Letters & Shout-outs

Shout-out: Bravo to Felton Veterinary Hospital for exceptional care
Editor,
Sixteen years ago, our family was lucky enough to bring home two little mutts. The pups had been abandoned in Modesto and the Australian Shepherd Rescue Service had claimed them in order to find good homes.
Jack was 12 years old when he passed away, and Mollie graced our home for another 4 years. Our daughter, Shannon, went through elementary, high school, and college with them, and Mollie sat in front as she got married.
They filled our home with joy, laughter, and dog hair.
Two years ago, Rick called and told me to meet him at our vet’s office — Mollie was in a very bad way, and she couldn’t even stand.
Dr. Keil asked us to leave her there for a couple of hours to figure out what was going on. I knew what was going on, she was done for — she looked so, so bad. We sat in the parking lot doing a lot of crying.
After two hours, we went back. Dr. Keil diagnosed Mollie with idiopathic vestibular disease — or “old dog syndrome” — and went on to say that she would be better within a month.
We couldn’t believe our ears. No drugs, just good advice and a lot of hope.
Sure enough, Mollie came out of it with no effects. We got two more productive and wonderful years out of our sweet girl.
This week, we lost Mollie to old age. We have had Felton Veterinary Hospital as our vet for 16 years.
We are sad about Mollie, yet so very grateful for the absolutely wonderful care and attention we have always received from Dr. Atton and Dr. Keil.
The staff is first-rate, kind, smart, professional, and just good, hard-working people. They supported us right till the end.
San Lorenzo Valley is so fortunate to have the very best medical care for our animals, our family. We are so grateful for their competency, professional care, and genuine sensitivity that they have given to us and other animals in our community. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Chris, Rick, Mollie, and Jack Moran, Ben Lomond
Letter: Signs on Scotts Valley Drive detract city’s natural beauty
Editor,
It’s always struck me that Scotts Valley, set among the redwoods and nestled in hills, could be so much more attractive than it is — like one of those little postcard Swiss towns everyone so admires.
Obviously, a town center would help and there’s nothing much we can do in the short-term about the gaudy strip malls.
There is something, however, we could do immediately and it’s to ban all those tacky, freestanding A-frames that every business seems to think they need right along Scotts Valley Drive.
“Gun Shop,” “Coin Shop” — I suspect these are mostly unnecessary, and when people need to find a specialized business, they will look it up online.
There must be some sort of portable signage every 100 feet up our main thoroughfare.
A simple city ordinance on eyesores such as these would help stop distracting residents and tourists alike from the undeniable natural beauty of our town.
Martin Spierings, Scotts Valley
Letter: Tow truck draws unwelcoming neighborhood reception to new residents
Editor,
We just moved to beautiful Ben Lomond from Santa Cruz on August 28.
After months of looking for just the right house, we found one on California Drive. We were happy with our move, since it was closer to my husband’s job at a local towing company.
Little did we know that this neighborhood would be prejudiced and closed-minded to the fact that someone new drives a tow truck.
My husband’s truck is an emergency service vehicle and is used for AAA and roadside services only, not as a repo or parking violation as some tow trucks are.
After many notes and knocks on our door telling him to move his truck, it was very disheartening to find out that you are not welcome in your new neighborhood.
He had notes stating that this is all privately owned roads. This is not true, and even if it was, our landlord pays taxes, too.
Then he had the “neighborhood attorney” knock on our door to discuss the matter. He should know the laws here, but my husband had to tell him that it is not against the law and that he has the right to park his truck here the same as everyone else.
He had to admit this is true, but in the end he said that my husband’s truck is an “eyesore.” Really?
Maybe no one here has ever had to call for service. Those seeing this truck come to help them with a flat tire, breakdown, or accident would not call it an eyesore but a relief that help was there for them.
The only reason for my letter is to let this ungrateful neighborhood know that my husband is a hard-working man that has a dangerous job working Highway 9, rain or shine.
He has to take his own life in his hands to get you out of harm’s way on these very dangerous roads around here. Not only him, but every tow truck driver out there has to work on the side of the roads, while others don’t even bother to slow down or get over.
Last year, while at the scene of a accident, my husband was struck by a speeding motorcyclist and knocked under the local fire truck. He was not badly injured and he refused to press charges against that person. Nor did he even think of suing them.
So, it’s okay if the neighborhood does not like his truck. We are okay with that.
We are not going anywhere, but thanks for the warm welcome.
Susan Ezell, Ben Lomond
Letter: Clean up ‘mess’ on SV Drive before addressing Town Center
Editor,
Scotts Valley Drive is currently a cross between the worst sections of El Camino Real, the midway at the county fair, and a finger painting contest at the local K1 school.
