74 residents testify at Senate’s first transportation feedback forum held in Bellevue

September 18, 2013

Transpo hearing 2Hundreds of Washington citizens turned out to share their thoughts and ideas on state transportation issues at Stevenson Elementary School in Bellevue Tuesday evening. Senate Transportation Committee co-chairs, Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, and Sen. Tracey Eide, D-Federal Way, heard from 74 transit advocates, business representatives and daily commuters during the three-hour public forum.

“For over two hours, we listened to the concerns and comments of transportation taxpayers and that was just the tip of the iceberg,” King said. “I expect tonight’s forum in Everett to be equally well-attended, and I’m looking forward to receiving input from hundreds more as we embark on our feedback forum tour around Washington.”

King and Eide opened the forum with some brief comments, after which Secretary of the Washington State Department of Transportation, Lynn Peterson, presented the standing-room-only crowd with an update on transportation projects around the state and regionally. Several DOT officials followed Peterson, after which lawmakers turned the floor over to the public, who had much to say.

“Transportation is one of the highest priority issues facing the Legislature today,” said Eide, “and if there’s going to be a funding package passed, it has to have the support of the public, lawmakers and the governor. We’re going to compile all the input we receive at the rest of these forums and use it to create a truly viable transportation package that will move Washington forward.”

The additional Senate transportation feedback forum locations are:

  • Sept. 18 – Everett (Northwest Region) 6-9 p.m.
    • Snohomish County, Robert Drewel Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., 1st floor, Everett, WA 98201
  • Sept. 23 – Wenatchee (North Central Region) 6-9 p.m.
    • Chelan County PUD Auditorium, 327 N Wenatchee Ave., Wenatchee, WA 98801
  • Sept. 24 – Yakima (South Central Region) 6-9 p.m.
    • Yakima Area Arboretum, Garden View Rm., 1401 Arboretum Dr., Yakima, WA 98901
  • Sept. 26 – Tri-Cities 6-9 p.m.
    • Columbia Basin College, 2600 N. 20th Ave., Pasco, WA 99301
  • Oct. 2 – Spokane (Eastern Region) 6-9 p.m.
    • Central Valley High School theater, 821 South Sullivan Road, Spokane Valley
  • Oct. 7 – Vancouver (Southwest Region) 6-9 p.m.
    • Department of Transportation Southwest Region Office, 11018 Northeast 51st Circle, Vancouver 98682
  • Oct. 9 – Tacoma (Olympic Region) 6-9 p.m.
    • Evergreen Tacoma Campus, Lyceum Hall, 1210 6th Ave., Tacoma, WA 98405
  • Oct. 14 – Seattle 6-9 p.m.
    • First Presbyterian Church, 1013 8th Ave., Seattle
  • Oct. 15 – Bellingham 6-9 p.m.
    • Port of Bellingham Cruise Terminal, 355 Harris Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225