Man asking about chores was out to steal
As long as some have money, there are some that want to take it away. I am not speaking about the tax man today, but rather another type of scam artist among our midst, although they are hard to tell apart at times.

What I am writing about is a scam artist that is going around Anacortes door to door.

A young man comes to your door and is very well dressed and is extremely polite. Kind of like the Eddie Haskell type. He hates to bother you, but he is late for school at Skagit Valley College and has no money for fuel.

He states that he does not want charity, but rather is willing to perform a chore for $5. What person would ask this young man to perform a chore while he is late for school and is dressed very well? This person just wants $5 and he will leave your place and try your neighbor for a few dollars after liberating your money.

However, if you allow him to perform a chore, he will start to work. He then will ask to use your bathroom and now this stranger is in your home. We always tell our children not to speak to strangers, so why are adults allowing scam artist in their homes?

This young man will give you his name, his mother’s name and that she works at Island Hospital and his father is sick at home with the children. This scam artist is well rehearsed and has an answer for everything, all while smiling at you.

You can tell he is lying every time his lips move. Please be aware of this scam artist and just tell him to go away and close your door.
Robert Townsend
Anacortes

AHS doing great job with ‘The Wedding Singer’
Anacortes High School teachers, students and parents involved in the production of the current musical “The Wedding Singer” at our high school should be commended for their role in a wonderful musical.

The actors, singers, band, stagehands and sound techs who participated presented an exceptional example of what else our youth with free time on their hands can give back to our community.

Thank you for the great evening of talent and energy in a demanding musical.
Joyce E. Anderson
Anacortes

Complete cleanup needed at cannery
Perhaps we can all agree on one thing: the old Sebastion Stuart Cannery should be demolished and the site cleaned up and restored. The pier and buildings are falling down and no doubt leaching toxins. Without a complete cleanup, all of this ends up in our waters. If one stands on the bank at the north end of D Avenue, this process becomes very evident.

The cannery made good business sense when it was processing fish. The fish came in by sea; supplies came in by both rail and sea; and the finished product went out mostly by rail.

That will not be the case with the GEMS project. The majority of building materials, construction workers and future customers and employees will all have to come to the site through a quiet, residential neighborhood. As many have pointed out, this is a grand idea in the wrong location.

If the site is cleaned up, as it must be, what to do with the area? How about restoring it to pre-cannery condition and extending the trail on the old railroad bed, thus presenting Anacortes and the state of Washington with a prime example of the best that private enterprise can do for the community in which it does business? There should be city, state, and federal tax benefits to be had, to say nothing of the undying gratitude of this and future generations of Anacortes residents.
Gene Earnest
Anacortes

GEMS project will lower property values
The inhabitants of all residential districts in Anacortes deserve to be able to hope for and to achieve a good quality of life in their neighborhoods, safe from sudden disruption at the whim of developers who only wish to create profits for themselves, with absolutely no regard to the public for the enjoyment of their property, the lifetime wealth currently contained in their property or the safety of their children.

One’s property investment in a residential neighborhood should never be at risk from the sudden imposition of a commercial parking lot being thrust upon him or her out of the blue, next door, across the street or anywhere in the neighborhood. It takes a lifetime to earn, and hopefully pay off, the investment in one’s residence, which should never be placed at risk at the whim of a developer or the city desiring additional tax revenues.

 The GEMS project is, in my opinion, one of the most ill-conceived commercial proposals of all time, given the location of the proposed valet parking. The parking lot is not concealed by the new name given to it by the GEMS people, the “Courtyard.” The fact that this is a commercial parking lot meant to service a restaurant, bar and hotel firmly establishes the “commercial” aspects of the lot. It will be used at night before and after children’s bedtime hours, and it will increase daylight and particularly nighttime traffic beyond any reasonable limit in what is now a quiet neighborhood.

These factors will cause the value of everyone’s property investments, a lifetime effort in many cases, to suddenly drop, and for what purpose? The profits for a single company or the greed of the city issuing the conditional use permits.

