I think the upcoming bond measure that will ask the residents of Kent to support a new $34 million police station is not the proper solution. The current building that houses the police department – the old King County library – should not be razed.
I do not deny the police department has space challenges, but demolishing a perfectly good building is not the answer.
Police department staff do not need to be in one building. Disperse them into the community. Give them greater visibility and accessibility. There is so much empty space in our strip malls and in old downtown. Lease some of this vacant space and insert a police presence. Put money into the hands of the owners of these blighted areas and require physical improvements. The cost of these leases would be a fraction of the proposed $34 million.
Redesign the current space. Analogy: I think I need more space – yes, me, a single woman in a big house. Why? Because my closets are full. I need more space to store my clothes and shoes. Solution? 1. Get rid of some of these clothes. 2. Stop shopping. 3. Redesign the closets to hold more.
Solution 3 is the answer.
Of course, that would cost some money, but it would be far less than moving to a bigger house with more closets. I could bring in a design consultant who would redesign the closet space to accommodate my needs.
The police department can do the same.
I’ve seen the current space. It is poorly designed. Even I could redesign it to be more effective. However, a design expert could provide a solution that would be effective and affordable – again, at a fraction of the cost of razing and building.
Razing a perfectly good building is never a green solution. It wastes resources, it adds to our landfills, and it lines the pockets of big construction companies.
Finally, the city of Kent and its residents cannot afford a $34 million bond issue. To propose such a measure at the same time the city is preparing to sell the nine-hole (par 3) golf course to pay off debt, and while the ShoWare Center continues to operate at a deficit, is a dereliction of duty by those we elected to keep us fiscally sound.
Thus, I send a clarion call to my fellow Kent residents. Reject this upcoming ballot measure. Why should we agree to have our taxes raised? There are other and better options for the police department.
– Ruth A. Riddle
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