Second meeting for community center has different tone
October 9, 2008
By Ed Farrell
The differences in two “Root Beer Float Socials” hosted by the Snoqualmie City Council were both subtle, yet telling.
The meetings, split into a “state of the city” presentation followed by an information session geared at addressing a proposed Community Center to be built on Snoqualmie Ridge, differed primarily in location and audience size.
Unlike the first meeting — held on Snoqualmie Ridge literally in the shadow of the dedicated site for the $14 million center, and which featured a large number of attendees wearing T-shirts in support of a $10 million bond needed to build the facility —Tuesday’s session was held at Snoqualmie Middle School, about five miles away from the proposed site, and far closer geographically to the residents who have overwhelmingly voted against two prior community center bonds.
Only a handful of attendees were wearing the blue “Vote Yes on the Community Center Nov. 14” shirts that were paid for by a private support group without financial assistance from either the city — which is forbidden by law to engage in either support or oppose a bond issue — or the YMCA, which has been identified by the city as the “partner” that will manage and maintain the proposed center.
Such attire was the predominant choice at the first meeting, which featured more than a third of the audience wearing the shirts.
The lightly attended second session did offer subtle differences, however.
Issues that sparked questions at the first meeting were addressed differently at the second, and while YMCA officials had yet to offer a formal rate schedule for the new facility, they did announce the city was ready to formalize the management contract with the YMCA.
Mayor Pro-tem Jeff MacNichols officiated at Tuesday’s meeting in the absence of Mayor Matt Larson, who had a family emergency.
MacNichols confirmed that the council’s Finance and Administration Committee was to have discussed the YMCA contract Oct. 8 with the full City Council voting on the contract at its Oct. 13 meeting.
The YMCA’s presentation did differ during the second meeting.
A previously offered chart, which included a graphic showing how much square footage would be allocated to certain activities, was presented Tuesday without the specific allocations.
The earlier presented chart had sparked a number of questions by audience members who questioned why so much, or so little, area was proposed for various activities.
YMCA officials during the first meeting responded that such specifics were only examples and were subject to change, and Tuesday’s altered presentation sparked no such questions from the audience.
Al Frank, the city’s parks director, did offer a comment that seemed to catch the audience by surprise, and perhaps undermined much of the city’s efforts to diffuse concerns that the center would primarily benefit residents of Snoqualmie Ridge rather than the community as a whole.
When an audience member asked Frank about parking at the center – which will be located on a residential subdivision street with only one traffic lane in each direction and limited parking – Frank stated that it was his expectation that “a lot of people will walk” to the center, but that the city had an agreement with the Snoqualmie Valley School District to allow parking at the nearby elementary school.
A 2006 survey – commissioned by the city in the wake of the second failed bond effort – showed just how split the community is, or historically has been, regarding the center, the genesis of which stems from the 1997 development agreement between the city and Quadrant Homes, which marketed both its residential and commercial sales with the promise that such a facility would be built.
In the 2002 bond effort, according to statistics provided by the city, 86 percent of downtown residents voted against the measure compared to 52 percent of Ridge residents who voted for the bond.
Similarly, in 2006, 79 percent of downtown residents cast “no” votes compared to 57 percent of Ridge residents who voted in favor of the bond.
Such results, declared Mayor Larson, represent a “split personality” in the community.
Comments
Got something to say?
