(Editor’s Note: This letter was sent to Des Moines council members and Port of Seattle commissioners with a copy to the Times/News.)

Honorable Des Moines Council Members and Port of Seattle Commissioners:

As a private citizen the week of Oct. 24th I had the opportunity to sit in on the long-range budget hearings for both the City of Des Moines and the Port of Seattle.

Both budget hearings appeared to IGNORE the NOISE IMPACTED Des Moines residents and the MARITIME RELATED interests of Des Moines residents and businesses.
The Port of Seattle still receives a $73.5 million property tax levy which should be ear marked for needs of the taxpayers. While some of that property tax went for schools the balance seemed to be kind of frittered away.

As approximately 75 percent of the Port of Seattle revenue comes from the airport it should be expected that approximately75 percent of the $73.5 million tax levy should earmarked for the beneficial interests of residents of the airport cities.

In the Des Moines budget presentation, several property owners protested that their homes were being reclassified as "commercial property" and being degraded to "affordable"' property. The owners live on the west side of Des Moines Way and are directly impacted by the engine noise from aircraft turning towards the terminal from the third runway.

Part of the $73.5 million property tax levy could be used to protect both passengers and residents as a major aircraft safety concern. At present the west side of the third runway is protected only by a coyote fence.

There is no noise protection for residents and there is no protection for aircraft passengers if in a rare circumstance an aircraft deviates over the unprotected edge with a full load of passengers. A high noise fence or concrete barrier could deflect the ground noise upwards and deflect an aircraft from going over that dangerous edge.

Part of this $73.5 million property tax levy could be used by the Port of Seattle to restore the boat sling launch at Des Moines. The city of Des Moines had been operating a sling trailer boat launch at the downtown marina. This was one of the safest boat launches in the region.

There is no known equivalent in south Puget Sound. A large number of maritime-related businesses depended on that launch. While the launch and parking were used by boaters and businesses in the airport cities surrounding Des Moines the cost of the launch was unfairly paid for by the city of Des Moines.

In a less then brilliant move the city of Des Moines cut down the launch and plans to replace it with a Tsunami Gate. This action has wiped out dozens, possibly hundreds of FULL TIME MARITIME JOBS AND BUSINESSES in the area.

As the primary port in King County it would be appropriate for the Port of Seattle to use part of this taxpayer levy to restore the Des Moines boat launch and fund the repair of the Historic Des Moines Beach Park.

Dan Caldwell
Des Moines