When my husband and I first moved to Skagit County, one of the first treasures we found were the Port of Skagit trails.

We could mountain bike the various loops and really got to know the trail system.

Now port officials have applied for a $90,000 Washington State Department of Transportation grant to help alleviate the costs of connecting existing trails through the system and adding a paved wheelchair path.

There are so many local residents who use this trail system already and who would benefit from the added pathways. Even more of our residents in wheelchairs could use the system if a paved path were available.

While the port would need to come up with about $10,000 if the grant is received, it would be a worthwhile investment for residents and visitors alike.



Traffic impact fees a necessary evil



Burlington City Council members are currently discussing increasing traffic impact fees. They originally approved increasing the fees from about $400 to nearly $4,000 per car trip that developers’ lots are expected to generate during peak driving hours.

Basically, this fee will be used by city to pay for infrastructure related to the extra traffic generated by new developments.

For those developers who are selling dozens of new homes, the impact fees will hurt initially, but the losses can be recouped by upping the asking prices by $4,000.

But for small developers or even those looking to subdivide an existing piece of property for their family to build upon, will be the ones who will be most affected.

Traffic fees will pinch these folks’ budgets and it will be less affordable.

But there’s not an easy fix. The city can’t distinguish between large or small developers.

Buying a house is an expensive proposition, but without the proper streets and the money needed to maintain infrastructure affected by new development, folks who have lived and paid taxes in the city for a lifetime would end up paying for the developers needs.



Richardson is the editor of The Argus. She can be reached at 360-855-1641 or via e-mail at .