To the editor:

We moved here, like almost all of us, because we love the life on this island, the small population, the lack of traffic and the availability of services and easy access to other areas of the Seattle area.

In the few years we have lived here, we have seen multiple efforts by our local government to change things here. There have been many multi-family residences built that are quickly increasing the population on the island. Several more are under construction now. Who wants these?

We have seen attempts to build a pedestrian bridge for some unknown reason. New municipal buildings are built and proposed to meet a growing population. More bike lanes and other mobility options have now gone down to voter defeat, indicating the wishes of the population.

Now, we have a headline last week: Bainbridge may try again on Prop. 1

We as the residents of this island need to take a closer look at the future we want and let our elected officials know what we would like.

Do we want to continue to increase housing stock on the island (benefiting those who build and sell these properties) and increase the population?

Do we want an increasing population to require that we build bigger fire halls, bigger police stations, wider roads, parking garages, more traffic lights? Do we want to have long ferry waits on a regular basis?

Do we really need three pharmacies at one intersection? Why approve that?

Or do we want to just say that we really like this island the way it is and ask our government to just take care of what we have instead of growing, expanding, increasing and changing?

I am not opposed to change; the changes we make should improve our lives, facilities like BARN, the Art Museum, public areas, the new public dock, expanding parks. These do not require providing for more population. Providing island wide free wifi is an improvement that does not require more people to live here.

There are plenty of areas in the region that would like to grow, have more housing and build more businesses. Is Bainbridge Island where that should happen?

Why did you move here? Was it to be living amid lots of apartment and condo construction, increasing traffic and noise? Or did you, like I, move here because you like it just the way it is?

We need to decide what we want this island to be, a stable, relatively small community with great amenities or a growing city?

If this is a drawbridge mentality, so be it. I have lived in three countries, in four states and watched the places I lived grow to embrace “progress.” Each of them became unlivable as they grew; they didn’t get better, they just got bigger.

Let’s decide what we want.

ALLAN BOGUTZ

Bainbridge Island