Letters to the Editor 3-26-15

Inane statute
Editor: I’m a tree-hugger and I think that old tree is cool, but the city of Healdsburg’s policy concerning that tree is lamebrained.  (Almost as lamebrained as whatever policy allowed the hulking Fort Knox Meat Company building to be built last year). If the city requires that the tree on Fitch Street (literally “on” Fitch Street) be left standing, the city should be responsible for all damages and liable for all injuries the tree causes. To require the property owners who live near it to pay for constant sidewalk and property repair is ludicrous. To require that they be liable if someone gets hurt or killed by pushed-up sidewalks or falling 100-year-old tree limbs is asinine. Why they should be responsible for a tree growing in the roadway is beyond any fair interpretation of citizens’ responsibility for sidewalk trees. It’s obvious with the fat file the city keeps on that tree, that the Cunningham family has been told for 30 years that they have no rights and must weather the problems the tree causes. It’s high time for the tree to come down and the inane statute penalizing an adjacent property owner be changed. It’s time that these citizens get listened to and be allowed to not be fearful every time the wind blows or the tree roots grow. It would even be nice if the city reimbursed the Cunninghams for every dollar they have been forced to spend over the years to maintain the city’s property (as well as their own property).
Tom Kearney
Healdsburg
Tree is an asset
Editor: It is very commendable that the city of Healdsburg has a heritage tree protection ordinance. However, in order for it to have impact it should be enforced vigorously with exceptions granted only in the most dire circumstances. Any exemption to the rule should only be granted under extreme, unusual conditions. Granting exemptions will set a precedent, encouraging further cutting resulting in losing irreplaceable trees and a meaningless ordinance. This applies to the tree that has been targeted for elimination at 325 Fitch St. Trees the age of this one are not particularly dangerous and do not tend to lose their branches or fall, there are eight almost this size in my yard and nothing but twigs or small branches come off. Instead of cutting the tree down, take the advice of the city arborist and do any required maintenance necessary for the safety of the homeowners and passersby. This tree is an asset to the city and adds to the beauty of the downtown. If liability is the issue and the tree is mostly on city property, then the city should assume a large share of the responsibility for the tree.
John W. Cruz, Forest Unlimited Logging Review Program Manager
Sebastopol
Seeking balance
Editor: Thank you to Ray Holley (Main Street Feb. 19) for so eloquently addressing the problems of our industry growing pains as illustrated with this out of control drinking in our town square. We’ve worked so hard for decades to bring notoriety to wine as an artisan endeavor. Yes, we did want to make wine more approachable, and that is indeed being done extremely well by this next generation of wine marketers, so now to find the balance!
Marie Gewirtz
Healdsburg
Replace flax
Editor: Oh, our beautiful town of Healdsburg. Why do people flock here? Charm. Except for one overlook … the plant Phormium tenax, New Zealand Flax. They are scattered around the sidewalks and plaza downtown. Please, can we have someone replace them with shrub olives or iceberg roses? Low maintenance and charm. The flax plant can cause injuries to children in their eyes. They need much more room to grow than on the sidewalk
Myra Hoefer
Healdsburg
Value of hospital?
Editor: According to the census bureau, the percentage of home ownership is 60.1 percent. This means that potentially 40 percent of the people voting to raise your property tax are not affected. This seems to me to be un-American. When the last Healdsburg District Hospital tax assessment was proposed, I alerted the people of Windsor that Sutter was coming to their back door. I think every small town deserves to have a hospital but economic realities on the tremendous cost of operating one makes it impractical. If the residents of Healdsburg want to support HDH with the casino and the wealthy vintners, more power to them, but exclude me. Please support the movement to remove Windsor from the Healdsburg hospital district.
Jim McAleer
Windsor
Kudos to Atkinson
Editor: I would like to give a shout-out to Rollie Atkinson, the publisher of the Healdsburg Tribune, for his editorial comments (“Inconvenient Sunshine,” 3/19/2015). Rollie, from a neutral perspective, politely barked “Sad to say, there has never been more ignorance among the citizens of our republic than there exists today.” After recovering from an instant head shake and blinking eyes, my first thought  was “Holy Cowabunga, Buffalo Bob,” am I really in Sonoma County? Here is a Sonoma County newspaper publisher sincerely speaking about liberty, freedom, the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution. Mr. Atkinson, to my delight, further quoted James Madison (WHO) the chief author of the Bill of Rights (WHAT) “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with power which knowledge gives.” Mr. Atkinson’s perspective from the catbird’s seat presents an extremely provocative and important question. Are we citizens ignorant of our government? I agree with Rollie, except he graciously tempered his choice of words. I would say the situation is not only sad but tragic, pathetic with potentially terrifying consequences. Do you agree with Rollie? What do you think? Amen.
Kevin J. McCann
Healdsburg
City saving lives
Editor: Healdsburg’s City Council voted in December to raise the age that people can buy tobacco in Healdsburg to 21, and this law will begin in July. Now there is data that estimates how many lives action like this would save. A very recent report from the Institute of Medicine estimated that if the minimum age to buy all tobacco products was raised now, nationwide, to 21, that: “There would be 223,000 fewer premature deaths, 50,000 fewer deaths from lung cancer, and 4.2 million fewer years of life lost for those born between 2000 and 2019.” The report also adds this very moving statement: “Adverse maternal, fetal, and infant outcomes – including preterm births, low birth weight, and sudden infant death – will also probably decrease due to reduced tobacco exposure in mothers and infants.” As other communities read this report, I hope there will soon be a nationwide movement to raise the purchase age to 21.  Thank you Healdsburg for being the first in the state!
David Anderson, MD
Healdsburg
Questions improvements
Editor: This is a response to a letter by Holly Hoods, et al, in last week’s paper about a major overhaul of the old cemetery on the hill. It is unfortunate that the public was not notified earlier, giving the citizens of Healdsburg sufficient time to respond to this decision. The first stage of the work started on Monday. However, it may not be complete when this letter is received, and the second stage will still be pending. Last week, I and several friends took a walk in the old cemetery. It is, and has been, one of my favorite places in Healdsburg. The hill, with its stunning vegetation interwoven with the old  grave stones, invites relaxation and contemplation. Best of all, I can visit any season; even during the hottest days of summer the tree canopy provides cool shade. I can’t imagine any better resting place for the departed and the living than this magical place on the hill. Now we have a crew of vineyard workers tidying up the place … Substantial equipment is being  used. I shudder to think what this hidden treasure will look like after 400 working hours of “improvement.” Our primary concern is wildlife. It is spring. This is the season our animal friends build nests and need other quiet, safe spaces to give birth to and bring up their young. This is not the time to bring in workers and the noise of big machinery, let alone equipment which will at least disrupt, and most likely be destructive to, the needs of animals. Let us remember, there is beauty in decay as it provides new life in the form of food, nesting and hiding places. What could be better, for those who permanently rest here, and for those who visit, than for this place to remain an earthly heaven, where the birds still sing? I am joined in signing this letter by several friends who share my concerns. We all very much hope those who promote the project, and a competent, caring arborist, take our concerns into consideration.
Heidi Marino, Maureen Mousley, Robert Nuese, Christina Yoder, Gerard Ange
Healdsburg