I attended my first city council meeting last week here in Centralia.
The council members struck me as either engaged or completely disinterested. I wonder why some of them are even in office if you have no interest in what is going on in our community. This is why your vote matters.
Find people who value what you value, have the best interest of your community and will do the work. Vote!
I went to this meeting because I wanted my voice to be heard. I am appalled by the council’s decision to lift the warehouse moratorium. As anyone who actually lives in the area, or the surrounding communities, we are already beyond capacity with unchecked sprawl and overcrowded streets having too much truck traffic on Harrison Avenue.
We are currently not designed to take on yet another distribution, data or, God forbid, a detention center on Galvin Road.
Not only do we have issues with endless trucks but they want to build along the floodplain right next to the Chehalis River. Every time I see new construction fill, my mind automatically reels to my home being flooded at the next major rain event.
Where will that water go if there is no open fields to absorb it? Not to mention the pollution to the river and our own drinking water.
I grew up in an area that was mostly orchards and open fields. Since then, when I go back to visit family, I see nothing but warehouses as far as the eye can see. It is unsightly and brings no aesthetic value to the area. Humans survived without this type of commerce for millennia. Why do we need it now?
I bought my home in Centalia a few years ago because it was affordable and offers a small town vibe that other places do not. I have made a bit of a community here, and have grown to love where I live.
The city needs to work for the people not just for the industry. Yes, some jobs might be created, but at what cost?
Grace Thornton
Centralia
