Adventure Park

        Put lipstick on a pig and it's still a pig. The same can be said about the proposed Adventure Park in Leavenworth. The developers second proposal does virtually nothing to mitigate the negative impacts of their project. Everyone who uses Icicle Rd and Hwy 2 will be adversely affected by this project. It will create a traffic nightmare for residents and visitors as well as thru traffic on Hwy 2. The inadequate parking will also create a nightmare as people will park along Icicle Rd or wherever they can. Pedestrians coming from town will cause even more congestion and safety concerns as they attempt to cross Icicle Rd. The noise and lighting coming from the park will bother the adjacent residential areas. 

        Despite all of this those in favor of the project say that we should just accept it because it's "good" for Leavenworth, whatever that means. They also say that if you don't live in the city limits your opinion doesn't count. This is interesting since the developers don't live in the area. It shouldn't even have to be mentioned that those who live outside the city limits spend money in Leavenworth but you don't hear complaints about that. Given that many more people live outside the city limits in 98826 it's safe to say that they contribute more to the Leavenworth economy than city residents. This is a quality of life issue. There is nothing wrong in wanting to see Leavenworth maintain a mostly rural small town atmosphere rather than turn into Seattle East. There is so much local opposition to this project it's surprising the developers still want to locate here. 

         No matter how much lipstick is put on the Adventure Park it's still going to create traffic, parking, noise and safety problems for those who live and visit here. The obvious solution is to locate it at a ski area like all similar projects around the country not next to residential areas.

Fred Carani

Leavenworth