March 31, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Letters

Editor,

Two outstanding community events have focused on the crisis facing our children in the last month. The first was the forum, "First to Worst," focused on the public-school funding crisis.

The second was the community meeting that focused on the emotional health of our students, reintroducing the "LifeSkills Program" and a "developmental assets" program for our PAUSD high school students.

Now we need community action, for neither emotional health nor educational quality come free.

To that end, the All School Fund is having an Art Show with original artwork by Jan Wagstaff of the Carmel Art Association on Fri., April 2, 6-9 p.m. at 3838 LaSelva Drive, Palo Alto. The fee is $20 per person, with free refreshments courtesy of Bob Cool Catering -- 30 percent of all art sales will go to the All Schools Fund. Children are welcome.

For more information on the event, contact Jennifer Hinton at jennifer.hinton@hp.com. For information on the All Schools Fund, contact Geoff Kerr at gk@cerisent.com.

Be there for our children. Diane Rolfe Social Action chair, American Association of University Women
Whack-A-Mole

Editor,

At Monday night's City Council meeting, there was a very funny guy who compared traffic calming to the Whack-A-Mole arcade game. His premise was that getting rid of traffic in one area (whacking a mole) does no good, because, like the moles, traffic just pops up somewhere else.

Funny, but wrong. If Downtown North's traffic has gone somewhere else, nobody seems to be able to find it.

We had 23,900 cars/day counted entering or leaving Downtown North prior to the traffic-calming trial, which knocked out 10,200 of those, more than 42 percent. At the public hearing, residents from Middlefield Road, the Lytton neighborhood, University Avenue and Menlo Park all made essentially the same complaint: Downtown North is much quieter now, but what about us?

Fair enough, but the trial was only intended to reduce cut-through in Downtown North.

Yet some went further, saying Downtown North's traffic was dumped on them. This is demonstrably untrue. The Transportation Department was concerned about diversion, and did counts on the arterials, in the Lytton neighborhood and in Menlo Park.

The findings? Mostly very small changes, within the range of measurement error. Middlefield traffic and a few streets in Menlo Park went up around 5 percent, University Avenue traffic went down 4 percent. Traffic on Lytton east of Middlefield went down 18.5 percent.

Yet we still heard bizarre testimony that Lytton neighborhood residents suffered as a result of the reductions in Downtown North. Middlefield, Lytton and University residents also complained, some honestly, about their lost cut-through convenience, and others, disingenuously, about traffic increases not borne out by the actual counts.

The truth is that Downtown North traffic went down and theirs stayed the same. The success of Downtown North's traffic calming shows that, with careful planning, it is possible to make Palo Alto a better place to live, one step at a time. We support traffic relief for all who need it.

So where is this nasty mole that is supposedly popping up all over the place? Joe Kott, Director of Transportation, can't find it. In fact, he says that there is no objective evidence that it has gone anywhere. People make different choices when there is no easy route, and traffic disperses over the regional infrastructure.

Let's celebrate the finesse with which the Transportation Department has executed this sleight-of-hand. Dan Lorimer President, Downtown North Neighborhood Association Hawthorne Avenue Palo Alto
Court conundrum

Editor,

Here's a follow up regarding the striping with yellow paint of the Terman tennis courts. Recall that a teacher of the Terman School used yellow spray paint to superimpose eight paddleboard courts on the two remaining regulation tennis courts.

This made the courts unplayable as tennis courts. This was done without permission, violating the school district/city agreement regarding use and preservation of the courts and violated Municipal Code 22 -- defacing public property.

In checking with the city, I learned that the district has assumed responsibility for the matter, has admitted it was wrong of the teacher to do this, and has agreed to pay all costs to resurface the courts to their original condition. This work will be done the week of April 5, weather permitting.

In a letter to Mary Callan, District Superintendent, I suggested that the teacher involved be required to reimburse the district for the cost of the repairs. Since students and/or their parents are held liable if a student deliberately defaces public property, I pointed out that it would send the wrong message if the teacher were let off the hook.

