In the spirit of offering Letters to the Editor as a traditional platform for lively, wide-ranging conversations in the public square, we invite you to write about whatever is on your mind.
Because we require comments under articles to be “on topic”, we found that readers who want to speak to other important issues, events and concerns that our small crew can’t cover don’t have a place for that. This Off Topic! feature allows readers to bring up other subjects, post news flashes, announce community events, or express concerns outside of the selected topics we write about.
A new Off Topic! forum is posted monthly. The post is open throughout the month for new letters and your responses.
How this works:
Submit your letter in the white box below Comment Guidelines at the bottom of the page containing the muted prompt “Enter your comment here…”
Either provide your own title to the letter as a top line or we will title it for you.
To respond to someone else’s post, hit the REPLY button under that specific letter or comment you wish to respond to.
Co-editors Ana Wolpin, Stephen Schumacher and Annette Huenke have a combined history of more than 120 years in Port Townsend. See the “About the Free Press” page for more about the editorial team.
Financial Delirium: A Full Service HTAC
We the people of Port Townsend own two very impressive, unencumbered assets; the 52 acre golf course and Mt. View School, now Commons, leased by the City from the PT School District. The City administration has focused a great deal of time and money assessing-cum-obsessing on this real estate. We have been invited to presentations and answered surveys that guarantee outcomes that will incur enormous debt replacing the functions and uses of these assets.
Mt View is a well-built complex of offices, a gym, an indoor recreation/cafeteria area with outdoor courts and a natatorium with an L-shaped pool, a unique hyperbolic roof and a view of the Olympics.
Before 2019 the City Parks Department staff managed the pool maintenance and programs: lifeguarding, job training, exercise classes, special events, school swim classes, team competitions (the team had the fastest flip turns in the league because they practiced in a shorter pool), and pool rentals for groups. The annual operating budget was approximately $400,000; half from fees and rentals and half from the City Parks budget. For years the Olympic YMCA had an arrangement with the city to use the facility for after school programs.
In 2019 the City contracted with the Olympic Y to manage the pool. Now it’s open part time, offers a few classes, lap swims, and open recreation. From August to November the swim team, about 20 girls, competes in the 1A Olympic Swim League. Pool patrons share the 30 campus parking spots, sometimes not enough spaces.
The Olympic YMCA is part of “the movement,” the National Council of the Young Men’s Christian Association. The Y-USA’s goal is “to enhance its member associations’ ability to effectively carry out the Y’s mission in their communities and partner with all Ys to achieve the movement’s collective goals and priorities.” “The Purpose; Section 2… we regard as being in its essential genius a worldwide fellowship united by a common loyalty to Jesus Christ for the purpose of developing Christian personality and building a Christian society.”
The City administration, in its financializing delirium and in collaboration with the School, Hospital and Port Districts—all taxing agencies—is pursuing a “full service” Y facility with specialists hired to develop a concept, “Healthier Together Aquatic Center” (HTAC) – estimated costs between $37 to $52 million. What is the motivation to put this small town into such debt?
The Y, a christian not-for-profit corporation, operates sort of like Costco—a member organization with full spectrum indoor recreation dominance—a major national business model. For example, Kent opened their $34M, 50,000sf full service Y with 250 parking spaces, 11,000 Y members, open 7 days a week. Kent put in about $10M and the Seattle YMCA financed the rest. But in PT, rich in private and public services, taxpayers are perplexed about this HTAC concept when we already own well built and underutilized facilities: How many people use the pool?. How would a full-service Y impact the local businesses? What is the agenda in pursuing such a project? We simply do not have full disclosure, let alone a need.
It is my belief the governance of Port Townsend, in collaboration with supporters of the new trans gender ideology that, as an example, allows a male who says he is a female to compete with genetic women in everything, including use of women’s facilities. Women are once again deprived of their rights to equality. One minority group depriving ANY other minority group of inalienable rights is more sinister than mere fiscal mismanagement.
As long as the city encourages female impersonators to guard little girls in the dressing rooms, count me out.
Port Townsend should simply self-identify as a robust, healthy, growing, young, family-friendly community with no financial problems and a strong, diverse economy. All problems end forthwith.
Financial and other Deliriums
Regarding Julie’s comment on Financial Delirium-
Here is a link talking about renegade minds and thought processes. Here is to Julie’s and other’s renegade minds. As is pointed out, self-respect is key.
Moving the focus outward, I found this article and video of a British funeral director’s experiences illustrate someone who wakes up in a nightmare and can’t get anyone to listen. The birth of a renegade mind that was attempted to be silenced with Remdesivir in a hospital. It is worth watching and touches on many aspects of the covid situation. Manipulation of statistics is key. This man simply asks of the medical profession and others, aren’t we simply here to take care of each other?
