Letters to the Editor, Sept. 30

Future ownership is not justification for overpaying on county building

Most arguments supporting the construction of a consolidated county building center on the fact that the county will own the building in 30 years. The widely accepted notion that paying for new construction is cheaper than renting, is not consistently true. Ownership involves many additional expenses, including unexpected deficiencies- which are very likely in this case according to an independent architect who reviewed the plans and testified at two county council meetings. There are cheaper alternatives, some proposed by the County Assessor-Treasurer, to include Annex renovation and the leasing of existing structures.

RSMeans, a construction cost-source industry company, detailed average cost/sq. ft. for Seattle office buildings at $183/sq. ft. The proposed consolidated building is slated to cost $384 per square foot. The County Assessor-Treasurer estimates $400 per square foot. This is excessive. Future ownership isn’t a justification for overpaying.

Building consolidation has been frequently touted by project proponents. A shiny new workplace benefits only the county staff. A tiny percentage of county residents travel to differing county offices on a regular basis. Consolidation is not a reason to go forward with this plan.

Vote YES on Referendum 2015-1 in November to repeal this unnecessary project.

Fox Island

Woock has citizens of Gig Harbor at the front and heart of her campaigns

My husband and I are endorsing Jeni Woock for a seat on the City Council in the November election. And this is why:

Jeni has worked tirelessly to serve the citizens and residents of Gig Harbor. She has campaigned against building height, the re-zoning of historical Millville, parking and traffic congestion. She has obtained over 1,600 signatures from citizens who wanted to protect our views along Harborview Dr. and the majority of Millville residents signatures who were against restaurants with no closing times in Millville. She believes the citizens’ needs should come first and not that of the developer or the big businesses with deep pockets, who (most) don’t even live anywhere near the city limits.

Jeni wants safety and frequent building/fire inspections on commercial buildings in the city limit. This shouldn’t even be an issue. Our firefighters and paramedics (as do we citizens) have a right to safety checks and a passing certificate on all commercial buildings in downtown and the surrounding areas on a regular basis. Why don’t we have them?

I trust Jeni Woock to keep her campaign promises and complete her actions. I’ve seen them at work. I know that she has the citizens of Gig Harbor always at the front and heart of her campaigns — not the developer, who just wants to build and build. We are already seeing it happen. We won’t be charming little Gig Harbor anymore. We’ll be just another Federal Way, South Hill or Silverdale, with traffic and parking impossible, even outside of our own homes. Is that what the citizens of Gig Harbor want?

Vote for Jeni Woock. The people’s candidate.

Gig Harbor

Perrow a passionate advocate for Gig Harbor citizens, committed to sustaining a family-friendly city

As the current County Council Member for District 7, representing Gig Harbor at the county level, and as the two former County Council members for District 7, all three of us have worked closely with Michael Perrow. We knew him as a Gig Harbor Parks Commissioner advocating for public open space and, now, know him as a leader on the City Council. Gig Harbor is a place that is dear to all three of us. Collectively, we have represented Gig Harbor at the county level for the past 14 years. All three of us have heard from many Gig Harbor citizens on local issues related to public safety, the local economy, parks, pedestrian safety, controlled growth and traffic. We have listened and understood your hopes and concerns.

For this reason, we encourage the voters of Gig Harbor to re-elect Michael Perrow to Gig Harbor City Council, Position No. 6. We have had the privilege of working with Michael on important Gig Harbor issues such as the Cushman Trail extension, traffic congestion relief on state Route 16 & 302 and the Downtown Trolley system, to name a few. In all of these issues, we know Michael to be a passionate advocate for all of you, the citizens of Gig Harbor. As a father of young children, and as someone who grew up here, Michael is committed to sustaining our family-friendly city.

We are one Democrat and two Republicans. Two of us opposed each other in the most recent County election. Yet, here we are, clear in our endorsement of Michael Perrow. His service to the community is exemplary and deserves your vote on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Join us and hundreds of your Gig Harbor neighbors in re-electing Michael Perrow to City Council, Position No. 6.

Gig Harbor

Thanks to supporters of the new Waterfront Farmers Market

Thank you to our community and wonderful volunteers that helped support the new Waterfront Farmers Market this summer! As a local farmer myself, I am passionate about linking local growers to our community and reached out to the city to offer assistance in creating a new food access model. Many communities have multiple farmers markets providing unique offerings, improving economic development and increasing access to healthy local foods.

Many months were spent collaborating with agriculture partners to develop the mission and vision. Through much analysis, the city provided seed funding and The Downtown Waterfront Alliance stepped forward as the sponsoring agency. In just three short months, our team was able to create a food access market complete with fresh fish, fruits, vegetables, meats and more. In addition, the market had many added value programs including a sustainable education component. It was a successful first season bringing over 1,200 customers to the waterfront each week!

Phase two of the intended mission is to build a “Friends of the Market” program to include adding WIC, Senior and EBT for low income access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Three local grants were secured for this purpose in addition to collaborating with other markets on a national USDA grant. In late August, the time had come to pass the baton, as I move on to other agriculture outreach projects. I look forward to the Alliance building on this foundation for next season and beyond. I am grateful to have been a part of this community project and am in awe of what can be accomplished through the spirit of collaboration.

Thank you, Gig Harbor, from my farm family to yours!

Gig Harbor

This story was originally published October 1, 2015 at 10:26 AM with the headline "Letters to the Editor, Sept. 30."