Letters to the Editor 4-4-13

Residents speak out
Editor: We all know Healdsburg is a special place, and the rest of the world is catching on quickly, given Fodor’s list of the “10 Best Small Towns” in the U.S. and TripAdvisor’s ranking of Sonoma County as a premier wine destination, second only to Tuscany.
Part of Healdsburg’s draw for both tourists and residents is its rural setting – a quiet, relaxed atmosphere where real people live. Our small-scale wineries add to its charm and profit from its character. Could our rural character be the unique asset that makes people nostalgic for what they may have lost in their own communities?
The Dry Creek Valley Association recently conducted an opinion survey, which validated that the most important thing we can do is to advocate for the protection of our agricultural interests and preservation of our rural character. We believe our members summed up the definition of “rural character” nicely in their comments:
• Peaceful rural charm & natural beauty
• Agricultural integrity
• Maintaining the serenity
• Small scale development
• Protected water resources and an unspoiled watershed.
When asked what issues caused them the most concern, most residents began with the word “over”: over-sized, over-development, and over-commercialization of Dry Creek Valley. The biggest concern of many is captured by the comment “development un-related to agriculture – leading to over-commercialization of the valley.”
One unique asset we share with Tuscany is a focus on town-centered development, surrounded by a mix of agricultural and open space lands. Tuscany is very protective of its visual landscape and agricultural integrity, which is paying off in terms of both quality of life and tourist revenue. Perhaps protecting our rural character is a strategy Sonoma County should take to heart.
If you agree, please share your feelings with our County Supervisor, Mike McGuire (Mi*********@so***********.org). This sentiment may seem all too obvious to many of us, making the risk of residents not voicing our priorities that much greater. Now that Sonoma County is the ‘obvious’ choice as a tourist destination, a boom could forever destroy our precious rural character. There is plenty of room for hospitality services within urban boundaries – let’s ensure that the benefits that draw people here, to live or to play, are sustainable for the long run.
George Reed
Director
Dry Creek Valley Association
Reaching out
Editor: Thank you for your excellent article covering the panel discussion on the Affordable Care Act. It was a very well attended meeting, and very reassuring to many in the audience.  
The event was organized and sponsored by the Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County, which helps to support our local healthcare providers, including Healdsburg Hospital, Alliance Medical Center, Alexander Valley Clinic in Cloverdale, and the PDI dental center in Windsor. Our Executive Director, Pat Callahan, should be especially commended for making this event happen.
You can see that Healthcare Foundation is now embarking on a somewhat more pro-active task, that of reaching out to the community to sponsor discussions and programs about healthcare issues, such as this recent event. Please watch for details of our next, also stimulating, event to be the evening of June 4.
David Anderson, MD
Co-chair, Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County
Unable to adapt
Editor: I’m 71 years old and have no problem following the explicit “user friendly” signs on Foss Creek! What the hell are these “anti one-way people” going to do if/when the city puts in the “Round About” on the south end of town? Go around and around and around unable to figure out how to get off on one of the five streets? It just “boggles” my mind that some people can be so unable to adapt and deal with simple changes.
Steve Strobl
Healdsburg