In response to Scott Nazarino’s opinion piece (Sept. 19 Reporter) I would like to point out the following.
The United States Postal Service decides when and where to build post offices. They are not paid for by city taxes. The city government has worked with our senators and representative on getting us a post office, but the postal service priority right now is restoring post offices destroyed by hurricanes.
The library district makes decisions about library size and location. It was obvious that our library was too small for this community when it was built. The city has worked with the library board to get a larger facility. This move also made possible the acquisition of the present library building for a teen/community center.
City surveys have shown that a majority of residents want a teen/community center, a waterfront park and getting more land for future parks and trails. That should not be surprising given that we have the highest proportion of children in our population of any city in the state. The citizens of Sammamish are willing to have taxes raised to pay for these projects as the surveys also show.
In some of these projects the city is partnering with other entities. For instance the waterfront park on Lake Sammamish includes both the City of Redmond and King County. The teen/community center will be done partnering with the Boys and Girls Club. The addition of an all purpose ball field at Pine Lake middle School involves partnering with the Issaquah School District.
In answer to Scott Nazarino’s question, yes, I believe these park projects are a top priority for the people of Sammamish and that fact will be reflected in a big “Yes” vote in November. That’s how I’m going to vote.
-Rev. Frederick E. Jessett
Sammamish