Olympia City Council Regular Business Meeting - March 4, 2026
Olympia City Council Regular Business Meeting - March 4, 2026
Note: The meeting agenda, minutes, and transcript consistently list the date as Tuesday, March 3, 2026. However, the provided metadata indicates the meeting took place on March 4, 2026. This summary uses the metadata date as instructed, with this discrepancy noted for accuracy.
The Olympia City Council held a regular business meeting on March 4, 2026, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers, online, and via phone. All seven council members were present. The meeting included three special recognitions, public comment (primarily regarding the impending closure of the Evergreen State College pool), consent calendar approvals, a youth council work plan update, approval of the 2026 Percival Plinth Project sculptures, a briefing on the Council of Neighborhood Associations' community priorities survey, council reports, and a closed session for labor negotiations.
Consent Calendar
The council unanimously approved the following items on the consent calendar (7-0 vote):
- Approval of the February 24, 2026 City Council meeting minutes.
- A resolution authorizing an agreement with Habitat for Humanity for sewer infrastructure cost-sharing.
- A resolution authorizing the first amended and restated interlocal agreement for the Opioid Abatement Council Independent Subcommittee.
- An ordinance enacting Olympia Municipal Code Chapter 7.01, Olympia Code Against Discrimination (second reading).
- An ordinance amending development standards for Urban Villages (second reading).
Public Comments & Testimony
Fourteen members of the public provided comments, with the majority addressing the planned closure of the aquatic facility at The Evergreen State College. Speakers included high school students, coaches, parents, and community members who urged the city to help keep the pool open. Specific points:
- Ashton Myrick, Joseph Kim, Olivia Smith, Crystal Smith, and others described the pool's importance to high school swim teams (Olympia, Capital, Black Hills, Tumwater), noting that closure would force team size reductions, eliminate dive programs, and increase travel distances.
- Brent Barnes, a former Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee member, cited the city's 2021 aquatic feasibility study and the estimated $30 million cost for a new aquatic center, urging the city to engage with Evergreen to cover operational costs.
- Dr. William Penn reported contacting state officials and Evergreen's president, proposing a three-month extension to keep the pool open through September 2026.
- Henry Valz, Olympia High School swim coach, emphasized that pools are a vital service, not a business, and noted that drowning is the leading cause of death for children with autism.
- Peter Gutchen (Northeast Neighborhood Association) and Grace Fletcher (Southwest Olympia Neighborhood Association) introduced the new Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA) leadership and highlighted community priorities from the January forum.
- Dan Decker advocated for changing the city's form of government to a mayor-council system and supported keeping the pool open.
- Nicole Buddington praised the CNA forum as inclusive and productive.
- Dawn Baker, representing the Thurston County Realtors Association, requested the council pause the home energy scoring requirement to allow further stakeholder input, citing affordability concerns.
- Terry Ballard raised issues about stormwater infiltration onto his property and provided documentation to the city.
Discussion Items
Youth Council Update and Work Plan Approval Youth Council Co-Chairs Nolan O'Connell and Donovan Jojoba, along with Policy Committee Co-Chair Shruthi Lingam-Nattami, presented the 2026 work plan. Key accomplishments from the inaugural year included a public service announcement on Narcan and overdose prevention, a joint meeting with the Lacey Youth Council, and input on five chapters of the city's comprehensive plan. The 2026 work plan includes developing a transit PSA, briefings on public safety, mental health resources, and climate programs, and a focus on creating third places for youth. The council approved the work plan unanimously (7-0).
2026 Percival Plinth Project Sculptures Arts Commission Chair Kathy Dorgan presented the jury's recommendation of 15 sculptures for the annual exhibition along Percival Landing. Artists receive $1,000 for loaning each sculpture, and a public vote in July will select one piece for a $10,000 purchase prize and permanent installation. The council unanimously approved the recommended sculptures (7-0).
Council of Neighborhood Associations' Community Priorities Forum and Survey CNA Communications Coordinator Daniel Garcia presented results from the January 24, 2026 forum and an online survey with approximately 140 respondents. Top priorities identified were food access, emergency preparedness, and affordability. Safety and livability were ranked highly by older residents, while mutual aid and community connections were priorities for younger residents. The CNA plans to use the data to inform neighborhood matching grant applications and to hold additional forums on specific topics such as sidewalks and food systems. Councilmembers expressed support for renewing the memorandum of understanding with the CNA and for using community assemblies to inform the council's work plan.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Adopted unanimously (7-0).
- Youth Council Work Plan: Approved unanimously (7-0).
- Percival Plinth Project Sculptures: Approved unanimously (7-0).
