Herald readers write in with support for the KSD levy and the Horse Heaven wind farm | Opinion

Vote ‘YES’ for KSD school levy

Good schools are good for communities. A good community is where we want to live. Kennewick School District is good for the City of Kennewick and all of the Tri-Cities. To keep KSD good, it needs levy dollars to provide the programs and services that are not provided by the state. Added to this levy are monies for increased security and safety. These are at the top of the list, along with curriculum programs as being most important to parents and citizens of Kennewick.

As retired citizens living in Kennewick for over 45 years and having raised our three kids here (and all attending Kennewick schools from K-12 grades), we urge all voters within the KSD boundaries to vote Yes, whether you have kids in school or not. Let’s keep KSD doing what it is good at — providing a quality education and activities for our kids.

Kevin and Dianna Veleke, Kennewick

5 reasons to back wind farm project

I want to express my support for the Horse Heaven Hills Wind Farm Project for the following reasons:

1. We cannot continue to paint ourselves into a corner with fossil fuels. We must move to clean, renewable energy. This project lets us create clean, renewable energy right here in the Tri-Cities.

2. We need jobs. This project will create nearly 1,000 jobs during construction and some after to maintain the site.

3. The farm just increases our existing wind farm which is already in place, it’s just being expanded.

4. Significant money will go to Benton and Franklin counties and toward education.

5. Farmers need to continue to own and use their land. This revenue will help farmers survive and thrive without selling out to developers because they cannot afford to keep the land that has been theirs for generations..

I am a resident and home owner in Pasco.

Pamela Gaudet, Pasco

Richland needs to respond quickly

The Richland School District ignores inquiries. On Jan. 21, I sent an email to Superintendent Redinger because, at the time, there was no information on the RSD website about a possible school levy/bond. Information on the levy was posted to their website during the week of Jan. 23. As of Jan. 27, I have not received acknowledgment of or a response to my email. They want my support but they ignore my questions. They should remember that we taxpayers pay all of their salaries, so don’t ignore or disrespect us.

Bernie Beldin, Richland

Editor’s Note: After this letter was published, Richland school officials checked their email system and could not find Mr. Beldin’s recent email. They said the last email received from Mr. Beldin was Jan. 30, 2022 and a response was sent at that time.

SARC offers way to get involved

Do you want to get involved with the community but are not sure how? Volunteering with the Support Advocacy & Resource Center is a wonderful opportunity to help make a difference in people’s lives. SARC relies on volunteer advocates to help with our 24/7 crisis line and hospital calls; providing crisis intervention and support either on the phone or at the hospital. Volunteer advocates can also respond to hospital calls for medical exams, answer questions and assist with support.

SARC assists adults and children 24 hours a day by providing support and advocacy for them and their non-offending family members, friends, secondary victims and witnesses to crime. SARC services are free and confidential.

To become a SARC volunteer advocate, 32 hours of training are required. The training is designed to give volunteers the tools they need to work with victims and their families. New volunteers will complete 8 hours of webinars, 8 hours in-person with the remaining 16 virtually or in person. Virtual training dates include Feb. 28, March 2, March 7 and March 9 from 5:30 p.m to 9:30 p.m. The last training day will be in-person but may be attended virtually on March 11 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Bella Boeckmann, Richland

This story was originally published February 6, 2023 at 8:31 AM.