Come out, come out where ever you are……

I spent the better part of last Wednesday on the phone because I was so angry over an article in our local paper – top of the fold, front page – informing us that two gentlemen showed up at the County Commissioner meeting asking for an advisory vote on light rail. I had to do something.  Because I have had the opportunity and honor to work on many of this community’s premier projects, I hesitate to be in front with my personal opinion because I am usually the one facilitating the discussion.  But I have not worked on the Columbia River Crossing project, I am a citizen first, and I cannot sit by and watch this train wreck without speaking up. After the article appeared, I called people I knew and asked them to please, if they were ever planning to speak up about the Columbia River Crossing – do it now – while there are articles in the paper with misinformation that no one questions.  Many of the folks I talked to picked up the phone, wrote an email to their elected officials, wrote a letter to the editor; and I thank them.  But there are lots more people out there who, by their silence, are letting the misinformed make the decisions. By their silence, they are letting the decision makers think we don’t need to replace the bridge, we should not include light rail, and we should either build a third bridge (a possibility, just not part of this project) or do nothing at all.

Please don’t get me wrong – everyone is entitled to their opinion and anyone can (and should) go to public meetings and make comments. But, at this point, what would we vote on?  The options are being studied. Over the last few years, over 70 options have been studied – some in depth, some ruled out because they will not help the problem we are trying to solve – congestion on I-5. This doesn’t mean that we have no other transportation issues.  It means this is a priority for the region based on years of study and public input. And the five options left on the table are the most promising to address the issue.

We are now in the DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Statement) comment period for the Columbia River Crossing Project.  The project team must follow the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process.  They must provide the most promising alternatives for comments before making their expert recommendation on the LPA (Locally Preferred Alternative).  When we have an LPA, that will be the time for citizens to ask specific questions and get answers about how this affects them, their neighborhood, and their community.  That will be the time to work with the project team to make sure that what ever the LPA is, it is designed in our community’s best interest. Right now is the time to comment on the DEIS.  To move the project forward, we must comment on the potential, likely impacts from the proposed action and identify potential mitigation measures to address or compensate the impacts identified in the DEIS.

As part of my job, and part of my passion for this community, I talk to people all the time.  I also listen to them.  There are lots of questions about the Crossing – this is a complex subject.  But given the opportunity for conversations instead of lectures, many of the people I am talking to want to know what the alternatives mean to them.  How will it affect their businesses? Their families? Their community? 

Please, come out, come out where ever you are.  Speak up, send comments, participate in your community’s future.  Call your elected officials, speak at public meetings, write letters to the editors, or send an email.  Do not depend on one source for your information. And do not let a vocal few dominate the conversation. Get information from a variety of sources and make informed decisions.  Contact the transportation professionals and break through the myths. 

Karen Ciocia