Written by Lawrence Doan, 10/15The King County Council met on the issue this past Monday, Oct. 13. 24 people spoke against the lease of 60 Acres South vs. the 2 from LWYSA. The council postponed a vote until this coming Monday, Oct 20. They are taking the time to review the proposed agreement and the comments.
The public comment period is closed; that is, no further testimony will be heard before the council in person. However, King County Council encouraged concerned citizens to write, call or email them this week, October 15 - 19.
If they vote on Monday, that's the end of the line, so make yourself heard now. At the very least they should be taking more time to review something that will last 30 years.
I myself oppose this LWYSA (soccer association) agreement in part, because:
1) 60 Acres South is one of a kind in the county and no replacement has been offered.
2) The agreement also promises "50% shared use", which one might take to mean something like "Monday, Wednesday, Friday and alternate Saturdays" are open to the public. However, what it actually means is that half the fields could be scheduled all day, all summer and still be "50% shared" while making the park unusable to others.
Write or call the Council Member(s) of your choice by October 19:
Bob Ferguson (D)District 1206-296-1001 bob.ferguson@kingcounty.gov
Larry Gossett (D)District 2206-296-1002 larry.gossett@kingcounty.gov
*Kathy Lambert (R)District 3206-296-1003 kathy.lambert@kingcounty.gov
Larry Phillips (D)District 4206-296-1004 larry.phillips@kingcounty.gov,
Julia Patterson (D)Council Chair, District 5206-296-1005 julia.patterson@kingcounty.gov
*Jane Hague (R)District 6206-296-1006 jane.hague@kingcounty.gov
Pete von Reichbauer (R)District 7206-296-1007 pete.vonreichbauer@kingcounty.gov
Dow Constantine (D)Council Vice Chair, District 8206-961008 mailto:8206-961008%20dow.constantine@kingcounty.gov
Reagan Dunn (R)Council Vice Chair, District 9206-296-1009 reagan.dunn@kingcounty.gov
Posted by Lawrence Doan to Redmond Neighborhood Blog at October 15, 2008 9:01 AM
Bob Ferguson (D)District 1206-296-1001 bob.ferguson@kingcounty.gov
Larry Gossett (D)District 2206-296-1002 larry.gossett@kingcounty.gov
*Kathy Lambert (R)District 3206-296-1003 kathy.lambert@kingcounty.gov
Larry Phillips (D)District 4206-296-1004 larry.phillips@kingcounty.gov,
Julia Patterson (D)Council Chair, District 5206-296-1005 julia.patterson@kingcounty.gov
*Jane Hague (R)District 6206-296-1006 jane.hague@kingcounty.gov
Pete von Reichbauer (R)District 7206-296-1007 pete.vonreichbauer@kingcounty.gov
Dow Constantine (D)Council Vice Chair, District 8206-961008 mailto:8206-961008%20dow.constantine@kingcounty.gov
Reagan Dunn (R)Council Vice Chair, District 9206-296-1009 reagan.dunn@kingcounty.gov
Posted by Lawrence Doan to Redmond Neighborhood Blog at October 15, 2008 9:01 AM
Minor edits by Bob Yoder, 10/15
This is a lease agreement NOT a transfer as was originally proposed several years ago. The county/citizens maintain ownership and have input on how it is managed. There will be regular meetings and input to the council on how the shared usage is being administered. All along the process there have been many changes to respond to citizen input. In fact there are six more amendments proposed for Monday's vote that reflect input from the citizens of Valley Estates. It is difficult to find the balance between countywide usage of an asset and local usage. The Parks Department does not have the funds to maintain and improve all the wonderful parks and open space in the county. So they have developed agreements with many groups to share in the efforts to keep our county green and open for public usage and exercise. The goal is that the final agreement is one that will balance all the needs. This ordinance should be posted online by Wednesday so all can see the many aspects of this agreement. I hope that soon we will see that with cooperation and teamwork we can all enjoy the wonderful area of 60 Acres.
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