Letters to the Editor 7-25-13

Tiny house
Editor: The Healdsburg Community Church wishes to thank all the volunteers from the church and from the community who made it possible for us to host the Tiny House July 13 and 14, including the overnight hours. Students in the CASA (Construction and Sustainability Academy) at Healdsburg High School built the Tiny House.
A steady stream of visitors explored the house and were impressed with the excellent workmanship and beautiful materials. Seeing the house all lit up at night was a special treat. A comment we heard many times was how glad the community is that the high school is providing this program.
The students learned all the essential construction trades in the process of creating something of substance and are justifiably very proud of their accomplishment. One of the students who came to answer questions, said, “It beats building a bird house!” Clearly a “win-win” for the students and the community.
The Community Church was delighted to show our support for this program, and we hope to host another Tiny House made by CASA next summer.
Dennis Tarr
Pastor, Healdsburg Community Church
My condolences
Editor: I hope the Ben Collins family will accept my belated condolences for the loss of their loved one. Ben and I were not close friends, but were friends nevertheless. As mayor of Healdsburg, he helped us over a rough spot when my late wife was suffering from cancer and we needed help with illegal parking that blocked our driveway and made it impossible to get out in an emergency. Ben was a pleasure to do business with when he owned Healdsburg Sporting Goods by finding items that I couldn’t and saving me money in the process. He was proud of being a Marine just as I was proud of being Army before, during, and after World War II. Mostly what I liked about Ben was that he was honest.
Vern Henderson
Santa Rosa