SWONA SouthWest Olympia Neighborhood Association

SWONA SouthWest Olympia Neighborhood Association SWONA (Southwest Olympia Neighborhood Association) is a volunteer-led group working to keep neighbors informed, connected, and engaged.

We advocate for local issues, host events, and build community. Join us to help shape the future of Southwest Olympia! We are the neighborhood association for South West Olympia. Our "mission" is to promote a sense of neighborhood through activities and communication. We are officially recognized by the city as the organization that represents the residents of South West Olympia. We encourage all people of South West Olympia to become members of SWONA,

05/03/2026

Celebrating GRuB’s 25th anniversary.

SWONA teamed up with other local organizations across Olympia for GRuB’s annual May There Be Gardens event - building gardens for community members across Olympia, all in one single day. Thank for to all those that donated and participated to make this possible!

04/26/2026

Olympia’s Procession of the Species parade took over downtown this weekend. Thousands of people, handmade costumes, art, and live music - all celebrating the natural world.

04/22/2026

Olympia is working on a long-term policy for sidewalk repairs—and your input is helping shape it.🛠️🚶‍♀️

In March, we shared a story map and community survey. Nearly 1,900 people explored the story map, and 363+ shared their feedback. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Your input will help guide policy decisions the City Council will consider later this year.

Explore the results and learn more: https://engage.olympiawa.gov/sidewalk-repair-policy

[alt text] Person walking down a sunny city sidewalk past a colorful mural, street trees, and small storefronts, with outdoor seating and parked cars along the street.

04/22/2026

The Olympia City Council approved the 2026 Neighborhood Matching Grant allocations, along with a series of updates aimed at improving ...

04/18/2026

Public comment from 4/14/26 Olympia City Council meeting.

One of our neighbors, who is unhoused and living in her van, spoke about how Olympia’s housing challenges and current city ordinances are impacting her ability to remain safely in the community.

She described being required to move her van - her home - every 24 hours, barriers that prevent her church from allowing her to stay on their property, and the risk of the City taking her home.

She also shared that she has been recently repeatedly reported to the City in an effort to have her removed from the neighborhood, and has experienced harassment, vandalism of her home, stalking, and called slurs by this same individual.

Her comment raised concerns about how these ordinances, combined with ongoing housing challenges, can be used in ways that make it harder for vulnerable members of our community to remain in place and feel safe.

We need to do better.

04/17/2026

The Olympia City Council is scheduled to consider the future of the city’s Parking and Business Improvement Area (PBIA), including whether ...

04/17/2026

Public comment from the 4/14/26 Olympia City Council Meeting.

One of our SWONA neighbors have been the subject of repeated, unsubstantiated reports to the City and has also experienced harassment.

At the time of my comment, I couldn’t confirm whether these were connected. Since then, it appears they likely are.

Regardless of where people stand on broader issues, we should be able to agree on this - making false reports and harassing someone is not an appropriate or effective way to address concerns.

If there are legitimate concerns, they should be handled directly, honestly, and through appropriate channels.

Everyone in our community deserves to be treated fairly and not targeted through misuse of systems.

We’re better off when we lead with honesty, accountability, and a willingness to communicate.

04/17/2026

Public comment from the 3/3/26 Olympia City Council meeting on the proposed closure of Evergreen State College’s pool.

A letter of concern from Olympia High School Swim & Dive Head Coach, Henry Valz:

“[at the end of February] the Olympia School District was informed that Evergreen State College intends to close its pool permanently on June 30th.

This is devastating to the local swim community, and especially to the high school swim and dive teams that use this pool. Evergreen is used by FOUR high school teams (Olympia, Capital, Black Hills, and Tumwater) serving nearly 200 high school students a year.

There isn't a single other public pool in Olympia or Tumwater to serve these high schools. Other pools in Thurston County are already at or over capacity.

Evergreen State College is a taxpayer-funded state institution, and closing the facility will obviously have a massive negative effect for a small, short time gain. I am asking you to email your state legislators, as well as the Evergreen State College president, to ask them to stop this short-sighted decision and to work with the local school districts and cities to help save this irreplaceable resource.

List of legislators: https://leg.wa.gov/legislators/?activeView=DistrictsAndCounties

Pool Closure Petition: https://www.change.org/p/keep-the-evergreen-state-college-pool-open

Evergreen State College President: [email protected]



Thank you,
Henry Valz
Olympia High School Swim and Dive Head Coach”

04/17/2026

Residents and advocates urged Olympia leaders to take immediate action on housing access and anti-discrimination protections, tying their ...

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601 4th Ave E
Olympia, WA
98501

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