Heritage Commission

City Hall Meeting Minutes 601 4th Avenue E Olympia, WA 98501 Heritage Commission Heritage Commission Contact: Marygrace Goddu (360) 753-8031 Wednesday, September 22, 2021 6:00 PM Virtual Via Zoom 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Davies called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. 1.A ROLL CALL Present: 9 - Chair Holly Davies, Commissioner Jessica Hull, Commissioner Audrey Henley, Commissioner Kenneth House, Commissioner Garner Miller, Commissioner Andrea Pareigis, Commissioner Susan Rohrer, Commissioner Stephen Scott and Commissioner Sharon Lumbantobing Excused: 2 - Commissioner Gary Stedman and Commissioner Sheila Swalling OTHERS PRESENT Historic Preservation Officer Marygrace Goddu 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner House inquired about use of a Tribal Land Acknowledgement. It was agreed that opening meeting of each new fiscal year, following the City Council's example, would be good to begin with one. The agenda was approved. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 3.A 21-0906 Approval of August 25,2021 Olympia Heritage Commission Meeting Minutes The minutes were approved. 4. PUBLIC COMMENT - None 5. ANNOUNCEMENTS Commissioner Rohrer inquired about the status of the press houses on the Capitol Campus. City of Olympia Page 1 Heritage Commission Meeting Minutes September 22, 2021 Ms. Goddu gave an update on the draft letter from the Commission to City Council expressing concerns; Chair Davies is finalizing. Ms. Goddu offered an update on Focus Group meetings related to future use of the Olympia Armory and regarding the open house planned for October 2, 2021. She shared information regarding a memory project that the Historical Society is doing under contract to the Military Department to collect community memories of the Armory, and upcoming meetings regarding the City's exploration of community interest in a Cultural Access initiative in October. Ms. Goddu also provided an update regarding the Legislative Modernization project. The CCDAC met last week; a stakeholder meeting including City staff is planned for September 29. 6. BUSINESS ITEMS 6.A 21-0910 October Commission Meeting and Annual Retreat The Commission discussed possible agenda items for the October meeting and a suitable date for a Commission retreat. Ms. Goddu offered information on a training opportunity through the National Association of Preservation Commissions and suggested making it the centerpiece of a retreat to be scheduled in November. Monday, November 8, 2021, was identified as an optimal date. Meeting locations for the retreat were discussed and Ms. Goddu will finalize plans. The retreat will be held in person if possible. The discussion was completed. 6.B 21-0909 Preservation and Social Inclusion Commissioners discussed an article by Erica Avrami titled Preservation and Social Inclusion and related it to issues for preservation in Olympia. Discussion included the relative invisibility of so much social history that is not represented by physical places or buildings, and the role of Heritage Commission in identifying and preserving that history. How can the OHC reach under-represented communities in our work, and how can we help to share their stories? Can we re-think our focus on buildings that reflect culture and shed more light on the stories and people? Can our notions of “integrity” be altered and the standards around architectural integrity be given less weight and considered alongside social and cultural importance of a place? Who could our partners be? TESC Folklore program, Trial Cultural Resources staff, Oral Historians and Anthropologists were suggested. How can we recognize important cultural and social places that have been lost? Chair Davies suggested that preservation and inclusion be a continuing topic for future meetings. Commissioners were encouraged to share articles and information on this topic for ongoing discussions. City of Olympia Page 2 Heritage Commission Meeting Minutes September 22, 2021 The discussion was completed. 7. COMMITTEE REPORTS 7.a Heritage Review Committee - None 7.b. Marketing and Outreach Commissioner Rohrer reported that the Heritage Commission's grant request to Thurston County was submitted, with a proposal to focus on the history of Indie Music in Olympia. She thanked Committee members for their input. 7.c Survey & Designation - None 7.d. Policy, Ordinance and Guidance - None 9. OTHER TOPICS - None 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:46 p.m. City of Olympia Page 3