Seattle Proposition 1 – Seattle’s Seawall Measure

While reading the Times this morning trying to decide what are the lies and what might be the truth, I ran across an article that caught my eye. Remember Andy and Little Opie and the piers they would sit on and look into the sunset? Gave a person a warm fuzzy feeling. The article this morning does NOT give me that feeling. It is a shame that politicians would stoop so low. 5 councilmen and King County Deputy Executive, Fred Jarrett stood on the waterfront to warn us that a Sandy could happen here. Can you see them standing looking into the sunset like little Opie. Opie was fishing for a sucker from in the water on his little fish hook but these 6 were fishing for suckers a.k.a.  voters for all they could. I don’t even know what Fred Jarrett does but there must have been something they could be doing rather than going to the seashore during work hours. They should have invited Obama. He would have got in his little Air Force One and toodled right out here and they could have had a photo shoot for him for sure.

Now for the seawall measure. The council members are not earthquake or hurricane specialists. No one knows/when or if anything of that will happen. They should have taken care of the seawall as it deteriorated. The people who own the property should have to pay for it not the whole city. Proposition 1 is asking for $290 million. Most of what they have written about it is lies. They are saying if it failed, it would severely disrupt daily traffic. Approx 12,300 vehicles use it. 3% of Seattle’s traffic. They should have been worrying about the seawall before they shoved the expensive tunnel mess through it. They have no plan. They talk about two piers, but they are unclear how long the seawall will be. When it might start to be built when they might finish, or if it would be on a budget or just another bottomless pit to scoop taxpayer’s dollars into. They will pay planners, and consultants and have to line a few pockets along the way and the money could be all screwed away before a nail is hammered. Remember the monorail? They blew enough money planning to build the darn thing. I am not sure they even know at this point what they are trying to do, but to pose at the waterfront and try to put the fear of Sandy into the voters is low, low, low. There should be some concrete plans before we give them $290 million.

Update: This passed! On the night of the election, a substantial 77% of Seattle voters endorsed Proposition 1, a 30-year, $290 million bond measure. Consequently, funding for the initial phase of the Elliott Bay Seawall Project has been successfully secured.

In 2017, the City of Seattle finalized the construction of the new Elliott Bay Seawall, projected to endure for over 75 years and revitalize the previously deteriorated nearshore environment. Before the initiation of the Seawall Project, the existing seawall, despite having shielded Seattle for upwards of 70 years, saw its structure debilitated by time and the harsh marine conditions.

The freshly constructed seawall aligns with contemporary seismic standards, safeguarding public safety and serving as the bedrock for Seattle’s new waterfront. Moreover, the seawall encompasses habitat enhancements to rejuvenate the salmon migration corridor and boost ecosystem productivity. Every feature of the seawall was crafted to integrate seamlessly with other pivotal Waterfront Seattle enhancements, including the forthcoming park promenade and the reconstructed Pier 62 and Pier 58.