The story that you missed (Old Mill plan rolling forward, May 11) is actually more about collusion than development. It’s more about vision than change and it’s more about sustainability and quality of life than commercial interests.

Several things come to mind as I try to integrate Snoqualmie’s history with a future that  is equitable to all that have a vested interest here. Most important is the dynamic that represents the failure of the current leadership to bring the two very different facets of Snoqualmie together into a cohesive community with a collective and sustainable vision.

To that extent, the city has been extremely myopic with regard to promoting “their” strategy rather than demonstrating any real understanding or concern of what their community wants their future to look like.

Aside from the obvious capital improvements necessary to safely accommodate rally events, there are environmental impacts, traffic concerns and of course the noise. There are the remaining questions as to whether a planned industrial/commercial zoning even allows racing as promoted by ESPN. If the city had a better history with regard to managing development proactively, the homeowners of the Valley might be less skeptical and be more willing to listen.

In closing, I will say that planned development and growth are two completely different strategies. I believe that most of Snoqualmie’s residents would prefer a model that uses “locally supported” businesses to promote the collective vision of a community rather than importing whatever they can to pay the bills that poorly planned development left behind.  As it stands, the city is reaching out (in a reactive manner) to create the revenue necessary to sustain the model that they have helped create. If the city was an individual asking for a loan, the bank would be saying that they (along with their $7.32 million City Hall, management salaries and foreclosure rates on the Ridge), were living beyond their means. Many of us who call Snoqualmie our home are concerned that our local government can’t see that our future, as well as everything that has defined our rural community, is about to disappear for the interest of a very few.

In the years to come, should all of this unfold, imagine being at the base of the Falls, listening to race cars and casino concerts and trying to imagine why anyone would have traded majesty for money. On your way out, you grab a hot dog and a road map and start looking for the next best place along the road to ruin.

Rick Grant

Snoqualmie Valley homeowner