Community Livability and Public Safety Committee Advisory Body Interviews - March 6, 2026

Note on date discrepancy: The meeting minutes indicate the meeting was held on Thursday, March 5, 2026, but the source material provided with this summary specifies the date as March 6, 2026. This summary uses the date provided in the instructions.

The Community Livability and Public Safety Committee of the Olympia City Council met in a special session on March 6, 2026, from 4:02 p.m. to 9:11 p.m. to conduct interviews for vacancies on five advisory bodies: the Arts Commission, Cultural Access Advisory Board, Design Review Board, Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, and Heritage Commission. The committee reviewed candidates, heard from chairs of the respective bodies, and deliberated to formulate recommendations to the full City Council.

Discussion Items

Arts Commission (3 vacancies: one 1-year term, two 3-year terms)

• The committee interviewed four candidates: Mara Orenstein, Elizabeth Lord, Kelly Marie Murray, and Lauren Thompson. A fifth candidate, Donovan Hohola, was unable to attend his scheduled time due to an emergency but was later interviewed at 8:30 p.m. after the committee agreed to accommodate him.
• Arts Commission Chair Kathy Dorgan participated in the interviews and provided feedback, noting that all candidates were strong but that Mara lacked a clear understanding of the commission's role, while Elizabeth, Lauren, and Kelly Marie demonstrated strong alignment with the commission's mission.

Cultural Access Advisory Board (2 vacancies: one 1-year term, one 2-year term)

• Three candidates were interviewed: Morgan Montez, Ravi (Robbie) Adigarla, and Jennifer. Ravi also applied for the Arts Commission and indicated a preference for Cultural Access.
• Cultural Access Vice Chair Ann Larson participated and provided input, ranking Morgan first, Jennifer second, and Ravi third.

Design Review Board (2 vacancies: one 1-year term, one 2-year term, with one architect position required)

• Five candidates were interviewed: Travis, Derek, Regine Varugis, V Hoy, and Brittany. The architect position was initially misattributed to Travis but correctly identified as Regine, who is a licensed architect.
• The committee discussed the value of architectural expertise and noted that Regine, V, and Travis were strong candidates.

Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (2 vacancies: one 1-year term, one 3-year term)

• Five candidates were interviewed: Grace Fletcher, Sophia, David, Will, and Emily Boone. Vice Chair Caroline Melore participated and provided feedback, highlighting Grace's focus on food resilience and Sophia's deep involvement with children's programming, and noting that the committee could benefit from younger perspectives and diverse user experiences.

Heritage Commission (3 vacancies: one 1-year, one 2-year, one 3-year term)

• No new interviews were conducted for Heritage Commission; the committee relied on candidates from the previous meeting (March 5). The committee had previously expressed interest in two candidates: Kyle Kimball and Stephanie Nase, and had reservations about a third candidate. During this meeting, the committee considered Derek Foster (a Design Review applicant who expressed interest in other advisory bodies) as a potential candidate for the Heritage Commission.

Other Discussion

• The committee debriefed with chairs of the Arts Commission, Cultural Access Advisory Board, and Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee after their respective interviews to gather input on candidate strengths and gaps on the boards.
• The committee also discussed whether to offer an interview to the candidate who missed his slot (Donovan) and decided to offer a later time at 8:30 p.m., which he accepted.

Key Outcomes

Motions and Votes: The committee approved a motion (3-0, with all members voting aye) to recommend the following appointments to the City Council for final approval on March 31, 2026:

• Heritage Commission:

  • 3-year term: Kyle Kimball
  • 2-year term: Stephanie Nase
  • 1-year term: Derek Foster (if he declines, the committee will offer the seat to Travis Mantic)

• Arts Commission:

  • 3-year terms: Elizabeth Lord and Lauren Thompson
  • 1-year term: Mara Orenstein

• Cultural Access Advisory Board:

  • 1-year term: Morgan Montez
  • 2-year term: Robbie Adigarla

• Design Review Board:

  • 1-year term: V Hoy
  • 2-year term: Regine Varugis

• Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee:

  • 3-year term: Grace Fletcher
  • 1-year term: Emily Boone

The committee also agreed to maintain a list of alternate candidates (e.g., Travis Mantic) for future vacancies.

Next Steps: Candidates will be notified within one week by Don (staff) regarding the committee's recommendation. The City Council will make final appointments on March 31, 2026.