Benevolent or Vindictive?

Forget bureaucracy for a moment and pretend we do things because we're humans and we live with other humans.  Let's also skip the part of people doing monstrous things and concentrate only on co-existence. Neighborly things - sharing, caring... watching out for one another ... a wave, a smile...a helping hand when necessary.  You know what I'm talking about.

Keeping those thoughts, there sits Wellington Hills Park, a nice and beautiful place and, at one time, accessible to People.

I've talked with hundreds of people at the Park and witnessed the good vibes and pleasures People have had there.

There are no "No Trespassing" signs at the Park. You and I can go there, walk or stroll around, take pictures, play with our children and dogs, picnic or sit and soak in the natural calm that permeates the place.

BTW, nothing bad has ever happened at the Park (except for Snohomish County Rangers getting stuck in the soggy ground).

But now, because the County realized Wellington Hills Park was a terrible place for a sports complex, they moved their sports complex plans elsewhere. With that move, they've made it near impossible for People to enjoy Wellington Hills Park.

First the used a lockable gate and permanently locked it ... then they placed "ecology blocks" across the Park's driveway - but there was still a  bit of space for cars to park ... not ideal.

None the less, People carefully parked their cars and the Park remained a favorite place.

More recently, County people came and moved the "ecology blocks" closer to the road, as a sort of "take that" gesture.

Benevolent or Vindictive?

In the past, I would've suggested you write the Snohomish County Council about something such as this.

I've come to understand, they're not interested in what we the People of the Greater Wellington Area need or want.  They have their own plans for us.

So letter writing is optional.

But please remember those "ecology blocks" come election time.

Here are the names to remember: Somers, Ryan, Sullivan, Wright, Klein, Dunshee

We need change at the County government level

Simple analogy:  Imagine all the individual aquarium tanks in a pet store.  Assume for a moment all the fish have intelligence and they have awareness of their lives.  Each tank is a community and separated from other communities because they live in different tanks.

Suppose a problem developed in one tank and the fish living in that tank worried, fretted and bubbled about their problem amongst themselves … fish in adjacent but separate tanks would remain unaware of another tank’s problem.

For whatever reason, a fish is taken from the tank with a problem and placed in another tank … and the new fish discovered the second tank also had problems similar to the tank just left.

Over time, different fish are exchanged within all the pet shop aquarium tanks.  It’s now a real puzzle … All the fish know there’s a systemic problem within all the pet shop tanks but they are in individual tanks, seemingly with no direct way to connect and solve their compartmentalized problems.

What can be done?

When Snohomish County first told us it was a “done deal” that Wellington Hills Park was to become a regional sports complex – the neighborhood didn’t know that parallel controversies were happening in other communities.

We've learned, bit by bit, of various communities in conflict with the County, mostly about development, roads and sweeping changes to neighborhoods.

Locally, we had the sports complex issue and now there’s proposed schools looming over us … 

Other areas are facing or have recently dealt with gun ranges, moto-cross tracks, new housing developments, stable neighborhoods re-zoned for commercial purposes, condemnations for a court house and disasters, such as the Oso tragedy.

I think we've reached the point there’s need for some sort of new oversight and effective policing of the systems & people that manage land use and other public issues.

People and neighborhoods should be treated fairly - It seems fundamental, shouldn’t neighborhoods be involved – and have say - in the decisions affecting their own communities?

Because what we have isn't working.

Snohomish County Bureaucracy - Reminiscent of Gallagher and His Watermelons

Those of us who have been following the exploits of Snohomish County's handling of Wellington Hills Park are always braced for their actions and surprises.

So, when we found out a non-County tree service was going to access the Park...
let's just say, we were deeply concerned.

Here's the set-up:

A King County resident with house adjacent to the County line, decided to trim and remove trees ON HIS PROPERTY...

For whatever reason, they asked for, and got permission, to allow a tree trim service to use the Park for access to their PRIVATE PROPERTY TREES IN KING COUNTY.

When we got there, the first thing we noticed was that the metal gate at the western part of the park was open ... and a large white truck with no markings was in the parking lot ... and a rental truck pulling a chipper was zipping westward.

The truck and it's trail...

They parked a chipper shredder near the open gate.

We asked the guys in the truck, "What's up?" The lead person replied they spent most of the day getting stuck in the muddy, wet ground... apparently someone from the County had told them how to drive through the park to the tree trimming location - a house in King County next to the southwest corner of the park.

The rented truck drove away...

Soon followed by the large white truck from the parking lot...

Looking around, it was obvious ... lots of tire tracks, muddy places, aggravated by spinning tires and the searching for solid ground...

Their destination is to the left, the dark woods ... in King County.

To summarize:

Snohomish County gives permission to a non-county tree trimmer to access private property trees IN KING COUNTY... it's important - the trees are not in Snohomish County.

Tree service drives into rain-soaked park, leaves a mess (and will never get a "Tsk, tsk - you shouldn't have done that).

Meanwhile - residents of this community get "eco-blocked" from the park courtesy of SnoCo's Dept. of Parks and their ecology blocks.

P.S.
The trees in question - are all accessible, with a bit of effort, from the private property on NE 204th St. - King County.

P.S. #2

Today reminds me of when a Snoco Park Ranger got stuck in park mud and it then taking all day to unstick the truck!

see blog entry 

You don't need permission to be angry.

Wrong agendas for Wellington Hills Park

Timeline of Events:

May 8, 2012
First public notification Snohomish County's Department of Parks intends to build a "regional sports complex" on Wellington Hills Park property. This would be accomplished by using Brightwater mitigation funds from King County.  Plans for the "regional sports complex" had been in development for many years, "under the radar".

Final "master" plan illustration

October 13, 2015
First public notification Snohomish County was selling Wellington Hills Park.
Additionally, it was the first public notification Snohomish County was selling Wellington Hills Park to the Northshore School District.

Based on inspection of public records, a drawing of what the School District planned for Wellington Hills Park was discovered. Drawing is dated July 15, 2015 so the actual date of the secret agreement to develop the park was at some earlier date.

Call it a concept drawing but it does reveal Northshore School District's intentions...

• The park that people have been enjoying will be clear-cut then bulldozed flat.

• After the terra-forming - one high school, one middle school.

... on the drawing are the words "cut" and "fill"... which refer removing existing ground and to filling in valleys in the existing topography.

click on images to enlarge for easier inspection