Dr. Callan replied that while the district will pay the cost of the damage, she was unable to tell me if the teacher would be held liable, because of the state education code. She implied that personnel action would be taken.

So, the courts will be repaired, the district will pay the costs, but most likely the taxpayers in the end will pick up the tab. If that is not the case, the district should say so. Richard C. Placone Chimalus Drive Palo Alto
Alma Plaza balance

Editor,

Referring to the Don Kazak article of March l7 in the Palo Alto Weekly concerning key projects ahead in south Palo Alto, Mr. Hammer is quoted as saying there should be a balance between the anchor store and small retail stores in rebuilding Alma Plaza.

I have it on good authority that there can be a total of l0 small retail tenants in the complex. There are presently seven small retail-store tenants. I would say that's a good balance.

In a March 3 Guest Opinion in the Weekly, Mr. Hammer states the 20,000-square-foot limit on grocery stores should be adhered to. Mr. Hammer may or may not be aware of the fact that 20,000 square feet was established arbitrarily in l978 by a sub-committee of three, including Bob Moss of the Barron Park Association, which was to limit the size of stores on the small lots along El Camino Real.

There were no grocery stores larger than 20,000 square feet in Palo Alto in l978. The city of Palo Alto liked the plan so well it adopted it as a city-wide plan.

Also, Mr. Hammer may or may not be aware that there are a good many neighbors around Alma Plaza and in the surrounding Palo Alto community, including me, who want to see Albertson's rebuilding proceed without delay.

We have lived with this "in limbo" area for too long, at least l0 years. Albertson's seriously began plans for the rebuilding of Alma Plaza in l997.

I encourage the members of the Palo Alto City Council to approve the Albertson's rebuilding plan of Alma Plaza as soon as it comes before them. Meta Wagstaff Ramona Street Palo Alto
Park article clarity

Editor,

I want to offer two clarifications to the Palo Alto Weekly's March 19 cover article on the effort to save Park Theater.

The City of Menlo Park served the cease-and-desist order on the owner of the Park Theater, not the supporters of the Park Theater. The order was issued after the theater sign was illegally pulled down.

The City of Menlo Park need not spend any money -- not one dime -- to support the re-opening of the theater. The City Council may use an extremely effective tool that surrounding communities utilize to support business and institutions they deem vital to the well-being and identity of their cities -- the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR).

TDR allows development rights that are unused on one parcel of land to be severed from that parcel and transferred to another parcel. The owner of the Park Theater could be granted a TDR that he could apply to another parcel he owns in town, or he could sell the TDR to another property owner. $500,000 more is needed beyond the $1.5 million that Landmark Theaters has committed to the Park Theater, and a TDR could easily be solution for the shortfall.

There is overwhelming community support in and around Menlo Park for saving the Park Theater for film, and for a City Council that recognizes that support and the value the theater has to the future of the city. Winter Dellenbach Kingsley Avenue Palo Alto
Officer and a gentleman

Editor,

Much too often bad things are written about the East Palo Alto Police Department. As a longtime resident of East Palo Alto, I want to tell you about Officer Ron Sibley, who is held in high regard in the community.

I have known Officer Sibley for more than 15 years. I have nothing but praise for his commitment to the children of East Palo Alto. Ever since the first Children's Day in 1990, he has always helped to make it a success, through financial contributions, donations of ice cream for the children and responsibility for security. July 31 will be our 14th Children's Day, and he has always been someone we can call on for whatever we need.

Another example: Officer Sibley went beyond the call of duty for a former resident of East Palo Alto. Sheila George and I had exhausted all leads trying to find our friend's family because he was in the hospital dying. He hadn't seen his family for three years and had lost contact.

Time was running out and I called Officer Sibley with the information I had because our friend was no longer able to communicate with us. Within a few days Officer Sibley had the information we needed and told us what to do, since the family lived in a different county.

He made all the difference in the world. Because of Officer Sibley, the family was able to be at our friend's bedside the last week of his life. I can't thank him enough for this gift of love and closure for the family.

He is an asset to the City of East Palo Alto and I am proud to know him. Jennifer Jackson Georgetown Street East Palo Alto

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