On Sept. 26, a public meeting regarding the Lower Dungeness Levee Project and its impact on new Towne Road was held at the Guy Cole Center.
It was very informative.
We were reminded of the history and purpose of the project, and it seems rather than two opposing views on the issue, there are two communities that have each lost something and are seeking to reclaim what they lost.
On one hand, there are those who would like to recover the use of Towne Road as it was before the levee project construction took it away.
On the other hand, there are those who used to walk on the old levee along the river and now feel they would like to have guaranteed safe access to a popular and beautiful walk on the new levee, near where they used to walk.
Each group has a legitimate grievance.
The only way that both groups can regain what they feel they should is by some sort of compromise.
Option 3 provides a 16-foot-wide, one-way, single-lane, paved public road and a 12-foot-wide pedestrian walkway.
This is the one option that returns both vehicle access and safe, reasonable walking access.
To be honest, I prefer option 4, exclusively pedestrian traffic except for access for the residents living off of the new levee, but recognize option 3 is more fair to the two groups.
In any compromise, nobody gets exactly what they want, yet everybody gets some of what they want.
Arnold Bleicher
Sequim