Letters to the Editor for July 23, 2013

Trees could have been saved

Along with Camas Mayor Scott Higgins’ crocodile tears, I cried for the 20 or so big beautiful old trees that were taken down as part of the construction of the new Camas community center.

When “developers” get a chance, it is usually: Trees 0, Developers 100.

If the Camas Community Development department had properly reviewed the plans and supervised the work, these trees would still be standing to continue to glorify the beauty of our area and provide cooling shade for the swimmers and boaters who will be using the new docks.

According to the mayor, in the past, anyone who visited the Moose Lodge was at a terrible risk, but that’s OK now as these dangerous trees are gone.

Camas does not have a tree ordinance; neither does Washougal. The trees that contribute to making our towns desirable places to live, and which support the value of our properties are presently at the mercy of anyone with a chain saw. Ask my neighbor whose house is no longer as cool in the summer or warm in the winter because a “developer” cleared many trees from the lot west of her house.

Writing a tree ordinance is not an easy job, but unless you look forward to living in a desert, the time to shake our City Councils into getting this done is rapidly coming upon us.

Speaking of dangerous, if Mayor Higgins were to see to getting some lighting installed from the bottom of the Lake Road hill to Everett this road would be a lot safer to drive and ride – and avoid dangerous trees.

Marilyn Tyrrell, Washougal

Stopping CRC was a good move

The stopping of the CRC was the best move possible for this area at this time.

I agree with Fred King (Post-Record Letters, July 9) that: Yes, we need a third bridge. Regardless of the size of the Columbia River Crossing bridge, the highway system we have at this time will not be able to satisfactorily handle the traffic in another 20 years. However, I believe this third corridor needs to be west of Portland.

The I-5 system carries a huge amount of traffic from Seattle to Los Angeles. At one time, there was a plan to add two new bridges; one on each side of Portland. This plan needs to be revisited.

Beverly Larson, Washougal

Library landscape needs attention

Every morning and evening, my two kittens and I walk around the Camas Public Library. Now that I am retired, I have a chance to notice and appreciate the beauty around me.

In the spring, the beauty of the landscaping around our library is fabulous, but as time moves on into summer, I see the shortcomings.

This spring, the Meilland rose in front of the library was beautiful. In fact, it was so beautiful I was tempted to cut a few for my home, but changed my mind when I thought that the public would enjoy them.

It came as a shock when I discovered that someone had cut them back. These are roses that should never be cut back. I also noticed that someone had trimmed the top of a shrub. Those shrubs should never be cut that deep. I also noticed that on the east side of the library is an area that needs attention desperately.

I decided to go one step further and look on the web site under the Camas budget to see if our city is short on cash. What I found would astound anybody. The expenses are top heavy in administrative library payroll. The landscaping is done professionally. Personally, I would train someone in the utility department to take over that job.

My suggestion is that the city budget for landscaping becomes an individual item. If the city can’t afford it, I’m sure that the administrative people would be happy to contribute $500 off the top of their salaries for this purpose.

David L. Sanks, Camas