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CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, News editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

What 'Shoreline' means matters

By Donald A. Sands & Art Frohwerk

King County Councilman Bob Ferguson abruptly woke us up when he related that many people he encounters throughout the area think of Shoreline as being a place of contentiousness.

Do we really want to be perceived as a community of generally disagreeable people? Is it possible for us to do anything about how others perceive us?

Bob's observations came during the April 16 "Shoreline Community Meeting" about "Building Community Cooperation" that served as the kick-off for the Shoreline 2035 program. (You may view the videotape of this event at www.ForwardShoreline.us.) Shoreline 2035 is an effort to determine a compelling consensus about the kind of community we want to live in and turn over to our children and grandchildren 25 years from now. What should that community be like?

Who is visualizing Ballard?

Have you been through Ballard recently? Have you seen the seemingly out-of-control construction of multi-family housing that is rapidly replacing Ballard's decades-old neighborhood feel? Is that the kind of community we want Shoreline to become?

The issue here is not one of "control," but rather "purpose." Change happens to all communities. Forward Shoreline is convinced that change is coming to our area, right along with the 200,000 newcomers who will, according to various authorities, be arriving in the next two decades. We believe that it is possible for Shoreline to have purposeful change. What would such change look like? How might it be achieved?

Whose job is this?

If we decide we wish to exert some influence over what our community becomes, who should be in charge?

There is no doubt that the city and its agencies must have a critical role in realizing what Shoreline is to become. But we also have Rotary clubs here that attempt to find solutions to serious community issues. We have neighborhood associations where residents and employers alike meet to address very local concerns. We have a chamber that represents local commercial interests. We have a school board that addresses the educational interests of our children. We have police and fire departments concerned with our safety. We have organizations that want to preserve and enhance our environment. In short, it is OUR community and it is our right and responsibility to influence our community's future.

How do we accomplish our goal?

We accomplish our goal by talking with one another about the kind of community we want Shoreline to be. If we don't begin to have this public discourse, then Bob Ferguson's observation about Shoreline having a reputation as a place where people cannot get along might be correct.

Forward Shoreline believes it is possible for us to put that contentiousness aside. Based on the principles of cooperation established at the April 16 meeting, the Shoreline 2035 program will now begin a series of community discussions about issues important to Shoreline. The next meeting will consider the topic of how we want others to perceive Shoreline. How do you make your voice heard at this or other future community meetings? Just attend. We're also making arrangements so you can post comments on our Web site if you cannot attend these public meetings.

Let's move forward, together, for a better Shoreline, today and tomorrow.

Don Sands is Chairman of the Board Forward Shoreline. Art Frohwerk is a Principal of ClearPath LLC, the organization hired by Forward Shoreline to help facilitate the Shoreline 2035 program.