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Letter
to the Editor:
Plant
More Trees - Build More Parks?
June
19, 2007
Last week’s [Dispatch, June 13] editorial mentioned a plan to plant
more trees and build more parks. Didn’t the Town just sell a
“One Of A Kind Vista Park” called Van Eaton Park?
A hired park architect stated the land was not
acceptable for park use.
I’ll ask anyone to drive up there and see
what an outstanding asset this would have been to the Town and
visitors for a Vista type picnic park with walking trails on the lower
end.
Meanwhile, I understand the Town has spent over
$100,000 in legal, consulting and other fees to sell this park, and
has also spent a good sum to provide water, sewer, and power to this
project. The Town will also have to widen Larson St. to accommodate
traffic, which will double. The whole deal will end up in a loss to the
Town, as predicted earlier by citizen protests.
The money spent on the previous Mayor’s folly to
sell this Park, to his friend, was used to buy the used car lot on
Mashell Ave. with the pretext that it would become a Town Square.
This property is now just a parking lot for
Jebinos.
The article regarding the large sign on top of
the hill stated that the planned eight homes could have been twenty.
The SF-1 zoning for that area would allow only seven homes, but by
buying the alley below, the developer could squeeze in another home to
meet the 9600 square foot requirements. The development is about 550
feet wide so 20 homes there is unreasonable.
Arlen Paranto
Eatonville
Letter
to the Editor:
Writer
Suggests Ways to Save Taxpayer's Money...
January 12, 2007
(Publisher's
Note: At
the request of the writer ENN is withholding the person's name,
please see letter below.
This is not an easy decision, nor one taken lightly. However,
sometimes it is the only way to get information to the public. The
entire American public wouldn't have nearly as much knowledge if it
weren't for "unidentified sources." One example: What
would we have known about Watergate without "Deep Throat"
leading the reporters to the truth?
People who ask to remain unidentified usually
do so because of the threat of retaliation which boils down to loss
of a job and their livelihood. ENN does not want to see this happen
to a concerned, knowledgeable citizen who brings some interesting,
and serious, issues to the attention of the community.
Too many people in the town are afraid to
speak their minds because they are fearful of retaliation with good cause.
I hear this consistently from citizens. And I believe them.
Thus, after many lengthy conversations with
the writer, and verifying the information from other sources, I
am satisfied the person is credible, and cares deeply about the
community. In other words, a reliable source. In the end a person's
name doesn't really matter, but the subject does. You be the judge.)
Writer
Has Questions for Town...
This
information can be verified from Town Hall.
The water and wastewater treatment plants have to be operated
every day of the year. Since the operators only work Monday
through Friday that means every Saturday and Sunday they have to pay
an operator to come in on overtime to operate the plants. At
the present time they are putting in for six hours overtime
for Saturday and six hours overtime for Sunday. [Emphasis not
added.]
This equals 624 hours of overtime a year. I'm not sure
what the operators are getting paid, but by changing their schedules
so no one is working overtime it would have the potential to save
upwards of $20,000 a year. That’s right, $20,000 a year
in saving. One certainly would ask why they have not done so
years ago.
By paying twelve hours overtime for them working the
weekend the Town is actually paying for 18 man-hours of work (12
hours overtime x 1.5 = 18 regular man hours). I would say this is
rather poor management on somebody’s part. All they need to do is
change the schedule so one operator works Sunday through Thursday,
and the other works Tuesday through Saturday and the Town can save
upwards of $20,000 a year that is now paid for work
not received. So how about it?
The new water treatment plant is fully automated. All of the
required tests are automatically done and the operators can log
on from a home computer and make adjustments in its operation.
Instead of them talking about raising the cost of living in our
Town, why aren't they talking about ways to get rid of wasteful
spending? Not only is the overtime a waste, how about the
building inspector taking a Town vehicle home to Puyallup every
night?
What
possible emergency justifies him doing that? If his home is 30 miles
one way that is 60 miles a day or about
1,260 extra miles a month or 15,120 miles a year for no reason. If
the vehicle gets 15 miles to the gallon that’s an extra 84 gallons
a month. If the Town
pays an average of $2.50 a gallon, that’s an extra $210 a month in
gas.
