Letters to the editor for April 8
A different view of the Priest Point Park name change
At first, I thought it was a joke. Then I realized it was for real. There are plans in the works to change the name of Priest Point Park. What’s more, I read in the Olympian that when the idea was first presented to the Olympia City Council, not a single person objected! So sad!
Well, I object, but I guess I’m the only one. To me, that park is special, not just because it’s so beautiful and well maintained, but because of the name itself. It reminds me of those brave priests who long ago spent time there as pioneers, serving their fellow human beings — tribal members and settlers alike.
For me, the name “Priest Point Park” speaks of service to others. I was reminded of that every day as I looked out at the park while doing my radio show for nearly 50 years at the north end of the Port of Olympia. It was a constant reminder that my job at KGY was all about service — providing the information that my listeners needed to start their day. That thought also provided the inspiration I needed to write and publish my memoir, “AM 1240 Life at a Small Town Radio Station.”
So go ahead and change the name! I’m just a sentimental old man stuck in the past. Soon I’ll be gone and Priest Point Park will be gone, too.
Dick Pust, Olympia
Could brewery be homeless encampment?
Every time I pass the old Olympia brewery warehouse property with its huge building sitting on an even larger piece of paved land, I ask myself why this can’t be converted into an encampment for the homeless.
Certainly there is ample room for campers and RVs as well as a structure that could house the homeless. Sure, it would take some dollars to convert and build the supporting infrastructure to handle waste management and internal housing, but millions are being spent already and there is no data to indicate success. The problem persists.
I suggest using these dollars to construct a homeless encampment. The location is not in any residential area and is just sitting there wasting away. Let it serve a needed purpose. Or just continue to see homeless encampments spread everywhere and continue throwing money at collecting trash and allowing tarp “homes” to proliferate. Meanwhile, a solution sits idle..
Fred Yancey, Olympia
People need to know the whole story on lower Snake River dams
I was in Olympia on Saturday, April 2, and I spoke to some of the people attending the Snake River Dam removal rally. None of them knew much about the results of what would happen if the lower Snake River dams were removed.
These dams are capable of supplying 3,000 megawatts per hour of electrical power. The dams average about 33% generating capacity. To replace this lost power with solar energy would require about 2,000 acres of solar panels, over 3 square miles worth. Add in access to maintain the panels and it would require a solar plant covering over 5 square miles. That is about 3,500 football fields for comparison.
Also, that solar energy is only available an average of 6 hours per day.
The Ice Harbor Dam provides irrigation water to over 37,000 acres, about 50 square miles of land. Do those people care about the hundreds of families that would lose their livelihoods if the irrigation water goes away?
John Hess, Centralia