LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, 5-24-2012

Thanks Sebastopol PD
Editor: As the guidance counselor at Brook Haven School, I would like to salute Chief Jeff Weaver and the Sebastopol Police Department for the wonderfully positive relationship they have cultivated with our students. It is easy, especially for some young teens, to see local law enforcement as somehow against you. The Sebastopol Police Department has demonstrated to BHS students that they are friendly, accessible, and interested in the well being of all Sebastopol residents — including kids. Mombo’s Pizza and the police department partnered all year on the Lunch with the Law program. Officers have also been invited into classrooms to share information about laws, the judicial system, safety in town, and life as a police officer. In short, Sebastopol is a richer community because we have a police department which cares about the youth of our town. Thank you, Chief Weaver and all the staff at the police department.
JT O’Neill
Guidance Counselor
Brook Haven School


Encourage participation
Editor: In response to the commentary in last weeks newspaper, it appears that some people think councilmember Kathleen Shaffer is at it again. She is encouraging the citizens of Sebastopol to come to city meetings and express their opinions about city issues.
I can certainly understand the dismay of the opponents of the CVS/Chase project. They were the majority in attendance at the Design Review Board meetings, until the supporters began coming and speaking out about the issue. Strangely enough, I have always thought that citizen participation was a sign of good government.
This is the way citizens regardless of their affiliations or memberships, can communicate their opinions to city leaders. While anyone can speak about an issue at a public meeting, I want to know the opinions of people who actually live in the city limits and are city voters.
Speaking up and attending the City Council meetings helped us in the Valley View neighborhood, where I live, our severely deteriorated streets needed to be repaved. It was Council member Shaffer, who encouraged us to speak up about our streets. She helped us advocate for our neighborhood when we attended the City Council meetings. Our streets were repaved in 2010, and this has made a huge difference in our neighborhood and home values.
Community outreach and citizen action are an important part of Council member Shaffer’s commitment to make local government responsive to the residents of Sebastopol needs. I know she will continue to do this. I also hope she runs for a second City Council term so we can keep moveing forward not backwards. We need her.
Linda Rouse
Sebastopol


Who is Bill Shortridge?
Editor: I understand Mr. Shortridge recently moved to this area but lives outside the city limits and thus does not pay any property taxes in Sebastopol. The title of his guest commentary should offend anyone who has lived in this wonderful community. He describes “Dystopia in Sebastopol” (May 17), which, if you look at the definition, is a condition of life that is extremely bad from deprivation, oppression and/or terror. I would say from his writing style that he is describing his own mental attitude and those enforcing their belief in a Small Sebastopol.
I am deeply offended by his comments regarding both Rotary Clubs of Sebastopol having a political agenda because individuals chose to attend City Council meetings. Rotary Clubs take no political stance or action.
However, Rotarians are professionals and business people who live and support their communities in many different ways and with different beliefs. There are Rotarians who serve the public in a number of capacities because they feel a duty; some as council members, such as Kathleen Shaffer and Sarah Gurney, some as district hospital board members and some as school board members.
The Rotary Club of Sebastopol has been providing community service to Sebastopol since 1927 and the Rotary Club of Sebastopol Sunrise began in 1997. That’s 100 year of giving back to the community. Many service projects originated with individual Rotarians identifying needs in their community to help seniors, schools, families, healthcare facilities, environmental groups, the arts, music and much more. The Learn to Swim Program has saved the lives of children for over 25 years. Rebuilding Together makes a major impact every year to those families whose homes are rehabilitated. Whenever there is a need, there is a Rotarian to help make it happen.
You should know how amazing it is to have almost 200 Rotarians in a community who believe in Service above Self and who quietly give back to their community with their time and financial support. These numerous local projects do make the difference in the quality of life for many people in Sebastopol and West Sonoma County.
Rotarians don’t talk about helping their community: they just do it. So, Mr. Shortridge, we hope to see you rolling up your sleeves.
Linda Johnson
Sebastopol


Footprint solutions
Editor: CVS has designed and constructed stores in the last five years with the following features that I believe to be critical to the integration of the proposed site with our downtown: Dual entrances, reduced parking (which would allow a larger public plaza area) and smaller, infill building footprints.
In designing their proposed Sebastopol site, both CVS and Chase have just filled up the remaining area that will not be occupied by their buildings with parking spaces.
CVS built a store at the corner of University and Mill Avenues in downtown Tempe, AZ that is smaller than the proposed Sebastopol store, on a site that is about 1-acre in size. This store is served by approximately 32 standard parking spaces and two disabled parking spaces.
Chase Bank built an adjoining 3,838 square foot branch on a .56-acre site, served by approximately 16 standard parking spaces and two disabled parking spaces. This provides approximately 52 spaces total, compared with a total of 89 parking spaces proposed in Sebastopol on a larger site.
In Tempe, as in Sebastopol, extensive off-site parking is readily available across the street. Based on this, it would seem as if the 65 spaces required by our city for the CVS/Chase project should be more than sufficient for a project of comparable scale, and that the over parking of the Pellini site is difficult to justify. Converting the excess parking to a public amenity, such as a larger plaza area, would both improve the project esthetically and reduce the “heat island” effect of the parking area.
In Buckeye, AZ, CVS operates a store that is part of a multistory mixed-use project. There is no Chase branch at this site. From the air, this site bears a striking resemblance to the physical layout of the Pellini site. This is a corner location with a mixture of continuous retail storefront/residential uses on both streets, with parking hidden from view in the rear of the site. There are no mid-block driveways, as are proposed in Sebastopol. The parking area of this site contains slightly more than 100 spaces, but serves the CVS store, a realty company, a restaurant, many residential units and several other adjacent businesses. On-street parking is available as well.
Please note that in both of these CVS stores, functional entrances are located at the street corner and on the parking lot side.
Both of these stores are quite likely smaller than the one proposed in Sebastopol. Why are these two urban infill CVS configurations, with their smaller footprints and parking requirements, not just as suitable for the urban infill location at the Pellini Chevrolet site? Why do these stores work in Tempe and Buckeye, but not in Sebastopol?
John Eder
Sebastopol


On a musical note
Editor: The combined choirs and orchestra of Analy High School put on a superb performance Friday evening (May 18), under the direction of our outstanding music leader, Andy DelMonte. Seeing these beautiful young people restored my faith in the future of this country. We are fortunate to have Vance Regan and Andy Del Monte as instructors. Thanks to all for a wonderful evening of music.
Meg Brittan
Sebastopol