Editor’s note: Due to a high volume of letters, we have set aside extra space. However, we were unable to accommodate all the letters we received through Tuesday morning. They will appear next week.
New HHS track and field to open Nov. 5
EDITOR: On behalf of the Healdsburg Unified School District, I want to thank the Healdsburg community for the generous support of our students and schools. It is through this very generosity, that we are able to provide a brand new, state-of-the-art track and synthetic multi-sport field for our schools and community.
We recognize that our school campuses serve dual roles in Healdsburg — as classrooms during the school day and as community parks after school hours. In that spirit, the new track will open for public drop-in use on Monday, Nov. 5.
The new facility will provide for many new uses, including our first home soccer games in over two years and organized recreational use for youth and adult clubs in the community. However, it also comes with some limitations. The new synthetic turf field, while usable year round, can be damaged quite easily by misuse.
Dogs cause obvious health issues on turf, bicycles create ruts in the track and field, gum has to be removed with liquid nitrogen, improper footwear and sugary drinks like Gatorade congeal with the organic cork infill and all will create costly damage.
Thus, we are asking the community to help oversee the proper use of the facility. To that end, I’ve been working with the City of Healdsburg and Healdsburg Running Company to schedule as many community drop-in hours as possible, with some level of oversight.
As a public entity, we must take proper precautions to protect the public’s investment in this facility. My hope is to have mornings from 6 to 7:45 a.m., after school/evening hours under the lights and some weekend hours available for public use. Once completed, a drop-in schedule will be posted on the fence at the HHS track and field.
Finally, in a change of practice, the track and tennis courts at HHS will no longer be available for public use during school hours. This practice, while long standing, is in clear violation of state law and best practices around school safety.
Though we all love the bucolic small town that we live in, the close-knit feel and familiarity we have with each other, we still take precautions and lock our cars and homes at night. Our students and staff deserve the same, if not much greater, measures of safety on their campuses and in their classrooms. And, the track and tennis courts are indeed classrooms during school hours.
Once again, thank you to the Healdsburg community for their generous support of our students. We are very excited to open the new HHS track and field facility and invite you to use it beginning Nov. 5. If you have any questions regarding the new track and field, please feel free to contact me directly at cv***********@hu**.com.
Chris Vanden Heuvel
HUSD Superintendent
Yes or no on P?
EDITOR: After sharing the following thoughts about Measure P with a few residents, some asked if I share them more broadly as they found it very helpful in making a decision.
Why Measure P? Many may know (or may not) the city limits number of new housing permits to 30 per year. This is the growth management ordinance (GMO) passed in 2000. Due to the way this skews market realities, building rental apartments is all but infeasible. As a result Healdsburg has seen no new apartments built since it passed.
What is Measure P? Measure P tries to fix this problem by adding 50 more allocations per year (so 80 instead of 30), but directs them only for rental apartments. It requires that all units be deed restricted for those making 120-160 percent of area median income.
Why the deed restriction? The goal of P is to induce the market to build rental housing that is affordable to the “missing middle” — those making too much to qualify for state defined affordable housing, but too little to afford what the market is providing.
Will it work? May or may not. Trying to finance a project that has no potential to adjust prices due to rising costs or changing markets will be challenging. And unlike state-defined affordable housing, there will be no subsidies available to underwrite for the lower revenue against rapidly increasing construction costs.
Yes or no? Measure P is a well-intentioned attempt to nibble at our intractable housing problem. It is a proactive effort to try something. For this, it should be applauded.
But should it be passed? There are downsides. If it passes we are likely to see several large apartment buildings on the edge of town to take advantage of the allocations, when I believe we should be crafting policies and incentives to encourage smaller, strategically placed infill developments that reduce driving, increase walkability and further the vitality of downtown. While P does not preclude smaller developments, the law of unintended consequences will surely drive projects to that outcome.
However, my biggest concern is the community votes yes and figures we have now solved the housing problem. The only way the affordable housing problem can be relieved (it will not be solved) is to change the GMO.
This is something we tried in 2016, and more importantly something SDAT (the group of experts brought to town by a broad coalition of the community) said loud and clear. Until you fix the GMO, you face a seriously challenged and declining future.
If you vote yes, you may provide a bit of relief in 3-4 years, as it takes so long to plan, approve and build housing. But if you vote no, it will add urgency to the message that the community wants a more enduring solution to our affordability challenge — beginning with fixing the GMO and ending with a focus on fine grained, strategic infill housing solutions.
