Olympia, Wash., seeks to reclaim alleys

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OLYMPIA, Wash., Aug. 14 (UPI) -- The mayor of Washington state's capital city of Olympia said five downtown alleys will be named for steamships that used to serve Puget Sound.

Olympia Mayor Stephen Buxbaum said the alleys will be named for steamships in the historic Mosquito Fleet as part of an effort to reduce "undesirable" activities such as urination and drug use from taking place in the alleys, The Olympian reported Tuesday.

"The more people that start frequenting places, the less you get of undesirable activity," Buxbaum said.

The mayor said he envisions putting the alleys to good uses such as outdoor cafe spaces.

"When we open up that space ... I think that there's all kinds of things that people are going to start talking about," he said.