Letters to the Editor 5-9-13

SDAT team in Sebastopol
Editor: Is Sebastopol worth two hours of your time?
It’s been worth thousands of hours of mine and my fellow Core Project members, over the last three years
As a result of our efforts, Sebastopol has received one of only seven American Institute of Architects (AIA) Sustainable Design Assessment team (SDAT) grants awarded this year in the U.S. Six world-class professionals in the areas of design and planning are donating their time to help us reach consensus on real, achievable, fundable solutions for our downtown.
Please join me in taking part in the community workshops May 15 and the unveiling of the resulting plan on May 17.
Before you zone out, let me address three excuses you may have for not taking part:
“Sebastopol says no to everything.” Not true. Who doesn’t want a thriving community? We just seem to get stuck trying to agree on what constitutes “thriving.” I know for a fact that we can work together. An advance AIA team visited in February and sat down with representatives from diverse groups. Each treated the other with respect and truly listened to “the other side.”
“I’m burned out from all the meetings, town halls and visioning sessions over the years. How can this be any different?” This effort takes all others into account. The SDAT has an enviable record of success (including identifying sources of funding) in situations far more challenging than ours, far and near. Examples are the restoration of the blighted waterfront in Port Angeles, WA, and Santa Rosa’s Prince Greenway. Sebastopol’s SDAT visit is especially timely in that its findings may help inform our General Plan update.
“Why aren’t you hiring local people?” Hiring? These folks are donating their time and expertise to help us reach consensus. They cannot benefit financially from any work they suggest. Any work that comes of their plan will most certainly require hiring local talent.
Here’s a way that we can have a real and lasting impact on the future of our town. Let’s work together to ensure that our town can be sustainable and successful for many years to come.
All events are at the Community Church of Sebastopol, 1000 Gravenstein Hwy. N.
• Wednesday, May from 1 to 2:15 and 2:30 to 3:45 p.m.: Community Workshops (cessions run concurrently) Topics: A) Transportation, parking; B) Pedestrian, bike, and community connections; C) Urban design, design standards; D) Land use, land use standards and from 7 to 9 p.m. a Town Hall meeting.
• Friday, May 17, from 7 to 9 p.m., Presentation of Findings to Community.
E-mail

in**@th**************.org











to volunteer or with any questions. Visit www.sebastopolconnect.org for more information.
Holly Hansen
The Core Project