Officials from the county, City of Olympia, Olympia Mutual Aid Partners (OlyMAP) and Providence St. Peter Hospital convened online for 80 minutes on Nov. 4 to answer questions about the proposed relocation of homeless peoples' RVs from Ensign Road to Carpenter Road.
The Ensign Road location is in the city; the Carpenter Road location is county property on county-owned land. A check earlier on Nov. 4 confirmed that there were some 40 recreational and other vehicles, including two boats, parked on both sides of Ensign Road, from Martin Way to the south to Lilly Road at the east.
“The status quo is not acceptable,” said Darin Goss, CEO of the hospital. He said that ambulances and other emergency vehicles traveling to the emergency department on Martin Way from the west now avoid traveling on Ensign Road because of the added safety risks there, and take precious extra time to travel to the corner of Lilly Road and then north. Further, prior to the homeless encampments, Ensign Road parking lanes had been used as parking by staff at the hospital and other healthcare facilities on the street.
Providence has pledged to contribute $100,000 of the projected $450,000 six-month budget for the Carpenter Road facility, which was described by multiple officials as a temporary solution.
The Carpenter Road facility is large enough to contain some 18 vehicles, according to Keylee Marineau, Thurston County's Homeless Prevention Coordinator. That's because regulations require that each vehicle must be separated by 20 feet so emergency and waste-removal vehicles can access each campsite.
Eighteen RVs is less than half of the vehicles currently parked along Ensign Road. No one at the meeting responded to The JOLT's question regarding where the remaining vehicles would be relocated.
Not a done deal yet
The project is still pending approval by county planners and the Board of County Commissioners vote to approve a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Olympia. Olympia's city council approved the memorandum on Mon., Nov. 1. The memorandum, attached to this story, specifies the responsibilities of each party and provides more background about the county's intentions for the Carpenter Road property.
Why Carpenter Road is described as a 6-to-7-month project
Olympia City Manager Jay Burney pointed out several times that "it’s going to take a regional effort to work this issue." He and others discussed the County Regional Housing Council's plan to purchase a several-acre piece of property on Franz Anderson Road in Olympia. He said the intention is to get it ready for use as a long-term RV parking facility over the next six-to-seven months. That property sits west of Lilly Road and is immediately south of the Merritt Manor apartment project that faces Martin Way.
While officials answered more than two dozen questions from audience members on the Zoom conference, there were some 70-plus questions left unanswered. Thurston County Public Health and Social Services Department Director Schelli Slaughter, who moderated the meeting, promised that they'll post and answer the questions in writing and post them in the Regional Housing Council's section of the county's website in the coming days.
Thurston County Commissioner Carolina Mejia announced that she would be present at the Carpenter Road site on Mon., Nov. 8 to meet with neighbors and nearby business owners who have questions about the proposed project.
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DanaMadsen
So, here is my prediction based on the information submitted by the officials. There are 40 RVs on Engign Road. The proposed facility at Carpenter Road can fit 18 RVs. When the 18 RVs are moved to Carpenter Road facility, I think suddenly 18 more RVs will appear to take up the vacated space on Ensign Road. What happens then?
Friday, November 5, 2021 Report this
staynavytom
There is a huge plot of land owned by the City for use as a park on Yelm Highway. Used to be the the strawberry field. Turn it into a campground for tents, RV's, cars, boats...any structure that can house a person. Install pubic toilets, showers, laundry and electrical connections. This site has sewer, water electricity and is on a bus route.
Friday, November 5, 2021 Report this
JstPlnOnry
How does Keylee Marineau, Thurston County's Homeless Prevention Coordinator, still have a job? The homeless situation is progressively getting worse, not better. Proof she’s doing a horrible job. Her salary is paid for from our tax dollars. Fire her and hire someone who can actually do the job and make improvements. Or just eliminate the position altogether.
Friday, November 5, 2021 Report this
psterry
The fact that these vehicles have been allowed to remain on Ensign Rd and actually expand all the way to Lilly Rd is a testament to the lack of will on the part of the City of Olympia to rectify the ridiculous situation. It has allowed this abuse to continue and done nothing to prevent the encroachment that now goes the length of Ensign Rd. The City said that the Carpenter Rd site has zoning problems. Apparently, commandeering an entire street for RVs and boats and tents is within the zoning guidance? The City says that the RV 'residents' are vulnerable people. Well, patients in an ambulance trying to get into the ER are just as if not more vulnerable, but the City seems unconcerned about them. What to do with all the RV's that have been allowed residency on Ensign? Perhaps the good voters in the City, who obviously are entirely satisfied with their in***bents on the City Council, might offer their own streets and driveways as 'temporary housing'. The problem on Ensign would be solved.
Saturday, November 6, 2021 Report this
Cobbnaustic
If you keep feeding rats they will breed more.
Wednesday, November 10, 2021 Report this