Letters to the Editor 2-5-15

An appropriate response
Editor: There has been a recent spate of negative letters regarding a proposed new, high-end eating establishment in Healdsburg. Certainly, it is appropriate to pair high-end wines with high-end culinary delights, and Healdsburg is well-known for its high-end wines. At the same time, Healdsburg has achieved significant diversity in local eating establishments and diversity is recognized as a strong attribute in today’s well balanced life. In my opinion, having a new high-end eating establishment in Healdsburg will not materially impact this diversity or the balance within. The citizens of Healdsburg should be pleased and proud that a quality restaurateur and chef would choose Healdsburg for their new dining establishment. I am pleased to extend my hand to this new endeavor, wish them the very best and welcome them to the greater Healdsburg community. I am sure that I am not alone in these feelings.
Vernon Simmons
Healdsburg
Sewer charge concerns
Editor: I am concerned about the current way the sewer charges are being calculated. Last year when my sewer bill went up 30 percent, I did not do anything about it, but should have. It appears that the drought is not ending this year so the sewer fees will once again be calculated based on winter usage. This method of determining the fees worked well in non-drought years, but does not work well in drought years. Last year, my internal water usage did not change significantly, but my sewer bill went up 30 percent. I fail to understand how moving the four months from December through March to January through April is going to make it any better. It might make it worse as, if we have no significant rain, we will be watering more by April. I just ran my irrigation cycle for the first time this year. If we do not get much rain, I will need to run it every two weeks or so. I do not have a lawn, and have planted many drought tolerant plants to save water and do not want to lose my investment. There must be a better way to determine the sewer charges in drought years. Maybe going back to the last non-drought year as the basis for the calculation would be better. I am sure this huge increase in the sewer rates makes the City people happy, but it is unfair to our citizens. Please figure a more equitable way to calculate the sewer charges.
Liz Loebel
Healdsburg
Change is not so bad
Editor: Every once in a while there seems to be a letter complaining about what Healdsburg has become. Now, I’ve only lived here since the ‘60s … but I’m wondering what people actually want downtown? Or want to change? People complain about the number of tasting rooms; when I was a wee lad, there were 10 bars around the Plaza. (Since we only lived a few blocks away, we used to sneak down and watch all the motorcycle gangs on the weekend “set up shop.”) Garrett Hardware and the local auto parts store used to reside on the Plaza … and moved because of the parking situation and the need for larger spaces. Shopping? I knew the manager of J.C. Penney; the store went out of business because it didn’t make enough money. Ben Franklin closed down because its customers went elsewhere. There were a few hotels and a couple of cafes located around the Plaza, but Healdsburg still has great cafes and the hotels, well, I’ll let your imaginations create what the hotels looked like when they were finally torn down. Perhaps we’re not the town we used to be, but our buildings have been restored, there are more shopping possibilities than ever before, there are restaurants for every budget, and most of the tourists, if one takes the time to stop and talk to them, are pleasant. After all, they visit because they enjoy what Healdsburg has become, and whether you want to admit it or not, you are part of Healdsburg.
Brent Mortensen
Healdsburg
Had enough
Editor: I read this week’s letters to the editor with particular interest. I agree completely with Shonnie Brown and others that the announcement of a new use for the former post office building as a tourist restaurant instead of the original approved specialty meat market has the distinct smell of baloney. Would they have had such an easy time in the approval process if it was divulged in the planning stage that such a prominent corner of town would be the exclusive domain of $200 per plate tourists? I doubt it. It seems just more evidence that the small town character that appealed to so many of us residents is slowly being lost. This hopefully will be the long overdue call to action for those of us that believe that 20-plus wine tasting rooms and increasing numbers of overpriced stores and restaurants is enough.
Steve Ineich
Healdsburg
Character and impact
Editor: The commentary letters last week re the new very high end restaurant and hotel rooms in the new Seghesio building, announced and described in the Tribune, are but a small public indication of what this one local is hearing more privately. It reminds me a lot of all the former fuss and fury over when the Healdsburg Hotel opened, the gossip over the Cyrus 3-star restaurant, and more recently the opening of Shed. But for Cyrus, each of these new buildings themselves, with many planning approval issues involved in their respective design and ultimate city approvals, have had an impact on our downtown character and how well or badly downtown works and will work in the future. Regarding character and impact, it is my personal opinion that the overall mass of the Seghesio Building should not have been allowed to be placed on the east side of Center Street; a proposed building of its height and mass should have been approved for location only in the corridor between Healdsburg Avenue and the west side of Center Street, thus minimizing its negative mass affect on the residential neighborhoods east of Center Street. Another significant city planning approval issue of all these buildings involves necessary and adequate parking for their respective uses. In my opinion, each provides inadequate parking and hopefully our planning staff and commissioners, with the current independent parking studies being discussed and analyzed, will be able to be much more disciplined in their approvals of future new developments and their required on-site parking. Perhaps current downtown zoning regulations regarding on-site parking need to be changed?
Bill Andersen
Healdsburg
Step back, take a breath
Editor: We appreciate Pete Seghesio’s letter to the editor in which he dispelled the rumors floating around town about his family’s building: “They’re selling the building:” “There won’t be a market” and others – all now put to rest. We have heard the criticism and comments about the building itself: too tall, too nostalgic, too this, too that. And now, there are negative comments about the proposed restaurant. Constructive criticism is part of a community dialogue. We are a diverse town, and a fan of mid-20th Century modernism may not like the Seghesio Building. And many of us may not dine at the new restaurant. But isn’t there a point at which we should acknowledge the financial investment and commitment that the Seghesios have made to Healdsburg? And not just them, but others as well. As we say goodbye to Zin and Charcuterie, we look forward to Dusty Vallette’s venture and Ralph Tingle’s roadhouse. Isn’t it time we all stepped back, took a deep breath, and said “Thank you” to the Seghesios and all these folks who are willing to invest their time, resources and futures in Healdsburg?
Gary and Lois Passarino
Healdsburg