Habitat at risk
EDITOR: As longtime residents in a rural community west of Healdsburg, we want to add another perspective to last week’s article in which Supervisor Gore compares creating rules for legal marijuana cultivation to the messy process of making sausage.
Although the article characterizes this controversy as a two-sided debate, we and the great majority of our neighbors aren’t opposed to marijuana cultivation. However, we are deeply disturbed by the inappropriateness of two pending cultivation facilities in our environmentally sensitive watershed.
The properties in question have long been designated as “water-scarce,” and 2014 zoning regulations declare them to be “Biotic Habitat,” intended to “maintain the natural vegetation, support native plant and animal species, protect water quality and air quality.”
If those applications (one by a Limited Liability Corporation from Sacramento, and the other by absentee owners who live outside of Sonoma County) are approved, the damage to our watershed in terms of water depletion and habitat degradation would be profound, and threats of violence and other security risks associated with an expensive, easily transportable crop for which there is a hungry black market would be severe. While marijuana may be a plant, these proposed grows are not agricultural but industrial in nature.
We hope that Supervisor Gore understands that in sausage-making, it’s only the pig that makes a sacrifice, but these industrial marijuana grows will sacrifice a great many aspects of the lives of the residents in our close-knit community, as well as the habitat and land we hold so dear.
Jean Hegland; Douglas Fisher; Joan Conway; Horace Criswell; Peter Pistochini; Brian Griffiths; Leslie Orlando; Laura Anderson; Toney and Nancy Prussiamerritt; Cecile Isaacs; Norm Schneider; Gary and Cynthia Anderson
Healdsburg
Concerns about bond
EDITOR: Like many property owners in Alexander Valley, I was surprised to learn in April that our school district, Alexander Valley, has placed a $6 million bond on the June 5 ballot which will annually cost Alexander Valley property owners $28.25 per $100,000 of assessed property value for 25-30 years.
Details on the use of the bond are very sketchy. A flyer that was mailed to many Alexander Valley residents references specific types of projects but does not outline the specifics of what the money will be used for. As I write this letter, the community has still seen no specific plans or proposals on how the $6 million will be spent, even though the political mailer from the school references a district prepared school facilities analysis with input received from an architect.
Additionally, there has been no outreach to the property owners who will be taxed over the next 25-30 years. The school had the opportunity to bring this matter to the attention of the Alexander Valley community at the annual Alexander Valley Association meeting on February 10.
Instead, on February 12, Alexander Valley School’s board voted to place the $6 million bond on the June 5 ballot. Alexander Valley School parents were notified the next day, despite that almost half of them do not live in the school district. The earliest that anyone residing in Alexander Valley was notified was almost two months later on April 8 at a community meeting.
To clarify, there are approximately 500 property parcels in the Alexander Valley School district, which is a tiny school district. So, if there was any interest in full transparency, it would not have been difficult to ensure community outreach and support.
My family has lived in Alexander Valley for over 20 years, our daughter attended Alexander Valley School, and my husband was on the PTA, which we continue to support. We believe in the school; however, I am distressed that the Alexander Valley School board views our community simply as a source of funds for them to do what they want without the community’s input.
Edith Wilson
Healdsburg
May is membership month
EDITOR: Why has the Healdsburg Museum and the City of Healdsburg proclaimed May as membership month for the museum? Because the museum belongs to the community and needs its support.
The museum is here to protect and preserve local and regional history. It is not just a warehouse for artifacts, documents, and ephemera. It interprets its mission as “Connecting Past & Present.” This is done through exhibitions, yes, but more importantly by community service.
The research facility has a wealth of information for genealogy, property and tax records. The archive of over 21,000 photographs is now accessible through the museum’s website. All local area newspapers since their inception have been digitized and are now available through the California Digital Newspaper Collection.
Museum volunteers have brought history to the elementary school classrooms and offered engaging field trips to the Museum. This week the winners of the annual Family History Essay contest for students in grades 2-8 will be ceremoniously honored (almost 100 essays were received this year).
The museum’s Historic Preservation Awards have recognized the efforts of dozens of property owners who have preserved and restored the structures that make Healdsburg unique. Much has been written about the museum’s leadership in the restoration of the historic section of Oak Mound Cemetery.
There is a misperception that the museum literally belongs to Healdsburg taxpayers and is therefore supported through tax dollars. It is true that the landmark former Carnegie Library, home of the museum, is owned by the City of Healdsburg and provided virtually rent free to the museum. However, the building was restored largely by private funds.
Today the collection is owned and maintained by the nonprofit Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society and HM&HS must fund all the community services and the operation of the museum.
Members are easily kept informed about what’s happening at the museum. They take advantage of what the museum has to offer. They are the best ambassadors for recruiting new members. Enthusiastic members also become the volunteers who keep things running.
Membership dues are an important source of revenue. While there are several advantages to membership commensurate with the levels of contribution, we would be happy if everyone in the community became a member at even the most basic $35 level. Please click the “join” button on our website, https://www.healdsburgmuseum.org/.
Ronnie Devitt, President
Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society
