Letters want ice rink in Tumwater, financial ed in schools and re-entry readiness for inmates

Ice rink would boost economy, community engagement

I am writing in response to the Jan. 17 article titled “Hundreds have weighed in on Tumwater’s new community center.” While it is great to see community engagement, I believe one critical need for our community has been overlooked: a permanent ice rink.

The proposed community center includes amenities such as basketball courts, pickleball courts, and a senior lounge — facilities that are valuable but already widely available to our community. However, it fails to address the growing demand for ice sports in the South Puget Sound region.

With the recent arrival of the Seattle Kraken, interest in youth hockey is surging, yet families are now forced to travel to Tacoma to participate in youth hockey and figure skating, an inconvenient barrier that stifles local participation and limits our community’s potential.

An ice rink would not only foster local talent in hockey and figure skating but also attract tournaments and events, bringing visitors to our community and stimulating economic growth. Local hotels, restaurants and shops would benefit from increased foot traffic and revenue. An ice rink could even serve as a revenue-generating asset for the city.

I urge Tumwater’s city leaders and residents to advocate for the inclusion of an ice rink in the new community center plans. This addition could establish Tumwater as a new hub for ice sports, growing youth interest and driving economic prosperity. Let’s seize this opportunity to invest in our community’s future. Let’s go Tumwater, and let’s go Kraken!

Brandon Anderson, Tumwater

Support financial education with Senate Bill 5080

Thank you for your article on Jan. 29 concerning Senate Bill 5080, which would require financial education of high school students before graduation. I can’t imagine a better class to require.

The original Individual Retirement Account, now known as the Traditional IRA, has been on the books since the 1970s. The 401k had its 45th birthday this month, going into law on Jan. 1, 1980. And in the ‘90s, we gained the Roth IRA.

Historically, both Democrats and Republicans have supported these bills over several decades. In your article, it was stated that one of the founding members of the Conservative Ladies of Washington is opposed to this bill. It’s hard to believe that anyone would be opposed to financial education. The math that is involved with this is not much more than basic arithmetic. I know, I’ve been investing since the ‘80s and the miracle of compound math has made my wife and I very comfortable financially.

It shouldn’t matter if you’re conservative, liberal or moderate; everyone should support financial education.

Randy Moore, Olympia

Reentry Readiness can save state money, improve public safety

Gov. Ferguson plans to cut spending in many areas, while maintaining budgets for public safety. Here’s one way to do that: Reentry Readiness.

The Reentry Readiness bill (House Bill 1239) addresses existing racial inequities in earned time and graduated reentry for incarcerated people while saving the state money.

HB 1239 builds upon previous legislation to improve reentry and reduce recidivism. It restores the ability of eligible incarcerated people to accrue up to 33% of earned time and participate in an 18-month-long graduated reentry and work release program. It is a legislative priority for the Statewide Reentry Council and the League of Women Voters.

Earned time is a strong motivator for positive behavior and programming, making prison environments safer and reducing the possibility of a person committing a crime after release.

The Department of Corrections (DOC) has previously requested legislation to restore earned time to the 33% originally in the Sentencing Reform Act, to improve accuracy in calculating earliest release dates and to address racial inequities in the earned time practice.

DOC is also a strong supporter of graduated reentry, including work release, allowing people time to work and successfully and safely transition to full independence.

The earned time calculation is an administrative process within DOC and does not require court intervention. Previous fiscal notes suggest that passing this bill could save the state millions of dollars in the short-term, with continued savings in the years to come.

Please urge your legislators to vote for HB 1239.

Noreen Light, Olympia