kiosks instead of meters

set-up a owner/employee parking zone in underutilized parking spaces such as adams st between state and olympia, and all along in front of the lot plant. Other parking spaces could be identified that are also underutilized mon-fri 8-5. The business owners are now paying a fee, why not let each business have one parking spot in these areas for their money.

Parking garage like Tacoma Dome Station; use DASH to connect with the rest of the downtown.

Assess every business an additional manditory parking fee to incourage bicycle commuting and trip reduction. Maybe these fees could go toward funding parking spot reduction campaigns, and lane reduction through downtown thoroughfares.

If we are going to pay for parking improvment, then owners should at least be able to park some where in the district for free.

As a small business owner on Jone C, corner of Capitol Way and 10th, I haven’t seen any thing being done from PBIA to this particular area. I’m wondering why I have to pay $150 without seeing any tangible or intangible benefits to my business. Every time I called and asked I got the same answer “The green machine is on the way”. It’s just like the “green machine” would solve everything. Above that, now the DASH shuttles are carrying my customers away from the capitol campus to the downtown where all the improvements and beautifications were paid for with my money. I suggest that if you included the Sound Capitol way area businesses as part of downtown; it would be fair if you do something that worth our fees. Otherwise, please leave us out of the map because I don’t thing paying $150 for sweeping the sidewalk would help improve our business anytime soon.

Disband Parking (Dis)Services. Parking fines are a disincentive to shoppers and an unjust financial burden those who keep downtown Olympia vital. The stated rational for Parking Services is to provide parking opportunities for people who drive downtown to shop and yet on days when consumer driven demand for parking it at its greatest, Saturday and Sunday, there is no parking enforcement. This has been true since the inception of parking enforcement. The ODA and its ilk rationalize the need for Parking (Dis)Services by blaming inconsiderate employees for chain parking (whatever that means) close to businesses. Two points about this assertion: First, it has been my experierence that business owners are usually the guilty parties. Second, with the sub-living wages most downtown business owners pay, many if not most downtown workers use non-automotive transportation to get their places of employment. Parking fines discourage shoppers. A single $15.00 ticket makes the free parking at the mall a hell of a lot more appealing even with an exposed and often dangerous walk of a city block or more to the door. Vital to the economic health of downtown Olympia is attracting and keeping downtown residents. Parking (Dis)Services makes the hassle and expense of owning a car downtown a strong dis-incentive to living downtown. The Residential Parking Program (RPP) implements several frustrating and short sited policies. An example is the requirement for auto liability insurance. Short of spontaneous combustion, I cannot imagine any circumstances in which I would be liable for damages for a parked car! The RPP creates an intractable problem for downtown residents who seek to minimize use motor vehicles. Currently only vehicles owned by lease holding residents can be enrolled in the RPP. Options to auto ownership such as flex vehicles, communal ownership, loaners, rentals etc... are all discouraged by the ownership requirement of the Residential parking program. Finally, large portions of parking fines are payed by those who make downtown vital, its residents and workers. This is in effect a tax on parking borne disproportionately by those least able to afford it. I believe the real motivation for the continued attempts at explanation and revenue enhancement being regularly contemplated for Parking (Dis)Services is the city has become hooked on a source of revenue that does not entail taxing the business community to pay for the services it demands. I believe rather than assert this because my attempts to get a Parking Services budget from the city have been fruitless.

Whoever is buying new holiday lights as mentioned in the Olympian today, should be sure to get the most efficient LEDs. Talk to the specialists at the EnergyIdeas Clearinghouse for technology and vendor leads.

Please don't get individual meters when you take away "free" parking. Much of my late spring, summer and early fall business depends on having outdoor seating. If indibidual meters go in there won't be the "necessary" six feet of walkway between the curb and my seating area, and I won't be the only one. Please save outdoor seating!

more lighting

Right now perception of safety and cleanliness has to do with psuedo "homeless" peoples. People see them wasting the day away sleeping, eating, and living on our sidewalks. The perception is that these "ugly" "dirty" people are dangerous, Regardless whether they are or not. Its not important to perception. A not loitering law is needed. also Why is it that I need a business license to sell good inside the city limits but someone can come along and set up a stand on the sidewalk without one? Maybe we could initiate a street entertainment or street vendor permit/license to limit and enforce who can be on the street panhandling and hawking goods.

Someone at the Olympia Downtown Rotary meeting today mentioned that she noticed a strong urine smell in the downtown lateley. Likely the hot weather bringing out the usual smells from some folks urinating in the alleys, etc. Perhaps we can get the City to spray down some of the alleys during the hot weather. Maybe a campaign to have the local merchants hose down their sidewalks in the morning also? Long term, it would be great to either stop the folks that do this or to provide some type of secure place for them to go to the bathroom.

How about a program that encourages the local merchants and/or property owners to light up the dark alleys in the Downtown. Seems like that would be an easy way to make the Downtown appear more inviting and prevent some of the problems at the same time.