That
doesn't sound like much, but you also have to account for more oil
changes, more tires and more maintenance.
The extra gas alone is $2,520 a year. There are others (excluding
the police department) that take Town vehicles home, why? It's not
for emergency call outs because the first place they go is to the
plant to check the alarm and call in other workers. Their vehicles
do not have parts and the tools to do the work anyway, so why are
they taking them home and wasting our money?
The Town bought a brand new backhoe for about $80,000, yet when
they had the water leak at Washington and Center last year, the
Town had a contractor named John Tweet dig it up instead of the Town crew with
their new backhoe. Why?
When
the water line broke behind Van Cleve's house October 5, 2006, an
outside operator was operating Town
equipment. Why? Would the outside operator pay for any damages to
the Town's equipment had he damaged it? If he had been injured who
would be held liable for his injuries? What gives with this, anyway?
Instead of hiring a contractor to put in a water main on Hill Top,
why didn't the Town crew install it with their new expensive
backhoe? The Town management should be looking out for our
well being instead of these contractors.
Maybe management will be more open with us and tell us why these
things are happening. Very seldom do I agree with the stuff in
the Dispatch, but I do on the fact the Town is not as forthcoming as
it is supposed to be according to a campaign promise from the Mayor.
The Mayor and Town Administrator have had crew members discuss
ongoing problems they are having with a long-time staff member.
Not only have employees complained, but also Town citizens.
Hopefully in the very near future they will address this issue.
Name
Withheld by Request
Letter
to the Editor:
Van
Eaton Park - Corrections to John Sparrow's
Appeal Article...
December 4, 2005
I would like to correct errors made in John Sparrow’s front page
article in the November 22 edition of the Dispatch.
It stated, “The property was bought by a
developer, but the sale has been on hold pending the outcome of the
legal wrangle.”
Fact: The
park was sold and excise tax paid on August 31, 2005, for the
selling price of
$320,000,
a
reduction from the asking price of $350,000.
What is ironic is that the town council
never voted to sell Van Eaton Park. Town records will show this.
The last paragraph of the article stated
"In an ironic twist to the story, following the 1993 listing of
the property as a potential parkland, the local Chamber of
Commerce had offered to place picnic tables and benches at the
site." It also stated "At the time however, the
placing of the park equipment encountered vocal opposition from
neighbors of the property, some of whom are now supporting the suit to
prevent development of the site."
These statements are incorrect. First of
all, Van Eaton Park was known to be a park long before 1993, well
before George Smallwood Sr.'s tenure as mayor.
Secondly, myself and my two neighbors bordering
Van Eaton Park have never objected to or implied any negative
comments to any proposal that would add benches or tables to the
park. We and others have always maintained that the park is an
ideal "Vista" park and one that could also provide for
picnics, walking trails and wildlife sightseeing trails on the
upper and middle portions. It would be a huge asset to a town that has
disappearing green zones and no area for a public view site.
Arlen Paranto
Eatonville
More Signs of
the Times...
%20DEC.%201,%2006%20NewandoldParksigns2.jpg)
(photo by Arlen Paranto)
December 1, 2006: Dueling signs reflect the dividing issue
concerning the sale, August 31, 2005, of Van Eaton Park to Jerry
Nybo DNLLC. Public court documents tell of the transaction. The Real
Estate Excise Tax Affidavit is signed by Jerry Nybo and former
council appointed Mayor Bruce Rath.
The allegedly illegal sale of the park
became the basis for a lawsuit filed by lifetime Eatonville resident
Steve Van Cleve in Superior Court. Judge Sergio Armijo dismissed
the case not allowing a trial and Van Cleve appealed his actions.
The Washington State Court of Appeals, on November 14, found in Van
Cleve's favor and remanded the suit back to Superior Court for a
trial.
Less than a week after the Court
of Appeals decision Nybo, had two large for sale signs put up.
Initially the for sale sign was on town property, but a written
complaint to the town resulted in the sign being moved back onto
park property.
Now the new sign sits across the
street from the disputed parkland and warns prospective buyers the
sale is illegal and still in the courts. Nothing has been
resolved to date. To read the court of appeals decision please see
Court
of Appeals and Van Eaton Park
Park Sale - Public Record
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