Don’t judge high school by its reputation

I am a junior at State Street High School. After reading Ruth Richardson’s opinion column about the vandalism in Memorial Park, I was appalled. I was also quite surprised that she didn’t come and speak with the school that she was disparaging.

Ruth said her four-year-old son’s favorite place to go in Sedro-Woolley is Memorial Park, “… probably because that’s the one he visits after many of our trips to the library.” What I don’t understand is that if she goes there so much, how did she not realize that the picnic tables and benches have been gone since before we even started school this year? I was also bothered by the fact that the mayor apologized to her and then put all the blame on us. Where is the proof that State Street High School students were the ones that kept moving the benches from the playground to the entry way of the community center?

“Beer cans littered the floor and the container itself, along with other miscellaneous items of garbage,” Ruth said, speaking about the portable bathroom. Is she suggesting that those were from us? This is a public park. There are other people in this town that go there and our school should not be looked at as the sole problem. On multiple occasions I have seen older adults who looked like they might be homeless and I also see students from the Sedro-Woolley High School hanging out there almost every day. I am not blaming anyone else, I would just like to point out that we are not the only people who ever go there.

Ruth also suggested that we adopt the park. If she would have come to our school and spoken with us, she would have known that about a week ago we already adopted the park. A couple of our students went over to the library and talked to them about putting signs up telling people not to litter and to please not throw their cigarette butts on the ground. The library ladies were very kind and thought it was a great idea. If Ruth took the time to investigate, she also would have found out that before we even adopted the park we went and picked up litter in the park, all around the parking lot and around the community center. We now rotate classes each week so everyone in the school gets a chance to help keep our park clean.

We are also in the process of getting involved with the Senior Center. Several years ago, State Street High School students were going over there and helping the seniors work on their computer skills. From what I hear, everybody had a great time. Just last year we went over to them and asked if it would be all right for our drama class to present a play there. They said yes and made us feel more than welcome every time we went to practice. Now, this year we have gone over to see if we can get involved with them again. We would like to again teach them computer skills or anything else that would be enjoyable for them. Dancing sounded like it might be fun. We’re just waiting on the phone call now.

I would like to conclude by saying I thought it was very disrespectful that Ruth did not come and speak with State Street High School students about the problems in the park before she published this editorial. If she would have, then her article could have been based on facts instead of opinions. She also would have learned that when the police came and spoke with just a few of our students, the only thing they did was threaten them with smoking tickets before sending them on their way.

Whether or not any State Street students were involved in acts of vandalism at the park, I don’t know, but consider the fact that very few students go to State Street compared to the number of teenagers there are in this town. It’s not fair to zero in on this one school just because it doesn’t have the best reputation, especially when we have been trying to hard to make our image better and to make this park enjoyable for everyone.

Amanda Tonheim

Sedro-Woolley

Dahlstedt for farmland preservation

County Commissioner candidate Don Gordon, who works alongside his wife and grown children in property management and development, wants to preserve our farmland? Sure, that’s why realtors and developers are so generously supporting his campaign. After all, hasn’t it been repeatedly demonstrated in the past that preserving farmland is a high priority of developers and realtors?

Doesn’t it make more sense to reelect incumbent Ken Dahlstedt, himself a farmer with a proven record of service to our county, to continue his work as a county commissioner in preserving our farmland?

Vote Dahlstedt!

Richard T. Nicolls, M.D.

Guemes Island

Students are taking an interest

Ruth Richardson printed an opinion column last week with some absurd assumptions about State Street High School, implying that our students consume alcohol in the portable potty, that we all vandalize the park and that we enjoy ruining Memorial Park. These judgments about SSHS are unfair and extremely incorrect.

We do have a problem with just a handful of students at our school who have in the past disrespected the park. This is why State Street High School has already adopted the park. We also have set up a program having a different group of students go over once a week to clean up the garbage and to maintain the park as best we can.

Ruth said, “Students at State Street High School need to take some responsibility for the upkeep of the park. If they want to go there and hang out, they need to realize the playground is used by many others.” My peers and I have realized this. I would suggest she also think about it. Every day I see students from Sedro-Woolley High School, kids who don’t go to school and random people at the park who also have trashed it. It’s not just SSHS.

Students at State Street High School are and have been taking the responsibility for the upkeep of the park. As a part of the group who has put this together, I can say that we have brainstormed many ways to keep the park looking nice. If some research would have been done before printing this column, Ruth would have already learned this.