This main street might next be seen in the next zombies movie.
There are signs along almost every foot of the thoroughfare that are every size, shape, and worse, non-professional.
Bad enough that it is a mish-mash of businesses; it’s become the clownship of the community.
Before focusing on another 41st Avenue town center, let’s clean up the mess on Scotts Valley Drive.
Fred Irvine, Scotts Valley
Letter: SLV Water ‘watchdogs’ using Tea Party tactics
Editor,
Since Mark Lee and his “watchdogs” began attending SLV Water District board meetings, their playbook has come directly from the Tea Party.
Meeting after meeting, they’ve used anti-government Tea Party tactics to obstruct, attack, distort, and lie about the SLV Water District.
I don’t know where Lee gets his quotes from Larry Prather. I’ve attended most Board meetings over the past three years, and these quotes don’t sound anything like Prather. The “watchdogs” became active in water district business when the district was seeking state grant money for an emergency intertie between the Lompico water system and the SLV water system.
Lompico was literally running out of water. The intertie was planned to be constructed along a road where the district had a legal right-of-way.
When residents who use that road learned of these plans, they accused the district of violating their “property rights.” They couldn’t accept that the district has a legal right to construct infrastructure in this area.
Nonetheless, these residents made it clear they were planning to sue the SLV Water District over the intertie. Any lawsuit, no matter how baseless, would cause the district to miss the application deadline, dashing all hopes of receiving state grant money for the intertie and other much-needed infrastructure projects.
These nasty tactics forced the SLV Water District to drop the Lompico intertie project from their state grant application in order to make the funding deadline.
Lee and his “watchdogs” specialize in personal attacks. One of their cohorts, Bruce Holloway, filed a personal lawsuit against Larry Prather and two other SLV Water District board members for alleged Brown Act violations (case number CISC 170999). The Santa Cruz County Superior Court threw out Holloway’s baseless lawsuit and ordered Holloway to pay court costs.
Next, the “watchdogs” organized a mean-spirited and distorted campaign opposing the SLV Water District’s proposed rate increase in 2013.
They accused the district of all sorts of wrongdoings, no doubt hoping that some of their lies would stick and result in defeat of the sorely-needed rate increase. It didn’t work.
For their next attack, it was clearly the “watchdogs” who filed the many baseless complaints against the SLV Water District with the county Grand Jury.
Like the previous lawsuit, many of these claims were bogus. But, like all Grand Jury civil investigations, the report was filed and publicized in the media before the targeted organization — in this case the SLV Water District — had the opportunity to respond to any of the charges.
I encourage all customers of the SLV Water District to read the district’s response to the Grand Jury report (http://slvwd.com/admin/SLVWD%20Response%20Form%20%28Board%29-%20FINAL.pdf).
I support the slate of Eric Hammer/Larry Prather/Gene Ratcliffe for Board of Directors of SLV Water District.
A positive slate beats a mean team any time, in my book.
John Fasolas, Felton
Letter: Time for new leadership on SLVWD board
Editor,
When former Director Jim Nelson retired from the board of San Lorenzo Valley Water District in 2012, he told of an employee who felt the board was disconnected from staff saying; “You take care of trees; we take care of pipes.”
Incumbent Larry Prather is the poster child for using ratepayer money for timber preservation instead of upgrading infrastructure (except on his street).
Last year Nancy Macy commented; “hundreds of leaks are wasting water resources continuously, and it is taking too long to repair and replace them. Seventy-year-old pipes and aging tanks need replacing and other upgrades are overdue.”
Larry has been on the SLVWD board for 16 years. That’s long enough for anyone, especially considering the state SLVWD is in.
Larry said he’ll have wasted 10 years of his life if SLVWD doesn’t build a $10 million campus.
Former Director Dexter Ahlgren and his wife wrote to SLVWD; “We find the proposed projects grandiose and excessive.”
All of the windfall from the sale of the Waterman Gap property was spent during Larry’s four terms in office, including $3 million frittered away for years on budgets which weren’t balanced.
In Larry’s last term, SLVWD failed to update its Capital Improvement Plan, neglected its Reserve Funds Policy, never did an Urban Water Management Plan like neighboring water agencies, and dawdled on a Watershed Management Plan.
That doesn’t include issues raised by the Grand Jury, at the center of which was Larry.
I feel sorry for the candidates running as a slate with him. Had they done their homework, they wouldn’t align with his record.
For real change at SLVWD, please vote for Chuck Baughman, a true environmentalist, and Bob Fultz and Karen Brown, who have experience managing water systems with accountability to customers.
Bruce Holloway, Boulder Creek