Publication Date: Friday, October 22, 2004
ReaderWire
ReaderWire
(October 22, 2004)
Palo Alto nostalgia
When my family moved to Palo Alto way back in 1951, jackrabbits gamboled freely in the empty lots on our streets, where several houses were yet to be built.
Palo Alto was a wonderful place to grow up. The old Indian Bowl was the site of many fun-filled family bowling games, starting when I was very young. I lived in the Crescent Park area from 1951 until 1966, when I got married and moved to Mountain View.
Crescent Park Elementary, Jordan Junior High and Paly High all made great impressions on my life in different respects. The yearly Thanksgiving football game between Paly and Sequoia is still a great memory today.
My mom gave me the Weekly's 25th anniversary issue (Oct. 6) and I read the profiles of the four neighborhoods. It was quite nostalgic, although somewhat sad, to read of the many changes over the last several years. The profile of the Crescent Park area was of special interest to me; it was disheartening to read.
I could never afford to live in Palo Alto again, and I'm not sure I would want to do so (San Jose is getting close to the "out of reach" level too). But your article brought back many fond memories of a golden era.
Susan Lanning
Kimber Court, San Jose
Something stinks
There is a sewer-replacement project that has just begun in my neighborhood on El Dorado Avenue just off Cowper Street. These excavation projects are continuing to be single projects that have been wasteful of our tax dollars.
Combining this project along with another, such as laying the conduit for underground electrical, would be a better use of equipment, time and money, and it would minimize the disruption in the neighborhood.
Possibly I am in need of more information on this subject. However, the only objection raised is that it's a matter of coordinating two departments of the city (in this case water and electrical), and that is work, according to the city representative at the Midtown Social on Oct. 3.
I ask the City Council to please look into the high value of this combined effort. Let me know why additional city funds are continually needed and are again on the ballot when this is an effective way of reducing the strain on our city budget.
Greg M. Bell
Cowper Street, Palo Alto
Anti-I
Measure I is unfair to low-income people. Unfortunately, many Palo Altans, not only seniors, are at an income level where $520 a year is a lot of money.
To be forced to support teachers earning from $50,000 to $70,000 a year is painful.
Please vote no on Measure I
Inge Infante
Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
'Monster' accusations
As campaign manager for Mike Lambert, I was startled and amused by Valerie Frederickson's letter last week (Weekly, Oct. 13) asserting that Mike Lambert's campaign is running on a platform that is "pushing for monster-home development."
The old-hat accusations regarding "villainous developers" are in full swing.
What planet is Ms. Frederickson living on? None of the candidates for Menlo Park City Council are running on such a platform. In fact, all the candidates agree that "monster homes" are not desirable in any neighborhood.
Ms. Frederickson's letter is a prime example of the baseless information and continued demonization of developers that comes forth during every Menlo Park campaign season. This is why voters need to get past rhetoric and find the truth about the candidates.
Mike Lambert is an intelligent, thoughtful, ethical person who is a lifelong resident of Menlo Park. He is not a big, bad developer, nor does he subscribe to monster development over residential protections.
Contrary to Ms. Frederickson's misinformation, Ordinance 926 would have scaled back monster-home development with a strict set of rules.
Voters: Beware of fear-based rhetoric that will characterize the opposition's campaign!
Mary Gilles
Hermosa Way, Menlo Park
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