Set aside forests or safer streets? Choose carefully

Concerning Olympia’s proposed purchase of forest land adjacent to LBA Park: I find it interesting that Olympia is considering taking an option on purchasing forest land for $5 million, when I feel unsafe walking in the daylight in certain areas of the city.

Although there are signs of revitalization downtown, there is still a long way to go to bring Olympia to the level we deserve.

Growing up in Aberdeen, I had always heard of Olympia’s artesian well – “It’s the water.” Now that I know the location, I don’t find myself free to go and enjoy it, due to the unsavory situation there.

Instead of escaping to the woods, I suggest we concentrate on getting our city up to the standard of what the Washington state capital should be. I am not opposed to preserving forest land, but if we can’t afford everything, we need to choose our priorities carefully.

Olympia

This story was originally published July 25, 2015 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Set aside forests or safer streets? Choose carefully."