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Record of Proceedings

Heritage Commission Meeting - June 26, 2026: Sea Level Rise, Nisqually Delta, and KGY Radio Station Reuse

City Council & Commissions — Friday, June 26, 2026
BodyOlympia, Washington
SessionCity Council & Commissions
DateFriday, June 26, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:43:05

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:37

I guess I should leave this one.

0:39

Sounds a little funny.

1:16

We should have some music or something.

1:20

Quite a bunch.

1:22

Yeah.

1:23

It'd be fun, like a little intro song, like a blue song.

1:29

Couldn't we get walkout songs?

1:30

Could you walk into the room?

1:32

Yeah, so there's the I don't know.

1:43

Well, I think we've got enough folks to at least start.

1:47

Uh in that case, I will call our June Heritage Commission meeting to order.

1:55

Uh I think roll call for the first thing on the agenda.

1:58

All right.

2:03

Roll call.

2:04

Commissioner Carter.

2:06

Present.

2:07

I know that Commissioner Bowman is going to be excused for today.

2:11

Commissioner Steadman.

2:13

Commissioner Patrick.

2:15

Oh I will I see Commissioner Patrick in the uh attendees, so I'll come I'll loop back.

2:26

Um Commissioner Shepard.

2:30

Don't see Mark.

2:31

Commissioner Kimball.

2:33

Here.

2:35

Thank you.

2:36

Commissioner Nace.

2:44

Uh Commissioner Ploster.

2:47

And thank you.

2:49

And Commissioner Patrick.

2:53

Oh no, present, present, present.

3:02

Exceptionally present.

3:06

I'm trying to promote the other um presence of Melissa as a panelist.

3:15

Melissa, let me know if you need um a different setup.

3:19

But okay.

3:22

Great.

3:23

Um so next thing is approval of the agenda.

3:28

Um we usually give people a minute or two to just save the agenda and see if there's anything to discuss.

3:57

My robot proved orders are still pretty bad, but I think this is one we can usually approve by consensus, right?

4:05

So if there's any opposition, otherwise we can approve it by consensus.

4:12

Cool.

4:14

Next is approval of the minutes from the May meeting.

4:18

So perfect second to take a look at that as well.

4:51

Do we approve this one by consensus too?

4:54

Great.

4:54

I propose we approve that one by consensus as well, unless anyone has any free documents.

5:01

Um cool.

5:04

Uh next, do we have any public comment?

5:12

I believe all of the members of the public here or presenters.

5:17

Um there is, I guess, an attendee that is at the public.

5:20

You could public comment, please raise your hand, and then I can allow you to speak and raise your comment.

5:43

No announcements that we won't cover later for the agenda.

5:51

In that case, I think we're on to business items.

5:54

So the first one is sea level rise and cultural assets for you.

6:03

Hi.

6:04

Hello.

6:05

Hi, Natalie.

6:06

How are you guys doing?

6:08

Good are you?

6:09

Good.

6:12

Um, Brittany, do you want me to share my screen and get started?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Environmental Protection███████████████████████████27%
Community Engagement███████████11%
Procedural████████8%
Public Engagement█████5%
Engineering And Infrastructure███3%
Arts And Culture██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Heritage Commission Meeting - June 26, 2026

The Olympia Heritage Commission held a hybrid meeting on June 26, 2026 from 5:30 PM to 7:11 PM. The meeting included briefings on sea level rise impacts on cultural assets, a presentation on saving the Nisqually Delta, a student proposal for adaptive reuse of the historic KGY radio station, and committee reports on the Sandman tugboat mitigation, CLG grant application, and plans for a heritage trivia night.

Consent Calendar

  • The agenda and the minutes from the May 27, 2026 meeting were approved by consensus.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were received.