There are a lot of people who need to take responsibility for the park who are not around or won’t do it. State Street High School will be happy to keep on maintaining Memorial Park because we want to be good citizens and we wish to change the negative stereotype of SSHS in the eyes of the Sedro-Woolley community.

Lauren Foster

Senior

State Street High School

Sedro-Woolley

Vote to preserve farmland

I urge Skagit County voters to select Ken Dahlstedt over Don Gordon in the upcoming vote for County Commissioner. If you, like me, want to preserve farmland and the rural character of the county, vote for Ken Dahlstedt with his proven record of service to the county and who, as a farmer, is truly dedicated to preserving farmland. The Skagit Valley Herald recently made an ill-considered endorsement of Mr. Gordon. Don Gordon, himself as a property manager and developer, supports developing the Riverbend area, and has the strong support of Skagit County builders, developers and realtors. It is not hard to imagine the damage that is likely to happen to the Growth Management Act and the rural character of our county with Don Gordon as commissioner. Vote for Ken Dahlstedt.

Terry Ebersole

Anacortes

Secret Harbor fundraiser success

The board, staff, foster parents and children of Secret Harbor want to express our appreciation for the support of the following sponsors of our 2008 “Virtual Event” fund raiser: Presidio Construction, Wells Fargo Insurance Services Northwest, Inc. and Cashman Consulting and Investments, LLC.

Since 1947 Secret Harbor has served children who have a combination of severe behavioral, social, developmental, learning or emotional problems. Through our residential treatment and foster care programs we provide safe places for these distressed children to develop healthy relationships, build on their own strengths and experience success.

Thanks again.

Brian Carroll

President and Chief

Executive Officer

Secret Harbor

Retain Littlefield

As a retired school teacher and active senior volunteer, I write to tell the citizens of Skagit County about Al Littlefield, PUD Commissioner.

All one has to do is look at Al’s Web site and see how dedicated to Skagit County he is — president here, vice-president there, instructor here, volunteer there, monitor here and on and on. Having served as our dedicated PUD Commissioner since 1986, I recommend the voters of Skagit County retain Al Littlefield for one more term. He has the dedication, energy and experience.

Carollei Lamoureux

Anacortes

Thank you for helping shooting victims

Gen-X Signs & Banners would like to thank the following contributors for their help and donations for the Alger and I-5 victims. We raised $1,050 in total to be distributed among the families of those six victims who lost their lives in this tragedy.

Special thanks to: Lyman Restaurant; Hamilton Market and Café; Birdview Burger; Concrete Red Apple; Concrete Eagles; Baker Lake Grocery; Annie’s Pizza; and all Skagit residents, friends, family and everyone who contributed.

Thank you to everyone in the community who helped pool together during this tragic time. Your efforts are not forgotten and much appreciated.

Thank you again.

Ginger Cutler-Campbell

Owner/Designer

Gen-X Signs & Banners

Sedro-Woolley

Vote no on I-1029

As the owner of Visiting Angels, an in-home care agency, I am keenly aware of the extreme shortage of caregivers. I-1029 will exacerbate this problem significantly.

Many of the best caregivers available are those who have limited hours but a passion to care for the elderly and disabled in our communities. Our “non-medical” services include housekeeping, meal preparation, laundry, companionship and many other duties that these caregivers are very capable of performing.

I-1029 would require these people to obtain 75 hours of training. This is an unnecessary expenditure of time and money. It will discourage many, many people from stepping into an already labor-short pool. Unfortunately, this reduced supply of caregivers will increase the cost and availability to the elderly and hurt the very ones we are trying to help.

Please vote no on I-1029.

Fred C. Bengen

Burlington

Property values and taxes

To all property owners:

When will the property taxes be adjusted to the new current values? Will we ever see any adjustments with property values dropping? Does anyone believe that this will happen?

We have no control over property values when they go up. So the property taxes go up. Can we have any control on property values when they go down?

It will be hard to give up them tax dollars, but why should property owners pay on property values that are unrealistic and have decreased? With the property values continuing to decline on an almost daily basis should the property taxes be adjusted to the market? I know that my home is not worth what it was a year ago. How about the rest of you property owners is your property worth what it was a year ago?

If this is a concern, and it should be, then call or write you’re local politicians and let’s work on having the property values adjusted as they should be.

Lloyd E. Chandler

Sedro-Woolley