This letter is in response to Kurt Higgins’ Jan. 14 letter to the editor regarding snowplowing in the Uplands development. Many members of our community felt that Mr. Higgins’ letter contained so many factual errors and innuendoes that it warranted a response.

Amongst the inaccuracies, Mr. Higgins’ states: “After the recent snowstorm, the Uplands enjoyed snow removal services by the county on a priority basis, and at the expense of residents in Wilderness Rim.”

In fact, Mr. Higgins, King County has required the original developer of the Uplands to maintain the “new county road” for a period of time … that period of time had not yet expired. As such, the developer, not the county, paid for plowing of the “new county road” by a private contractor. The private roads in the development also were plowed by the same private contractor at the expense of the homeowners’ association. By the way, the “new county road” was constructed entirely at the expense of the developer – not the county or its taxpayers. It should also be noted that the city of North Bend is responsible for and plowed the road from I-90 to the city limits, approximately three-fourths of a mile east on 415th Way Southeast (Ribary).

As for other inaccuracies and name-calling in Mr. Higgins’ editorial, your anger is misdirected. We are working or retired citizens who pay taxes just like every one of our neighbors in the Wilderness Rim community. In the future, please direct your dissatisfaction of county services with those who are responsible rather than implicitly blaming your neighbors. You can be sure that once the development period ends and plowing of this road falls back on the county, we will all be stuck together.

Uplands of Snoqualmie

Valley Homeowners’

Association

North Bend