n the environment that we are living in, all too often truth and facts get buried under an avalanche of hubris, misinformation and unsubstantiated opinion. Such is the case with a recent letter to the editor from former mayor Rosemarie Ives in which she provided her opinion of the funding for the Downtown Park. In her letter, the writer claimed that “$42 million spent on this Downtown Park came from raiding sources of revenue that resulted in other projects going unintended, not being completed, or postponed and services may have been reduced, done away with, or not started.” That is simply not true.

The real facts are easily obtained. The project costs and revenue are posted on the city of Redmond website. Additionally, during the construction of the Downtown Park, the revenue profile was displayed on a large highly visible sign at the construction site.

I would like to correct the inaccuracies. Of the $41.2 million spent on the Downtown Park, 74 percent came from business revenue in the form of impact fees, business taxes and real estate taxes on property bought and sold in Redmond. The state contributed 7 percent through a capital facility grant and 4 percent was funded by the King County Parks Levy. Only 15 percent ($6.3 million) came from the city’s general fund, not the $20 million as was implied in the letter.

Pat Vache,

Former City Council president