September SWONA meeting minutes
SWONA Quarterly Membership Meeting
Southwest Olympia Neighborhood Association
Held at: Gloria Dei Church
Time: 8:00pm
Approximately 14 people present.
Secretary’s Report
Angela Rush gave a brief summary of the June 18 meeting. A motion to approve the written minutes for that meeting was made, and approval was unanimous.
Treasure’s Report
There is currently $120 in the SWONA bank account.
Approximately $500 was spent on the August 1 Decatur Pathway Park and Neighborhood Celebration.
Those present voted to approve payment of the following bills:
-Post Office Box annual rent, $82
-New checks from Wells Fargo bank, $46
New Poetry Post
The poetry post that has been in place near the Decatur entrance of the Pathway Park, is beyond repair and will need replacement. A new design was chosen by the SWONA Board from several submitted as part of the Poetry Post Contest. Phil Cornell showed drawings the new design, which has two posts, a protective roof, and an exposed aggregate and tile surround.
Those present voted unanimously to approve the design and to move forward with construction.
Introductions
As an interesting means of introduction, everyone was asked to respond to the question: When was your house built and how long have you lived there?
The answers were varied, interesting, and in some cases, surprising!
Presentation
The introductory question served as an excellent lead-in for a presentation by Kathy Harrigan, who has been compiling a history of Olympia’s Southwest Neighborhood. She began with the history of her own house (1953), and then provided information on various public resources for finding historic information.
-The Polk Directory at the Timberland Regional Library contains information about houses and properties in Olympia, dating from 1916 to 2016.
-Sanborn Maps is accessible online through the Timberland Regional Library website (www.trl.org).
Kathy described the histories of several known and recognizable properties in the neighborhood, and showed pictures. She encouraged those present to look into the histories of their own homes, and to write about their experiences in the Southwest neighborhood. A writing help and guide/questionnaire was passed out to those interested. Email your questions and finished works to Kathy at: katstan@q.com
Kathy’s ultimate goal is to compile the information she receives, along with her own research, into a book that could then be made available through the public library.
Suggestions for the next quarterly meeting:
Discuss the issue of speeding on neighborhood streets. Have a representative from the City of Olympia present for questions and answers.
Next Meeting: November 19, 2015