Hello pool supporters,
This has been a productive week! On Tuesday we met with members of the Port Commission, attended the County Commissioners meeting, the city council meetings in both Tumwater and Olympia, and the Olympia PRAC (Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee).
We need to keep up the conversation, so send another email (even if you have already) volume matters.
Share that we MUST have Evergreen keep the pool open without pause except to make immediate repairs. We are seeing great momentum, both in pool use, and an interest in saving the pool, so we have to keep that going!
THANK YOU for caring about our community!
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So, here’s what we need you to do:
Contact President Carmichael president@evergreen.edu and the Board of Trustees trustees@evergreen.edu and ask them to immediately pause the plan to close the pool. They got a huge infusion of money from the state’s taxpayers, and this should give them time to work towards solutions with the community. Additionally, encourage them to think within and outside the college to help find funding by meeting with us as a group. The pool needs to stay open to keep the positive momentum that the current aquatics program is gaining, and to provide important pool access this summer.
Contact the Olympia and Tumwater City Councils citycouncil@ci.olympia.wa.us
jburney@ci.olympia.wa.us Council@ci.tumwater.wa.us along with both school boards osd-schoolboard@osd.wednet.edu Superintendent Murphy pmurphy@osd.wednet.edu
https://www.tumwater.k12.wa.us/leadership/board-of-directors the county commissioners amy.davis@co.thurston.wa.us, and the OPARD (Olympia Parks, Arts, and Recreation Department) olympiaparks@ci.olympia.wa.us to meet with us and Evergreen as a group to discuss a long term solution.
Both the Olympia Comprehensive Plan and the Parks, Arts & Recreation Plan call for aquatics facilities. To protect the Evergreen pool would be a first step in fulfilling this plan, and would cost a tiny fraction of the cost of building a new facility, and is available now, rather than decades in the future.
Email your legislators jessica.bateman@leg.wa.gov lisa.parshley@leg.wa.gov
beth.doglio@leg.wa.gov Drew.MacEwen@leg.wa.gov dan.griffey@leg.wa.gov
travis.couture@leg.wa.gov and ask them to facilitate a meeting. They gave the college an additional $2.5 million of your tax dollars, and Evergreen shouldn’t be using that money to eliminate a vital community resource.
If you would like a yard sign that says “Pool Save Lives” and “Save Evergreen Pool”, contact Henry Valz at henryvalz@gmail.com and your address, and he will drop off a sign at your house (when he gets the chance). We have a limited number of signs, so if you have a location with a lot of traffic, those would be the best places.
Also, keep sharing the Change.org petition at https://www.change.org/SaveEvergreenPool with all your friends. We would love to make it to 5,000 signatures!
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Attend and make comment at one of this week’s meetings:
Olympia Port Commission Monday, March 23 4:00 p.m. Percival Plaza- Olympics room 626 Columbia Street Suite 1B sign up in person or online 90 prior http://www.zoom.us/join
Olympia City Council Tuesday 24th at 6pm at Olympia City Hall (sign up to speak at 5:30) https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_relfz4XpQte9Rnqhp2sJJw
Olympia School Board Thursday 26th at 6:30 pm at Knox Administrative Center (Boardroom), 111 Bethel St NE Sign up live now until Wednesday 25th at 4pm https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfZhQ8P6TCuHqnqhDE38LJ8KW16RRIJl5j_0KW-DpA2pCoMTg/viewform?usp=dialog