Comments on Fall City Meeting

Published 2:01 am Friday, October 3, 2008

Thank you for attending the Oct. 13 meeting. I know I came away

with some varied feelings and possible different feelings about how people

of Fall City feel about having their property nominated for the Historic

District.

I did apologize to Mr. Sundberg, the planner from King County, to

the effect that my comments were not directed toward him as a person, but

only towards a King County program (with the help of the Fall City Citizen’s

Advisory Committee) that again seems to have the only right to decide if

our property is going to be designated as a historic property.

If someone wants their property included in the Historic District,

fine; I certainly think they have the right to do so, and I feel there is a place

for this preserving. I have nothing against historic buildings, however, I

feel other people should also have the right to decline by their own choice,

which we do not have, if I understood the comments at the meeting. I pay

the taxes, I pay the mortgage, I pay the insurance, I pay the maintenance,

and until they are willing to pay all that, then I feel I should have the right

to decide if my property is included or not included in proposed historic

district.

The group at that meeting asked some very direct questions and had

to pull any kind of direct answer from the county people. Apparently,

when you ask the county a direct question that they don’t want to answer,

they can just declare the meeting as over, which is what they did. This was to

be a public “informational” meeting according to the notice I received, but

I guess we were only supposed to listen and accept.

The county told us that we were the “most rude group” they had

ever talked to. Well, I am sorry if we seemed rude. If I have to seem rude

to preserve my property rights _ to declare if I want my property

included on a historic list, then I guess I will just have to be considered rude. I

intend to keep asking questions when the programs effect my property

values and my property rights.

Darrell D. Thompson

Fall City