'Quality of Life' applicants sought

Yakima County is seeking applicants interested in serving on the recently created Quality of Life panel.

The group, expected to number up to 10 people, will make recommendations to county commissioners on how best to improve the quality of life of county residents.

Larry Mattson, a former county planner, Yakima City Council member and an environmental planner for the state Department of Transportation, said in a county news release Wednesday that quality of life issues include safety, health, housing, employment, education, recreation and spirituality.

Interested residents are asked to send a brief statement of interest to Mattson at larry@mpaplanners.com .

Mattson said applicants should demonstrate a commitment to bettering quality of life, an eagerness to explore new quality of life opportunities, and that they can strike a balance between idealistic goals and practical realities. The county is also seeking appilicants who bring energy and commitment to the process.

The deadline for applications is 6 p.m. Monday, March 15.

Applicants should expect to meet up to a dozen times through March 2011.

Commissioners appointed Mattson, Yakima City Councilmember Dave Edler and Bruce Smith, publisher of the Yakima Valley Business Times, to lead the committee.