Thanks, Jane
Dear Editor:
We’d like to recognize Jane Gilbertsen for her invaluable contributions to the Methow Valley Fund. What began as a conversation between Jane, Beth Stipe from the Community Foundation of North Central Washington, and a generous local donor in 2006, has grown into a fund that supports a thriving ecosystem of nonprofits in our community.
Over the past 17 years the Methow Valley Fund has distributed $1.6 million in grants, established a $2.2 million endowment that will continue to support our nonprofits for generations to come, helped to raise $2.9 million through Give Methow, and inspired nine other communities to soon launch their own community funds through the Community Foundation of North Central Washington.
As residents of the Methow, we benefit from our nonprofits in countless ways. And we also have benefited from Jane and her work at the Methow Valley Fund. Thank you, Jane!
Sara Steele, Betsy Cushman, Don Linnertz, Jay Lucas, Don Miller, Barry Stromberger, Kelly Wiest, Jacob Young, Sarah Brooks
Methow Valley Fund Advisory Board
Enforce evenly
Dear Editor:
I think it is a shame that the Winthrop Town Council, Marshal and Lance Rider of the Outdoorsman store next to Three Fingered Jack’s are against the employees at Jack’s for parking their cars on the Riverside Avenue. Lance said that we are blocking his store from his customers, which is not true. Park across the street in front of Sam’s, where there is no business or on weekends, in front of Farmers Bank which isn’t open. Most days from early morning to early afternoon the town is half-full with many parking spots available.
Jack’s brings in a lot of business for Winthrop and now the employees that work harder than any other stores, are being badly treated, and harassed. After working eight hours, I sure don’t feel like walking up the hill to get my car. I would gladly park behind Sam’s where it is 24-hour parking, but when someone’s car gets broken into, hit by another car or has to walk there after dark where this no security, I really don’t want to park there.
If the Marshal is going to penalize a few of us then it should apply to everyone, tourists and other businesses included. The sign says “4 hour parking from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.” To me that means everyone. Also, where was the Marshal when six motorcycles parked in the handicapped zone for at least three hours in front of Jack’s? To me that is worse.
Judy Carlson
Twisp
Vote for Kline
Dear Editor:
If you haven’t voted yet but you care about our public schools, you still have a few days to send in your ballot. Your important choice is between two very nice guys who seem to have different views on teaching the science of evolution in public schools. (See last week’s Methow Valley News.) Just a few votes could make a difference in the results.
The incumbent, Frank Kline, has been a school board director for five terms. He takes some deserved credit (with his colleagues) for the excellent school system we have in the Methow Valley School District. And he is the only candidate with actual experience in our public schools.
Even if you don’t normally vote in mid-term primary elections – like 2/3 of voters — please send in your ballot for Frank Kline.
Randy Brook
Twisp
Logging damage
Dear Editor:
The Mission Pilot Project for logging old growth, grazing cattle, and prescribed burns initiated on Libby Creek paved the way for more public lands “management.” That project is planned for 30 years of those activities (two 15-year cycles).
Those projects will degrade watersheds, decreasing water quality and quantity for endangered species (spring chinook, steelhead and bull trout, as well as coastal Orcas), along with downstream domestic, agriculture, and power generation uses.
Ironically, they are supported by Sarah M. Walker, Natural Resource Program Manager of the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board.
Don Johnson
Member, Libby Creek Watershed Association
Pools are for everyone
Dear Editor:
As our community ponders the pros and cons of creating the Methow Aquatics District, I hear over and over again the very legitimate concern of affordable housing come up. Having a sustainable community that all levels of income earners can thrive in is important to all of us and we all feel the effects of our housing crisis.
First I’d like to say how lucky we are to have the Housing Trust, along with all its donors and supporters, building beautiful homes for our community members to live in. While many communities have housing trusts, the norm for affordable housing development is through the federal low-income housing tax credit or LIHTC.
I am hearing a lot of folks who think we can levy our way out of a housing crisis. While levies in large cities certainly have helped develop affordable units, they are cities with their own housing authority infrastructure that we are lacking here.
I also hear the concern folks express about how a couple hundred dollars a year increase in property taxes will affect our lowest income community members and seniors. Thankfully our neighbors who own their property and are low-income or senior citizens qualify for property tax exemptions and the pool levy would not affect them. In fact, 189 Methow Valley households already utilize these exemptions.
Regardless of a pool levy or not, property taxes will increase over time. As someone who worked many years in the affordable housing world and with people trying to make ends meet, my experience has been that pools build community across income lines!
As we move forward in our discussions around the pool, our housing crisis, and how to best build a healthy community let’s keep in mind that community pools are for everyone! Rich, poor, young, old and everyone in between. If we vote no on the levy quickly, only the fortunate few will have access to pools, swimming lessons and the well-being that pools offer.
Marisa Monteverde
Winthrop
Support Three Rivers
Dear Editor:
I am writing in support of the renewal levy to fund the Three Rivers Hospital emergency room. It’s true that you don’t ever think about how important it is until you need it. Last summer I found this out for myself when I sustained a serious injury, and was taken to the nearest emergency room which happened to be Three Rivers Hospital.
The care I got there was top notch — I can’t say enough good things about it. The nurses were skilled and professional and very attentive to my needs as they admitted me and got me stabilized. The doctors did an excellent job diagnosing what needed to be done, and after spending all day calling around, came up with a creative solution to solve the problem of where to do the repair surgery when they determined there were no available hospital beds east of the Cascades.
I can’t imagine where I would have ended up if the Three Rivers emergency room was not there. Our rural hospitals are so important to our community. This ballot measure simply extends an existing levy for one more year. Please vote yes.
Katie Haven
Methow
Appreciating John
Dear Editor:
Thank you, Solveig, for writing such an insightful synopsis of the remarkable life of local hero John Hayes and his hefty contributions. His and Rayma’s influence on our little valley will last forever in the scale of humanity. We all benefit from their great work.
Alex Hall
Mazama
