It is amazing to me that the “powers that be” of the local hospital district are going ahead with their plans to build another hospital – bigger, better, state-of-the-art and certainly more expensive. Sure, they have scaled back their plans so that a tax raise is not necessary – not right now, at least. But what happens when the hospital fails to make money or break even down the road? This is almost sure to happen, as it has happened (how many times?) to the current hospital and then the bond will be back on the ballot, time after time, until it passes and we pay for something we did not want in the first place.

The logic of better visibility eludes me – someone fails to realize that a hospital is not a hotel or a historical landmark – it will not make people stop and say, “Oh look, a hospital. Let’s go there!” If you read the police and fire notes in the Record, you will notice that the victim is transported to Overlake or Harborview, rarely to our local hospital. What’s up with that?

The purchase of the Leisure Time RV Park and Campgrounds was an added shocker – not only is someone building an unneeded, exceedingly expensive hospital campus, but they are taking away an attraction that brings tourist dollars to this Valley. North Bend and Snoqualmie have few places for visitors to stay and now we will be losing a well-known, beloved resort.

Jim McKiernan’s thought that the hospital board should find out what the people really think is a very good suggestion. I believe that people voted “No” for both reasons: no more taxes and no, we don’t need it.

Many people I have talked to say they didn’t know there was a hospital – nor did they know there was a Leisure Time Resort. Well, of course not – you wouldn’t know about either one unless you needed it and better visibility does not create need. Duh!

Jeanne Klein

North Bend