Letters to the editor, July 29, 2009

A happy lavender
ending
Yesterday, July 21, my husband and I went to Kirkland to our dentist. While my husband had his appointment, I went shopping in Woodinville.
In one of the stores there I met a young lady who was bubbling over about the lavender festival.
Her grandmother had flown here from a Midwest town just to have the granddaughter bring her to our festival. The grandmother was so thrilled, they spent all three days here and apparently were on the last run of buses to the farms. The grandmother wanted to take some lavender back home when she left. They were the last tour of the season for the farmers and the last farmer told her she could take all the remaining lavender with her as he would not be needing it. No cost. She was able to fit all of it in one of her suitcases and flew home delighted with the lavender, with Sequim and with the nice people she met.
I did not ask names, didn't matter, but thought the farmers and those who work hard at the festival would love to hear this story.
Virginia Ahron
Sequim


Thanks for the
extra opening
The Monday evening opening of the Sequim Food Bank was such a blessing for the working families.
I hope they continue it. Many thanks to all the volunteers and Nina (Fatherson, executive director) for extending this opportunity to the ones that have to miss the morning openings because of work.
What a wonderful community this is.
R. Bleile
Sequim


The platform is a ploy
Your headline article in last week's Gazette requires a response less the pro-developer "spin" go unchallenged. The Gazette printed their Web address; mine is
WINwithTED.wordpress.com.
1. It is now clear that Mike East has thrown his lot in with the pro-developer slate. He will now have to sink or swim with them.
2. I welcome their neighborhood meetings. I'll be sure and attend them so attendees will get a balanced view. Of course, if they are just campaign rallies in disguise, I'm sure they will exclude me.
3. Sequim, like every other city in the nation, needs affordable housing. But this is just a symptom, not the problem. Low-income people also need affordable clothing, food and medical care. The problem is that Sequim has way too many minimum-wage jobs and too few higher paying ones, a fact not even mentioned by the pro-developer slate. We would be better served by encouraging "clean" industries like Battelle to come into the city. The pro-developer slate knows very well that the developers will never go along with affordable housing proposals unless they are heavily subsidized by the taxpayers. This is a phony, cynical issue.
4. Schubert and I are both strong supporters of the Boys & Girls Club and Teen Center.
5. The "Sequim Sense" platform" is supported by virtually everyone in
Sequim. They forgot motherhood and apple pie. This "platform" is just a cynical ploy to provide cover for continuing to force taxpayers to subsidize the developers.
Ted Miller
City council candidate
Sequim


Fest not festive
for the furry
I was saddened to see so many dogs at the lavender festival on Friday; one Spuds McKenzie was lying on the asphalt, unable to rise. It was very warm for we humans; I can't imagine how unbearable it must have been for our furry friends.
Anne Olson
Sequim


Bicycling across
the bridge
In recent weeks, Washington State Department of Transportation has been contacted by a number of bicyclists who have raised concerns about temporary barriers and other construction-related issues that make the ride across the Hood Canal bridge less than ideal.
I'd like to thank those bicyclists for bringing their concerns to our attention and let them know WSDOT recognizes the current challenges bicyclists are facing.
The barriers are positioned along the bridge to allow our workers to complete the ongoing Hood Canal bridge project. The good news is that we expect the barriers to be removed in early October.
In the meantime, we are responding to the situation by installing signage alerting bicyclists to use caution due to the grated deck. I expect the sign to be up within a week. Until then, a portable sign board will be placed on the bridge to alert bicyclists.
We'll continue to make any adjustments we can to improve the bicycling experience while we complete the bridge project.
Please feel free to call me and discuss these issues further.
Steve Roark
Assistant regional administrator - construction
WSDOT Olympic Region
360-357-2607


One health standard for all
The majority of the people I represent as a (city) council member are senior citizens, and I see many of them struggling with health issues that require that they make choices between doctor visits/treatment, medications and food.
I think the current proposed health plan is going to make the problem worse. I have written a letter to Norm Dicks, whom I have always supported because I believe he has the best interest of the people of the Olympic Peninsula foremost. I have asked Congress member Dicks to vote no on the current proposal.
If Congress thinks this plan is good for our seniors, then it should be the standard and apply to Congress members as well. I urge you to write and express your views on this important issue.
Walt Schubert
Sequim


A comment on a
familiar saying
I've often heard the mantra: "Developers and real estate agents don't belong in city government." But, I have to ask myself: Does it make sense?
Developers and real estate agents earn their income by finding ways to make homes and neighborhoods attractive.
Something is attractive if it looks good, is reasonably prosperous and touches something magic in our hearts. That's nice for a city, too. In fact, having a city that people want to live in helps keep property values up and our city solvent.
Developers and real estate agents have learned to recognize ideas that sound good but just don't work. Goodness knows there are enough of those around and some of them are devastatingly expensive. Recognizing them before buying has to be good.
These folks learn and promote what works (makes day-to-day living easier and better) for the people they intend to sell to. That's you and me. If it works for us, then they promote it. Not a bad thing to have going on in city hall.
Yes, they profit by providing homes and land for the many people who want to buy. But I surely can't say they are responsible for the population explosion.
Movies are made about rapacious developers who pillage the family homestead and then leave, along with their lawyers. They don't live in the communities they build and don't help solve the problems of a growing population. But this isn't the movies and our own developers and real estate agents do live here and do help solve the problems.
The catchy mantra just doesn't make sense.
Marge Williams
Sequim