The first photo above was placed on Facebook. For several weeks now, people have been commenting about seeing eagles in Federal Way.

The second picture shows a painting my granddaughter created. I had described to her how Federal Way looked in the 1950s. The eagle is a representation of one I had seen while I was boating on Steel Lake. The forest represents what her mother had said when we first moved here: “Dad we live in a forest.”

Sound Transit is going to place a three-story piece of art at the transit center when the center is completed in 2024. The initial concept by the artist was to be a three-story elephant standing up on his front legs, eye to eye with a blue heron.

It appears the Federal Way City Council has stopped that, but the artist, Donald Lipski, promised in a Zoom meeting with the public that whatever he creates is going to be whimsical.

The question is, do we want everyone including visitors to see whimsical art or art that represents Northwest pride when coming through our new Sound Transit center?

To me the eagle represents a proud bird on the constant lookout for opportunities. Our city’s motto is that we are an “Opportunity City.” In my opinion, as we move toward a more urbanized society, seeking and creating opportunities should be our primary objective.

Public art, particularly of this size and planned location, can define our city’s image. The artist can walk away when the work is finished — we can’t.

Bob Kellogg,

Federal Way