Discussion Items

  • Sea Level Rise and Cultural Assets Briefing: Natalie Weiss, Climate Resilience Coordinator, presented the city's sea level rise response plan. She highlighted that Olympia has one of the largest tidal ranges in the continental US, and that projected sea level rise of 1-2 feet by 2050 and 3-5.5 feet by 2100 will primarily affect downtown, including historic properties and districts. The city has completed its five-year strategy period, installing backflow prevention on stormwater outfalls and improving operational readiness. Adaptation strategies include nature-based solutions, raised landscaping, and flood walls, all within public rights-of-way. The restoration of Capitol Lake to an estuary will incorporate sea level rise projections into Heritage Park redesign.
  • Presentation - Janine Gates, Saving the Nisqually Delta: Janine Gates, a local journalist and author, presented her book and research on the history and threats to the Nisqually Delta. She discussed the historical significance of the Squalachew Creek area in DuPont, which is eligible as a national landmark and has been threatened by warehouse development and sand and gravel mining. She expressed the importance of transferring institutional knowledge and protecting the delta's heritage.
  • University of Washington Student Presentation - Nora Yao: Nora Yao, a Master of Architecture student, presented a proposal for adaptive reuse of the historic KGY radio station building, designed by Robert H. Willum. The proposal includes two concepts: a community meeting house or a Port of Olympia History Cafe with exhibitions on coastal Salish life, industrial port history, and present port activities. The design preserves the building's iconic mid-century style, waterfront location, and timber pilings. The commission voted unanimously to send a memo to the Port of Olympia endorsing the proposal.

Committee Reports

  • Sandman Tugboat Status: A public hearing is scheduled for next month. Mitigation efforts include a 3D scan, video production, and inventory of artifacts for public display. The port is working with the Historic Maritime Foundation, and the commission agreed to form a subcommittee to assist with programming at Harbor Days (September 4-6).
  • Heritage Review Committee: Two projects are being scheduled for review.
  • MORE Committee: The committee provided a recap of the OHS/BHM meeting. Plans include trialing a heritage trivia night on August 24 at Three Magnets Brewing, with South Sound Block Party tickets as a prize, and creating a one-pager on the significance of being on the register.
  • POG Committee: The CLG Grant application for a reconnaissance survey of the South Capitol neighborhood is under deliberation. An extended survey would cost approximately $30,000. The commission is considering alternative approaches, such as expanding the period of significance, and will consult with DAP’s Michelle Thompson for guidance.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved the agenda and minutes of May 27, 2026.
  • Unanimously passed a motion (Becker/Cotter) to send a memo to the Port of Olympia endorsing Nora Yao's adaptive reuse proposal for the KGY radio station.
  • Unanimously passed a motion to form a subcommittee to assist with the Sandman tugboat presence at Harbor Days (September 4-6).
  • Commissioner Stephen Becker volunteered to serve on the Sandman artifacts review committee.
  • The MORE committee will proceed with planning a heritage trivia night on August 24.
  • The POG committee will continue discussions on the CLG grant direction after consultation with DAP.

Meeting Transcript

I guess I should leave this one. Sounds a little funny. We should have some music or something. Quite a bunch. Yeah. It'd be fun, like a little intro song, like a blue song. Couldn't we get walkout songs? Could you walk into the room? Yeah, so there's the I don't know. Well, I think we've got enough folks to at least start. Uh in that case, I will call our June Heritage Commission meeting to order. Uh I think roll call for the first thing on the agenda. All right. Roll call. Commissioner Carter. Present. I know that Commissioner Bowman is going to be excused for today. Commissioner Steadman. Commissioner Patrick. Oh I will I see Commissioner Patrick in the uh attendees, so I'll come I'll loop back. Um Commissioner Shepard. Don't see Mark. Commissioner Kimball. Here. Thank you. Commissioner Nace. Uh Commissioner Ploster. And thank you. And Commissioner Patrick. Oh no, present, present, present. Exceptionally present. I'm trying to promote the other um presence of Melissa as a panelist. Melissa, let me know if you need um a different setup. But okay. Great. Um so next thing is approval of the agenda. Um we usually give people a minute or two to just save the agenda and see if there's anything to discuss. My robot proved orders are still pretty bad, but I think this is one we can usually approve by consensus, right? So if there's any opposition, otherwise we can approve it by consensus. Cool. Next is approval of the minutes from the May meeting. So perfect second to take a look at that as well. Do we approve this one by consensus too? Great. I propose we approve that one by consensus as well, unless anyone has any free documents. Um cool. Uh next, do we have any public comment? I believe all of the members of the public here or presenters. Um there is, I guess, an attendee that is at the public. You could public comment, please raise your hand, and then I can allow you to speak and raise your comment.

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