Parking addicts
EDITOR: The concept forwarded by the Sebastopol City Council to develop a downtown parking lot into housing and perhaps some retail has generated stiff opposition even though there are few details other than a concept.
The main complaint seems to be that there is not enough parking downtown, and that taking out spots would make it even worse. But a parking study aimed at discovering the amount of use during different times of the day suggests that there is now and would be available parking, even with the loss of spaces. The consultant was not hired to interview business owners or to develop a parking plan, but simply to count available spots in the study area.
One concept floated would develop the site into low income and affordable housing for what is usually called “workforce housing.” It is evident, in Sebastopol and Sonoma County, that we have a major shortage of housing for working people, even fairly well paid professionals — teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public employees, and people in retail and tech — who can’t afford the million dollar homes for sale in Sebastopol. Sebastopol has actually lost population since 2000, and at least one public school has closed.
Looking at Sebastopol, I see a sea of asphalt, roads plugged up, cars parked everywhere. If this were a medical issue, we’d call it terminal congestion. Have we become so addicted to our cars, so addicted to convenience, so in need to park right next to a destination, instead of walking for a few minutes, that we oppose what is needed, moderate housing for working people?
We seem to want to defend parking lots above all else, acting like addicts who have lost their fix. For people with disabilities, increased disabled spots would be an easy solution. Downtown housing could only increase business in downtown, and liven up a pretty quiet night scene.
The citizens of Sebastopol long ago embraced the anti-sprawl urban growth boundary to contain inefficient housing tracts. Sebastopol has enough McMansions. The city would have control over all aspects of the as yet unidentified project.
If Sebastopol is the progressive community it claims to be, then I would suggest that those who see the need for housing come out in support of the council’s inquiry into what could be done at the site.
Richard Nichols
Sebastopol
Unhealthy graffiti
EDITOR: We all want our young boys to have healthy outlets. The skateboard park on Laguna Parkway was created for this purpose. However adding the graffiti wall included environmental hazards that were not accounted for.
Concern was never raised for the harmful vapors floating around the park during the spraying. An additional wall was built to separate the park on Flynn Street, allowing more graffiti to be sprayed now closer to the children’s playground, and the water drainage system for the park.
With the rains, paint pigment can be carried into our underground water supply.
The participants spraying the graffiti wall are older boys/men many times playing loud rap music, smoking and drinking beer. They leave empty (or not empty) cans of paint, brushes, etc., in the trashcans that go into our landfill. Small plastic tops are left around the wall which can enter the waterway and be eaten by animals and fish.
The painting is ongoing weekly, sometimes daily, painting over previous work. The paint effects are cumulative. I’ve observed Sundays with many children playing in the park, and Sundays with no children playing while the wall is being spray painted.
To help resolve this toxic practice, please express your written concern to your Sebastopol city councilmembers, or email city clerk Mary Gourley (addressing to the city council) mg******@ci**************.org.
Sharon Kaiser
Sebastopol
Derogatory assessment
EDITOR: I’m responding to Mr. Robertson’s column, exceedingly ironically, if not deceitfully titled: “Out of Hear: People will always be kind..” especially regarding his assessment of life on the river, particularly: “downtown Guerneville’s ubiquitous landscape of sorrowful wretchedness…”
While I very painfully appreciate there are legitimate reasons behind that extreme characterization, as one who has primarily resided along or frequented the river, and 3rd Street in particular, for decades, I very much take issue with his highly derogatory assessment, especially with the qualifier “ubiquitous” — as I wouldn’t be surprised if a number, if not a great majority of business owners would, plus many if not most other of what Mr. Robertson may consider river rats would, as well.
There’s no doubt I would prefer this society make homeless miseries impossible, as dozens of far more civilized and humane nations do. I’m under no delusions how intractable these issues are. I do wish and hope your paper will find ways to acquire a healthier, certainly better informed, plus more compassionate attitude.
As a (retired) physician, I am very aware of the personal limitations and in many cases severe handicaps, that trap such unfortunates in homelessness and related miseries. The most “sorrowful wretchedness” is how this society of humans, barely if at all deserving to be called civilization, cultivates such maximal, horribly demoniacal callousness and heartlessness.
Trumpster is just a symptom, the horrific, if not monstrously macabre symbol or Figurehead -in-Chief.
B Dudney
Guerneville
Show that we care
EDITOR: The words from Tom Homan, Deputy Director of ICE and US Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the recent actions of local ICE give cause for great concern on the part of all law abiding citizens here in California and Sonoma County in particular. These seem to be more revenge based than based on citizen security. In an effort to not let this continue unchecked, the Legal Observer team concept has been developed. If ICE activity is noticed, any time of day or night, a simple call to the hotline – 707-800-4544 will bring into action a team of trained observers to document and ensure the activity is within the scope of the law and the policies of our local government.
You are not required to be further involved. For more info see www.northbayop.org/rapidresponse. Let us show all the members of our communities that we care.
Bruce Campbell
Sebastopol
Get the flu shot
EDITOR: A recent New England Journal of Medicine study showed a dramatic increase in the incidence of heart attacks within one week of the diagnosis of influenza (flu), as much as six times more like. That is another reason to get the flu shot; admittedly it is not overly protective this year, but certainly better than nothing, and it may protect you from the flu and a heart attack.
Dave Anderson MD
Geyserville
