Letters to the Editor 6-23-16

Restructure fees
Editor: I appreciated Pat Bean’s letter regarding fees the Healdsburg Community Band incurred to play at the downtown gazebo; $400 is a lot of money when the community volunteers have put in their minds, hearts, time and energy to give this town integrity and deeper community.
I had this same problem last year when I organized a community building block party. The fees were outrageous. If I hadn’t spoken up, we would have been charged over $700. The city did work with me but it was still around $200. It was shocking and nothing was transparent. Money was charged for no services rendered.
Santa Rosa charges $75 for the application fee and gives free barriers to block the street. That’s it. I heard the city would address fee structures at the June 20 City Council meeting but they had other pressing agenda items. I was told last summer they would review fees in early 2016 but housing, homeless issues and land use took priority and as far as I know there is no action regarding fees.
Now I ask the city to take a deep breath and look to the citizens they serve. Restructuring fees for community building and deepening is key to a better city. Let’s move forward with wisdom.
Catherine Mihalik
Healdsburg
Kiwanis thank you
Editor: The Healdsburg Kiwanis Club would like to thank everyone that participated in the 42nd annual Fitch Mountain Footrace this past Sunday. We had over 360 runners and walkers involved.
All of the money raised will go to the Healdsburg Kiwanis Scholarship Fund. This past year we provided about $15,000 in scholarships to our local high school seniors. We could not have done it without the help of our great city and staff, thank you.
Others that made this another successful year were our sponsors, Healdsburg Running Company, Tri-Star Automotive, Newton Running, Dutcher Crossing Winery, Charles F. Reichel-CPA, Bob’s Signs, Silveira Buick GMC, Healdsburg Floor Coverings, Raymond James-Loretta Petersen Strong Financial Services, Passalacqua, Mazzoni, Gladden, Lopez & Maraviglia LLP, Robert Young Estate Winery, Camellia Inn, Brandt Insurance, and Fas-Med. Again thank you. This is truly a community event. We look forward to next year.
Vern Losh, Race Director
Healdsburg
Streetlight updates
Editor: I agree completely with Taddi Aguilera (letter 6/16/16). Since the streetlight bulbs on my street were “updated” I can no longer take walks at night due to fear of falling on uneven sidewalks. I have had to purchase a light for the front of my house. It is obvious that the person authorizing this change values monetary savings over safety.
Mary Doll
Healdsburg
Thanks from CASA
Editor: Thank you to all who have supported the CASA program at Healdsburg High School. Our Construction And Sustainability Academy continues to grow. We have ninth through 12th graders learning how to build everything from tiny homes to teardrop trailers, specialty bird houses and many more interesting projects.
Over the several years I have been involved with the program, I have seen several generous donations of equipment and supplies, often as a lasting memorial to someone involved in construction who has passed.
These donations are put to good use helping shape young minds and providing them the independence to repair their own homes, help other neighbors or make a living using their hands and minds.
CASA is not the old woodshop I attended back in the ‘60s. We teach living skills and work habits. Nothing can explain the feeling I get when I see the “lights come on” in the eyes of the students or the smiles they show when they complete a project they intend to give their parents for Christmas, birthday or other special event.
Your donations to our program are very much appreciated. We hope you feel comfortable stopping by sometime to see for yourself what they can do when given the instruction, tools and supplies.
Rob Smith
CASA at Healdsburg High School
Locked out of Wohler
Editor: We took a picnic to Wohler Bridge Park and found it locked with three or four commercial tour vehicles parked neatly in the shade. Having paid for a Sonoma Park pass we called the park and learned that Sonoma taxpayers are not allowed to use the property in summer.
No reason given. In a county that posts “No Parking” signs at every river access not yet a park, this seems a little odd. Why did they refurbish the park if we are not permitted to use it in summer?
David Heventhal
Windsor
Gun violence
Editor: In last week’s horrific Orlando, Florida attack, ISIS-inspired terrorist Omar Mateen used an assault weapon to slaughter most of his 49 innocent victims. The massacre reignites a needed national debate about assault weapons. Recently In France the father of a young man killed in the similarly planned Parisian nightclub slaughter filed a lawsuit aimed at Google, Facebook, and Twitter.
If any changes are ever made here, it’s doubtful the U.S. Congress will make them. Our most heroic president, George Washington warned us about partisan politics; yet the nation seems incapable of learning. In a case in Wisconsin the families of two slain police officers won a $6 million settlement.
This week the Sandy Hook families have filed a suit in Connecticut based on a novel legal theory, “negative entrustment.” If a gun maker, in this case, Remington, manufactures and sells to the public a military grade assault rifle, not only Remington but also the gun dealer or shop owner that dispenses such a gun to a potential mass murderer would be liable for damages.
F.H. Baumgardner
Santa Rosa
Fair thanks
Editor: On behalf of the Healdsburg Future Farmers Country Fair, we would like to take a moment and thank all of the community members that support the fair. This fair is a joint effort among so many.
We would like to give a heartfelt thank you to the city, who had the roads ready for the parade, the Rec Park crew who did all the hard work behind the scenes, the Healdsburg Police Department who kept things orderly, all of the volunteers who help us put on the fair, the directors working year round to improve the fair, the parents who support the exhibitors of  the fair and last, but certainly not least, the buyers who generously support the young people. This fair is a community tradition because of the support and generosity of so many, thank you.
Mike Brookfield, HFFCF President
Healdsburg