Priorities out of whack
EDITOR: The recent approval of special funds to address the Dry Creek congestion is welcome news for most of our long suffering residents. It does serve as a reminder though, that lack of funds is often not the problem.
Instead, priorities are often made by listening to the loudest voices at city hall. This often times leaves greater needs ignored while sexier projects are approved. A current example of these misplaced priorities is the horrible condition of Healdsburg Avenue north of March all the way to the county line. Why are we finding money to reconfigure perfectly good sidewalks downtown complete with sidewalk furniture when thousands of residents have to endure a bone jarring ride home every night on streets long overdue for resurfacing?
Are we just not hollering loud enough or are our priorities that far out of whack? I would sure like to hear an answer from someone at public works before I blow a tire out.
Steve Ineich
Healdsburg
Thanks for generosity
EDITOR: Hello, dear friends. We are beyond thrilled to announce that we reached our goal of raising $200,000 for the down payment on our Cloverdale homes.
In addition, the following drives were done for Reach for Home:
Healdsburg Bar and Grill donated Thanksgiving meals for our homeless clients and for those living in our housing programs. Their team, along with wonderful volunteers, cooked, packaged, and delivered the meals. Our clients were so thankful to all of you for providing a delicious and warm meal.
The fourth grade class at The Healdsburg School had a Christmas tree at Oakville Grocery with ornaments filled with wishes of the homeless clients in our town. Some of the wishes included new bikes for two women, a beautiful pair of brand new Wolverine boots, a camera and head lamps. Every gift request that was placed on the tree was filled. Look for an upcoming article in The Tribune.
Social Advocates for Youth (SAY), St. Paul’s Church, Healdsburg Community Church, Rotary InterAct Club at Healdsburg High School, Rotary Sunrise and friends of Umpqua Bank employee Nancy Palumbo partnered with us to provide holiday gifts for all the families in our housing programs. Every person in our programs received gifts and felt the love.
Healdsburg Elementary School’s Kindergarten and third grade classes partnered to fill birthday baskets for every child in our family housing programs and delivered them to our office. Every child will have a special celebration in 2018 thanks to the generosity of our children.
We hope you noticed an article in The Tribune last week about our first successful Code Blue of the season, as the weather is continuing to stay below freezing in the winter. We are grateful to have Rick Cafferata managing those events on our behalf and to St. Paul’s Church and the City of Healdsburg for helping to make this possible.
Thank you very much for contributing all your time, energy and hard earned dollars helping Reach For home providing support and shelter to the homeless and those in need. We cannot wait to see what 2018 has in store for us.
Reach for Home is a Healdsburg-based nonprofit organization that works to end homelessness in north Sonoma County.
With love, the Reach for Home Team
Consultant-happy?
EDITOR: The city actually spent money on a consultant for the Dry Creek Road/Highway 101 exit ramp problems? I sure hope that the bill came to just a few dollars. I can certainly understand spending money on some issue, but this one is ridiculous. I completely agree with the recommended solution. However, I’d have been happy to tell the city fathers the same thing without any compensation. And I know many other Healdsburgers who would have done the same. Are our coffers so full that we can spend on things that have obvious solutions?
The last time (that I know of) that we spent frivolously on consultants was when we hired a consulting firm to make recommendations about Memorial Bridge. They came up with something like 15 or more potential solutions, when the one obvious one was the one chosen in the end. How much extra did that cost?
For the most part, our council does a good job. But it looks to me like they’re sometimes consultant-happy.
Al Loebel
Healdsburg
Resolutions
EDITOR: Lots of us in north Sonoma County are starting to think about our 2018 New Year’s resolutions, including how to lead a healthier, pain free life next year.
Brushing your teeth more often might qualify for the list. As a dentist, I know that manual tooth brushing twice a day is recommended. An electric tooth brush might be more interesting and do a better job, but is it in your budget?
Visiting your dentist for a cleaning and exam, especially if it has been six months or more since your last cleaning and exam appointment, is always a great way to avoid future tooth pain and to have a nice smile.
I hope all your New Year’s resolutions make your 2018 a great year.
Dr. Ian van Zyl
Healdsburg
Tasting rooms moratorium
EDITOR: Kudos to the Sonoma City Council for taking Healdsburg’s lead and pulling the plug on more tasting rooms around their plaza, in light of the current 26 existing establishments with five more approved. Besides insuring more retail diversity around the Sonoma square, the moratorium is also smart business.
As the founder of the Silicon Valley Bank Wine Division, Rob McMillan warned the Sonoma County wine industry: “The greatest obstacle to tasting room profitability is more and more competition from more and more tasting rooms.”
We must all protect and support existing wine and hospitality businesses, especially since the downturn caused by the recent fires. To continue to build and develop more competition will only hurt those who have already invested in our community. It’s just bad business.
Padi Selwyn, co-founder
Neighbors to Preserve Rural Sonoma County
Sebastopol