Jim Heid
Healdsburg
Bullet voting
EDITOR: Normally I write for these pages as a columnist. Today, I write as a regular citizen with an important reminder for Healdsburg residents of voting age. On your ballots Nov. 6 you will see four candidates for school board. The instructions on the ballot are to “vote for no more than two.”
That said, you don’t have to vote for more than one. This strategy, known as bullet voting, is a great way to give your favorite candidate an advantage without allowing his or her opponents to gain ground. It’s a common strategy for voters to adopt when selecting candidates from a crowded field.
It is in no way an abrogation of your civic duty. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Think of a bullet vote like two votes in one: One more vote for your candidate of choice, one less vote for the other folks. May the best candidate win.
Matt Villano
Healdsburg
Letter to the candidate
EDITOR: A letter to Evelyn Mitchell c/o the editor: You once said that the first time we met was when I knocked on your door way back in 2012 while running for the city council. I honestly don’t remember, but the first time I remember meeting you was as the board chair of the Humane Society of Sonoma County.
You were at an event raising funds to rehabilitate and open the Healdsburg shelter. It was a great day when the ribbon was cut and the shelter was finally open to serve the animals and people of Healdsburg. Bravo for a job well done.
When you decided to run for city council, I was thrilled because I know your proven record of community service, your knowledge of finance and I think you are an all-around nice person.
It was a hot day on July 14 when we headed out into the neighborhoods to knock on doors and meet the people of our community.
I can only imagine all the conversations and perspectives that you have experienced over the last three months. Congratulations on personally reaching over 2,000 households. The experience will serve you well as a council member.
Your steadfast dedication to Healdsburg shines through in your service to your community and the way you conduct your campaign. If this is any reflection of the type of council member you will be, I think that many Healdsburg residents will be pleased to have you as their representative.
Shaun McCaffery
Healdsburg
Decisive steps
EDITOR: Talk to your neighbors and you will hear that folks are concerned about livability. They want the needs of residents to be forefront in our leaders’ minds.
I am pleased to see that our city council has heard the call and has acted by setting common sense limits on new hotels and tasting rooms downtown, and that they are looking at how best to tackle this issue of empty vacation homes in our neighborhoods. Bravo to the council for Measure P, which will provide an opening to create the exact kind of housing we need most.
I am voting for council member Leah Gold, as she has demonstrated reliable leadership on all these fronts. I am also voting for Tim Meinken, whose campaign has issued plain-spoken support for the values and policies that put the needs of residents first, and which (according to the city’s spring poll) enjoy widespread support. A reliable presence at city council meetings and a mover for the recent SDAT report, Tim demonstrates in-depth understanding of the workings and complexities of city government. Gold and Meinken are the candidates who have shown that it is informed leadership that can and will keep things moving forward.
What Healdsburg has to offer, to citizens and visitors alike, is the close-knit camaraderie of small town life, the proximity of goods and services provided by businesses that give back, and a welcome contrast to the congestion of big city life. Gold and Meinken are the candidates who have best communicated that they will take decisive steps to support and preserve what we all love about Healdsburg.
Chris Herrod
Healdsburg
Positive addition
EDITOR: I first met Rose McAllister, where I meet all the best people in Healdsburg, while volunteering. As an active parent, Rose was happily giving her time to support her son playing Little League.
As we worked side-by-side we chatted about children, baseball, parenting and Healdsburg. We discussed real challenges facing Healdsburg and the school district. I was impressed with her thoughtful, intelligent and positive outlook on both everyday mom-things and the complexity of school and community issues.
Since that day, I’ve spoken with Rose many times. She is passionate about her family and our community. Rose is qualified. Her former employment with the mayor’s office in San Diego, and with corporate and nonprofit public affairs provides her with a background in working with the public process.
She will be a positive addition to the school board as a voice for the children and their families. She will help to make the changes necessary to keep Healdsburg Unified moving forward, while maintaining all the things we love about Healdsburg — our community. Please join me in voting for Rose.
Cindy (Johnson) Beth
Healdsburg Little League Volunteer
Two educators for HUSD
EDITOR: I just wanted to take a moment to share with you my picks for the Healdsburg Unified School District election: Mike Potmesil and Pia Banerjea.
My architectural practice was heavily involved with public school districts throughout northern California. This experience as well as my time on the Alexander Valley School Board has given me a reasonably good insight into school district issues, opportunities and achievements. Our district has made tremendous advances in the last decade. It deserves our sincere appreciation for this turn around.
