Art O’Neal Left a legacy of successful planning we still enjoy | Opinion

Thurston County lost a shining example of public service when Art O’Neal, 83, died on Jan. 7.

O’Neal brought the Thurston region into the modern era of city, county and regional cooperation as well as open engagement of the public in decision-making.

O’Neal, a larger than life individual with a warm and outgoing personality, became the director of the Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) in 1973. He hired an excellent staff of professional planners who would also provide many years of planning services to Olympia and Lacey.

O’Neal supported his staff as they engaged elected officials and the public toward adoption of the first County comprehensive land use plan. Based on O’Neal’s leadership and TRPC’s research and facilitation, Thurston County and the cities of Lacey, Olympia and Tumwater adopted a Memorandum of Understanding in 1983. This Memorandum established a boundary that designated where urban and rural growth should occur, where and how urban services such as sewer and water should be provided and how local governments in the region should cooperate. This agreement has been improved and is still in effect today.

It became a model for the State Growth Management Act and the basis for other regional interlocal agreements for transportation, sewer, water, and ways for local governments to resolve disputes. Consistent standards for sewer, water lines and roads made delivery of these services as cost-effective as possible. Agreements directed compact growth to the cities which helped conserve farmland and protect air, water and land from contamination.

In 1985 O’Neal left TRPC to become the Olympia Public Works director where he served until his retirement in 1999.

O’Neal led by example. He was committed to his employees, held them accountable, managed with compassion and gave them the tools they needed to succeed.

He changed people’s lives. Under O’Neal’s management Olympia successfully secured large federal grants for major public works projects that will have long-lasting effect on the region. Grants for a major upgrade to the region’s sewage treatment plant improved Budd Inlet’s water quality. While rate payers pay a substantial amount for sewer service, those rates would be much higher without the help of those grants.

O’Neal also oversaw the establishment of a stormwater utility that provides funds to prevent flooding. After the Nisqually earthquake a large FEMA grant made construction of a new stable 4th Avenue Bridge possible.

O’Neal’s success relied on his genuine liking of people and his desire to understand their perspective even if they disagreed with him. Early on he accompanied employees to meetings in county areas where land use planning was resulting in heated conversation. He met regularly with groups of developers and business people who were not always supportive of his work.

Much of what was accomplished under O’Neal’s management is taken for granted today. But the public works projects and his leadership in regional cooperation, land use planning, and public engagement in decision-making continue today and are a legacy that will enhance our quality of life for many years to come.

The three authors had a professional relationship with Art O’Neal and a decades long friendship: Holly Gadbaw as an Olympia mayor and City Council member, Linda Hoffman as a TRPC planner and assistant director, and Kathy McCormick as a TRPC and city of Olympia Planner