.us

Please send comments by 3pm Wednesday, November 18

********************************************************************

Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend. FYI, our next Eastside
Neighborhood Association board meeting will be on Thursday November 19
at 7pm at the home of Bev Kooi. Contact me or
pres...@eastside-olympia.org for more information.

Elaine Nelson, Secretary
Eastside Neighborhood Association
http://eastside-olympia.org/