Orting News Answer Poll

Comment #33: Nestle will use less water than the 500 condo's slated for this property. The 50 truck trips a day is a lot fewer trips than the 500 people living in those condos will create. Wake up Orting! Nestle is NOT going to take away from the small town feel. It just may help us keep that it!

Comment #32: Our elected officials are well on the road to destroying our "town". All they care about is money!! Not sure where all the property and sales tax are going???

Comment #31: Of course. Would also like to work for them.

Comment #30: Small town feel vs big city business? In order to keep the small town feel and stay relatively small, this city needs revenue to support the services that the building boom had previously supported. Of course bringing in a large business like Nesle will bring in revenue, but it may take away the small town feel. So, do we sit back and let the public services we need and expect decline or disapear (complaining the whole time) or do we find another method of revenue that won't take away our small town feel? I think the answer is just to the south east of us. I was telling a friend of my daughter visiting from Oregon that you "have to be in Seattle to see the Space Needle but you can see Mt Rainier from anywhere." The fact that we live next to one of the largest, active volcanos in the US can and should be exploited. We're not hiding anything, it's right there for every one to see. Every year the Lahar alarms are in the news for all to see and hopefully hear (if they work). The rest of the county and state knows about it, let's use it and profit from it. Hawaii doesn't hide the fact they sit on active volcanoes they exploit it, so should we. Tourism is a viable, profitable business. ...................or we could let Nestle or some other big business come in and change our small town feel.

Comment #29: no no no We don't have enouge water for the city now. What are elected officials thinking about? Money Look inside of your budget and you will find that there is plenty there for us to survive.Maybe look at our police department first.

Comment #28: what next? walmart? costco? sams club? come on people, small town, and one of the few in the area, lets not ruin it

Comment #27: NO NO NO

Comment #26: I have also heard from one of the public hearings that Nestle would only be employing 75 people and they would be taping into our 4 natural springs. If they do that i can only see our water rates go up.

Comment #25: This town needs more businesses and less housing built! The trafic congestion problem should have been dealt with before all the housing along the hwy went up. Nestle shouldn't have to fix what Orting didn't require the housing developers to be responsible for. What did they think? All the new houses wouldn't create additional congestion! BRING IN THE BUSINESSES. BRING IN THE STORES. The more offered here, the more money stays within Orting, and the less goes up the hill.

Comment #24: We need businesses like this to help out the city economy and provide more local jobs.

Comment #23: ITA with comment #21. Too bad the city council about 10 yrs ago didn't have the forsight to bring in more business and less homes. THAT's what is harming Orting. Waaay to many homes and no tax base from businesses

Comment #22: The mayor and city council will do as they please. Alas, life in Orting.

Comment #21: Once again, they are not buying water rights. Orting does not face a water shortage. Orting is in controll of whatever contract they create with the Nestle company. Nestle would help in securing safe, clean, potable drinking water and help to pay for the necessary infrastructure. The tax dollars they will provide to the city are necessary. The traffic congestion provided by the proposed 500 condominiums at the same site will far exceed that of traffic brought by the company. Any housing development there will bring higher traffic volumes and more costs to the city than the company (think people, higher costs to us = more police, fire, school, infrastructure and more traffic). They will bring a few jobs here. Orting needs to bring in businesses that create jobs, not just strip malls that employ a few and don't generate tax revenues. This kind of business is what they should have been looking for 15 years ago. Not a lot of them, just a few of them, in order to create some kind of tax base other than homeowners. Mom and pop establishments are great, we love them, but they don't generate the revenues in the same way. Enumclaw did not do their homework in the manner that some of you are giving them credit. There are a vocal few in this community that want to run this town, and they've almost run it into the ground in the past. Let's not let them ruin what's left of this great town with their short sighted vision. This is not a ruinous move for the city. A mall is more ruinous. A huge housing development is more ruinous.

Comment #20: What we lack in this town is jobs. The reason the two lane road being congested is because everybody has to go North to go to work. Wouldn't it be neat if 45 of those people driving north could get off the road and work near home? And the trucks - I've noticed that between 10 PM and 4 AM the roads are relitavely empty - and truckers work around the clock. A good time for deliveries and shipments. This thing can be worked out so that Orting gets the best!

