The association would like to respond to Mr. Winter’s concerns (“Free speech is still the law of the land,” Letter to the Editor, May 9, Renton Reporter) regarding the delivery of the Renton Reporter to the Liberty Ridge Homeowners Association.

The association wanted to find a reasonable solution to the problem of the papers that were accumulating in front yards, driveways and in the streets on the Liberty Ridge Community. Unfortunately, these uncollected papers became a litter problem in our community.

The resolve to this issue was found by a collaborative process involving the president of the Board of Directors, the Liberty Ridge community manager and the circulation manager for the Renton Reporter.

The need for a solution to this problem was due to complaints we received from homeowners, our maintenance contractor and from site visits by the community manager. Unfortunately, some neighbors were not collecting their papers which resulted in litter and an eyesore in our community.

This situation was not beneficial to the community or to the reputation of the Renton Reporter. We also wanted to benefit the interests of the Renton Reporter as well.

Once a resolution was decided upon, the circulation manager pointed out that there would be a slight inconvenience to our residents for one or two weeks because automatic delivery to all homes in Liberty Ridge would be stopped. The plan of action would be that any resident who actually wanted delivery of the Renton Reporter would need to contact the circulation manager.

The association posted notice of the new delivery procedure on our community website. We directed our residents to the community website by posting an announcement on our larger banner at the entrance to Liberty Ridge.

The circulation manager told us that so far, approximately 10 percent of the residents of the Liberty Ridge Association have responded by indicating that they want to “opt in” to delivery of the Renton Reporter. The circulation manager assured us that those residents who “opt in” will have the paper delivered directly onto their porches, thus reducing the litter in our community.

We believe that this solution meets the interests of all parties concerned. The residents of Liberty Ridge who want delivery of the Renton Reporter will now have it delivered to their porch. The Renton Reporter can continue to meet the needs of the local community by providing local news and activities.

Bert Lysen, manager,
Morris Management, Inc.
Agent for Liberty Ridge HOA