Shared libraries a great move

Regarding the article Friday, April 4, about shared libraries between Mount Vernon and Burlington:

I think this is a great idea. I live in Sedro-Woolley and would like to see Sedro-Woolley Library join also, so I could use the Mount Vernon and Burlington libraries.

Jerri McDougle
Sedro-Woolley


Reduced tours belonged on cover

Shame on you for not running the story announcing a proposed cut in the length of Army combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan from 15 to 12 months on the front page. Not only did you bury this piece of good news on page six of Saturday’s paper, you also tainted the story by capping it off with two unrelated negative developments in or about Iraq.

This sort of subliminal slanting of the news is something I’ve come to expect from a media that appears more bent on influencing its readers than informing them.

If the Bush administration planned to announce increasing tour lengths from 12 to 15 months, tell me you wouldn’t have run it on the front page.

Bruce Rolfe
Anacortes


Include pool in rec center plan

The people of Skagit County have been let down by the failure of our elected officials to include a swimming pool in the new recreation center design. There will always be reasons not to build. I would like to share with you the reasons to build.

The combined population of Mount Vernon, Burlington and Sedro-Woolley is greatly underserved in terms of aquatic opportunities. We have one indoor pool — the YMCA in Mount Vernon. Unfortunately, that pool is on the verge of crumbling. Don’t we deserve better with a population in our area of more than 100,000?

A pool, more than any other recreation facility, is truly for every person at any age. Learning to swim — unlike learning to play basketball, football, tennis, etc. — could save your life. 

Water is therapeutic and sometimes is the only opportunity for those affected with mobility difficulties to engage in exercise.

Swimming is also a source of competition. Swim teams compete year-round, like the YMCA Chinooks and, until recently, the Rapids of USA/PNS swimming. Did you know that during the school year, all three area high schools practice at the same time, enduring very crowded conditions with as many as 75 to 90 people sharing six lanes? Large competitive swim meets can be a source of community income. 

A pool could be utilized all year, all day long, by all people. What other facility can do that?

Building a pool would take a huge financial commitment, but if the cost to build and maintain it is shared by everyone, it is attainable. A new pool would be a huge asset to our area, improving our daily lives. 

Sometimes, it is not about making a profit; it is about serving the community needs. If we build it, everyone can swim.

Please get involved.

Brenda Zeiger
Mount Vernon


Growth-management challenges

Friends of Skagit County applauds the recent editorial urging Skagit County to “sustain our efforts at sound growth management.” We agree that the GMA has given counties and cities a way to plan for growth, and it also allows ordinary residents and groups like Friends to challenge bad land-use decisions. Citizen involvement is still the key to creating good plans and enforcing tough decisions.

Some challenges lie ahead.

Skagit County’s cities must seek creative ways to design and integrate additional density, without continuing to demand conversion of rural lands for urban growth areas. The Skagit County Board of Commissioners will need to uphold the county plan and policies and deny projects that threaten Skagit’s rural economic base of agriculture and forestry. And planning departments in the county and cities should rethink funding staff from permit fees, which can indirectly promote and encourage approval of any development.

Wouldn’t it make more sense to create a plan for rural Skagit County that would give certainty to developers and conservationists, preserve rural character, and reduce the need for citizen appeals? Neighborhood and community planning that uses standing committees, like the newly elected South Fidalgo Sub-area Planning Committee, could create locally generated plans with technical assistance that would also consider the cumulative effects of decisions.

County planning could then be in the unusual position of looking at the county as a whole and implementing solutions that conserve the economic and land base for the future.

June Kite
Conway