Comment #19: I went to a city meeting where Nestle answered many of the questions people seem to have. There will be approximately 45 jobs. There will be much less traffic than if the alternative plan goes through of condo units. They would not have water rights, nor jeapardize our water, but are looking at helping repair and upgrade our systems and water to assure good flow for all citizens. They would pay the same rates as others plus would provide additional revenue to help our town operate and diversify our economic base for the future. The plant would be set back from the main highway, closer to the back of the property, allowing for the land next to the road to be used in a different manner. Anyone developing in that area should be part of mitigation to assist in road improvements that will assist traffic such as signals and they seemed more than willing to look at all these issues and work with the community. This kind of project should not take away from small town, mom and pop Orting, but strengthen our communities ability to manage and care for ourselves into the future in a responsible way. Financial diversification like this will help us all to realize great benefits such as better public services and schools. I think Enumclaw made a rash decision and will some of their leaders have expressed regret over not working with Nestle. Let's not miss this opportunity and look at how we can work together to make Orting an even better, stronger community. It would be nice to have the Nestle representive write a piece for the public to read here.

Comment #18: Traffic safety and congestion is already a problem. The one lane road and small bridge is a nightmare, add more trucks??? Is this a positive decision for Orting residents? It doesn't sound like it to me.

Comment #17: CAn Nestle afford to pay for water the same rate as I pay for my water bill? IF they don't then they shouldn't be here unless they're willing to pay thru the nose to fix all of our problems, traffic, jobs, and higher taxes so ours stay low.

Comment #16: Keep our small town, small. I like my mama & papa's shop. I love my town. That is why I moved here. For the small town feel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comment #15: I have no problem with some development, but we can't jeopardize our water supply. It must be done responsibly. And, unless Nestle and the State are willing to improve the hwy, I'm a 100% NO vote. We have our fair share of trucks to contend with. We don't need more!

Comment #14: The costs seem to outweight the benefits. More truck traffic and the potential to jeopardize future water supplies for the residents are not worth the few jobs that may go to Orting residents.

Comment #13: I would be more willing to say yes if Nestle came up with some money to fix the traffic congestion, before they add to it. Longview Wa made walmart put in traffic signals if they wanted to build a store there.

Comment #12: It is sad that they even had a public hearing regarding this. The city council proves once again they are not there more the citizens of this community.

Comment #11: It would be a win/win for all of us!!

Comment #10: Taping into the "Hard" to get water rights that the City has is not an a good trade for what we will get in return. Getting water rights through the State is not a quick turn around and can take many years to get more quantity when it is required. The City almost did the same thing with the Cascadia Development concerning the sewer system. The City is growing and needs to continue to balance out its growth. Monitoring the cost for roads, water and sewer as new development moves forward. 1. They (Mayor & Council) need to ask themselves.....are the citizens supporting new development and is that what they want, or is new development actually paying their way. 2. Does the City have the infrastructure (water, sewer, roads, traffic) to support this new venture, or will it cost Orting citizens down the line. 3. The city has transitioned over the years from the trains to logging trucks to transfer trucks hauling rock and supplies. Has the city (or State....we do have State hwys) done a study to see where we are now and compare it to where we would be with the added flow from this proposed new development not to mention the added flow from natural surrounding growth? In review...I do not believe Orting is situated for this development. They need to draw businesses that will truly move us forward. LA

Comment #9: I think that something like that will bring some jobs to the town, and is a good thing

Comment #8: Keep big business out we are a small town lets try and keep it that way.

Comment #7: Might as well soak Nestle for taxes instead of the residents...

Comment #6: Enumclaw already weighed the benefits and impacts. We can't we learn from them? No, No, No!

Comment #5: We shouldn't even need to comment on this one! I hope our Mayor and City Council are listening?????

Comment #4: 1, 2 & 3 ARE RIGHT!

Comment #3: Seems like for the sake of 45 jobs it would not make sense to jeopardize future water supplies to current and future residents. Truck traffic is now ridiculously excessive and adding more to the single lane road would be irresponsible and dangerous .

Comment #2: I went to one of the informational meetings and was told that the plant will only employ 30 people. They cannot say if they will hire locally AND they are moving in all thier top level managers in - instead of hiring locally for those, so no higher paying job potential there! Also, they said that they will be putting 50 trucks a day on our roads on their slower days and up to 150 trucks a day during their busier seasons! Need I mention the water concerns also? Lets not do this to the Orting community!

Comment #1: ARe they idiots?? There is barely enough water to service the area they have - why knowingly contract to run out???