Green Light for Buses
Regarding “Lay Down Tracks or Boost the Buses” (May 2008): Enough of the social engineering that assumes everyone wants to live on a rail line in a rabbit hutch. Buses offer flexibility to modify routes to serve areas as needs change. Buses can be integrated into existing infrastructure and enhanced with express lanes, signal coordination, and dedicated stations. In addition there are now buses available that run on hydrogen—what could be cooler than to be the first region to go that green? Sure, hydrogen takes a lot of electricity to produce—lucky for us we also have hydroelectric dams in the Northwest that could produce lots of it at night when domestic use is minimal. We need to take a proactive approach to our transportation problems, and we need to start now. How about some twenty-first century solutions instead of nineteenth-century trolleys? Say good-bye to oil.
Leonard J. Milbrandt
Redmond

 

Rock On
Many thanks for Roger Brooks’s article on the Coenosium Rock Garden at South Seattle Community College (“Little Giants,” March 2008). My husband Bob and I were pleased with your write-up, one of the most accurate in recent months.
Dianne Fincham
Co-owner, Coenosium Gardens Nursery, Eatonville

 

After the Brawl
Since the events outlined in Francesca Lyman’s Urban Brawl article (“Maintain Mayberry or Bring on the Condos,” March 2008), the Wedgwood Action Group did reach an agreement with the developer, Murray Franklyn, regarding the proposed mixed-use building on 35th Avenue Northeast. 

I think friction existed because we felt we were going to be forced to accept it without any significant input from the neighborhood. Having some input into the eventual use of the building, and the opportunity to bring in some local feel to the development will hopefully make this a much better building for Wedgwood.

Do I feel that the zoning laws in -Seattle are flawed? Yes, I do. We never should have been fighting with the developer regarding appropriate setbacks, height, and scale of the building. This protection should come from the city, and they should be doing a better job of protecting neighborhoods.
Greg Raece
Wedgwood Action Group, Wedgwood

 

Pro Labor
When I saw the cover of your latest issue (“Hot Companies,” April 2008), I just had to drop everything and read. It’s encouraging to know that there are still plenty of companies in our area that get the concept that rewarding good employees and building a solid team makes great business sense. I happily joined another such company last year and regard it as the best decision of my career.
Tim Cashman
Washburn Communication, Bellevue

CORRECTION
Oops, the G. Morris Haller Building was last seen at Second and Columbia, not Second and Cherry, as we inaccurately stated in “Vanishing Acts” (Past Lives, April 2008).

 

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