Armory turnover to Olympia finalized

City continues to seek input about its use

Posted

Olympia has concluded the transfer of the National Guard Armory from the Washington Military Department to the city government.

In a statement released on its Facebook page last Sat., Feb. 19, City Manager Jay Burney signed the closing document assuming ownership of the Armory to the City of Olympia, which it plans to convert into a creative campus for culture and the arts.

In its Engage Olympia website, the city through the Parks, Arts and Recreation Service is currently seeking ideas from the public on how to use the 41,160 sq. ft. Armory and the nearby 9,700 sq. ft. outbuilding.

“There is physical capacity and flexibility to shape the program to the community’s needs,” says the website.

Plans being discussed for the Armory include community events space, rehearsal rooms, maker’s and tech labs, exhibit space, studios, admin offices, a restaurant or café, an organization incubator, a component of affordable housing, a larger resident organization, even a city department office space.

According to its Facebook page, the city will legally own the Armory on Feb. 28, when the deed has been recorded and the paperwork finalized.

Turning the Armory into an arts facility is the city’s response to public clamor for a place devoted to promoting local art and culture.

“For three decades community members have advocated for a dedicated art space in Olympia to support the arts as integral to Olympia’s way of life; encourage community growth through creativity and innovation; use the arts to connect people, ideas, and place; and operate from an equity framework.”

There will be a housewarming on Mar. 19, 1 p.m., to commemorate the Armory’s transfer, where visitors are invited to hear discussions on what to do with the building.

Interested persons who would like to share ideas on how the Armory can be used may visit the Olympia Armory Building: Creative Campus website.

Comments

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  • burneggroll

    What was the deal? Was it free? Did Washington Military Department (National Guard) ever pay taxes on the Amory? Were hazardous materials ever stored there? What does the EPA statement look like? Is the city accepting liability?

    Tuesday, February 22, 2022 Report this

  • Greggxxxx

    At this point, it would appear the City may be "accepting liability". Probably in the same way that the new owner of an established business that has underground fuel tanks on the premises becomes the new owner of an existing issue.

    There has been an issue with Lead (Pb) identified on the Armory site. This was identified in a national survey of many if not all Armories around the country, and the Olympia Armory is listed as positive for the presence of Lead. The Oregonian ran a series "Toxic Armories" which doesn't paint a very rosy picture of many Armories and their operational norms. Lead infested "dust bunnies" don't just come from bullets, but also the dusts that result from the (cartridge) primers, which are manufactured with lead related compounds contained within. Scouting groups using Armory facilities for "sleep out" activities have bedded down on floors that are in contaminated spaces. One good knock on HVAC ducting can disturb decades of dust with significant amounts of lead contained within.

    So what's the big deal? There shouldn't be a big deal if the entire facility has been 100% decontaminated. And I don't mean one area or another at different times. As a complete, one time, signed off and done Phase. Now, if the Military has already contracted that work, the City should be sure to obtain all related do***entation. Future Permitting may still require Materials testing before improvements and renovations can go ahead, I am not qualified to speak to that.

    The main point is: assure this is done correctly from the start, and don't be surprised if the contamination issue pops up, increasing projected costs to the Project, the City, and Olympia taxpayers. Can't forget the taxpayers!

    By the way, I support this project, done right.

    Tuesday, February 22, 2022 Report this

  • Greggxxxx

    (edit) "... the City should be sure to obtain all related DO***ENTATION..."

    Tuesday, February 22, 2022 Report this

  • Greggxxxx

    do***entation

    Tuesday, February 22, 2022 Report this

  • Geoman

    I support the Project. However, I do not believe t hat The City has thought through what it is going to take to bring the building up to where is can be used by the public. I used to dance in the building when there were dances held there. There was one time where the roof leaked severely and got the wood floor soaking wet. This caused the floor to buckle up about 12 to 18 inches. because the floor is a unique construction of 2x4 pieces turned on end, they came apart revealing that beneath the floor was covered in mold. This made me realize why every time I was in the building my breathing got a little tight as I am allergic to mold. In addition my dance partner at the time who has lung disease also had to start using oxygen in the building because she started having trouble breathing.

    The City probably does not realize that there is probably a lot of mold in the building which is not healthy and that They should fix the cause leaky roof and other sources of moisture, then remediate the mold. Simply fixing the causes will not solve the problem as the mold will still be present in a dormant state and can be ****n around.

    In addition as previously pointed pout the building had had an issue with lead. However, That was primarily from the shooting range in the ba*****t. Once that was discovered the building was shut down for over 6 months while the lead was remediated. In order to reopen, it would have had to pass sampling to show that there was not lead in air.

    That lead though was only one lead issue that exists in the building. Based on the age of the building and that it was military, the paint in the building will most likely contain lead. It may be covered over in places but the paint was peeling the last time I was in the building. In addition, depending on the sources of the paint it may also have mercury or Tributyl tin in it. Those chemicals were used a lot in military paints especially in marine paints. Many times the military just used whatever they could get and sometimes it came form other military installations. The region has a lot of water based military installations that the armory could have gotten surplus paint from. As long as the paint is not peeling, it is not a problem however when doing anything that could cause expose the lead-based paint and create dust would cause potential problems. The city maintenance people should know this. Many buildings and houses that were build prior to 1979 and possibly up to the early 1980's may have lead-based paint.

    It is also highly likely that there is asbestos in the building. The major asbestos may have already been identified and either encapsulated or abated. However, that is not a given and there are also sources of asbestos the people do not normally think about including tile flooring. As long as it is

    not disturbed or broken up it is not a problem. However if not carefully managed and maintained during building remodeling and use, asbestos could be spread throughout the building.

    Finally there are major portions of the building that are not ADA accessible . The main floor is accessible and possibly the lower level from the ba*****t entrances but in general, the building is not ADA compliant.

    I strongly support that the building should be used for the benefit of people of Olympia. It is a building that has a lot of historical and architectural significance. It is a great space with a lot of potential. However, I don't think the City realized what they are getting. They were responding to a large public movement to obtain the building and the general public would not know of the potential issues with the building. I am afraid that the City may end up spending a lot of money over time to identify and fix the issues in the building. Hopefully the City can get grants or some other funding help with what may end up being an expensive process.

    Wednesday, February 23, 2022 Report this