Although this takes place in Great Britain, its components and manipulations are also present in the US and almost everywhere. According to some.
The story is full of characters “just doing what they are told”. Kind of like “I was only following orders”. Puts smaller things like swimming pools, toxic apartment houses, and parking in perspective. I do speak with an unusually large number of people regarding covid. Interesting how many simply shut down at the thought that they may have made a mistake in trusting “officials”. In tide pools and petri dishes large and small.
Once again, the Orwell quote “the important thing is that we don’t betray each other” comes to mind. The machine needs dull tools and empty souls as foot soldiers, our neighbors. In tide pools and petri dishes large and small. Orwell again “We shall squeeze you empty, and then we shall fill you with ourselves.” At all levels.
https://davidicke.com/2023/05/30/he-was-full-of-some-white-growth-funeral-director-john-olooney-exposes-whats-inside-the-bodies-of-the-vaccinated/
Directions to the entry of the rabbit hole
8 days and no comments after my last post. On radio dead air is to be avoided, so here is something to do in the meantime. If you are looking for more information on related subjects and more, you can go to https://www.youtube.com/ and search Ed Dowd for excess death statistics and economics and Dr. John Campbell for his insights on the C word and V word. Always Dr. Robert Malone as well. https://davidicke.com/ has lots of links that go as far down the rabbit hole as you like. There is an alternative narrative that these folks have in common that seems to hold water. Critical thinking welcome and encouraged. Some might tell you these folks are nuts! Make up your own mind. Cheers!
Sound of crickets so far…. everyone must be busy studying up. Here is a link to testimony from Dr. Peter McCullough to the Pennsylvania Senate. It is recent and covers quite a bit. For those who are coming to terms with being vaccinated and hearing of side effects, he gives some reassurance in that batches of “vaccines” varied in composition and related problems.
I hope Jefferson/Clallam County Health Officer Allison Berry is aware of this and other things Dr. McCullough covers in his testimony. Hopefully she will cease advising getting “vaccinated” and keeping up on boosters. I think that Dr. McCullough as a leading heart specialist has a better background to advise the public and serves only his conscience… “First Do No Harm”.
County Back Roads and Dirt Roads in the Olympics Versus Streets of Port Townsend
I was finally able to find to time install new brake pads, and bleed the brakes on my onroad/offroad motorcycle.
It was now time to hit the roads and trails to dial in the suspension as I had also installed new shocks, front and back.
Off I went out, and up to the dirt roads of Lord’s Lake Loop, Snow Creek, then up and over BonJon Pass and home again.
All went well, but after arriving back in town, I did have to dial in the suspension a bit more to contend with the streets in Port Townsend as they are much worse to navigate the pot holes, and disrepairs than that of the dirt roads of the Forest Service, and the Olympic Mountains. just sayin…
As an avid cyclist I do not dare ride my vintage steel light weight road bikes around town, Port Townsend proper should advertise as a world class mountain bike destination, Just saying.
Decay in our Small Town Reflects the Bigger Picture
Me again. To be silent is to be complicit. Two people above speak of decay. Streets are but one example. 20-year City manager Timmons left this legacy working with neighbors too long on city council such as Sandoval and now Faber. Very dull tools along with others on Council including Howard, Rowe and Wennstrom.
There is a new city manager, Mauro, who continues the blind eye regarding many city issues. He constructs dead end roads for public input. Who is fooled?
Timmons was sent to manage the crime scene at Fort Worden manifested by the FWPDA, a city entity. Past appointed mayor King at his side. King part of a new board chosen by a committee. Who chose the committee? No one asks. The Mis Leader did not ask.
Now Timmons and King are at this late hour are asking for public input because they see no way to keep things afloat.
Why would Timmons do a better job at Fort Worden than at the helm of the City of Port Townsend? A hollow image was simply put into another situation needing to be controlled by some who decide for all.
In so many instances I have seen over many years those with little connection to the soul of towns and places come in and suffocate that organic soul and speak for and manage it out of existence. It is how it is. Look around you. Middlemen and women or however they identify clustering together for what is seen as power and control. The end game is simply power and control. No real long term plan from organic understanding. No benefit. Look around you if you still have eyes that can see.
In tide pools and petri dishes large and small.
Regarding the larger tide pool, put aside your Netflix or whatever for a couple of hours and watch this. The story is about you. And yours. And starting to see the unimaginable.
Or not. To be silent is to be complicit.
A shorter video to watch. More info to consider. Or not. The truth is like a lion… and non-partisan.