- Council Response to Pool Closure: Mayor Payne and City Manager Burney committed to reaching out to Evergreen President Carmichael to gather information. Councilmembers encouraged continued public advocacy and noted the city's 2021 aquatic feasibility study and the upcoming parks plan update.
- Home Energy Scoring: Councilmember Vanderpool noted that the real estate community had been invited to participate in the process over several years; the council will consider the matter further.
- Closed Session: The council held a closed session pursuant to RCW 42.30.140(4)(b) regarding labor negotiations from 9:13 p.m. to 9:26 p.m. No decisions were made. A second executive session on litigation (RCW 42.30.110(1)(i)) was postponed to a future meeting by unanimous vote (7-0).
- Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 9:26 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and welcome to the Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026 regular business meeting of the Olympia City Council. For the record, we have a quorum with all council members present tonight. So before we begin with our agenda, I want to mention that we do have quite a few people here who are signed up for public comment related to the closure of the pool at the Evergreen State College. And I just want to preface those comments this evening with just a mention that the City of Olympia does not provide any direct funding to the Evergreen State College for on any particular matter. However, we are willing to learn more about this issue as it's come to our attention. And myself and our city manager Jay Burney will be reaching out to President Carmichael to learn more. So thank you for being present tonight. So with that, I need a motion to approve this evening's agenda. Move approval. Second. Second. All right. All those in favor of the agenda as published signify by saying aye. Aye. We have an agenda. So our first item tonight is special recognition, a proclamation recognizing Bud Inlet 650th anniversary. And we have a shared reading of the proclamation beginning with Councilmember Barron. Whereas the City of Olympia is located along Bud Inlet within the Salish Sea and has a longstanding connection to the marine waters and ecosystems of the South Puget Sound. And whereas on Sunday, March 7th, 1976, six orcas were captured in Lower Bud Bud Inlet near Olympia to be sold and kept in captivity for human entertainment, an event that became known as the Bud Inlet 6, and occurred in public view in the waters off the Athens Beach area. And whereas the whales involved were big orcas, a distinct ecotype present in the waters of Puget Sound. And whereas, during the same period, the Evergreen State College hosted the first international orca symposium March 12th through 13th, 1976, which brought together scientists and researchers focused on the study and welfare of orcas in the Puget Sound and coincided with the events in Bud Inlet and whereas concerned community members' attention to the Bud Inlet 6, together with scientific input and civic engagement, contributed to legal and political actions that resulted in the release of the captured whales and the end of live orca capture in Washington State Waters. And whereas Washington state leaders at the time, including Governor Dan Evans, Attorney General Slade Gordon, and aide to Governor Evans Ralph Monroe, played key roles in these matters, reflecting the involvement of state leadership in addressing the matter. And whereas the City of Olympia acknowledges its place in this chapter of regional environmental history that influenced national policy and recognizes the value of public awareness, education, and stewardship of shared natural resources. And whereas this event grabbed the attention of U.S. Congress member Warren, who introduced and helped pass federal legislation to ban the capture of orcas in all U.S. waters. And now, therefore, be it resolved, the Olympia City Council does hereby proclaim the year 2026 as Bud Inlet 6, 50th anniversary year, and further designates March 7th, 2026 as Bud Inlet 6th Commemoration Day, and encourages residents, educational institutions, and community organizations to observe this anniversary through appropriate educational and reflective activities throughout the year. Signed in the City of Olympia, Washington this third day of March 2026, Olympia City Council, Dante Payne, Mayor. All right. And so we're we have a few speakers here this evening. So we're going to begin with Karen Monroe Ellick, who is an eyewitness to the capture of this incident here at Bud Inlet and is joining us online. Hi, Karen. You're on mute. We can't hear you. There. Yes, now we can hear you. All right. Good evening, and thank you for this proclamation. March 7th, 1976 was an unusually warm spring day in Olympia, and Ralph and I were going sailing with some friends. Looking toward Bud Inlet, we saw a pot of orcas being chased by two large boats, a speedboat, and a seaplane. We knew it was the SeaWorld capture crew, which had already taken over 60 of our orcas and sold them to marine parks in the U.S. and overseas. Our captain Bill Oliver tried to get his boat between the orcas and the capture boats, but the men swore at us, saying they had permits. The orcas tried to escape, but the seaplane taxed back and forth, and the men threw small explosives into the water. They drove the terrified animals into the shallow bay and threw nets around them. We were all very upset, but Ralph said we can't stop them, but we have to watch and remember everything they do. It may be important later. We watched as the men separated the young orcas from their family, prodding them with long poles. The orcas' cries were heartbreaking. The animals outside the nets did not leave, but kept circling around and calling to their captive relatives.
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