The present restoration of Alexander Park in Chehalis is a very worthy endeavor, and I commend Connie Small of Chehalis for her selfless contribution in leading this effort. The park should be ready for visitors by this spring. I understand Alexander Park will have a full-time caretaker to protect the park from senseless vandalism, which has been the fate of other parks in the area.
One park that is now closed due to vandalism is McFadden Park in Chehalis, just a short walk from the end of Hilltop Drive. It was a top-of-the-hill park in an idyllic setting just a few minutes from the city center. It's still there, but a silent skeleton of what it once was. The park at one time had a covered kitchen, 12 picnic sites, play equipment, rest rooms and numerous trails.
In 1912 the McFadden family, in memory of Obadiah B. McFadden, donated to the city 28 acres of land, 747 feet above sea level, with a panoramic view overlooking the region. Obadiah was a pioneer resident of Chehalis who was a chief justice of the Washington Territory Supreme Court.
This would be a wonderful park to restore, but I'm afraid it won't happen. The isolated location is a prime target for the vandalism that resulted in it being closed in the first place.
I'M TOLD the 18- to 24-inch posts with three strands of metal stretched between them in the Interstate 5 medians a short distance north and south of Centralia will stop errant vehicles from crossing over into opposing lanes, and my question is: If they are that effective, why doesn't the Washington Department of Transportation have them in all medians along I-5?
WHEN DINING OUT, I like a glass of wine occasionally; however, the prices I'm charged for a 6-ounce. glass (only about five ounces of wine however), makes me want to bring my own bottle. We went to a fine restaurant in this area recently and were charged $6 for a glass of wine. That's exorbitant compared to the usual $4 to $4.50, which is also exorbitant. If I could bring my own bottle, my research indicates I'd be paying only $1.60 to $2 per glass (state liquor store price, number of glasses per 750 milliliter bottle, etc.). But why should I bring my own bottle? Restaurants should lower their markup.
ETCETERA: Always-smirking Mike Holmgren, coach of the sputtering Seattle Seahawks was heard to say, "I don't know what's wrong with the team." Gosh sakes! He's the coach. He's the one that should know! I suggest he has two problems: (1) No offense. (2) No defense … My comments last week about traffic jams from school buses brought some interesting responses. I suggested the buses entering Market Boulevard in Chehalis from Second Street should be turned around and enter the less traveled Cascade Avenue. My good buddy, Bud Hatfield of Chehalis, thought this wasn't a good idea because Second Avenue is a one-way street. That's easy to correct, just turn the one-way around. Otherwise, as Bud suggested, avoid Market Boulevard from 2:50 to 3:15 each weekday afternoon — or take Cascade Avenue. Whatever, it's a traffic mess at that time of day … I appreciate the logical comments Tyler Strumski, a 21-year-old college student, made in response to my tongue-in-cheek suggestions last week about curtailing the number of deaths we have on our highways.
Jim Shouse is a retired newspaperman. He may be reached at jimshouse4@msn.com.
