Thanks to generous contributions from three local businesses, the Griffin Neighborhood Association is once again able to distribute the iconic, oval “Steamboat Neighborhood” stickers free to area residents. Soon you will be able to pick up your sticker at businesses such as Companion Cove, the Island Market, Steamboat Island Coffee Shop, Urraco Coffee Company, Tipsy Whale, Our Community Credit Union (Steamboat Peninsula branch), the Griffin Fire Department Headquarters, and more.

These stickers are provided at no cost to the Association because of the support from these local businesses:

Our Community Credit Union

At OCCU you’ll find a variety of financial services including checking and savings accounts, personal loans, auto and RV loans, home improvement and land loans, financial education, online banking services, and more. Find out why OCCU says, “We’re community strong since 1941.”

Missy Watts, Realtor®, of Watts Property Group

When it comes to your real estate needs, the most important decision you will make is which broker to choose. Local resident Missy Watts has received the prestigious “Certified Residential Specialist (CRS)” designation, which only 5% of all Realtors have obtained. She has a deep familiarity with this region and she heads up an experienced and aggressive team of real estate experts.

“Having a broker in your corner who understands the area ensures that you will love where you live.”

Steamboat Tennis and Athletic Club

With the recent announcement that they’ll be opening a new fitness facility, STAC truly has become “your one-stop health and fitness solution.” They already offer a wide range of adult and junior tennis classes, private and group tennis lessons, and tennis events. Their new fitness facility will feature a training floor with strength and aerobic equipment, an indoor saltwater pool with 3 lanes for lap swimming, group fitness classes including yoga and spin, personal training, and much more.

Our Steamboat Neighborhood stickers have been seen on cars, trucks, boats, laptops. . . you name it. We’ve heard of area residents “finding” one another by spotting these stickers while traveling out of state.

Over the next week or so, GNA volunteers will be working to deliver supplies of these stickers to local businesses. Get your sticker while you support the businesses operating here in our neighborhood.

Read more about the history of the distinctive Steamboat Neighborhood sticker on our website.

Powered by South Sound IT

Jim Hutchins, a long-time supporter of our neighborhood and the Griffin Neighborhood Association, has announced his retirement. Over the years, many of us have relied upon Jim and his company, South Sound IT, to provide a variety of technology services meeting our business and personal technology needs. All of us at the GNA wish Jim the very best as he moves on to write the next chapter of his life with his wife, Meredith Hutchins. Meredith, of course, has served for many years as one of the three members of the Board of Fire Commissioners at the Griffin Fire Department. Jim and Meredith are avid world travelers, and we hope this announcement will portend many more adventures for the two of them.

For a number of years, Jim and South Sound IT have donated hosting services for this website to the GNA. This is no minor feat as the Association has operated online since 2003. A website that started using Microsoft FrontPage was ushered into WordPress maturity thanks to Jim’s generous donation beginning many years ago. We will be looking for a new WordPress host but it’s unlikely we’ll find another benefactor who has been as giving as Jim, to the Association and its webmaster.

It is possible, around April 12th, that we’ll go dark here. Between now and that date, we will be looking for alternative hosting arrangements. If we’re successful there will probably be only a relatively short interruption as we set up shop in the new location. However, if we cannot find another host for our WordPress site, you will continue to find us on Facebook, Twitter, a little on Instagram, and on Nextdoor. Email services will continue. Eventually, we’re sure to find a new home and we’ll bring our archive of years of online history back to the Internet.

Thank you, Jim Hutchins and South Sound IT, for your support of the GNA over many years. You will be missed here in cyberspace but we hope to continue to see you, hereabouts in the real world, for many years to come.

The Griffin Neighborhood Association will host its Annual Community Meeting Thursday, January 27, 6 PM to 8:30 PM at the Griffin Fire Department Headquarters.

This year’s keynote speakers will be Laura Westrup and Marcia Justis from the Master Gardener Foundation of Thurston County and Joan Thomas from the Native Plant Salvage Foundation. The topic is ‘Gardening in the PNW‘ (or ‘What is that Growing in my Yard?’) and is sure to answer a lot of the questions we all have about the beautiful plants growing around us!

Thursday, January 27
6 PM to 8:30 PM
Griffin Fire Department Headquarters

The GNA will hold its annual election at 6:30 pm and the keynote will start at 7 pm.

Please Note: Due to Covid restrictions we will not be serving any refreshments and we do ask that everyone wear masks to the event.

Everyone is welcome!

Here are links to a variety of resources related to this year’s keynote speakers:
Washington State Native Plant Society
How to Determine Your Garden Microclimate
Thurston Conservation District soil testing
Great Plant Picks
Swanson Nursery
Territorial Seed Company
Mother Earth News
Insect Pests and Noxious Weeds
Gardening in Washington State

Click image for a larger version.

Join the Griffin Neighborhood Association and the Griffin PTO at this year’s Trunk or Treat!

Sunday, October 31
4 PM to 7 PM
Griffin Elementary School Parking Lot

Please remain in your vehicle.
Social distancing will be observed.
Best trunk prize.

Donations of bagged candy are needed by October 28th. Drop-off boxes are located at the Griffin School, Griffin Fire Station, and Companion Cove.

Trunks Wanted! If interested, contact Becky at furacres@gmail.com.

This year’s Annual Community Meeting began with two videos. One highlighted the activities of the Griffin Neighborhood Association and its partners, in 2020 and the other is entitled “Coping with COVID.”

A required bit of business at each Annual Meeting is the election of Board members in positions whose terms of office have expired. This year we are grateful that several board members have allowed themselves to be nominated for a new term. Those were joined by three new Board members.

Returning Board members are:
Katherine Ball
Michael Ball
Paul Frindt
Michelle O’Dell
Mike Reavis
Joan Thomas

New Board members are:
Jan Robbins
Rick Robbins
Biene Wood

Many thanks to departing Board members Jan Hopwood and Dave Shuett-Hames. Your service to our community is greatly appreciated.

For this year’s meeting, the keynote speaker was Danny Veenhouwer, PharmD, MBA, Senior Manager Pharmacy Services at Providence St. Peter Hospital. Mr. Veenhouwer presented information and answered our questions about COVID vaccines.

We were privileged Mr. Veenhouwer was able to take time out of his evening to address the community on this very timely topic.

2020 was the Griffin Neighborhood Association’s thirtieth year! We are grateful for the support from all our neighbors and we’re looking forward to 2021.