Letters to the editor for Nov. 17

Please rebuild the Thurston County courthouse

As our county officials — in the midst of understandable opposition and concern from residents and staff (including our judges) — continue to struggle to find the best solution to the dilapidated decades-old Lakeridge courthouse facility, the truth is that the facility, while newer than the old courthouse it replaced, is significantly older than the average county-level courthouse building in Washington.

The lack of up-to-date features such as a secure, courthouse-focused entrance and space for judges and staff is, rather than motivating our county officials to find the most fiscally sensible solutions, resulting in an expensive venture: The construction of a new courthouse.

As a west Olympia resident myself, I often pass by this significant building that, while old and in need of many upgrades, can benefit from reconstruction, not replacement with expensive facilities. For a late-1970s facility, our elected officials should, in place of the costly and over-budgeting-prone project it wants to pursue, work towards rebuilding and modernizing the facility to enable both judges and their staff (including our Sheriff’s deputies) to conduct their daily business in a secure, larger, and up-to-date facility the public can access.

Furthermore, such alternatives to the million-dollar mega-project our officials are obsessed with can include entrances for businesses not related to court proceedings, thus reducing safety and security issues.

The county commissioners, for the sake of resource and service efficiency, should completely rebuild the existing courthouse for good.

I-976 is The People’s will

Regarding “Seattle Wants I-976 Put On Hold” which ran in The Olympian Nov 8:

So, The People have spoken. The People’s representatives don’t like what they said. Now, The People’s representatives, people like Seattle Mayor Durkan and her ilk, want to sue The People (using The People’s money) to force The People to pay more taxes. Pretty arrogant if you ask me.

Mayor Durkan complains that with the passage of I-976 there won’t be enough money to pay for her program of “free” transit for students and low-income people. If the program is “free,” why does she need more of The People’s money? It’s because nothing is “free.” Funny, Democrats love to talk about democracy, the will of the people. What’s more democratic than the initiative process? One person, one vote. They just don’t like the way The People voted.