LAKE SAMMAMISH TRAIL - WELL-CONNECTED LANDOWNERS WANT SOMETHING FOR NOTHING
OUT OF A PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY
Seattle Times, The (WA) (Published as THE SEATTLE TIMES) - June 25, 1999

Edition: FINAL
Section: EDITORIAL
Page: B5
Column: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Editor, The Times:
It's truly an awesome thing to see, the political power of the well-connected landowners on East Lake Sammamish.
According to The Seattle Times article ("Trail: Neighbors say there has to be another way - Alternative in the works to county plan that
would cut across lakefront yards," Local news, June 3), the King County Council is faced with the enviable task of creating one of the
prettiest bike paths in the county and a key link in a regional bike-path network. Instead, some of the County Council members seem
intent on handing over the right of way for the gain of the lakeside landowners.
The article mentioned numerous plans for rerouting the bike path from the pleasant vicinity of the lake shore to roadway shoulders and
hilly by-passes, all unsuitable for family recreation.
Considering that Lake Sammamish is a virtual private lake where most public access is barred by private land, it is surprising that the
council members are not more aggressive in opening up this regional recreational asset.
The article starts out, stating that "The next link in the region's network of public trails passes 17 feet from Jenny King's bathroom window."
So why did she build her bathroom 17 feet from a public right of way? Maybe she should have wondered what those railroad tracks were
doing there in the first place!
What might be more amazing than anything else is the attitude of these something-for-nothing landowners. In response to the feeling that
"people along the lake ought to share the beauty," landowner Kathy Schroeder replied, "Basically, that's a Stalinist comment. America
was built on the principle of private property, and you don't take someone's property without compensating them." Well, she seems to be
intent on taking the county's property without compensation. Does that make her a Stalinist?
Robert Whitbeck
Bellevue
Caption: PHOTORON WURZER / THE SEATTLE TIMES: THE EAST LAKE SAMMAMISH TRAIL RUNS FROM REDMOND TO
ISSAQUAH AND BISECTS SOME YARDS ALONG THE LAKE.
Index terms: LETTER
Record: 2968352
Copyright: Copyright 1999 The Seattle Times