I saw something on TV that looked very interesting. Cameras were mounted in a downtown and monitored. The unusual part was that this program used retired folks and downtown residents (all volunteers I believe) to do the monitoring. When they saw something unusual they would contact the police or the city. This was also publicized and became a deterrent to crime and other unsavory activities.

All businesses could pay a fee to Install more statues/historic markers and street lights, maybe 24 hour public bathrooms every few blocks could be purchased with the funds. comingled recycling program funded by business.

I’ve seen the sidewalk sweeper. It didn’t wash away any of the bums and panhandlers.

We need to get the extra garbage cans installed asap, know that the green machine is great...but that using other tools such as the leaf blower etc. to help the areas that the green machine either cant get to or for things it wont pick up should be ok. Although I have enjoyed being the first downtown environmental maintenance worker I must say that too much is put on the green machine and it has kept me from doing the best job I could to keep the city looking good. I also think that the new person who is replacing me should be included in the meetings so he can let everyone know what he thinks and what he needs to be successful. I have grown to love downtown Olympia..the good...the bad...and all the people, and wanted to say thank you for the wonderful opportuniy.

hanging plants? Historic markers?

Any city beautification is pointless until the people that make us look bad by their presence and their garbage left behind are gone. So knock yourselves out trying to make things nice, they will just come along and take a big crap right in your planter bed, and throw their garbage in your hanging baskets.

Easy to complain. It is much more helpfull to suggest solutions to the problems rather than just keep repeating the problems that we have. Many cities have had problems like we have. Lets find the solutions. Other cities have managed to fix their problems. We can too if we pull together.

It is easy to complain when there is so much to complain about. Have you ever been to another city the size of olympia? The problems olympia have are brought on by our city council and others willingness to put up with the mess and ugliness. Other cities dont have this problem. This problem migrates to the weakest/looser friendly area.

Tree lights year round would be a start. At least try to make the closed up, burned down business look nice by using false fronts like they do in malls when ever they remodel.

How about working with the owners of vacant properties to make those storefronts look better? During my travels I noticed that some cities put artwork or blown up photos in the windows of vacant stores. Can we work with art students or some group like that to do that here? Sure would improve some of the blighted look in several areas downtown. Thanks for all that you have done so far and for what you are doing to make our Downtown a better place for all of the members of our community.

ask folks what they want to see

Wifi "spectrum management" zoning With the proliferation of WiFi technology in the downtown core, radio-frequency interference (RFI) is increasing. The RFI decreases the value added to local business, community, visitors, and residents. This decrease in value can be mitigated by zoning the downtown core as a public mesh zone, and encouraging WiFi Access Point (APs) operators to share connectivity by promoting interoperability. Mesh networks are especially useful during times of emergency. Mesh networks are current technology and decrease WiFi interference. Mesh networks are secure and reliable. The City of Olympia can propose zoning standards which are realistic, technically feasible, and virtually cost-free. The goal is to encourage the community to work together to share this FCC-license free resource, and to discourage the operation of WiFi APs that interfere with the proposed public system. There already exists considerable RF interference of the WiFi spectrum in the area: without municipal zoning or regional guidelines to reflect the true nature of this “use”, I foresee the increasing degradation of this medium.

WiFi is a great idea. I disagree with the term "free" however. Everything has a cost. It just depends on who pays for it. Typically "free" services are paid for by taxes. What is the real cost of this program and who will really pay the bills for it?

What business would want to open up downtown when they come to scout out the building and there are a group of 12 teenage "homeless" kids cursing and drinking infront of the vacant buildings? What business wants to continue to cleam up after the vandalism and garbage left behind by the "homeless" (hah) kids.

more signage on I-5

WiFi "spectrum management" zoning Please refer to the above comment (#4) for details.

Maybe the city council could advertise in the Stranger. They could let everyone in Seattle know that the Olympia Cops wont do anything to you if you want to come and hang out on the side walk stoned. You can actually make some good money panhandling at the same time.

Please note that this form is not working properly. When I tried to put my email address as deboernk@comcast (dot)net I got an error message. The message said that (dot)net was an improper entry in the form? Did not like (dot)com either. So, I ended up entering deboernk without the (dot)net and the form accepted that. Does not make any sense but that is how it seems to be working at this point. As you can see I could not even enter the address properly in this area and get the form program to accept it.

I had a thought about mass mailing a "shop the core" discount card. This would offer a small discount to anyone who shops the downtown core businesses. This would require all business to participate. It is on my mind that business has slowed in the core and I am trying to find ways to bring folks downtown. Are others having the same experiences? I have seen a 25% drop in shopping since the last quarter. My customers are complainging about the extra expense and time wasted in finding parking, they are more price concious these days.Please give me your feedback.

With regards to "shop the core" contact Lena at newburybay@hotmail or call 357-5399