Shaw Park dog area a bad idea
Dear Editor,Shaw Park was bequeathed to the Kenwood Community for a baseball field in perpetuity. When and how it got into the county parks system, we do not know. Even so, all of the residents of Kenwood, and no others, are involved in any changes in the function of this open space in the center of our town.
The survey asking input on a proposed off leash dog run went out to only 265 homes, 25 percent of Kenwood residents.
There are well over 1,000 residents in Kenwood. Of the 117 surveys returned, about 49 were for, or didnt care about, the dog run. That is less than five percent of our community. Will five percent make this big decision for our town?
Shaw Park is directly behind the VJB Mall, between Shaw and Maple avenues. Those two streets, with no shoulders, are seriously breaking down at the edges from parking over use and traffic on these two rural ways. Our residential area is often reduced to one lane. If this dog run, park, is established, it will be listed on the County Parks website. If you build it they will come. We will have another destination site at an already extremely gridlocked area. Over-parking has spread onto neighboring streets.
Though we have no doubt that our local folks will be diligent in cleaning up after their dogs, those with no vested interest often do not. There will be no system in place to monitor the hours. A fence would be built dividing the open space or maybe surrounding, or half. Any fence will make Shaw a park for dogs.
There is a perfect opportunity here to begin to develop Alder Park, another county park in Kenwood that sits idle, four-foot weeds. Never mentioned, nor questions answered.
If you have not seen a dog park, look at Perone dog park in Glen Ellen or Ernie Smith in El Verano. Would you like that across the street from your home or in the middle of your neighborhood? Dog parks do not raise property values.
Shaw Park is an established playing field in the center of our town.
Ron and Judy Williams Kenwood
Fix our roads, now!
[This letter was sent to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors]Dear Board of Supervisors,
Soon, rains will come again to Sonoma County. How will our roads fare? I can tell you the roads I drive to work are terrible in places like on Frei Rd. in Graton.
For decades, our previous County Supervisors have kicked the can down the road in response to funding needs for our bridges (Laughlin Rd.) and roads (like Old Cazadero Hwy. and others). I fully understand that we do not get much from the State returned to us from gas taxes. We need to help ourselves!
Spending the money now is going to save us 10 times the amount later should the roads need complete rebuilding. You said in June you were committed to fixing our roads. The voters said they did not want you to fix them with Measure A, but they want you to fix them. So get to work and find more dollars from the increased property taxes we are seeing, additional funds from the many tourists who come here, and additional dollars from the reserves and emergency set asides you have. Please fix our roads like you promised us you would!
Sincerely, Eric Levy Fulton
County should scrutinize water use
[This letter was sent to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors]Dear Board of Supervisors,
Because of the drought and the climate change projections that indicate that in 37 years Sonoma County will experience 90 days of over 90 degree temperatures on a regular basis, I implore you to make new vineyard construction and vineyard expansion discretionary projects and require water availability and water impact studies.
Please make the setbacks for wells next to rivers and creeks at least 100 feet, preferably much more.
Please close the loophole that allows single family dwellings to be approved without a landscape plan. We are seeing too many projects approved in the hillsides without landscape plans that are now hauling truck after truck of turf to the site. Enough!
In addition, there have been projects that have been approved piecemeal (the house, later the pool, later the pool house with bath, later the second dwelling) that violate zoning codes and water use. This is a travesty that must be stopped.
Thank you for your efforts on behalf of the environment.
Karla Noyes Sonoma