Local Group and Public Comments

We want to hear from you....

Thanks for all the comments, ideas and suggestions you have made through our online survery, letters and emails.

This web page contains communications, documents, articles and other media submitted to TRPC by local organizations and community members during the Sustainable Thurston process.

Thurston Regional Planning Council does not guarantee the validity of information posted or linked on this page, and does not endorse any views expressed here. This page is for informational purposes only and is a way to maintain and make available public comment submitted throughout the process.  As the facilitator of the process TRPC staff will not respond to each submittal. However, when communications are received these will be posted and the Sustainable Thurston Task Force – as well as those who have asked to stay informed of this process – will be notified that additional comments have been made.     

Local Groups

The Sustainability Roundtable of Thurston County (SRTC) is a coalition that formed to comment on the proposed Regional Plan for Sustainable Development, which will be one outcome of the Sustainable Thurston project. The links below provide documentation of communications between SRTC and TRPC regarding the Sustainable Thurston project, as well as issue papers  submitted by SRTC. 

February 7, 2011 Letter to TRPC [pdf 172 KB] (Rating Factors; author: Jeffrey J. Jaksich)

February 11, 2011 Letter from TRPC to STRC [pdf 834 KB] (TRPC Response - Actions and Outcomes)

February 28, 2011 Letter to TRPC [pdf 58 KB] (Demonstration Projects, Outreach, Timing; author: Philip W. Schulte)

June 1, 2011 Letter to TRPC [pdf 727 KB] (Cover Letter for Indicators Issue Paper #1, author: Clydia J. Cuykendall)

September 28, 2011 Letter to TRPC [pdf 64 KB] (Cover Letter for Energy Issue Paper #3, author: Dr. Frank Gorecki)

Issue Paper #1 - Lessons Learned from the Fraser Basin [pdf 40 KB]

Public Comments 

"I am an economist with over 30 years of experience in regional energy policy....
....The draft document appears to reflect erroneous information about the PSE system, and a dearth of information on other energy topics..."... read the complete text here [pdf 210 KB]

Email submitted March 13, 2012
by Harry Branch
"170,000 people from where?"

"I understand we are planning for a population increase of 170,000 people. Where all these people are going to come from?"...read the complete text here [pdf 8 KB] 

Email submitted March 12, 2012
by Jerome Parker
"Draft Guid(ing) Principles"

"To:   Members: Sustainable Thurston Task (Force)
From:  Jerome Parker 
           803 Rogers Street NW 
           Olympia WA 98502 
           jerome.parker@comcast.net
Date:  March 12, 2012

RE: Draft Guiding Principles (Shared Priorities) to Use for Sustainable Thurston Workshop Discussions

Chair McVey and Members:

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today to the Task Force regarding the Draft Guiding Principles. As I stated in my remarks, I believe the basic assumption underlying the Guidelines and the broad Sustainable Thurston effort is inappropriate and needs a fundamental revision before the project proceeds....." read the complete text here [pdf 80 KB]

Submitted January 10, 2012
by Jerome Parker

Members of the Panel:

My comments on the Draft (Water Infrastructure Panel) White Paper are submitted
as a pdf. 

Email from Gita Moulton
Submitted June 10, 2011

Hi Kathy (McCormick, TRPC staff),

I thought of TRPC's Plan for Sustainable Development when I read this article by the director of the Multnomah County Office of Sustainability, and am hoping you, too, are considering the impact from climate refugees as part of your planning.

Gita (Moulton)

.....

Gita – thanks for passing on this article. The Regional Plan for Sustainable Development process will indeed be a region-wide discussion that will consider a wide array of elements that contribute to long term resilience. These will become  the foundation to work toward a community defined sustainable future.

However, we will be using the current population and employment projections. While these projections look out to 2040 they are reviewed and updated every 5 or 6 years which gives us ongoing opportunity to make adjustments based on new information or developments that will affect population increase.

The Regional  Plan for Sustainable Development will identify the desired future, as well as the actions and responsibilities to achieve it. This will include performance measures, next steps, and priority projects (that will undoubtedly include continued monitoring and investigation of issues identified throughout the process).   

We know that there will be important issues identified that cannot be addressed in this process but we will capture these – policy makers will identify priorities and as a region we can begin to study, address, and implement them as follow-up to this planning process. As with most planning – the process is never static but builds upon what has come before it, lessons learned and new information.

Don’t hesitate to call if you have questions. Thanks for taking an interest in this Sustainable Thurston process.

Kathy McCormick, AICP Senior Planner
Thurston Regional Planning Council

If you have comments or suggestions, we'd love to hear from you - please join us at a meeting (all project meetings are open to the public), contact us via email to

SustainableThurston@trpc.org

or call (360) 956-7575.