To Lakeside Industries,

As a longtime resident of Renton, I’m concerned about your company’s deceptive campaigning for your proposed asphalt plant. All your formal documentation states this is a Maple Valley asphalt plant, when it clearly has a Renton address.

You’ve even had to change and resubmit permit paperwork and extend the comment period to correct to a Renton address but you insist on calling the project the Maple Valley Asphalt Plant? Why is that?

With Renton having up to four times the number of people as Maple Valley maybe it looks better campaigning for a plant in a more “rural” and less populated area. When the fact is you’re planning to build this plant in a very populated area (with wildlife, families and homes), on a very busy highway (state Route 169).

Extensive current traffic problems/accidents with very little evidence that noise, odor, traffic pollution will be mitigated for an area like this.

Did you know daily several Tahoma school buses drive right past the proposed asphalt site in both directions — hitting your prime time for trucks in/out of the plant during rush hour traffic twice a day — making at least six to 10 stops along SR 169?

That traffic already backs up on SR 169 on a daily basis because of poor design/traffic flow with school buses, exponential increase of new homes, impatient commuters and accidents.

With severe accidents happening on a weekly basis on SR 169, I cannot see how adding 300 plus large truck trips a day to this already overburdened, dangerous stretch of highway helps anyone in this community.

Where’s the infrastructure for our roads with the hundreds of new homes that are being crammed into the Renton Highlands and the ever growing Maple Valley/Black Diamond new complexes?

This is a recipe for disaster for our community.

Sierra Club, city of Renton and Water District 90 all have written letters strongly opposing this plant as they understand the impact it will have.

With a nearby landfill and a composting center that have caused extensive damage to residents’ well being and environment, why should we trust another toxic industry to be a good neighbor, especially one that mispresents where they are doing business?

Stephanie Browne

Renton