Sammamish Forum March 13
March 13, 2013
By Administrator
Bags can be dirty
I am opposed to the charge for grocery bags. The number one reason I no longer use reusable grocery bags is germs. Talk to a grocery checker next time you are checking out; they will tell you about the filthy bags people bring for them to fill with their groceries.
I wonder about all the germs you cannot see. I took a class on food safety in Chelan County and was told to never use reusable grocery bags because of the germs. It is quicker for me to go to Redmond instead of Issaquah and that is where I will now be buying my food. My health and the health of family and guests is too important to me. I wish the government would let people decide what they want to do, without making these silly laws.
Mary Morgan
Sammamish
An open letter to burglars
Just because someone doesn’t answer their door, does not mean they are not home. I would not enjoy having you break into my home thinking I am not here, as I could be taking a shower, working on a project and not wanting to be disturbed, feeding the baby, taking a nap, working out, not wanting to talk to solicitors, or doing almost anything that would keep me from answering the door of an unexpected visitor. Therefore, if we do not answer our door, then do not assume we are not home. Breaking into the back of the house will only give you an unexpected surprise.
Michelle Franz
Sammamish
MIxed feelings
on new store
In the years since the shopping center was built we have lost many businesses but none have caused the outrage of losing our Ace Hardware. It is one of the few that have endured, been steadfast and dependable. Living on this hill makes it very hard for any major business to take a chance that the Sammamish residents could spend enough to justify building here, putting aside how hard it would be to jump the hoops of red tape to build here and lack of a suitable location.
We had vowed to boycott any business coming into that space like Jon Anderson has suggested. We are now having very mixed feelings. Unlike Jon, we have never considered Trader Joe’s a “corporate greedy” business, but unlike Mark Hartman, we also don’t agree that Trader Joe’s has low prices and we would rarely shop there but for the occasional deal. Another resident also brought up the fact that Ace doesn’t carry all that we need for home projects; that is true.
We find ourselves shopping at Home Depot for most of our needs and shopping at Ace only for the occasional quick trip for some thing small or on sale. Having Trader Joe’s would be a nice addition to our grocery shopping besides Safeway. The added variety will be nice. We find ourselves in a tough place as we want to show our support to Ace but taking the emotion out of it, Trader Joe’s is not the bad guy in this scenario. This is free enterprise. At least it’s not Whole Foods or another Starbucks.
Claudia Haunreiter
Sammamish resident
Comunity center
will be a benefit
Having read several posts by people who do not understand the value of the Community Center and the connection with the YMCA, I have to defend how others see the value. Recently one of the owners of the land that was to be considered for the Town Center felt that the $25 million should have been used to jump start the moribund Town Center project, and it would release dozens of homeowners from the financial and emotional nightmare the City has put them in.
In reference to Town Centers, we have four very good-sized ones with in 20 minutes of Sammamish now. The swim area in the community center is to be used not only by the swim teams of Sammamish, which by the way are extremely competitive and winning, but also for swim meets with other teams, senior citizens, and family exercise and activity. The $25 million dollar “gift” as they refer to it, will not have anything to do with the “financial nightmare” for Town Center. It will increase the value of the schools, other properties and, best of all, homeowners and families.
The school districts in Sammamish brought seven levies and a bond before voters last February and six of those measures passed, the exception being the Lake Washington School District bond. The city is also seeing an ever-so-slight increase in assessed value for 2011 – a sign that the recent free fall of area housing prices may be stabilizing.
Family values are more than supported by City Council and community voters. There is not another community on the Eastside that has grown as we have. If anyone questions that, all you have to do is go to the municipality websites for cities on the Eastside and get the stats yourself.
Donna Martin
Sammamish
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This morning I witnessed something, probably unremarkable to the opinions of most large issues, but nonetheless was left feeling sickened by people I share a community with. Driving along 244th Ave NE, alongside Allen Lake and wetlands, a female mallard duck was sitting in the middle of the northbound lane. It is March and during this time ducks can become uber-focused on mating and therefore not act with the best instincts. As I approached and slowed to a stop (hoping to help her) from the opposite direction, I saw not one, two, or three vehicles, but five pass over her, the last hitting her. It was obvious she was not a piece of trash in the road. Her silhouette unmistakable, her wing even flapped up as a car passed overhead. These cars were not tightly spaced, just rushing down the hill with no care except for what they were headed to. Is this really what we are, what this place has become? Is this really the nicest town in America??
I had to laugh at the shedding of “Crocodile Tears” by Claudia Haunreiter in reference to losing our Ace Hardware.
At first she was adamant about boycotting any business that would locate in the spot vacated by Ace, but then makes it clear that she was really waiting to see what would move into the spot, and it sounds like it would be OK if the new business had yummy snacks and goodies! I’m sure Ace really appreciates your “support”. Actually, I’m not surprised to hear this type of hypocritical statement from a Sammamish resident.
Look. There are already Trader Joe’s stores in Redmond and Issaquah, 10 minutes away. Don’t forget that we have a multitude of grocery stores on the Sammamish Plateau already. Once we lose Ace, we will have zero hardware stores. If you think that tradeoff is acceptable, you’ve never maintained your own home, worked in your yard, or worked on projects in your garage.
If you think Trader Joe’s all of a sudden made the decision to move into Ace’s spot on a whim, you’re crazy! Much analysis went into the decision, along with negotiations with Regency. Trader Joe’s is confident that they will clean up with a store in Sammamish, and Regency probably will clean up as well – all at the cost of us losing our only hardware store.
Boycott Trader Joe’s and show them as well as Regency, that just because they will make a fortune on the new partnership, they shouldn’t dictate what businesses would be best for the Sammamish Plateau.
A few weeks ago someone wrote in expressing frustration with the plastic bags being taken away. This person asked that they come back because the cloth bags get so dirty.
Well, you are right, cloth bags do get dirty. They can also be washed. Meanwhile, plastic remains for 2000 years if it is not recycled, and only 15% of plastic is recycled. Meanwhile, out in the oceans scientists have so far found five plastic ‘islands’, (islands made up of more plastic than biomass).
On my last trip to the Pacific Science Center I saw a display of the contents of a beached whale’s stomach. That poor whale had a belly full of plastic bags! No, we don’t know that is why this whale beached himself, but that couldn’t have been good for him.
Using less plastic is not an easy task, it’s almost impossible to get a week’s groceries without bringing some home – but using cloth bags (and washing them now and then) is completely within our power.
If we all just do a little…