Letters to the Editor 4-2-15

Unique and special
Editor: The Windsor Town Council seems to be willing to trade a unique and beautiful wine country town for a Los Angeles suburb. It will be irrevocable once it is accomplished.
In the 1970s, Napa had a similar short sighted council who let a developer tear down the beautiful old downtown and replace it with a mall and parking structures. Napa never became the wine country destination it could have been.
Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga town leadership, on the other hand, appreciated what they had and determined to preserve it. They restricted growth, allowed inns and B&Bs to be built and the wine country itself provided the attraction for tourists. They come, spend money and leave with no impact on the infrastructure. They leave after spending their vacation money on restaurants, hotels and shopping. The cities benefit immensely.
The proposed building of 750 units mostly apartments and mostly rentals will forever resign Windsor to being a “Napa.”  Renters do not have an investment in their community. The amount they will spend on a daily living will be dwarfed by the utilities, police, fire, water and sewer services they will consume. They will not be strolling on the Town Green looking for places to spend their money. They will more than likely be shopping at Lowes, Costco and Walmart. If the developer says “my way or the highway,” I hope he takes the highway.
Is it possible three council members can be responsible for this decision? If this happens we are all going to have to live with results that impact the value of our properties, the increases in our utilities and property taxes as well as the loss of our historic old oak trees.
Gone is our beautiful town!
Can three short-sighted people forever change the future of Windsor?
It is possible.
Conversely, we have an exceptional opportunity, at this time, to secure the “vision” of a Windsor that is unique and special.
Judith Merchant Nied
Windsor
Overzealous
Editor: I was surprised about the one-sided view of religion expressed by your editorial in the March 26 issue (“At Easter: Our sacred life”) that expressed that Christianity is the only way to believe.
I find that rather bigoted and not respectful of your readers who are not Christian.
I enjoy the inclusive views of the column by Bob Jones, an actual Christian minister. I have my own faith. I urge you to show more respect for it.
Linda Robinett
Sebastopol
Bold and timely
Editor: I appreciated Rollie Atkinson’s editorial on the sacredness of life very much (“At Easter: Our sacred life”). It was bold and timely.
Humanity has a moral problem that separates us from the holy. Easter is an invitation to remember who we are, created but finite, and our need for rescue from our sin and ourselves, and that god has provided a way out of this “paradise lost.”
The editing of the human genome makes me think of Mary Shelley’s, “Frankenstein,” and how it illustrated that human attempts to create life or overcome death ended tragically because we are not smart enough, as last week’s editorial stated.
“Pride goeth before a fall” is still and always will be true.
Rosanne Prandini
Sebastopol