There’s road construction all over. Won’t someone tell me what its purpose is? | Opinion

Offer information on roadway work

There have been significant ongoing construction activities on some of the major Tri-City arterials recently, causing frustrations and delays. However, in a number of cases, it isn’t obvious what these projects are intended to accomplish.

For example, at the intersection of Gage Boulevard and Steptoe, it seems that on both sides of the road the modifications are only providing an additional couple of feet of width (not enough for an additional lane), but are impacting numerous retaining walls, traffic lights, and utility poles. This may be intended for upgrading utilities or traffic controls, but that’s just a guess.

It would be very much appreciated to have the cities publish an overall plan for each of these construction areas around the Tri-Cities, including their purpose and expected completion date. It would go a long way in building improved understanding and public support — and to reduce the frustration levels.

Thomas A. Galioto, Kennewick

Council member backs Lehrman

I am writing to express my endorsement and support for Kim Lehrman for the Pasco City Council, Position 7.

Having interacted with Kim on several occasions, I have been consistently impressed by her deep understanding of our community’s challenges and her commitment to addressing these issues effectively.

I believe Kim possesses the collaboration tools needed to help us work for a common cause with other council members, city staff, county offices, Port of Pasco and other Tri-City agencies, as well as state and federal governments.

Kim listens with an open mind to citizens, invites diverse voices and forms decisions based on what is best for all of Pasco. Kim genuinely values the opinions and perspectives of community members and strives to incorporate their input into the decisions she makes.

This level of inclusivity and responsiveness is truly commendable and speaks volumes about Kim’s commitment to representing the diverse interests of our community.

Therefore, I encourage my fellow community members to vote for Kim Lehrman, Pasco City Council, Position 7. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or inquire for further information.

Irving L. Brown Sr., council member, Pasco

Vote for levy lid lift, ex-chief asks

I am writing to urge a yes vote on the levy lid lift for Franklin County Fire District 3. With over 50 years as a firefighter and a retired fire chief and currently a volunteer firefighter, I want to thank our board of fire commissioners for placing a levy lid lift on the November election ballot. This lid lift is critical to maintaining service levels for the people we serve.

Call volumes are up 49% and overlapping calls occur 30% of the time. We require more firefighters and the lid lift would fund one full-time and two firefighters just during wildland fire season. The increase in calls has an adverse impact on volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians serving the district.

The volunteers must balance their time between family, work, training and responding to emergencies. Higher call volumes result in additional costs for medical equipment, higher fuel costs and other operating costs.

I encourage the public to learn more about the fire levy lid lift at fcfd3.org. Thank you for considering the requested levy lid lift.

Duane Van Beek, retired fire chief