Thank you for printing Lee Springgate’s wonderful Op-Ed “Protect the legacy of our urban parks, a classic public good” [July 23, Opinion].
Springgate is right on target, and I hope elected officials throughout the state read his Op-Ed. I served as the mayor of Bellevue during the time when Springgate was our director of parks. I always realized he was one of the brightest professionals in the parks field and how fortunate we were that he was leading our parks department. He convinced our city council of the importance of purchasing land and preserving it for future park space as our city grew in population, which it certainly has. He also advised us to purchase the property in downtown Bellevue which has now become the wonderful Bellevue Downtown Park.
His advice on protecting our park lands and preserving them for the safe and future use of the public is so true. I would add that growing communities should always be looking to purchase additional land for parks and public space. Thank you to Springgate for reminding us of this important fact.
Cary Bozeman, Bremerton