 "We build too many walls and not enough bridges."
-- Isaac Newton --
 The City of Auburn's Safe Auburn: Community Conversations series begins next week with our first community meeting at Evergreen Heights Elementary School.
We've been hearing for months that residents are rightfully fed up with crime in their neighborhoods and that we haven't done an amazing job at communicating our strategies. My hope and my goal is that these meetings are just the beginning -- that over the next year and beyond, we continue to meet and talk regularly about our priorities, where we're focusing on our efforts, and our community-focused solutions.
 There's only so much power we have in Auburn when it comes to public safety, and every city in South King County is experiencing similar issues. Gang-related and juvenile crime have seen particularly startling increases this year, and the Auburn-area is hurting. It takes a region-wide approach to fix this issue, but that doesn't mean we can't and shouldn't focus on hyper-local issues.
I know there are many of you out there who are passionate about this subject – lives depend upon it! I know it can be difficult to take time out of your day, but I'm hoping and pleading that you can attend your neighborhood's meeting. We have six across the City of Auburn, with a Saturday session at Auburn High School for anyone unable to attend during the week.
Please check your address at the link below and we'll see you soon!
 District 2: Dick Scobee Elementary School Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, 5:30 - 8 p.m.
 District 3: Lea Hill Elementary School Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, 5:30 - 8 p.m.
 District 4: Pioneer Elementary School Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, 5:30 - 8 p.m.
 District 5: Mt. Baker Middle School Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, 5:30 - 8 p.m.
 District 6: Chinook Elementary School Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, 5:30 - 8 p.m
 All districts welcome: Auburn High School Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, 2 - 4 p.m.
 On Tuesday we had the pleasure of officially opening the Game Farm Park Bridge, which as the name implies, links Game Farm Park and Game Farm Wilderness Park over the White River!
This project has a long history in Auburn about a decade in the making, and that's because underneath the bridge is something incredibly important. The Coal Creek Springs which is located near where the bridge now stands, is the City’s largest source of water and the pipe it travels in underneath the river is nearly 100 years old.
 This pipe would have been extremely difficult or impossible to repair if it were to break so we looked into numerous options to replace it including drilling and digging underneath the White River. Ultimately, our engineers came up with the best option – build a bridge over it!
This bridge not only replaced the aging pipe, but it also presented a great opportunity to connect these two popular City parks and extend the existing paved trail system. This project will also lead to new trees and vegetation, which is set to be planted in October and November – you can probably see and smell the plots when you walk the bridge.
None of this would have been possible if not for the amazing partnership between the City’s Public Works department and Pivetta Brothers Construction Inc., which specializes in utility, transportation and infrastructure construction.
I’d also like to recognize the design work by JACOBS Engineering, WSP Design, Watershed Engineering, Macauley Expert Services and Purcell Painting and Coatings, and the partnership between the City’s Public Works and Parks, Arts and Recreation departments – without that collaboration, none of this would have been possible! Thank you, Ingrid, Daryl and your staff!
Now PLEASE, come see the new bridge!
 On Friday, Sound Transit officially broke ground on the new parking garage that will be built on the old Mel's Lumber lot, located at 1st Street NW and A Street NW.
This new garage will add 550 parking stalls to downtown Auburn for commuters on Sound Transit's Sounder train and is part of a promise made to voters in 2008 when they approved the ST2 ballot measure to address growing ridership.
 Since the end of COVID, ridership on Sound Transit has been recovering, even as South King County ridership remained higher than most other subareas. Our community needs this project to ensure space so our residents can rely on train and busses for commuting today and long into the future.
As a long time Auburn resident, I’m amazed to see our region’s continued growth. But with that growth means a need for proper investments in the future. We need increased access to Sounder and we need increased access to economic growth this train provides – today is a major step in that investment.
 Sounder offers reliable, consistent travel not just for riders headed north or south, but for those who are coming to work or play in South King County.
This is an exciting time for our community and for Sound Transit. Thank you to the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Railroad Administration for supporting this project. Thank you also to our state and federal delegations for their support. Thank you to the voters who believe in the need for transit. And of course, a very special thank you to the Auburn City Council, for your continued support in regional transit, and to our City of Auburn staff who were crucial in making this project a reality.
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