From: Charlessands
Date: January 24, 2011 6:32:48 PM PST
To: madroneparkcircle@yahoogroups.com
Subject: DOES THE END JUSTIFY THE MEANS ?? and Fwd: Sidewalks, Stop Signs and the HVCA
FYI
Mari Tamburo's following email makes a lot of sense. As she points out she knows that Marin Horizon School individuals,, who don't live in Homestead Valley, are supporting construction of the sidewalk proposed by Marin Horizon School
Marin Horizon School’s means used to achieve its desired end (the sidewalk) is revealed in MHS’ ' false and 'misleading application for Safe Route to Schools (SR2S) and DPW funds.
Marin Horizon School's SR2S's application claims that its application is supported by a non-existent community traffic calming committee called "The Homewood Traffic Calming Committee".
It is well documented that the County in 2005 falsified, revised and manipulated all applicable ordinances in order to impose this non-conforming private traffic and parking generating commercial business on Homestead Valley.
This whole sordid, corrupt, unethical mess is a classic example of the immoral concept that the “End (Approving imposing MHS on us) Justifies The Means” (Falsifying, revising and manipulating all applicable ordinances to achieve the desired end).
Now we are being treated to the same immoral “The End (MHS’ sidewalk) Justifies The Means (MHS’ false and 'misleading application for Safe Route to Schools (SR2S) and DPW funds.
.During the past few Monday and Friday afternoons, between 3:00 and 4:00 PM, I’ve not seen any MHS students walking on Evergreen Ave. back to the Whole Foods parking lot.
IF EVERGREEN AVE. PROPERY OWNERS WOULD COUNT 3:00 TO 4:00 PM MHS EVERGREEN AVE AFTERNOON WALKERS AT LINDEN LANE THIS WOULD REVEAL THAT ARE NEARLY NO MHS AFTERNOON WALKERS AFTERNOON WALKERS.
ANY VOLUNTEERS WILLING TO PEFORM THIS SURVEY ??? IF SO CONTACT ME.
The reason for this phenomenon is that there is no county limit on how many MHS vehicles pick up students after school therefore MHS parents pick up their children at MHS so they don’t have to walk back down to Whole Foods’ parking lot where they were dropped off in the morning.
Chartes
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-----Original Message-----
From: Mari Tamburo
To: HEAR US : Homestead Valley Community Forum
Sent: Mon, Jan 24, 2011 12:16 pm
Subject: Sidewalks, Stop Signs and the HVCA
by Mari Tamburo
It's been said before and I'll say it again. "Squeaky wheel gets the grease."
I appreciate ALL residents who are participating in this discussion because the powers that be "hear us" and, thankfully, they are listening.
As as a result of resident feedback DPW received an extension for the sidewalk project and they responded quickly to our request to survey the intersection at Evergreen and Melrose. If you haven't already, please be sure to take the Evergreen sidewalk survey at http://www.hvbeat.org and tell our neighbors, especially if they live on Evergreen, about it - and be sure to tell them to participate even if they are unsure - because any silence will very likely be interpreted as a "yes" by the County on this project. I know, because that is the way we interpreted the silence when we proposed implementing the 3 way Stop sign as per the SR2S 2006 proposal - and I know for a fact that I don't want to impose my personal will on anyone.
Please allow me to restate that the goals of the HEAR US discussion group, accompanying blog and the Homestead Valley Beat are to inform you, the residents of Homestead about what is happening in our community and to empower you to participate in the discussions of what is happening here. I'm hoping that these new communication tools, used respectfully and to full advantage, can perhaps help us to arrive at better place of understanding in our community about MHS' impact on our community and if possible, a win/win solution to this "sidewalk saga."
I've been receiving some comments off list and am getting a sense that the currently silent majority of Homestead Valley residents, people who are NOT currently active in the HVCA, are not involved simply because they have limited time and/or schedule conflicts - I certainly know that is MY case.
