Kudos to community for hospice support
A humble thank you to everyone who supported the 2021 Reach and Row for Hospice event held on Sequim Bay on Sept. 18 and 19.
The Sequim Bay Yacht Club is thrilled at the first tally of more than $22,000 for the Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County respite fund. The participation of six sailboats on Saturday and sixteen human-powered vessels on Sunday made a beautiful sight on the water while numerous spectators cheered from shore.
A final total will be given after the account closes at the end of the calendar year.
Thank you to everyone who participated or made a contribution!
Susan Sorensen
Sequim
Vote for Lowe
I urge the citizens of Sequim to vote for Vicki Lowe for Sequim City Council.
When I worked with Vicki years ago, I found her to be knowledgeable, professional, and helpful in solving problems. These are traits that would be extremely valuable on the Sequim City Council.
Vicki will seek out information and public input for making decisions, instead of rumor and misinformation.
Please vote for Vicki; she will work hard to protect the health of all people who call Sequim their home town.
Ann Seiter
Sequim
Vote for Sheppard
I am writing this letter to endorse Virginia McCuin Sheppard for Sequim School Board position 4. I have know Virginia for several years and find her to be honest, of upmost integrity and easy to work with.
Having been on a school board myself for more than 15 years, I know she has the passion and fiber to get done what needs to be done, especially during this difficult time in our school system.
A vote for Virginia is a vote for families and staff.
Shona Davis
Quilcene
A reasonable concern
Recently, one of the volunteer Sequim Prairie Garden Club members who maintain our historical Pioneer Memorial Park commented that the port-a-potty was removed for repair from drug needle damage to the tank.
While I never espoused the fear that the coming medication-assisted treatment (MAT) clinic would result in busloads of homeless addicts from out of town, I have lived in several Seattle neighborhoods where a well-meaning church or city free service was set up, only to be followed by blue tarp tents, overturned shopping carts and trash. Once a neighborhood deterioration begins, recovery is not typical.
Speaking casually to three different Sequim Police officers this year, one said it is not illegal to be homeless, one seemed vague where the park was, the other assured me all city parks post signs of closure at dark and it being illegal to sleep overnight in a vehicle.
This is not a city park; no such signs are posted. It is naive to believe there will not be individuals arriving in hopes of a free shot, only to be turned away for non-residency or other disqualifications.
It’s a short walk to Safeway for a cart, Goodwill for stuff, panhandling down Washington Street to the park to sleep. It will happen.
A MAT clinic is clearly needed, but the location demands the Sequim City Council and Sequim Police Department get out ahead of predictable negative outcomes with appropriate regulations in place before it opens.
Nancy L. Martin
Sequim
Editor’s note: We asked for a response from the Sequim Police Department:
The Sequim Police Department has had partnerships with different social services for years. How we interact with them and the frequency in which we do depend on the issue(s) that are being dealt with.
In response to ever growing social issues such as to the opioid epidemic, mental health and homelessness, the City of Sequim and the Sequim Police Department continue to strengthen those relationships and partner with providers in areas of homelessness/ housing, substance use, behavioral health, physical health, and food insecurity.
In an effort to bring these resources to our east-county area, some of these partners joined together in 2019 to form the Sequim Health and Housing Collaborative (SHHC) that the City partners with and regularly attends meetings with them in order to meet the needs of our community. These partners include the Sequim Food Bank, Healthy Families of Clallam County, Olympic Community Action Programs (OlyCAP), Olympic Peninsula Community Clinic and REdisCOVERY navigators, Peninsula Behavioral Health and PATH Program, and the Sequim Free Clinic.
These concerns are not unique to Sequim and we have had discussions with Clallam County Law Enforcement, Prosecution, Clallam County Superior and District Courts, as well as other jurisdictions across the state that are dealing with these same concerns, in order to best navigate what the future may bring our city.
— Mike Hill, Deputy Chief of Police
