October 18, 2004 |
Editorial: Snohomish County can do better for ballfields
Time to play ball Letter to the Seattle Times Editor July 8, 2004
Snohomish County doesn't have to evict the little leagues from the ballfields (see "State lawmaker, parents meet on ballfield problem," Local News, June 30).
The only solution certainly isn't to hang the kids out on a limb waiting until the Legislature might pass the bill being talked about — a bill that has failed 12 times in six years.
This problem can be fixed here and now. CTED (Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development), the state agency that oversees land use, says the county can solve the problem, and other counties have done it. If you want to get a copy of the state letter, it's posted on hansdunshee.com, under "issues."
The county is going to wring its bureaucratic hands and claim it is too expensive. This will be nothing compared with the millions they spent trying to jam a car lot in at Island Crossing over the objections of local farmers (see "Arlington car dealer renews drive to shift zoning, move business," Local News, Feb. 6, 2003).
They are going to claim it will take too long. But one County Council member admitted right to the parents it could be done in 90 days. They are going to claim "unknown" enemies will oppose it, even though none has stepped forward.
This is the solution the ball players and their parents have been waiting to hear. If you care about the ballfields, read the (online) letter. Then demand the county listen, stop blaming others, stop using the children and fix this.
Snohomish County doesn't have to evict the little leagues from the ballfields (see "State lawmaker, parents meet on ballfield problem," Local News, June 30).
The only solution certainly isn't to hang the kids out on a limb waiting until the Legislature might pass the bill being talked about — a bill that has failed 12 times in six years.
This problem can be fixed here and now. CTED (Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development), the state agency that oversees land use, says the county can solve the problem, and other counties have done it. If you want to get a copy of the state letter, it's posted on hansdunshee.com, under "issues."
The county is going to wring its bureaucratic hands and claim it is too expensive. This will be nothing compared with the millions they spent trying to jam a car lot in at Island Crossing over the objections of local farmers (see "Arlington car dealer renews drive to shift zoning, move business," Local News, Feb. 6, 2003).
They are going to claim it will take too long. But one County Council member admitted right to the parents it could be done in 90 days. They are going to claim "unknown" enemies will oppose it, even though none has stepped forward.
This is the solution the ball players and their parents have been waiting to hear. If you care about the ballfields, read the (online) letter. Then demand the county listen, stop blaming others, stop using the children and fix this.