State needs to fix roads to fix economy

Dear Editor,

A recent quote by Reema Griffith, Washington State Transportation Commission, “There is a price to pay to have a better commute,” stuck with me and I had to think about what she had said.
Currently the state tolls the 520 Bridge and the revenues are meeting the expectations, very rare occurrence, and so other tolls are already approved with more to possibly be considered.
Already the state legislature has approved for tolls on the Viaduct Tunnel, Express Hot Lane on I-405 (Bellevue-Lynnwood) and the bridge between Portland and Vancouver.
The GPS company, Tom Tom, recently ranked Seattle as the fourth worst congestion in North America.
CNBC ranked Washington 36th on it’s state rankings for infrastructure and transportation.
The 2013 Legislative session begins in late January, will our state again focus our money and time on projects that will not alleviate congestion or will they play politics with our economic future?
I would like to see transparency on the projects selected, why they get selected, and how much congestion will be relieved.
Our state cannot properly recover from the recession if we cannot move goods and people efficiently. The time for social engineering is over and real solutions need to be brought to the table.
 
Todd Welch
Lake Stevens

Thank you Lake Stevens

Dear Editor,

On December 1, Lake Stevens Firefighters held their 9th annual fundraiser called Tips for Firefighters at Ixtapa Restaurant. The owner Francisco and his staff allowed us to bus tables for extra tips to help buy Christmas presents for needy children in our community.
His staff is a well-tuned machine, add Firefighters and anything could go wrong. 
The staff did a great job with this once a year inconvenience and everything ran smoothly from our perspective and nothing was broken, spilled out damaged.  Inside there were Firefighters with their Santa hats and stockings working as table hosts and outside there was an engine that kids and parents could tour.
That evening the great community of Lake Stevens came out and supported our kids and our community was very gracious and accommodating to the new staff.
We raised $2,440 in extra tips. The Lake Stevens Firefighter Association donated $1,000 along an additional donation of $200 from the community after the event.
This year 36 kids in our community will have a Christmas that I hope will be a lot more special and one that they will always remember.
Words will never convey the gratitude in my heart for the support from this great community. 
I can’t thank Francisco and his staff enough for allowing us to use his restaurant and for his generous donation, and for feeding our crew after a long evening. Francisco and his staff are awesome!
I would also like to thank the men and women of Lake Stevens Fire.  Thank you to those who came in on their off time to work in the restaurant and those who were on duty and greeted customers outside all while running calls at the same time. Without you all, this would not have been such a great success!
There are still kids in our community that need your help. Christmas is all about the kids and that’s what makes Christmas so special.
If you would like to help out, contact the Lake Stevens Family Center, and our many service organizations.
As a community of caring citizens, the community of greater Lake Stevens, is a wonderful place to live, work and raise our children.
Thank you all so very much!

Pat Cook, Firefighter
Lake Stevens Fire
Local 3235

Thanks Rainy Days for promoting reading

Dear Editor,

On behalf of ABC, the Lake Stevens Education  Foundation and the Lake Stevens Library, says thank you to the Rainy Days Caffe for hosting the “READ 20 Minutes a Day” Celebration!  
Each child enjoyed a hot cocoa thanks to Rainy and a new book from ABC. Reading together 20 minutes everyday is one of the most important things to help children be successful in school!

Leslie Elsemore ABC Chair
Lake Stevens