So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
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Last edited by Barry; 04-05-2016 at 08:34 AM.
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Hello everyone,
If you happen to agree with this petition, then please read, sign and circulate it among your friends.
https://www.change.org/p/the-santa-r...rthouse-square
Many thanks! Jennifer
Last edited by Barry; 04-06-2016 at 11:52 AM.
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Hello everyone,
A big THANK YOU to The NORTH BAY BOHEMIAN Newspaper for publishing my "Open Mic" editorial. I found a public voice here and I'm grateful that they gave me the opportunity.
https://www.bohemian.com/northbay/ci...nt?oid=2950073
Last edited by Barry; 04-07-2016 at 11:00 AM.
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Join Date: Jun 18, 2005
Location: Guerneville
Last Online 02-07-2021
Jennifer, I'm glad to see your article in the Bohemian, and have responded there with my following comment, and urge anyone to support your well researched and documented findings, by also commenting. I did see another letter to the editor in reference to Courthouse Square, below yours.
"Thank you Jennifer, for your well researched and documented article on Santa Rosa City Council's failure to uphold the city charter guidelines for including resident input for spending their tax money for capitol improvements.
The charter's constitution is ineffective if it's rules aren't enforced. That would seem to make it easy for "special interests" to influence the City Council, and bypass citizen review of proposed expenditures.
I think this could be a big case for an attorney willing to step up to the plate, and "step" on some toes of the offending parties, who's actions would be considered criminal activity in a court of law.
You've done the preliminary detective work, so it should be easy enough for an attorney to take up this very important cause.
This is just another action, in addition to the missing "millions" that should have been spent on much needed housing.
Looks to me like Santa Rosa City Council is getting away with illegal activity bordering on embezzlement. I hope that your hours of dedicated research to represent Santa Rosa citizens is recognized, and honored with a lawsuit." Sandy Murphey
This will also be posted to my Facebook page.
Last edited by Barry; 04-07-2016 at 11:02 AM.
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Hello everyone,
Yesterday, a few of us met with Santa Rosa City Manager Sean McGlynn to present what we believe is evidence of a flawed and outdated traffic impact study pertaining to Courthouse Square. The report relates to the Smart-Train installation and Hwy 101 metering lights, which impact the heavily congested Third street area. Third street is rated a level "F" by Caltrans. This means that Third street (even before the Courthouse Square project takes place) is already failing below the standards of where it should be for congestion; a level "C" or "D" is ideal.
The Smart-Train, Measure Q was passed by voters in 2009. However, the last traffic study performed by City of Santa Rosa was in 2008. We cannot locate that either the Smart-Train nor the Caltrans metering lights (on all on county Hwy 101 on-ramps) were included as "comments" on the traffic study report from Caltrans to Santa Rosa. We believe these potential deficiencies may have a significant impact on the surface streets once Mendocino Avenue (the main traffic artery for downtown Santa Rosa) is removed from the now bifurcated Courthouse Square.
Once in commission, the Smart-Train, when running a peak commute times will use the traffic gates once every fifteen minutes. The gates will lower for 60 seconds every fifteen minutes on Third street. The train tracks are about 1/8 of a mile from the Hwy 101 and Hwy 12 on-ramp. Can you visualize the congestion these changes will cause? When significant traffic changes like these are not factored in according to Caltrans Guidelines, it is not only poor planning, but a risk for emergency vehicles and added aggravation for all drivers county-wide.
We've contacted Caltrans for further help, and we hope that the city manager and city council will take our information and look into the matter for themselves.
This traffic study affects ALL residents of Sonoma County. It's not just about Courthouse Square, but perhaps we can discern that the reunification of Courthouse Square will indeed influence the way traffic is routed for drivers who visit Santa Rosa.
You can help by writing or calling Santa Rosa City Council to express your opinion. Please ask city council to have a closer look at the traffic impact report of 2008. With 16,000 in added population and the projected increase in tourism that the city is expecting to draw with Courthouse Square, well?
Thanks for reading! Jennifer
Last edited by Barry; 04-08-2016 at 03:17 PM.
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Wow! More is revealed by my favorite "bloodhound". I don't like the traffic in the downtown area already, and can imagine the future nightmare once the Smart Train is fully functioning. I'm wondering how businesses will be negatively impacted, and if they realize this.
Thank you again for your time and energy in advocating for all of us who commute in Santa Rosa. I hope that those who will be impacted, and that's most of us, will spend a couple of minutes to share their thoughts with the SR City Council, which pales in comparison to all the hours you've given, and continue to give.
Hope you submitted this to the Bohemian....
Last edited by Barry; 04-08-2016 at 03:17 PM.
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Hello all,
Here is a link to an editorial I wrote regarding Courthouse Square, which was published in the Sonoma County Gazette on April 6th.
Jennifer
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How can we go about repealing the city charter so that the state can oversee what's going on in the largest west coast city between S.F. and Portland,OR? If we think that corruption and cronyism is only at the federal level, we can think again.
I have heard that the Coalition that "donated" $116,000 so far for "part" of the cost of the plans (their plans, not ours) will hold title to the land right next to the City Hall building. Should we, the people who are going to pay for all this, default; they get our land.
These creditor's plans include a lot of room for cars and a tiny piece of grass in the middle for a city of 174,000 people to gather and pass out from fumes. 2 extra streets and 4 lanes of car parking in the middle of the "park" ....fantastic.
I showed them a plan to make it bigger, more beautiful, more usable, with plenty of parking, exhaust fumes facing out at the perimeter of a large square with no extra streets, satisfying police oversight of the park,making it less expensive to build. They act like they're listening, but their minds were made up of approving anything the creditors want, excluding the people of Santa Rosa's needs, wants, desires, even though we're footing the bill in the end, which will be, up to twice the amount of the original cost .
And when the council comes up with the excuse that the original layout from the distant past was of that configuration (streets on all sides of a courthouse), I have to laugh (or cry) since there was a building there and horse and buggies don't take up as much space or have cancer causing fumes. Going back to the past isn't how to evolve....I don't want to live among dinosaurs.
We have a chance to make a really nice space for the people of this area to come to, but they think keeping people in cars and moving them in and out quickly to shop and spend tons of money ( they will be disappointed) is better than letting them park at the perimeter, get out, stroll down 3rd and 4th and shop around, buy, eat,and gather for events at a large, beautiful, reduced-fume area.
Once they get the "park"ing lot done, my medical advice is to not expose yourself to more than 1/2- 1 hr. in the square and eat at the outside dining on the periphery at your own risk.The view from any dining seat will be rows of cars anyway.
Lauri
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