Letters to the Editor 2-28-13

Crab feed success
Editor: The Rotary Club of Sebastopol held its 11th annual Crab Feed earlier this month to a sellout crowd of 550 hungry crab lovers at Holy Ghost Hall in Sebastopol.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the community for its support of this fun event, which benefits the students of West County schools through the club’s Teacher Mini-Grant Program. In this day and age of budget cuts, many teachers reach into their own pockets to fund projects, buy supplies, or conduct field trips that would otherwise go unfunded. To help alleviate this, teachers can apply for a grant of up to $400 to help offset these costs through the Rotary club’s program. The final figures aren’t in yet, but it’s estimated that this year’s feed netted $21,000. This brings the total to over $186,000 since the program’s inception in 2003.
We could not do this without the many individuals and organizations that contribute their time, effort and financial support to this event. Again, the Rotary Club of Sebastopol applauds you and sends you our heartfelt thanks.
Rick Wilson
Crab Feed Chair
Rotary Club of Sebastopol
Maintenance issues
Editor: The Sebastopol City Council will be considering a proposed Sewer Lateral Ordinance at their March 5 meeting. Under the current Sebastopol Municipal Code, the City is responsible for the maintenance of sewer laterals (the sewer pipe that connects the building to the sewer main) located within the public right-of-way (under the public sidewalks and street). This proposed ordinance states that the City will only be responsible for maintenance of the sewer main, and individual private property owners will be responsible for the maintenance and repair of their sewer laterals all the way to the sewer main. Therefore, the responsibility for maintenance of the portion of the sewer laterals located in the public right-of-way will be shifted from the City to the property owners.
Last year, the City Council voted to significantly raise sewer and water rates in Sebastopol. One of the stated reasons for increasing the rates was to establish a capital improvement fund to pay for replacement of aging infrastructure, including sewer systems. Under this proposed ordinance, as the City performs sewer main replacement work, it will require the individual private property owners to pay for the replacement of the sewer laterals, as necessary, within the public right-of-way.
I believe that the City should be responsible for infrastructure within the public domain. When a sewer main is replaced in Santa Rosa, that City typically replaces all sewer laterals to the curb on each side. This makes sense, and should be what happens in Sebastopol.
Other concerns regarding this proposed sewer lateral ordinance include various actions that will trigger mandatory testing of a sewer lateral, such as the sale of a property. The proposed ordinance can be downloaded from the City’s website, and I encourage concerned citizens to attend the City Council meeting on March 5.
Colin Doyle
Sebastopol
Irresponsible move
Editor: I have been a resident of Sebastopol for over 40 years. I have experienced several stages of the City Council. I can not put into words how disappointed I am in the most recent decision by the Council regarding criminalizing the installation of SmartMeters.
I was looking forward to being able to monitor my electric usage to help reduce my electric usage.
The resources of our police department are already stretched. Sending police officers out to cite or arrest PG&E meter installers is insane and irresponsible.
Robert Smith
Sebastopol
Go electric
Editor: A note of appreciation to the City of Sebastopol for recently installing three electric charging stations in the City. Establishing charging stations is an important step in helping to create a network of “fueling” opportunities around the County and Bay Area that will help encourage more drivers to make the switch to electric.
I have already had several opportunities to use the stations in Sebastopol while at the movies, the farmers market, visiting friends, and attending Rotary. Besides being a convenient, (and for now, free) way to charge my car, I have the added opportunity to walk a bit more, instead of parking closer to my destinations.
I am excited that as all-electric technology becomes more affordable and vehicles have an increased range, Sebastopol will be ahead of the game in making it easy for folks to jump on the electric bandwagon.
Thanks for your foresight and commitment to green technology.
Pam Davis
West Santa Rosa
Clean power
Editor: I appreciate that you mentioned climate change twice in your recent commentary, “What’s most important?” (Feb. 21).
In a similar vein, journalist Ross Gelbspan nailed its importance: “Climate change is not just another issue in this complicated world of proliferating issues. It is the issue that, unchecked, will swamp all other issues.”
In the next few months local elected leaders will vote on Sonoma Clean Power, the biggest collective step a community can take to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Sonoma Clean Power has the added advantage of helping boost the local economy if done right. The Climate Protection Campaign has been cultivating the field for this big step since 2005.
We encourage our elected leaders to vote “yes” for Sonoma Clean Power.
Ann Hancock
Graton
Barlow faux pas
Editor: I would like to thank Dr. Michael Waldo, owner of Animal Kingdom, for maintaining his property, now engulfed and dwarfed by the Barlow. The doctor’s structure is designated as an Historical Landmark for Sebastopol. I understand the developers of the Barlow offered to move his building to another site. He refused. Bravo! The juxtaposition of his unique and charming office to the Barlow build-out, sharply calls attention to the gracefulness of the former and the utter ugliness of the latter.
The Barlow resembles a huge industrial Amazon.com warehouse somewhere in the desert outside of Phoenix. This metallic monstrosity, designed, I assume, by people who have appallingly bad aesthetic senses, now dominates the much discussed “entryway” to the West County. The Barlow is simply a blight, a disaster … a stew of SF Ferry Building, Napa Marketplace and cute, boutique malls. In short, a nightmare in concept, design and execution. It’s a disgrace.
What were the Planning Commission, Design Review Board and City Council thinking when they approved this “thing”?
Obviously, they weren’t.
Ed LaFrance
Sebastopol
KGGV and the church
Editor: I appreciate the fairness and balance in Frank Robertson’s story about the shake-up at KGGV Radio Station in Guerneville. And it is true that tax law prohibits the station, which receives its nonprofit status through the Guerneville Community Church, from opening its own bank account.
However, the station volunteers were unaware of this legality, having received no direction from the church when they decided to move their money from a commercial bank with heavy fees to a credit union with lower fees and community ownership.
Even so, the problem could have been resolved simply by folding the station bank account back into the church account. There was no legal requirement for the church to take over the management of the station. While the church holds the KGGV license, the Federal Communications Commission does not oblige the church to run the station, only to make sure that it follows FCC regulations.
Lois Pearlman
Guerneville