Letters to the Editor 2-12-15

2-wheeled training?
Editor: I do not know where the Healdsburg police (or any other police department in California ) receive their special training, but one of the first lessons in riding a motorcycle is to dress to protect yourself for the inevitable accident. This officer is dressed in about the most exposed fashion I could imagine. The only thing worse would be if he had shorts on. $84,615 dollars and this is the training they receive? This grant money should have gone to a program making drivers aware of motorcyclists or to a motorcycle safety program rather than this waste of motorcycle and (non) training. As a motorcycle enthusiast, I would encourage everyone to always be aware of your surroundings in traffic and please, hands off your phones.
Matt Norelli
Healdsburg
Register your pets
Editor: Last Sunday I got annual vaccinations for my two dogs through VIP PetCare vans that station themselves at Garrett’s, as I do every year. But this time, when I went to pay my bill I was told that Animal Control was on the premises and I could register my dogs if needed. I was certain that I was going to be fined for not getting my new dog licensed sooner, even though I called the city and no one returned my call. The officer and I chatted as he processed the paperwork. He said that he was really enjoying working in Healdsburg, that we are such a nice community. I asked him what percentage of dogs he thought were registered currently in Healdsburg versus other cities in Sonoma County. He said we might be at 20 percent compared to 60 to 80 percent in other cities. He said, it will only get better, but currently on paper in the eyes of the state we have a public safety issue. I didn’t need to make copies or fill out any paperwork. Within five minutes and after $30 ($15 for each dog) I was given the licenses.
Tara Smith
Healdsburg
Out of scale
Editor: Thanks for Shonnie Brown’s letter on 29 January (and others, Joanne Busso and Rick Groff) for writing what I’ve been thinkin’ about the out-of-scale monster at the old convenient post office site.
Jack Russell Stone
Healdsburg
Likes the project
Editor: Thank you to Pete and Cathy Seghesio and Healdsburg Meat Market for taking an eyesore and turning it into something we can be proud of in this town. Yes, the post office may have been a gathering spot, but after it burned down, we were left with a giant hole downtown. Personally, I think the building design is very thoughtful and reflects the historical attributes that make our town so quaint. I appreciate the commitment and investment that Healdsburg Meat Company has made to that end of town which will draw folks up north of the plaza. There’s no denying that Healdsburg is a destination for tourists and the new restaurant as reconfigured will no doubt showcase the special bounties of our area. The restaurant will add to the great variety and quality of eateries already in our town. Yet, there will also be a butcher shop, a place where locals truly can gather and purchase quality meats from our surrounding farms. I’d say it’s the best of both worlds.
Maria Wilson
Healdsburg
Don’t pander to affluent
Editor: I believe Healdsburg should have sensible growth policies that are good for both locals and visitors, but put locals first. I’m alarmed by what I hear about the Healdsburg Meat Company’s expanding plans for the site of the old post office ($200-a-head meals, expansions approved in closed-door meetings). To help us ensure the project doesn’t run roughshod over residents’ interests, the impact of the Healdsburg Meat Company’s plans must be vetted in public, transparent forums. I don’t want to see our town lose its charming character in the race to pander to the whims of the affluent. After all, the recent craze for hand-slaughtered cow may soon shift to artisanal tofu. Here’s hoping…
Maria Behan
Healdsburg
Architect responds
Editor: As architect for the new building at the old post office site, I wanted to respond to a few of the assertions in last week’s commentary about the project. It suggested the change in tenants from the meat market to a restaurant for the “1 percent” was done in a secretive manner without public input and stated the project was at least 12 parking spaces short. First, the Healdsburg Meat Co. will still be in the building with its retail butcher shop and cured meat sales. What has changed is that production will move off site for more efficiency and production capacity. As far as a ‘secretive’ process for the new restaurant; tenants come and go all the time without public input. While tasting rooms require use permits and new buildings require design review with public hearings (our project was subject to both) most businesses simply require a business license. In the past year, there have been over a dozen new businesses downtown without any public hearings, including a pie shop, a running store, linen rental, half a dozen new restaurants and galleries, to name a few. No conspiracy or back room deals here, just standard practice. Regarding the new restaurant, I am a bit perplexed by the vitriol I read about destination restaurants. People spend their money at all sorts of events such as the opera, theater, a 49er or Warriors game. An evening at a destination restaurant is an event. Why the judgment about how others spend their time and money? While I might not be a regular at a more expensive restaurant, I will appreciate it when a special occasion rolls around. Last time I checked, there is no shortage of taquerias, diners, delis, pizza joints and fast food for those looking for inexpensive fare. The fact that a chef who has helped develop several of the top restaurants in the world and his wife/partner, who is a master gardener, would choose our town for their new farm to table venture speaks highly of Healdsburg’s position as a center of the sustainable small farmer food movement. Their enterprise will further enhance that status. I am glad that Healdsburg is becoming as well known for our locally sourced restaurants as we are for our wines. Regarding parking, I don’t have the room to fully respond but suffice to say the author seemed to overlook the fact that new uses were not added on top of the original uses, but replaced them.
