The Olympia City Council held a business meeting on October 22, 2025, with six members present and one excused. The meeting included an announcement of a new Parks, Arts and Recreation Director, a special recognition for student calendar artists, public comments on air quality, housing costs, and recycling services, approval of a consent calendar, and council committee reports. The meeting concluded with an executive session on a personnel matter.
Good evening and welcome to the Tuesday, October 21st, 2025 business meeting of the Olympia City Council. For the record, we have a quorum with Mayor Pro Tem Wyn Excused and Councilmember Madrone joining us on Zoom tonight. So before we adopt the agenda, I would like to call forward our city manager Jay Burney for an announcement. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Council members again for the record, Jay Bernie, City Manager. And I'm here to share some some really great news. So as council is aware, um, we have uh I just recently conducted a search for a new director of our parts arcs and recreation department. And after a nationwide search, we realized that we had the best candidate right here already working for us at the City of Olympia. Uh Silvana Neehauser is going to be our new director of parts, arts, and recreation departments. So we're going to start there. Silvana has been with the city for uh 15 years. Uh, she has grown professionally as I watched her growth of the department, it's been amazing. She started as a senior program specialist uh in the parks, arts and recreation department, and most recently was the director of parks planning and maintenance. I've watched Sylvana and I know the council has as well, just worked seamlessly in the interim role over the past um almost year, it seems like. Um, and as I got through the interview process and finished up talking to both to staff and community members that that were sat on the panel, it became very clear to me uh what I already knew is how well respected Savonna is, both out in the community and with the staff in parks, arts, and recreation. Um so I'm excited to welcome her, welcome her as our newest director in our department. And so please join me and congratulating Savannah and I invite her to make a few comments. Well, thank you very much for the record. Silvana Nehauser, director of Parks, Arts and Recreation. Just feel so good to say that. Um I'm very thankful to be selected to serve our amazing community. I work here, I live here, and I love Olympia very much. And I just feel very honored to be selected and to be able to lead an amazing department. My colleagues that I work alongside are so dedicated to this community, and they're dedicated to excellence. And I just couldn't ask for a better team. And I appreciate the opportunity to be at the helm and um yeah, get some more great projects done. And I'm really excited. There's a lot on the horizon. And um, thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, Silvana. Um, just keep those ears open. There might be some comments from council. So any comments from the dais. Councilmember Gilman. I love the parks, and I'm so excited that you're going to be at the helm. And um I think the highest praise is often from the people who you lead. And I was lucky enough to sit at a parks table at the employee barbecue a month or so ago. And the whole team at the table was super enthused about your leadership and what you are all doing together. So I just I think that's really high praise. And I wanted to pass that along. And I'm I'm really happy that you'll be directing our parks, arts and recreation. Thank you. Councilmember Cooper. Thank you, Mayor Pain. Uh, similarly, uh, just echo the accolade. And it's such a cool thing. I I think I told the city manager many, many times he knew what he needed to do. And he still wanted a national search, and you still prevailed.