Dear Editor:

A community meeting has been set up in Montesano to discuss the proposed rest stop/roundabout project that the mayor has been promoting.

The meeting will provide the public with an opportunity to learn the specifics about the project and get answers to their questions. The meeting is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 16, at the Montesano Community Center located between the Beehive and the Organics 101 Store on Main Street.

The mayor has been invited to attend the meeting to explain the planning and specifics of the project. We hope that she can attend or delegate someone else to fill in for her. The public has had very little input on this proposed project, since there has not been any public hearing. Hopefully, the meeting can provide the public with the details and planning that went into this project.

In the meantime, a petition has been developed and will be circulated around town. We realize that many people will not be able to attend the meeting so the petition is one way for them to express their thoughts on the project. Along with the petition, an information sheet has been developed listing the biggest concerns identified regarding the project. There has been a website developed that will provide information, www.committeeforcommonsense.org. For more information please call me at 360-249-5374 and I would be glad to discuss it further.

Montesano cannot afford to gamble on this ill-conceived project. It is highly doubtful that the revenue generated by the project would even cover the maintenance costs. It would leave the city with additional costs out of a budget that is already stretched beyond its limits.

Why spend $2 million on a two-seater rest stop and roundabout and have to pay additional expenses as well? The city has already spent $13,000 on this debacle, money that could have been spent on repairing some of the roads. Let’s cut the losses and put an end to this nonsense.

Let’s stop this now.

Sincerely,

Doug Iverson

Montesano