Letters to the editor for March 21

A great day getting the vaccine

On March 11, I called the land line for the Thurston County Health Department to schedule an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccination shot for my wife and I. The gentleman that answered the phone took our information necessary for registration. After the information was complete, he told me that we were registered at South Puget Sound Community College for a 4:30 p.m. appointment for Friday, March 12, and would receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This in itself was good news since I had heard horror stories.

When my wife and I arrived at about 4:10 p.m., we were overjoyed to see the professionalism of all of the people there. The signage was great, the people directing traffic were courteous as well as everyone there.

We give a total thumbs up to the Thurston County Health Department for spot-on execution of the operation.

Jim and Marie Kalkus, Rochester

The most beautiful state Capitol Campus

Architectural historian Professor Henry-Russell Hitchcock and historian William Seale stated in their seminal work, “Temples of Democracy: The State Capitols of the USA” (1976):

“It was at Olympia, Washington, that the American Renaissance in state capitol building reached its climax. . . . Such a collection of Classical buildings on a plateau surmounting a green hill 117 feet above sea level proved an irresistible vision. It would be a spectacular monument, with Mount Rainier in one direction, the Olympic Range in another, and lush forest between them all mirrored in the blue water below. The City Beautiful, a concept of perfection evolved for dense urban scenes, seemed destined now to achieve its finest expression in the natural landscape of the Pacific Northwest. . . . Unknowingly, in crowning the Olympia hill with temples, Wilder & White had realized Jefferson’s dream of an American Capitoline.”

These words should resonate with all Washingtonians as the State Capitol Committee and the Legislature consider the pre-design for new buildings on the west Campus. A planning effort that takes into account the Wilder & White and Olmsted Brothers plans for the west Campus is essential. As an amateur architectural historian living in Spokane, it is important for all Washingtonians to participate in the pre-design process.

American Renaissance principles must be applied in considering proposed major changes to the most beautiful State Capitol Campus in the nation. A comprehensive pre-design approach is a necessity and the Nationally Registered Paul Thiry-designed State Library Building should be protected.

Allen T. Miller, Spokane

Caution is still needed with COVID-19

Regarding the op-ed column in the March 17 edition titled “With end of pandemic near, Biden moves too cautiously” by Kevin Pham and Robert Moffit of the Heritage Foundation, I feel they are leaving out significant information.

Although COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are down significantly since the January highs, they neglect to point out that most of the country has been at a plateau for the past few weeks and that this plateau is similar to numbers we had in October, actually higher than our summer peak. With variants circulating and some states reopening and stopping their mask requirements, we are at risk of a fourth wave. That wave would be starting from a fairly high base.

So far with this pandemic what happens in Europe ends up repeating itself soon in the U.S. If you look at Europe now, many countries are entering a new wave and with that comes significant shutdowns, empty streets, and hospitals overflowing. There are some differences — slower vaccination roll out in the EU compared to the US — but we should be concerned.

There’s nothing wrong with taking things slowly and allowing more of us to be vaccinated before claiming victory. In this case, 2-4 weeks may make a big difference. The tortoise often beats the hare as the tale goes.

Lee Ann Gekas, Olympia