Roadside reading
Dear Editor:
Here are a few ideas for Winthrop’s proposed Burma-Shave style greeting signs:
Have a heart
No big task
Six feet apart
Wear a mask
Methow Valley
Or:
Fishing’s lovely
Camping’s great
Food is scrumptious
Don’t tempt Fate
Wear A Mask!
Carolanne Steinebach, Twisp
Many thanks
Dear Editor:
In this time when many people have increased appreciation for outdoor recreation, thanks to BackCountry Horsemen, Washington Trails Association and others, for recent bridge reconstruction and trail clearing in uppermost Twisp River on National Forest lands.
Susan Crampton, Twisp
‘Big Splash’ coming
Dear Editor:
Hopes of a 2020 pool season may have been dashed, but we look forward to a bigger splash!
Hello, pool patrons. If you’re anything like the Friends of the Pool board, you are feeling the loss of the 2020 pool season. While we support the town’s decision to not open the Wagner Memorial Pool, for the health and safety of our community, we still miss:
• Lap swims where we can follow the black line and not worry about lake monster attacks.
• Beaming with pride as we watch our littles progress from blowing bubbles to back floats to their first tentative swim strokes during swimming lessons.
• All-day swim meets watching our kiddos swim their hearts out as we cheer them on from the deck.
• The sun-kissed looks of our family after an afternoon of open swim where we see who can get down the slide the fastest, hold their breath underwater the longest and come up with the most creative dive off the diving board.
Summer’s not cool without the pool.
While the pool may be closed, we are hard at work thinking about what is next for the Wagner Pool. We are using this time to kick off a visioning process with community members to better understand what a new public pool could and should look like.
The path to the “Big Splash” starts soon with community-wide information and listening sessions. We want to hear from you:
• What you are missing about the pool this summer.
• What a new facility should look like and where it should be located.
• What programming you would like to see associated with a new pool.
• What are potential options for funding the pool.
Stay tuned to our Facebook page, website and local newspaper for information on these initial listening sessions. We are very much looking forward to making a Big Splash in the valley as we think about the future of the Wagner Pool with all our friends and neighbors. In the meantime, please stay safe and cool without the pool!
Friends of the Pool Board of Directors, Twisp
Applause for ADA
Dear Editor:
July 26 marked 30 years since President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law – a landmark piece of legislation addressing the rights of American citizens with disabilities. Largely unseen and unaccommodated in the community up to that point, individuals with disabilities were routinely discriminated against in the workforce and ignored in public spaces, while often facing a lifetime living on the margins.
In these topsy-turvy times, with every imaginable interest group seemingly demanding their time in the spotlight, let’s not forget those who manage their day-to-day lives with a disability while demonstrating the same determination that we all should in our so-called normal lives. Equity, diversity and inclusion ought to have become second nature in our community by now, but every once in awhile a gentle reminder is helpful. The payoff: The unexpected inspiration that can come from observing anyone exceeding what’s expected of them. Happy birthday, ADA.
Jim Brennan, Twisp
Great response
Dear Editor:
After being in the Methow Valley for over 34 years, we had to call 911 for the first time. The experience was really eye-opening. Our call went out shortly after midnight on Sunday night of the July 4 weekend. The first responder, Mazama volunteer/advanced EMT Chuck, was there in 30 minutes and the rest of the team, EMT volunteer Zack, staff members advanced EMT Kurt and Paramedic Cindy Button arrived 15 minutes later. This was a fast response time since we live toward the end of Lost River Road. They preceded to calm everyone down and respond to the emergency with great professionalism. It was over three hours of their valuable time in the middle of the night.
In the end, no one needed a ride in the ambulance. To our amazement, there was no charge for this service. Cost only occurs when a patient needs to be transported. All this great service is covered by our property taxes. We want to give a huge shoutout to Aero Methow Rescue Service, their staff and volunteers for all the work and dedication they put into their profession. It really shows when they are needed.
The Molitors, Lost River
About that ‘freedom’
Dear Editor:
I tend to rush to the “Opinion” page to see if Ms. Torvik has written another of her clear, concise, well-informed articles. Last week I was in luck. An eloquent synopsis. I would only add a remark to the “freedom” crowd: Our desperate situation is a result of a failure of individual responsibility – yours. This was preventable: the illness, the deaths, the economic devastation. Reflect now on who benefits from our collapse? Putin, Xi, Iran, Kim. You are “free” to be “Putin puppets,” to live in a failed state. Congratulations.
J. Winsor, M.D, Winthrop
Vote for change
Dear Editor:
Okanogan county’s COVID cases have exploded over the last couple of weeks. But many people are not wearing masks. What? Non-compliance with the statewide mask-wearing mandate is not optional.
As our political leaders, the Okanogan County commissioners should be promoting social distancing, frequent hand washing, and mask-wearing. However, it appears that two of the three commissioners either don’t understand these simple safety measures or are unwilling to enforce the mandate.
During the commissioners’ public comment period on July 28, two citizens asked what the commissioners were doing about the exploding cases of COVID-19 in our county. Two of the commissioners seemed to be unaware of the basic facts of the outbreak, and were completely stymied for solutions. Commissioner Hover mused about whether the numbers were correct and had no answer about what should be done. He was either unaware of the up-surge of cases in our county or simply indifferent. Mr. DeTro appeared even more clueless as he fixed his attention on how to avoid using masks in public.
The issue is how to avoid spreading the virus, not how to avoid wearing a mask.
The upcoming election presents a chance for improving the Okanogan County commissioners. Voting for Katie Haven in the upcoming election will give us fact-based representation, better decision-making, and actual leadership. A vote for Katie is a vote to change our course for a better future.
Michael and Valerie Sarratt, Twisp
No status quo
Dear Editor:
This election season demands we weigh issues more thoroughly than ever. If I’m reading Brian Sweet’s letter of July 29, he seems to advocate the opposite. I paraphrase:
Both candidates are worthy, but State Legislative District 12 Rep. Keith Goehner’s done a good job, so let’s just maintain the status quo.
This election cycle, engagement with the issues and knowledge of each candidate’s stance is critical. Affability and responsiveness are the most basic qualifications for eligibility. Adrianne Moore, Goehner’s challenger, and the incumbent are adept politicians. Both have a natural ability to connect with people. However, following through with constituents is politics 101, whether you hold office or aspire to it. It’s a minimum requirement for the job.
It’s the ideas and policies they advocate that are paramount. And beholden upon us to read the fine print.
In the wake of COVID-19, there is no status quo. It’s clear, perhaps more than ever in my lifetime, representation is king. And that’s true for all “sides.” Mask or no mask, shutdown or no shutdown, school or no school. In a perfect world, party affiliation is irrelevant. Or, rather, it often becomes irrelevant when good decisions are made.
It is my fervent belief all rivers flow – health care, criminal justice, environmental protection, arts and culture – from a robust and well-funded public education system. It’s clear to me that Moore, given her stance on education reform, is the right choice. (Goehner got a “D” rating from the Washington Education Association. Moore just received their endorsement.)
We’ve learned during this crisis our schools do so much more than just teach – they protect – and this election season we need to show up and protect them, too. A vote for Adrianne Moore does just that.
Genevieve Cole, Mazama
