By Leslie Moriarty
Herald Writer
SULTAN — When it comes to hot topics in town, the tourist information center proposed for Traveler’s Park on U.S. 2 is one.
And more than 50 people came out Monday evening to hear what others had to say, or to put in their two cents worth. The Sultan City Council listened as the public was given its chance to comment on the proposed tourist information center at a public hearing.
While testimony was expected to continue for a couple of hours, those who spoke early in the evening seemed to favor the project.
Among them was Marvin O’Bleness, a Sultan resident who served on a committee that helped to plan improvements to the existing Traveler’s Park, south of U.S. 2, across from the retail business area of Sultan.
"When the park improvements were being designed, safety measures were planned into the park to keep visitors from the railroad tracks to the south and away from the highway," he said. "What some of you are forgetting is that this is not a park in the traditional sense of the word.
"This is a rest area planned to have pathways for walks, with historical information boards along the way so that visitors can learn about the area."
O’Bleness said he knows some of those who oppose the park think it is not safe. They also worry that the park might be in the way of any expansion of U.S. 2.
But O’Bleness said the park’s improvements, including the tourist center and RV and car parking will actually improve the safety.
"Right now they stop on the shoulder of the road or park in the center turn lane to go in the market for coffee or the bakery," he said. "That is what is not safe."
He said the state owns the right-of-way north of the highway and if expansion of that highway happens in the future, it will go north on the property the state already owns.
But another area resident said she sees the park and tourist center on the narrow strip of land between the railroad tracks and U.S. 2 as a bad idea.
"The park sounds like a fantastic idea," said Lynne Kelly. "But I am opposed to the location."
She said she is a legal nurse consultant and writes reports for trials to help juries understand injuries. She said the area for the tourist center and park is not safe.
"To plan something like that within a few feet of a railroad and near one of the most deadly highways in the U.S., I mean come on. It’s not rocket science. It’s not worth the risk of even one life lost."
Before opening the meeting to public comment, Monroe architect Andy Kovach, who designed the center and other improvements planned at the park, said the location makes sense because it would draw tourists to the city.
And it could provide paths and places for community announcements to be posted for the local residents’ advantage.
"To have a park there shows community pride," he said.
Among others to talk was Debbie Copple, the former president of the Sultan Chamber of Commerce. She was involved in the planning stages for the center. She brought the original documents showing how and when the grant was applied for to fund the proposed visitors information center.
Some area residents earlier had questioned the correctness of the documents. She said one clerical error on the environmental review listed the date of Jan. 5, 1999, and should have said Jan. 5, 2000.
"It was an honest error and I’m sure most of you wrote 1999 instead of 2000 sometime in that first month of the new year," she said.
She also clarified that no taxes will be increased to fund the park improvements. Grant funding from the state is secure and in-kind donations and other local mitigation fees and donations have been tallied.
The council is expected to discuss the issue of the visitors information center portion of the park at its meeting July 18. A vote is expected to follow.
You can call Herald Writer Leslie Moriarty at 425-339-3436
or send e-mail to moriarty@heraldnet.com.
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