Letters & Shout-outs (Dec. 26, 2014)

Letter: Weight Watchers chooses money over community support
Editor,
I am hurt, frustrated and angry that Weight Watchers has decided to close both meetings at our Scotts Valley location.
We are a close-knit group of about 20 souls from a variety of tiny mountain communities. Some of us already must drive for half an hour along winding mountain roads just to get to our meetings.
Many of us have persevered through the closing of the meeting locations in Boulder Creek and Felton.
Now, Weight Watchers expects us to drive another 30-plus minutes in freeway commute traffic to attend an impersonal store-front meeting of 30-plus people in Capitola.
So much for the Weight Watchers idea of community support! Now it seems that it’s all just about the money.
Sandy Pearsall, Scotts Valley
Letter: Pedestrians still in danger in downtown Boulder Creek
Editor,
As a Boulder Creek resident who works downtown, I’ve been closely following the pedestrian safety issue ever since the tragic accident last February where a man was killed crossing the street in the crosswalk.
The Press-Banner ran a story on Dec. 5 as if the issue is resolved — it is not. Case in point: the photo accompanying the story depicts the stop sign and crosswalk at Highway 9 and Highway 236.
The photo clearly documents three problems:
– A tree obscures the stop sign.
– A car is parked in the “no parking” space by the crosswalk.
– The driver is already driving through the crosswalk while the pedestrian is still crossing.
Since February of this year, I’ve been communicating my concerns with Bruce McPherson’s office. I’ve told them of several incidents I witnessed, including my own experiences dodging cars when crossing the crosswalk at the intersection of Highway 9 and Highway 236.
This summer, an RV nearly hit a man in a wheelchair. Many, many drivers still run right through this stop sign despite the new paint — they simply don’t see it!
There are new yellow “yield to pedestrian” signs at the crosswalk on Forest Street, but none yet at the intersection of Highway 9 and Highway 236.
I believe what’s needed already exists in Ben Lomond: A flashing light in each direction alerting drivers to pedestrians crossing, larger stop signs facing north and southbound traffic on Highway 9 at Highway 236, and most importantly, a vertical pedestrian crossing sign right in the middle of the crosswalk, just like the one at Lomond Street by the SLV Water District.
McPherson’s office asked for my patience in July, saying that it takes time to get signage through the Cal Trans process. I hope McPherson continues to push Cal Trans for more safety improvements at the intersection of Highway 9 and Highway 236, because it is still dangerous.
M.C. Dwyer, Boulder Creek
Letter: Voting ‘yes’ on Lompico merger will help preserve quality of life
To all my neighbors in Lompico Canyon: I need your help.
I have been a resident of Lompico since 2000, and I value our quiet, peaceful lifestyle. Four years ago, when the need for a possible merger of our Lompico County Water District with San Lorenzo Valley Water District arose, I began attending Board of Directors and Citizens Advisory Committee meetings.
Our path to maintain our quality of life has become very clear to me through what I learned.
I need your help in order to:
– Ensure clean and safe drinking water;
– Lower our water costs;
– Have an adequate and secure water source; We now pump 40 gallons per minute, (State says we should pump 80 gallons per minute).
– Be served by a full time manager (State mandate says we must have a manager) and have a full time, fully equipped staff, available 24 hours per day;
– Replace our outdated and leaking tanks, (State mandate);
– Replace our 30-year-old (10-15 year normal life span) meters with modern accurate wand- read meters, saving labor costs;
– Have fire protection that does not deplete our water storage (eliminating the need of water rationing after a fire);
– Maintain our property values by having an efficient water district that serves our needs without a constant discussion about how to save water, pay for repairs to our aging system, lower cost, and how to fund a new manager and full staff.
To accomplish these basic water needs in our system, we need to vote “yes” to passing the upcoming water bond, known as Measure N.
All registered voters will receive ballots by mail in January 2015. Please help all of us by voting yes for Measure N, and returning your ballot by mail.
Brad Smith, Lompico
Letter: Lompico merger is an affront to community’s independent spirit
Editor,
Living 40 years in Lompico, I’ve seen a lot. We were a fiercely independent community, embracing the private, quiet solitude of this paradise. But, when threatened, we came together and stepped up.
1983: A landslide closed Lompico Road for months. We carpooled and built a walking
path around the slide to cars parked on the outside.
1989: The Loma Prieta earthquake took out three of six water storage tanks. We worked with the water district, kept the water flowing, and rebuilt.
1992: The overgrown park property and dilapidated club building were sold for taxes. The long-dormant community association was revived and, over the next decade, we built a park together.
All that time, local papers took every opportunity to portray Lompico as something out of the movie “Deliverance” in stories and cartoons. SLV was more than willing to perpetuate the negative stereotype.
Imagine my disappointment when a small group of residents, with an ax to grind against the water district, took to trashing Lompico in the media to further their cause of taking over the water board and eliminating the district.
In 2010, the “merger” was presented to the community. It was hard to believe they were waving the white flag without tapping the resources of my community that had stepped up so many times in the past.
In fact, they pushed back hard against Lompicans that suggested anything different.
In my opinion, this bond is a money grab by SLV, taking advantage of a Lompico board
that’s shown it’s will do anything to eliminate the water district.
So when you see the fancy signs and constant stream of fear-mongering letters, I want you to know that Lompico was once a community that solved its own problems.
That’s why I’m voting “no” on Measure N.
John Cunliffe, Lompico