Thanks to this sidewalk project process fiasco, we now know that HVCA is involved in these matters of the concern to the community, but since I can't attend HVCA or Land Trust meetings, I choose to contribute these blogs for discussion and info sharing. If you can't attend meetings but would like your voice to be heard - they are here for you - again, all I ask is that you please respect your neighbors and don't abuse these tools.
Please understand that those of us who have been most vocal wouldn't be doing all this work if we didn't think it would make a difference. And, while I personally am willing to and have offered to help the HVCA with the Headlines, I have to say that, in my honest opinion, Homestead Valley residents will be better served with a communication and news source independent of the HVCA or any one particular resident's email list. THAT is why I founded The Beat.
I came to this conclusion after pondering these questions :
1) Is it fair or even reasonable to expect that a club, which is dependent upon both the County AND MHS for income to run the HVCC, will be objective on matters of interest to the community pertaining to MHS ?
2) Is it fair or even reasonable to assume that a club with such a small active membership is a TRUE representation of all of Homestead?
3) Is it fair to reasonable to expect Mr. Sands, Keith, Mr. Cook and/or anyone else to be the watchdog for entire community?
I'm sorry if these questions are upsetting the "status quo" in Homestead, but that is the way I see it. Face it folks, the cat is out of the bag and it is not going back in.
So, now what? Well, for starters, I ask that you start to think of HEAR US as our Homestead Valley Community Forum, and use it wisely.
While the HEAR US group was founded in late July 2010 to share information about the proposed Evergreen Avenue sidewalk - we are not an "anti" OR "pro sidewalk" group - at least not at this point. Most members of HEAR US are simply a group of caring citizens, bonded by a common goal of respectful communication and love for our Homestead community. I can't see why we can't work together to figure this out.
As a result, HEAR US blog : http://hv94941hearus.blogspot.com/ has been updated and is now the official "opinion" forum for the "Beat." Please visit it and take a look around - our neighborhood blogs - ( Sands Box, Keith's Corner and On the Beam - are now listed in their righful place on the HEAR US blog as HV's MVP's (Most Vocal People.) You may comment after ANY of these blog posts and sign your name or post anonymously. They will go directly to the blog authors.
I hope you will join me in thanking all our community activists, regardless of whether or not you agree with all their views or communication methods, for being so open to sharing their facts and opinions.
If you have a blog you would like to see added to the HEAR US HV's MVP's list - please comment after this posting and share the URL.
If you would like to see another blog added to the BEAT (we list the Patch and the Pac Sun and others - please let me know. )
Please allow me to state that, despite my difference of opinion with Mr. Wuthnow about the HVCA's "rubber stamp" of the Safe Routes proposal, I hold no ill will toward Mr. Wuthnow or anyone else at the HVCA in general - and truly appreciate all the work they, the various committees and the Land Trust do in and for our community.
And, while I don't hold the same disdain for MHS as some other residents in Homestead seem to (at least that is the way I feel right now - not sure how I'll feel after this sidewalk saga plays out) - I really don't think we should let them or anyone else push for this sidewalk - especially if most of us don't want it.
That said, I also don't think it wise to obliterate any opportunity to provide a dedicated walking path for residents who will benefit from it - as was the original intention and result of the folks who proposed a neighborhood path approximately six years ago.
So let's start anew - find out who wants or who doesn't want this sidewalk - the only sidewalk currently available from which to choose - and why or why not.
Please take the survey at http://www.hvbeat.org
I happen to know for a fact that may people who do not even live in Homestead are lobbying FOR this particular sidewalk.
Please remember that the Board of Supervisors and the DPW are in public service to work for the communities they serve - but in order to know how to do that, we have to tell them what we want or don't want. If people who don't live in Homestead are weighing in on this issue - we certainly should.
So speak up - there is strength in numbers - and WE all have the power to shape the "future of the valley" - or not.
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Posted By hv94941 to HV94941 HEAR US at 1/24/2011 11:20:00 AM
Mari Tamburo
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing, Mr. Sands.
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