Now that the media has picked up on Sound Transit suing the Rescue Mission let me fill in a few details for those who are interested.
Sound Transit is putting in a rail line for commuter trains/Amtrak from the Tacoma Dome to Lakewood which will run just a few feet behind the Rescue Mission Downtown Tacoma Campus on South Tacoma Way. I’ve attached a link to the news article which articulates most of the details pretty well. Yet there are a few details which I’d like to give you a back story on:
1. Rescue Mission can’t and won’t stop the train. The railroad has all the power they need to condemn the land and there is little we can do to affect this. That is why we need the public to be aware of this problem and to speak out against Sound Transits insensitivity towards the homeless.
2. The Rescue Mission is not concerned that they haven’t offered a plan to mitigate, but that the plan is completely insufficient and uses standards that are not going to allow for habitation and sleep in the downtown campus. We are seeking for a noise standard that is common in HUD housing, 45 decibels, and they are hoping to achieve 65 decibels. This one point alone is reason enough for us to hold firm on, as our sound expert assures us that this is not a standard which will be sufficient.
3. The Rescue Mission also has asked that every surface that is exposed to the noise of the train; the east, west and north sides of the building; be giving the same level of mitigation, which they have refused. That means they have refused even to replace the windows in the Challenge Learning Center, conference rooms and to mitigate sound on the walls of the dormitory sleep quarters because it doesn’t fit their narrow viewpoint.
4. There is also a damages portion of the negotiations which has not even been addressed. But we are miles apart on this point as well.
My hope is that we’ll be able to get Sound Transit to commit to a going all-out to reinforce the building against the sound of the 20+ trains each day that will run on this line, but I can’t guarantee that this will happen. They are in a litigation mode and have not budged in their confidence that they are going to get their way.
Nevertheless, I’ve received assurances that they want to be a good neighbor. My fear is that it may take a judge or overwhelming negative public opinion to force them into that role.
David Curry
