Japanese Gulch is a treasure to preserve

I agree with the wording of your recent editorial regarding the Mukilteo City Council race between Cathy Reese and Kevin Stoltz, “The lone contest is a clear-cut matter.” If elected, Cathy Reese would support a clear-cut of Japanese Gulch as the only alternative to traffic problems regarding ferry traffic. This is a very bad trade off for the citizens of Mukilteo. I travel two to three times daily from the Harbour Pointe area to Old Town and am inconvenienced by ferry traffic on occasion mostly during summer weekends. Local trips would not be re-routed through Japanese Gulch and, therefore, most local people would rarely if ever use the proposed new road. This road is to benefit people living and vacationing on Whidbey Island. I am not willing to sacrifice our precious wilderness to make their commute to greener pastures easier.

The current city council has given the local citizens the impression that development of Japanese Gulch is both inevitable and our only choice. I disagree. Alternatives to discuss could include a parking and staging area at the Olympic View Middle school in the summer with traffic directed to parking spaces by high school students employed for the summer. The police would be stationed nearby in their usual spots on crowded days and could respond to situations that become heated if necessary. Remote parking works beautifully in Friday Harbor for example.

I urge all citizens to think of less intrusive ways to manage ferry traffic and present them to the city council.

Please take your family hiking in the gulch, let the dog run and enjoy Mukilteo’s natural beauty. I am convinced that you will support me in saving this natural treasure for the community now and in the future.

Mukilteo

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