At first glance I cannot understand why we would spend $50 million for private hospital rooms and a newer surgical facility. We are in one of the worst economic times of the last century and we want private rooms? To top it off, I don’t even use the facility, my hospital and doctors are in Anacortes. I just drive north, over a bridge …

And the light came on. Deception Pass Bridge was built almost a century ago for traffic patterns that existed in the 30s and 40s. The construction of the bridge is similar to the one in Minneapolis/St. Paul that found itself at the bottom of the river in Minnesota. This metal bridge has been spanning a salt water ravine for nearly a century and nobody, I mean nobody, is talking about a bond issue for a new bridge.

So apparently the hospital improvement is necessary, as probably in the near future we islanders on the north end will need doctors and a hospital on the island, as there may be no access to Skagit County.

I personally would rather spend the money on the bridge, but apparently in Island County, we want to get the cart before the horse.

Thomas Kosloske
Oak Harbor