I recently received a letter from the City Administrator Phil Messina. I

was appalled at the continued inexcusable approach to communication the

city is taking regarding Resolution 765 (NB Park and Ride/Si View

Community Parking Project). At issue is the resolution by the city council

directing its staff “to plan, design and construct the NB Park and Ride/Si

View Community Parking Lot.” In this resolution the city itself plainly and

frequently uses the term “Park and Ride.”

In fact, the term “Park and Ride” is in the one-sentence summary that

heads the document. Furthermore, the term “Park and Ride” is in seven of the

10 statements describing Resolution 765 as drafted by the city and signed

by the mayor.

Why, if the “Park and Ride” aspect of this resolution is so

prominent, does the city now completely avoid using this term? The letter’s intent

was to “provide background information on the project and clarify issues

that have been raised.” However, not once in Mr. Messina’s letter was the

term “Park and Ride” used. This begs me to ask the question of why?

Clearly, much of the substantial community opposition raised thus far has

been aimed at the “Park and Ride” aspect of this resolution. Rather than

addressing these very valid concerns about the Park and Ride by calling it what it

is, the city is hiding behind a wall of “semantics” that now emphasize the

use of the term “community parking facility.”

I struggled to imagine the kind of logic that could lead the city to its

recent change of word choice; perhaps it went something like this: It

appears that the citizens of North Bend are really against the idea of a “Park

and Ride” in their backyard. If we stop using that term, the opposition and

those not yet informed might not worry about the buses and commuter

traffic being brought into their neighborhood.

The Department of Transportation will give us their portion of the

land only if we build a Park and Ride. We have to build a Park and Ride to

get the donation; it doesn’t mean we have to call it a Park and Ride. Perhaps

we can call it a “community gathering place for cars and buses” or a

“paved natural area, which may also be useful should anyone want to park

there.” I know; we’ll call it a

“community parking facility.”

Please note for future communications that it is not the term “Park

and Ride” that is offensive. It is the location, the lack of evidence

supporting the decision, the lack of communication prior to the resolution and

the negative impact on the neighboring residential community’s safety,

the environment and existing traffic congestion problems in the area that

have generated the strong opposition.

Gary Pass

North Bend