Roundabout, Chief John Turley good Mattawa ideas

Whether they favor or oppose roundabouts, Wahluke Slope residents really should attend tomorrow night's open house regarding safety improvements at the Highway 243-Road 24 SW intersection.

My wife Pat and I have opposing views on roundabouts. I favor them. She does not. She sees a potential for accidents. I see a faster way to where I'm going.

I'm not going to say Pat's wrong. I recently had a close call at the third of three roundabouts at the entrance to Union Gap.

As I approached the roundabout, a motorist sped by on my left. I still had my eye on him as we entered the roundabout and nearly failed to see a SUV already in the roundabout.

I think the SUV driver had his eyes on the same vehicle because he noticed me at the same time I noticed him. We stopped at exactly the same moment, averted a crash, sorted things out and moved on.

Incident aside, I really like the Union Gap roundabouts. I zip right through going to or coming from Yakima.

I used to get frustrated with the series of traffic lights that existed before. Some times it took as many as five minutes to traverse an entrance that now takes about 30 seconds.

Once the folks of Mattawa, Desert Aire and points around get used to the roundabout, if it's built, they will like it. The only folks I can see not liking it are the truckers on a straight run on 243.

Regarding other Mattawa news of utmost importance to the public, the city has made the right choice regarding the hiring of interim Police Chief John Turley.

I would have found a way to hire John Turley once he made his availability known. Others seeking the post might have done well, but they would have required a learning curve that Turley does not. He has experience that fits Mattawa perfectly.

Having worked for the Grant County Sheriff for more than a decade, Turley knows every road, perhaps every dirt lane in the county. He can get around without GPS.

Turley also knows Sheriff Tom Jones and Jones's department, and they know him. That's an important relationship in regards to incidents on which county help is needed.

Turley may even know relationships between bad guys here and bad guys in other areas. That can expedite major crime investigations.

In addition to all of the above, Turley speaks Spanish. That means he doesn't have to wait for an interpreter when time is of the essence in interviewing Spanish-dominant witnesses.