A big thanks to the 150-200 people who showed up for the rally last night in front of City Hall. Thanks, also, to the many people who spoke at the Council Meeting. Sound Transit CEO, Julie Timm, stayed for citizen comments that went well into the evening. Many thanks to our council members as well - they challenged the bus rapid transit design in many ways.
One resident commented that the 391 trees scheduled to be removed technically constitute a forest, and mentioned the irony of removing a forest in Lake Forest Park. Another resident, noting that it was not too late to make a difference, referenced the R.H. Thompson Expressway. That highway project that killed by voters in the 1970's after construction had begun. It would have taken hundreds of homes and sliced through the Arboretum. All that remained of the project were the famous "ramps to nowhere".
We definitely got Ms. Timm's attention and she indicated she will be back within a month to continue listening to us.
View the City Council meeting video - July 13, 2023 Regular Business Meeting - Bing video
Earlier in the day, CORE team members were interviewed by King 5 TV and the story was aired multiple times in the afternoon and evening before the rally and the continues to run into the weekend.
Other news coverage:
Is the mayor Jeff Johnson on the Sound Transit payroll to help push the project through ?
I continue to be proud to live in Lake Forest Park. We love our trees. Thank you, neighbors. 🌲🌲🌲
The turnout was more than 1% of LFP population. It sent a message that our community cares about the environment and transit. Let's hope that Sound Transit can employ bus queue jumps like they are in Seattle.