Alan B. Cohen
Healdsburg
Locals out in the cold
Editor: I was born and raised in Healdsburg and it’s heart breaking to see what’s happening to our town. How much do the chamber, the planning board and city council expect the locals of Healdsburg to take? It appears most of their focus is centered on tourism rather than on us locals who live and pay taxes here. I’m certain many others feel the same way as I do. I realize tourism has put Healdsburg on the map, however, at what cost? Locals can’t find parking, reasonable restaurants, but especially affordable housing. Is this the price we pay so that more tourists can visit Healdsburg? It’s about time the locals of this town start speaking up. Our voice needs to be heard, let’s not let the few politicians make the decisions for the majority of the tax payers of this town. I encourage everyone to attend the city council meetings as well as write letters if you’re unhappy in the direction Healdsburg is headed.
Ken Buchignani
Healdsburg
Meat Co. owner responds
Editor: Dear residents, the following is an exert from a letter that was sent to the city council last week (Feb. 5, 2015). Just to be crystal clear, the Healdsburg Meat Company is still opening at the North and Center Street location as a butcher shop with its USDA locally made salumi, locally raised beef, specialty cuts, fresh Sonoma County appellation burger, hot dogs, marinated and smoked meats. The difference is that the USDA production will take place off-site at a larger facility here in Healdsburg. We look forward to HMC being a gathering spot where folks can enjoy a glass of wine and Healdsburg made products to taste.
Dear Council Members: In regards to the letter titled “How Healdsburg Lost Control of the Meat Market Project,” I wanted to address the underlying business reasons changes were made to our plans. Please read. PCS Family LLC is the owner of the building. Healdsburg Meat Company was a planned tenant of the building and HMC is still to be a tenant, although in a different configuration and location in the building. As PCS and HMC got deeper into construction it became clear that we had not allocated enough room for USDA production. The Rancho closure brought further scrutiny on the local meat industry by USDA and heightened HMC’s concerns about meat safety and the importance of keeping raw and cooked product in separate parts of a facility. HMC came to believe that future USDA policy will mandate this separation, and the Center Street facility was not designed for this. A USDA license requires that all production under one license be located in the same building. HMC looked at getting around this by the addition of outbuilding (off-site) to handle the cooked and smoked product separately but USDA will not preapprove plans in advance, let alone another license in advance. HMC became very concerned and uncertain that USDA approval could be obtained at the Center Street location for the types and amount of actual production capacity needed to make HMC work and be profitable. With this uncertainty, the economics and risks became unacceptable. These conclusions were reached in the summer of 2014 and led HMC to the path of exploring a production plant off-site that had an acceptable probability of obtaining approval by USDA, to have more scalable output of product and to be able to have the highest standards across the board for quality control of both cooked, smoked and raw product. HMC has identified a suitable site for the larger facility here in Healdsburg. With an off-site production area of +/-3800 square feet, the larger facility will allow for scalable production of 3,200 pounds per day with separate rooms for raw, cooked and smoked product. HMC now expects to employ 8-12 in the off-site production facility vs. two employees at the Center Street production room. So, overall, the change will increase the number of local jobs created by HMC, plus additional jobs at Center Street with the new tenant. In regards to the hotel room change, it appeared that there was a lot of empty office space for rent and not enough hotel rooms, so over time PCS sought approval of the five hotel rooms as currently described in the Development Agreement. I am happy to talk to you, or anyone for that matter, about any questions regarding the building and/or its tenants.
Pete Seghesio
Healdsburg