Of course, there are issues as the district moves forward. This is why, I recommend two people that have proven experience, deep understanding and sincere dedication to our students and community. Mike Potmesil, a former school and district administrator, and Pia Banerjea, a child/school psychologist have this experience and commitment to work closely with our teachers and school administration to resolve current issues and continue the district’s pursuit of educational excellence for all students.
My votes are for Mike and Pia. I encourage you to vote the same.
Jerry Anderson
Healdsburg
Critical thinking needed
EDITOR: Some reactions to Mark Rudd’s letter of October 18: The first paragraph contains so many alternative facts that correcting them all would take up more space than is reasonable in this forum. The second is too incoherent for a cogent response. The third is apparently, and unbelievably, arguing that any behavior is acceptable if it happens in high school.
Democracy can survive only if citizens are properly informed and are capable of critical thinking. I bear Mr. Rudd no personal animosity, but neither of these desirable qualities is on display in his letter.
C. J. Date
Healdsburg
Support for parks
EDITOR: When I first moved to Sonoma County, several decades ago, my favorite discovery was our wonderful parks. Each weekend they provided an escape into nature from the stress of office work, whether hiking on Hood Mountain or around Spring Lake or out to the coast at Doran.
Not only do our parks provide personal enjoyment and demonstrated health benefits, parks also provide economic benefits to our local businesses from visitors who come for the natural beauty.
In recent years, park usage has dramatically increased, but park funding has lagged. Measure M on November’s ballot would greatly help by providing dedicated funding for city and county parks with a detailed expenditure plan.
Measure M would improve existing park trails, provide new trails, open publicly-owned lands for the first time, and fund needed park maintenance. These benefits, and more, would be provided by a modest one-eighth cent sales tax countywide, adding more than $11 million yearly for our parks. Please vote yes on Measure M.
Bill Smith
Healdsburg
Questions about P
EDITOR: It is clear that the majority of Healdsburg residents are concerned about the lack of affordable housing for those with low incomes in our tourist-related businesses to the “missing middle” comprised of teachers, firefighters, police and city employees.
According to the Healdsburg Sales Tax and Business Mix dated February, 2018, Healdsburg imports 83 percent of its workers from other places. Would many of these workers prefer to live where they work, where their children go to school, and they could participate in the community where they spend so many hours working?
Regarding Measure P, which is intended to substantially increase the number of rental units for the “missing middle,” I have two concerns:
1. What will prevent these multifamily rental units from suffering the same fate that the most recent affordable housing project in Healdsburg is experiencing? I’m referring to the Citrine apartments being built in conjunction with Hotel Trio on Dry Creek Road.
The problem: of the 24 units available for rent for those who earn between $67,000 and $100,500 annually (for a family of four), 20 are still vacant after many months. The rent for a one-bedroom is $2,116 per month and for a two- bedroom it’s $2,356 per month. There is no sliding scale: families who earn $67,000 per year have to pay the same rent as a family who earns $100,500 a year. (families of less than four or more than four have different income limits, which are set forth in the HUD 2018 Income Limits Documentation System for Sonoma County, available online)
What will the rents be for these Measure P apartments intended for families of four with incomes between $101,000 a year and $134,000 a year? Will the rents be too high, as they appear to be for the Citrine apartments? Will there just be one rental amount based on the number of bedrooms so that all of the applicants will have to pay as if they earned $134,000 a year?
2. The full text of Measure P, as set forth in the proposed amendment to Section 17.24.020 of the Healdsburg Municipal Code does not include a deed restriction on the owner of the apartments. If a new owner purchases the rental units, is he/she/it obligated to continue the restrictions on the rent?
Gail Jonas
Healdsburg
Steady hand
EDITOR: I am writing in support of Evelyn Mitchell’s candidacy for Healdsburg City Council. Evelyn is a positive force. She makes decisions that are reasoned and fair. Her love of our community is witnessed by the many hours she devoted to the completion of the Healdsburg Center for Animals. As the president of the shelter board of directors, she used her financial acumen and business sense to direct a difficult project to completion and launch the shelter to a positive financial position.
It is this steady hand that she will bring as a member of our city council. The city council is faced with many complicated financial decisions, decisions that will become more complex as continued demands for services and improvements are made on the city budget. Evelyn has the background necessary to offer sound advice and clearly stated opinions. As citizens of Healdsburg we will all benefit from Evelyn’s knowledge. Please join me in voting for Evelyn Mitchell.
Carla Howell, former
Healdsburg City Councilmember
