About 150 concerned residents of Fall City showed up and crammed into the furnace that passed for the Snoqualmie City Council Chambers to press forward the nearly universal opposition to tying our very rural Lake Alice Road to the Snoqualmie Ridge project.

To our surprise, Mayor [Matt] Larson seemed rather arrogant and even belligerent to simple procedural questions. We had been promised three minutes each for the eight of us representing that large group, but Larson seemed bent on squelching us and even threatened police action, though our requests to hold to his agreement were being politely made. He finally listened to the advice of a senior colleague and we were allowed to proceed.

I presented an analysis that demonstrated that the backups on our narrow road would exceed the time one would be hoping to save. I further explained that since state Route 203 still has capacity, siphoning some cars off would not decrease trip time and even off-peak short cutters would only save a few minutes – a very few minutes – but at tremendous cost to our community.

One gentleman agreed to allocate his time so that I might finish my presentation, but “King Larson” gaveled me to silence claiming that “yielding time was not part of our bargain.” I sat down but subsequently, it struck me: If King Larson was so concerned about keeping agreements – like the written agreement to not connect these roads – our whole community, nearly to a household, would not be up in arms having been dragged into this meeting. Perhaps someone needs to remind the King that his previous word is also his bond.

Only one Ridge resident asked for its consideration, hoping it might reduce his kid’s bus ride until their local school is completed. The only other Ridge dweller to speak implored the council to honor its contract and leave its rural neighbors alone.

Out of about 150 represented there, only three from Fall City spoke in favor; two because they thought they could somehow get Snoqualmie to send us their first responders and one because he selfishly wanted to use the Ridge neighborhood side streets as a sort of reverse commute.

I do hope the city won’t try to promote our precarious little country lane as an off ramp and I promise I won’t let my horse drop manure on the Ridge’s manicured streets; but seriously, do come visit them any time.

Steve Marquis

Fall City