Main Street

 Selfless
Would you pedal a bicycle 3,000 miles for a good cause? Of course you would, if you care about the cause and you’re strong, dedicated and selfless. Bill and Debbie Albers are strong, dedicated and selfless. They celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary in April and now they’re riding across America for a good cause, beginning this weekend.
The annual Race Across America (RAAM) is one of the oldest endurance races in the country, and well-respected for the caliber of racers it draws. Bill and Debbie are racing a two-person relay, riding for hours every day to raise funds for an organization called “No Stomach for Cancer.”
The issue of stomach cancer hits close to home for Bill, a Healdsburg firefighter, who lost a friend and fellow firefighter, Allen Losh, to stomach cancer last year. In a cruel twist of fate, it was the news that stomach cancer has a genetic component that caused Allen’s father, Vern Losh, to be tested as well. Unfortunately, the tests came back positive, and Vern is now fighting the same fight that claimed his son Allen.
Debie Albers, an instructor at Santa Rosa JC, told me that they intend to finish the race in eight days and promised to send photos. If you want to learn more, visit www.teamalbers.com. You can find out about Debbie and Bill, about the race and about how you can support “No Stomach for Cancer.”
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No good deed goes unpunished. Residents of White Gates Avenue thought it would be nice to have a block party this month, to meet their neighbors, share information about disaster preparedness and enjoy a summer night.
It got stickey when they decided to do the right thing and apply for an event permit. The city doesn’t have a policy on neighborhood gatherings, so it was treated as a special event. By the time all the add-ons got added-on, the permit for a few neighbors to get together had climbed to $700.
The city manager got involved and figured out how to knock it down to $99, but one member of the Healdsburg City Council wondered out loud Monday night at the council meeting why a neighborhood group should have to apply for a permit at all. “Just put out a few cones and move them if you need to get through,” said Councilmember Eric Ziedrich.
Councilmember (and retired cop) Gary Plass countered that regulations exist for a reason and that they must be followed, but agreed that it would be nice if it was easier for neighbors to gather.
Councilmember Tom Chambers tried to split the difference, saying that he “officially agreed” with Plass but “unofficially agreed” with Ziedrich.
The bottom line is: if community engagement is the goal – and the city is paying plenty for consultants to facilitate that goal – why can’t folks just have a party?
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The building that everyone loves to talk about is still unfinished. The Healdsburg Meat Company, also known as the Seghesio Building, at the corner of Center and North Streets, has a new anchor tenant, the owners of Single Thread Farms, who want to bring a special restaurant, lodging, rooftop garden and more to that spot.
While the building has many admirers, its detractors speak more loudly and persistently. “Monstrosity” is a common descriptor for the new landmark on that corner.
In my view, the building is not too big, or too close to the sidewalk. If we don’t want to sprawl our downtown sideways, we have to embrace taller buildings, and it’s handsomely detailed, at least on the street sides. I don’t care for the color scheme, and I guess the new restrauteurs don’t either. They proposed something very different.
And, they ran into the Healdsburg Planning Commission. While it was never stated explicitly, last week’s hearing to review a new color and style palette for the building reeked of payback.
Since the previous city manager approved a significant use change in a private meeting and new rooftop structures were constructed without public review, the commission has not been pleased, and last week’s rejection of the new color scheme and plantings was a symptom of the commission trying to grab the project and drag it back into the public realm. The new colors were rejected, the plantings were questioned and another set of rooftop structures was frowned upon mightily.
And, Healdsburg’s resident “starchitect” looked ruffled. Back to the drawing board – literally.
Ray Holley is often ruffled. He can be reached at
ra*@so********.com.