I read, with some consternation, a letter by Christina Condelles in the April 6 edition. It would seem that her issue is the relocation of the Renton Library. I believe she has every right to state her opinion as to the location. I am disturbed by her claims and insistence that the downtown area is a hell hole full of crime and shootings.
For several years in the busiest section of the finest park in Renton, the only bathroom is securely closed, all the time year around?
Mothers with small children, seniors who rarely have the time to go look for another toilet, all the dozens of children at the skateboard park, right beside this closed stone structure. On any warm sunny day there easily can be hundreds of people in that corner of the Liberty Park.
I would like to respond to the April 6 letter regarding safety issues at the new library site (“Keep library in a safe place”).
I’m a 30-year resident of Renton. I work in an office that is one block from the transit center next to Renton High School; we can hear the daily announcements from inside the building. My husband and I also live in a very nice neighborhood in Kennydale.
I am writing this letter to encourage everyone to vote yes on the Renton School Bond. You probably received your ballots in the mail this past week for the April 17 vote. The approval of this bond will do a couple of great things for our schools.
What hasn’t been said in all this talk about a new library is the effect it will have on families. I am a mother of two toddlers. Each week we attend library storytime, watch the Cedar River from the bridge and play in the Liberty Park playground. All without crossing a single street.
Last night was the most emotionally charged meeting (Renton City Council meeting, April 2) in which I have ever taken part. From the heartfelt public testimonies to the remarks from my council colleagues – both for and against. As many know, I am a man of few words. After my colleagues had spoken, I had nothing additional to add that hadn’t already been said, so I didn’t comment. I had no idea my silence would be experienced as disregard, and I do apologize to anyone who felt slighted.
Last night was the most emotionally charged meeting in which I have ever taken part. From the heartfelt public testimonies to the remarks from my council colleagues – both for and against. As many know, I am a man of few words. After my colleagues had spoken I had nothing additional to add that hadn’t already been said, so I didn’t comment. I had no idea my silence would be experienced as disregard, and I do apologize to anyone who felt slighted.
I am writing this letter to encourage everyone to vote yes on the Renton School Bond. You probably received your ballots in the mail this past week for the April 17 vote.
The initiative and referenda petitioning process is the publics only tool when elected representatives stray from their responsibilities of accounting for and listening to public opinion.
It is ironic to read that Mayor Law (Renton Reporter, March 23, 2012, State of the City address) is contemplating a tax increase, while the city is still going forward with the library project.
I read Mr. Parker’s commentary (Renton Reporter, March 16, 2012) about the new library being in its new location and want to write and say it was in my opinion an excellently written explanation about this decision.
To the mayor and City Council of the City of Renton;
As the artistic director of Renton Civic Theatre, I would like you to know how important my Board of Directors and I feel the new library location is.
I believe the city attorney is wrong on many points. First the city attorney has stated that the initiative petition is Illegal. I think he has misspoken, as no laws have been broken. He may have meant he believes the petition to be invalid based on illegalities. I think the city attorney should be more careful in his choice of words on such an important issue.
The Renton School District passed both Levies in the Feb. 12 election; however, the bond, which requires a 60 percent yes vote, received only 58.08 percent, falling short of approval by 335 votes out of 17,000. Because of that narrow margin and the significant value that passing the school bond will have on students in the district, the Renton School Board decided unanimously to go out seeking approval of the bond again, and I agree.
As I read the Editor’s Note and Mr. Sullivan’s letter to the editor (Renton Reporter, Feb. 24, 2012) regarding the UW alliance and Dr. Paul Joos’ commentary regarding same, I have to comment that as part of the community served by Valley, we are very appreciative of Dr. Joos’ first being elected to the board and his stand on thoroughly investigating this UW/Valley alliance.
Ok, I have now seen one too many cartoons on your op ed page (Renton Reporter, Feb. 17) indicating that there are few, if any, people anywhere in Washington state – except in Seattle – who care about Equal Marriage Rights, safety for LGBT youth or adults, and equal health care for LGBT people. Today’s cartoon indicates that the artist and the newspaper agree that Seattle is the only place in Washington that is happy about the newly-signed Equal Marriage legislation.
I was not surprised to read (Renton Reporter, Feb. 10) that Judge Robert McBeth had resigned as parliamentarian for the Public Hospital District No. 1 Board of Commissioners over the efforts of three board members (Hemstad, Heide and Joos) to sabotage the new alliance between Valley Medical Center and UW Medicine.
I ask the Reporter to not dismiss the library story just yet. I invite Renton residents to support the library initiative petition to put the proposed move on the ballot in April. Everyone, even the council, benefits from putting the matter to vote. I expect decisions that affect constituents’ attachments, wallets and community place to be put to ballot and fairly and transparently debated. I do not argue that moving the library would be a bad idea per se, but I contend the method.
Suggestion: maybe you should add clarification of facts to letters with obvious errors. Ms. Robinson (Nicola Robinson, Letter to the Editor, No to more tax dollars for schools, Dec. 30, 2011) seems to confuse the schools with the city with the library system. They are very separate entities with different but overlapping funding. The city does not fund the school district. As part of the annexation of the Renton Library system to the King County Library system, the city has some continuing obligations.
Having just moved from my beloved Renton after 70 years for family and economic reasons, I was visiting Renton and picked up a Renton Reporter which I always enjoy reading and “what to my wondering eyes should appear” but commentary by Mayor Denis Law entitled “Tough times still ahead but so are brighter days in city.”
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