City Council

City Hall City of Olympia 601 4th Avenue E Olympia, WA 98501 Information: 360-753-8447 Meeting Minutes City Council Tuesday, November 12, 2013 10:00 AM Smith Building - 837 7th Ave SE Special Meeting - Groundbreaking Ceremony for Family Shelter and Affordable Housing Project 1. ROLL CALL Present: 4 - Mayor Stephen H. Buxbaum, Mayor Pro Tem Nathaniel Jones, Councilmember Jim Cooper and Councilmember Julie Hankins 2. EVENT 13-0944 Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Family Shelter and Affordable Housing Project Family Support Center Director Schelli Slaughter welcomed everyone, thanked all who contributed to make this project possible, and gave an overview of the project. She said for $5,000 individuals or groups can design and furnish a unit and their nameplate will be installed for five years. Also, for $100, individuals can purchase a brick with their name on it to help with the cost of the renovation. She said the project should be completed within six months. Mayor Buxbaum thanked everyone for coming and provided background on the City's contribution to this project. The Mayor read the following remarks to the assembled guests: "Three years ago, when I toured the Smith Building, the second floor windows were leaking, its foundation was settling and the heating and ventilation system needed to be replaced. Given the state of the real estate market, City staff were informed that the building was likely to remain empty and on the market for 3 to 5 more years - during which time it would continue to deteriorate and lose value unless significant, expensive repairs were made. In March 2011 an opportunity to put the Smith Building to productive use emerged during Council discussions of how to target our federal Community Development Block Grant money. The federal grant money is intended for use by a non-profit that can demonstrate a benefit to low and moderate income people. The Council unanimously decided to release a request for proposals to local non-profits that combined the half-million dollars in federal resources and the Smith Building for a project that would show the highest possible public benefit. The federal money, when leveraged with other local and state dollars, would be enough to make the Smith Building functional again - and put it to use for the community. City of Olympia Page 1 City Council Meeting Minutes November 12, 2013 A dozen organizations considered options for projects. Four proposals were actually submitted, and following staff and Council review, one was proposed for final consideration. The winning proposal from the Family Support Center - and the reason we are here today - will result in permanent affordable housing for six low-income families with children at a time, and provide an overnight shelter facility to up to seven additional homeless families with children. If the building stops being used for this purpose, ownership reverts back to the City. For me, sitting on an asset and allowing it to deteriorate was unacceptable. Instead, and as a result of this project, we are putting our assets to work to help people and provide public value - that’s the most responsible course for a community to take. Once this project is complete, dozens, if not hundreds, of families with children will be given a hand-up out of homelessness and poverty. There’s always the option to ignore that homelessness exists in our community . Today, we are both acknowledging homelessness and doing something about it. Two years ago we could have simply ignored that we were sitting on a seriously deteriorating building, but we didn’t. Instead we are putting it to use. I have no illusion that solving homelessness is something that our City should take on by itself - or that it is our primary responsibility alone to attend to the homeless. Solving homelessness, as I have said many, many times is a regional challenge. When the City is able to contribute strategically to our regional social services, I believe we should. We all benefit as a result. The Smith Building, left sitting as it has been, waiting for a buyer to come take it off the City’s hands for a song, was not going to solve the City’s budget problems. In its new use, it will provide significant public benefit by giving homeless children and their families a safe place to sleep and pull their lives back together. In our current economic climate, it’s critical that we look for every possible way to yield public value from our assets. And surely keeping children from being homeless is not only the right thing to do but also a significant and meaningful investment in our future." Councilmember Hankins also thanked everyone for their support. Tumwater Mayor Pro Tem Neil McClanahan and architect Glenn Wells were also present and spoke briefly. The recognition was received. 3. ADJOURNMENT The event ended at 10:30 a.m. City of Olympia Page 2