We recently received a letter from the King County Library System (KCLS) regarding the Cedar River ballot measure, Proposition 1, that the citizens of Renton will be voting on come August 7th.

First, I confess, I do not trust anything from King County; my experience has been that the county executives are more self-serving than community serving. Consequently, I find myself wondering why the KCLS is getting involved in a city matter, other than their opposition of the proposed renovation of a unique building that is an integral part of the historic Renton Downtown.

I also confess, that until I received the KCLS letter and did some research, I did not know the source of the Cedar River Library ballot proposal. Thanks to www.rentonreporter.com, I am now aware that the proposal is the work of a group of Renton citizens who oppose the City of Renton’s plan to repurpose the Cedar River Library building to serve as an environmental interpretive center.

Proposition 1 appears on the surface to be about whether we want to preserve an historic building as a library in the presence of a flowing body of water and the inherent risk of flooding, or do we want a brand new building in the Piazza, that presumably also stands in an historic floodplain, at less expense and greater convenience.

According to KCLS and their Miller-Hull study, the cost for the Cedar River Library building renovation will be approximately one-third greater than the estimates of the City of Renton. Again, having experienced opposing estimates, I do not necessarily trust King County. The KCLS also “promises” that the permitting process will be much more challenging than expected by the City of Renton.

The real question before the citizens of Renton appears to be: do we as its citizens trust the city executives to ensure that the proposed repurposing of the Cedar River library building to an environmental intrepretive center will be and remain a viable educational resource that is lively and active for our children and future citizens. The unique siting of the Cedar River library should not be wasted. If the proposed environmental interpretive center is little  more than a warehousing of an elderly, inconvenient relative, then I would oppose the city’s plans and vote for retaining the Cedar River library and accept the risk of the increased expense. The grand old lady deserves nothing less.

Michael and Vicki Stearns

Renton