Health & Fitness
Signature Drive to Stop the Train Continues
There's more time to gather signatures to put an initiative on the ballot opposing the biggest transportation issue the city of Lakewood is likely ever to face.
We've discovered we have more time to gather signatures in the effort to put an initiative on the ballot for a vote of the people on the most significant transportation issue the city of Lakewood is likely ever to face.
As many as 12 high speed trains per day will run through a portion of the Tillicum business district and along the neighborhoods of our city if a Washington State Department of Transportation and Amtrak transportation project is approved.
Petitions and instructions are available by clicking here.
Find out what's happening in Lakewood-JBLMfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Even though the deadline noted on the petition is this Dec. 11, 2011, the effort to gather 5,500 signatures can continue until March 2, 2012. There have been 500 names so far.
If each of those 500 found 10 others we'd be done.
Find out what's happening in Lakewood-JBLMfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Without going into the lengthy details in the rational for initiative which was, and continues to be, the argument by which we undertook this signature drive, the key matter to be addressed here is the date on which the Environmental Assessment is completed by the WSDOT. The Environmental review, once completed, would be followed shortly by an anticipated signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, or an agreement or contract of some kind between WSDOT and the City of Lakewood.
Track improvements and high speed trains through Lakewood would then follow.
Once that MOU, etc, is signed, all bets are off for an initiative to attack the project since an MOU, or contract, or agreement, per state law places the issue into the administrative category, making it untouchable by a vote of the people.
The environmental assessment is estimated to be finalized in the summer of 2012.
Bottom line, the good news is we can continue the petition drive and could use your help. While we now have until March 2, 2012, to gather 5,000 signatures is a sizeable task. Please contact us at communitymattersweb@gmail.com.
For further information on the case we've made for opposing this project, please refer to our website www.CommunityMattersWeb.com and to a three-part series in the Patch: , , .