Letters

Broadcast meetings in format accessible to hard of hearing

I thank all of the Spokane Valley Council members for their willingness to broadcast council meetings on both cable and Internet.

This is open communications at its best. Special recognition belongs to Councilmember Bill Gothmann who even contributed his own money toward past broadcasting efforts.

One more step is needed to make the broadcasts accessible to all citizens. Hard of hearing and deaf citizens need the option to turn on closed captions so we can follow the dialog. The Internet version of the video can allow that. There is new free software for auto-captioning using speech recognition. Those captions are imperfect, but the price is right: free. This requires a little extra staff time to upload video in segments to YouTube and download the auto-captions to use with the city’s website videos. Appropriate disclaimers would be used. These captions would only be visible to people who hit the CC button.

Thank you again for your willingness to broadcast the council meetings. Now let’s take the extra steps to make the broadcasts accessible for people with hearing loss.

Margaret Mortz

Spokane Valley

Reduced traffic, shopping possibly due to Valley Mall

Why do people overlook the connection between reduced traffic/shopping on Sprague between University and Fancher and the opening of the Spokane Valley Mall? Why do retailers through this same corridor fail to realize it might be their own fault if they cannot attract business? And last, the predominant businesses are automobile dealers, several which front on both Sprague and Appleway. While it is nice to be able to shop for a new vehicle in a cluster of dealers, it is not an item one purchases frequently.

Leave the couplet as it is, and extend it if possible.

JoAnn Gemmrig

Spokane Valley

Voters urged to support upcoming CV construction bond

As a former student and current resident and teacher in Central Valley School District, there are several reasons why I proudly support the much-needed construction bond that will be voted on in February.

Central Valley has long been respected throughout the region as a leader in providing an outstanding education and a quality learning environment for our students. Maintaining this high level of service requires an investment in building infrastructure as our schools deteriorate over time.

These worn out facilities bear a long list of necessary repairs that, left unchanged, will continue to adversely affect student learning. These problems include antiquated heating and cooling systems that keep rooms too hot or too cold. Electrical systems ill equipped to accommodate today’s technology requirements.

In several schools gymnasiums masquerade as cafeterias, multi-purpose rooms and auditoriums. And finally, a multitude of safety concerns plague several campuses, including congested parking lots used for student pick up and drop off, and building entrances that allow visitors to access the facility without checking in at the office.

As the vote for Central Valley’s construction bond nears, I urge all voters to support our students and educational excellence in CV by voting yes.

Scott Knowles

Spokane Valley