Letters to the Editor

North City

Can’t see how this plan will help

Reading the letters of July 23, I see one from Marina French who sees a safety gain in the act of crowding traffic off of 15th Avenue NE onto residential streets. This traffic on the residential streets will result in crowding and speeding. To offset the speeding it is the plan to erect obstructions. These would hamper the travel of emergency vehicles as well as the victims of the North City Business District Improvement Project.

Already some congestion has been unofficially noted on Fifth Ave. This has been a pleasant drive. Now some are noting that it is getting jammed.

On the same page is another letter to the editor. Kailasa Ishaya asks how will a reduction of traffic lanes improve traffic flow? I must agree, to take a decently functioning street and discard half of it cannot improve safety, flow, or anything.

What is the reasoning behind this. Our city manager, Steve Burkett, says this is citizen driven. Who are these citizens? None that I know feel this way. I do not have any numbers to back me up; nor did I give a few thousand dollars to some firm in Kansas to tell me how clever I am.

DICK LEMMON

Shoreline

Naysayers do costly disservice to citizens

The Aug. 23 Shoreline City Council vote on the North City Plan is a travesty.

John Chang, Maggie Fimia, Paul Grace, and Bob Ransom failed to exercise due diligence on behalf of the taxpayers. The first three failed to educate themselves on the complex issues which have been discussed and debated over the last six years. Like wheat bending in the wind they have taken a surface look at the plan bending to the wind of the public rather than standing tall like a windmill to catch the power and strength of the wind of experts.

Beneath the surface are issues related to water pipes, sewer pipes, underground wiring all of which has come in expert testimony over the years. The coordinated plan was to save hundreds of thousands of taxpayers dollars. Now this irresponsible decision may have cost the citizens hundreds of thousands of dollars. The citizens will pay for those separate utilities and related digging up of the streets. The delay may also cost more for the rebid of the actual contract on the North City Project itself. The delay may have cost the city the participation by Seattle City Light in underground wiring costs which are key elements for the mixed-use higher density promised to meet the Growth Management Act.

Short-sighted and “penny-wise and pound-foolish” are the only descriptions for these Council members and their decision.

LA NITA JORDAN WACKER

Shoreline

Disabled care

Tough to find adequate state funding

In response to: “Do you think extra funding will be obtained for Seidler’s son to move into community placement? Why or Why not?”

My opinion is that money will be found sooner rather than later because the “squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

It’s incredible that in this country we cannot take care of our disabled. The vast majority of the disabled in this country had and has no control over their physically related problems. Because they are mostly quiet, they don’t vote, they have no political power the political parties (made up of all us citizens) give eloquent lip service to their plight and almost nothing more. We have so much money for low priority pork projects, endless government studies of almost everything, for any project or idea that can generate a political groundswell but almost none for the disabled.

Many of us even use their parking spots and disabled placards. What’s the thinking there? If they don’t like it they should say something? When someone like Chris Seidler and the Enterprise raise the issue to a noticeable level, it is embarrassing to society. Society will make it go away.

If there is no one there to see the disabled, do they really exist?

My severely disabled daughter was born at Northwest Hospital and raised in Shoreline at our home. The number of wonderful people who cared for and still care for her would really amaze you. Marybeth Poch is one of those people. Her hands are tied by the Legislature doing the will of the citizens. How can she spend more than she is given? Chris Seidler’s son Richard should be in the best possible place for him. Who better than his mother to decide where that would be? Most of you don’t live under the thumb of fiscal allocation when it comes to raising your children.

How much different would it be for your children if the voters of this state got to decide what would be spent on your child’s housing, health care, social needs right down to the smallest want or need?

See, it works like this. When it’s someone else’s disabled child, it’s social policy and we need to understand that spending just must be controlled. Understandable until it’s your own child. Just try to imagine if your child was in Fircrest and you wanted them in a better place. Then you receive a phone call from Marybeth who says, “I’m sorry, no funding.”

Terrorism has many faces.

PAT GILLILAND

Edmonds

Thanks

Mervyn’s, Rotarians help students

As principal of Spruce Primary (Edmonds School District) I would like to commend the Mervyn’s store near Alderwood Mall. Recently Mervyn’s sale associates helped 20 children receive new back-to-school clothing.

Together with the efforts of Alderwood and Mountlake Terrace Rotarians, our children had help in choosing clothing and received new, school supplies filled backpacks. The bright excited smiles of the children were so rewarding and the adult was gratified to participate.

LYNDA TRIPP

Principal, Spruce Primary