Letters to the editor for Nov. 10

I-5 rest area closures should be reconsidered

The decision by the Washington state Department of Transportation to close five rest areas for three months in Whatcom and Snohomish counties is not acceptable and is dangerous, especially with the upcoming holiday travel.

The reasons cited for the closures are staffing shortages, overload of trash, vandalism and aggressive behaviors towards maintenance staff. However, it seems that WSDOT jumped to a quick and easy “solution” that penalizes the majority of legitimate users, without attempting to address the problem caused by a minority who are permanent campers at these facilities.

Other options should be tried first, like reducing the current eight-hour time limit for stays to, say, one hour, with exceptions for commercial truckers; enforcing towing of violators; installing security cameras; and using temporary private maintenance contracts for the immediate staffing shortage.

These rest stops provide important services to I-5 travelers and just shutting them down is not a solution to the problem.

Subir Mukerjee, Olympia

Oppose moving Mitigation Site near school

In September, the families at St. Michael Parish School were informed that the city of Olympia is purchasing the Quality Inn site on Quince Street to relocate the homeless mitigation center.

We are all familiar with the problems associated with the current site. There have been countless reports about open drug use, assaults, filth and needles in the streets, etc., which severely impact neighboring businesses and definitely discourage residents from shopping or strolling downtown. I am horrified that the city would consider moving those issues to within a block of a school.

St. Mike’s is committed to helping solve the problems of homelessness. But we absolutely resist the proposal that this site be low barrier, allowing anyone, regardless of criminal record or drug/alcohol abuse issues, to relocate so close to St. Michael and Madison schools. There are laws that prohibit pot shops, liquor stores, and porn shops in close proximity to schools. It is irrational to think that the mitigation site would be less threatening than any of these.

I implore the city to put the safety of the children foremost when setting parameters for this site. There has to be a better place to shelter high-risk homeless adults. I suggest using part of the vast undeveloped areas at The Evergreen State College. Free IT buses can transport site residents to needed services. I’m certain that the downtown businesses, the Quince Street neighbors, and the school families would find this an excellent solution.

Lonnie DeBord, Olympia

Why we need a Washington State Public Bank

Public banks have an excellent track record in helping states and cities finance infrastructure, among other public services. There would be no conflict of interest by using North Dakota’s model of lending. Instead of its public bank being in the competitive mix with private banks, the bank actually lends in partnership with local banks and credit unions, jointly vetting each loan with them on a commercial basis. As in North Dakota, a public bank here could help local banks improve the availability of credit for business and student loans by buying down the interest rates these banks must otherwise apply. This model of backing up local banks helps them thrive amid stiff competition with large out-of-state banks.

There would be no administrative mistakes by using an independent bank board that includes business and banking professionals, who govern a public bank’s practices. Cooperative reliance on the lending expertise of our local banks eliminates the need for a public bank to hire hundreds of bureaucrats.

There would be no bad debts: With its independent board, a public bank could never become a politically focused weapon that forgives bad debts for insiders. In fact, we propose a public bank in Washington that lends primarily to public institutions — such as school districts, affordable housing, etc.

Washington’s public infrastructure bonds enjoy an excellent record. The state’s Public Works Assistance Account has never had a default on repayment of loans in its nearly 30-year history of supporting necessary water, sewer and roads projects.

Joel Carlson, Lacey