Let us use clear heads when making decisions which affect the safety and property values of our citizens who depend upon the Planning Commission and City Council for wise decisions made for the good of the community and the citizens of our community.
Lawrence E. Heiner
Anacortes

Interpreter at Deception Pass park important
As our elected state officials work through the current budget challenges, I hope they will pay special attention to the staffing at Deception Pass State Park, an exceptional treasure in our state parks inventory.

Of note is the extraordinary value the park interpreter provides to the huge number of visitors to this park. Saving this position from the budget ax is one that makes a lot of sense: so much value from one employee.

The current park interpreter is Adam Lorio. The list of his stellar accomplishments is long, from his comprehensive, professional programs supporting children and adults to his outstanding newsletter “The Bridge.” Last year he reached over 16,600 visitors face to face!

It’s easy to recognize a good deal when it’s so readily apparent. What we receive from Adam Lorio’s position is much more than what it costs in dollars and cents.

The park interpreter position at Deception Pass is a taxpayer’s bargain that should be preserved.
Rick Machin
Anacortes

League looking for stories of women voting
Did your great aunt, grandmother or great-grandmother live in Anacortes when Washington women were given the vote in 1910?

We are looking for stories of Anacortes women voting in the first elections in Washington state. Frustratingly enough, when Washington was a territory, our women were allowed to vote. When Washington achieved statehood, women lost the vote and had to start all over again to regain it.

To celebrate the centennial, the League of Women Voters of Skagit County would like to write a story on our cities’ women gaining the vote. If you have family lore of a great aunt or great-grandmother voting in 1910, please send an e-mail to Jack Darnton at . We thank you in advance for your help in this project.
Robin H. Pestarino
President
League of Women Voters of Skagit County

Many helped with AAUW’s Writers’ Forum
Many thanks to all those who made AAUW’s third annual Writers’ Forum possible. First and foremost, thank you to the four panelists: Sam Green, Dick Garvey, Dave Larson and Connie Funk.

The Anacortes Branch of the American Association of University Women also thanks the 2010 event’s co-sponsors, the Anacortes School District and Watermark Book Co. Special thanks go to Bernard Selting, principal at Island View Elementary School, and to Patti Pattee and Barbara Hoenselaar of Watermark.

AAUW members Bonnie Underwood, who did the poster design; Ora Jonasson, who distributed the posters; and Meredith Machin, who made all the arrangements with Mr. Selting, are also thanked. 
Bunny Heiner
2010 Writers’ Forum chair

Shoes are going to Haiti thanks to all the help
This letter is to give a big thank you to all in Anacortes, the rest of Skagit County and Oak Harbor for the love that each showed to the people in Haiti with the donations of shoes we at New Beginnings received from you.

The shoes are now on the way to Haiti to fill the needs of the people there.

We just can’t say thank you enough. God bless every one of you.
Sandy Westad
New Beginnings Bible Bookstore
Anacortes

Car owners’ experience is the important thing
If there is something wrong with your car which the mechanic can’t duplicate in the shop we all know it’s next to impossible for him to locate the source of the problem and figure out how to fix it. What better way, then, to damage the reputation of a feared competitor than to sabotage a few of his cars and spread fear and doubt with widespread media coverage. There is just one problem with such a strategy, and that problem is illustrated by my extended family.

I own a Tundra and my wife owns a Camry. My Portland based daughter owns a Camry and a Rav 4. My son’s family in Bellingham owns a Corolla, a Camry, a Prius, a Hybrid Highlander, a Sienna and they used to own a Celica. My sister in Fairfax, Va., owns a Rav 4 and an Avalon. We have a combined experience of more than 10 years of ownership of 12 different Toyota vehicles. We all own Toyotas because they have been the most economical, reliable, trouble-free vehicles we have ever owned.

I don’t know if any member of my extended family is in the market for a new car this year, but I do know that, when they do decide to buy a new car their own experience will have a lot more influence on their decision than the hype they read in the media. As for me, my next car will be a Toyota.
Tasker K. Robinette
Anacortes

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