By Concerns about new town hall
An open letter to the Los Altos Hills City Council:
Agitated neighbors recently met to review expansion plans for town hall and we wish to express concerns about both the process and the substance of what we saw.
We have five simple requests and ask that you publicly respond as to your agreement on each:
1) Follow the residential approval process, including honoring setbacks and neighbor notification. Notify neighbors immediately about your plans and involve them in planning discussions.
2) Make your building one story only and eliminate plans for decorative towers.
3) Eliminate any plans for a catering facility and nighttime events.
4) Maintain the existing footprint of the public buildings and cancel plans for paving over currently open fields. Merge parking for town hall and the water district to maximize open space.
5) Keep all traffic activity, including parking lots, at least 30 feet away from the busy town path which passes through the property and is actively used by schoolchildren, joggers, parents with strollers, and equestrian folks.
You are public officials planning a public building in the midst of a neighborhood of constituents. We ask that you quickly agree to these five neighborhood-friendly principles.
Linda and Alan BienRonda and Mark Breier Ann and Steve HubbellLos Altos Hills
Schools need community support
In the weeks since the Measure A special election, it seems people are talking everywhere about the consequences of the measure’s defeat.
Some opponents of the measure have expressed reluctance to “subsidize” our local public schools because they don’t have school-age children or they already pay private school tuition. What I find most troubling about these arguments is the focus on individual circumstances rather than concern for what is best for our community as a whole.
Better educational opportunities benefit everyone because these kids will be co-workers, innovators, and neighbors to us all. In a very few years many of them will be registered voters. Do we want to model voting behavior that is based only on what impacts us directly and individually? Or do we want these future voters to be well educated and community minded?
A temporary fund-raising organization, SOS (Save Our Staff), has been formed to enhance what our schools have to offer. Its objective is to raise enough money by May 31 to retain as many teachers as possible. These talented teachers have already been given pink slips without Measure A dollars to pay their salaries.
The Los Altos School District receives less money from the state than the Mountain View, Whisman and Palo Alto districts. Without strong support from our community through local funding, it is impossible to make up the difference between the state dollars and the dollars needed to fund this excellent educational environment.
If you voted to support Measure A in the last election, you might consider sending a tax-deductible donation to SOS-LACF at 183 Hillview Ave., Los Altos 94022.
Lara DaetzLos Altos
Don’t destroy wildlife sanctuary
Why do people destroy places like Byrne Preserve and Westwind Barn to build outrageous homes?
Albert M. Byrne, Countess Betty Byrne Decahedra, and Countess Margit Bessenyer bought the property known as Byrne Preserve in the 1940s. The countess built Westwind Barn for her prize horses. In 1975, the preserve and barn were donated to the City of Los Altos Hills and the organization Friends of Westwind Barn was created to manage a community- owned stable facility.
Since 1975 a lot has happened to Westwind Barn and Byrne Preserve. A very unique program providing handicapped children with the opportunity to learn how to ride was introduced to the barn. Many riders at Westwind Barn rescue horses from horrible living situations and give them a nice loving home, some even become 4-H horses.
Just last week, the Los Altos Hill City Council proposed ideas of what to do with Westwind Barn and Byrne Preserve when the Friends of Westwind Barn lease runs out. My suggestion is that they let it be. All the wildlife has left is Byrne Preserve. Did the city council members ever think of the handicapped children and their lifesaving therapy? My guess, no. If they had thought about it then they would have realized that every time these sweet kids come out to ride it might be the only time they get to leave their house or hospital room all week.
The Byrne Preserve is for humans as well as horses. Byrne is a recreation center where you can bring your pets, friends, kites, bikes, and whatever else you can think of. This is truly one of the last remaining natural wonders of Los Altos Hills.
Why in the world would anybody want to destroy a landmark that prides itself in giving so much pleasure and help to animals and people around the Bay Area? I don’t know but the Los Altos Hills City Council is sure thinking about it.
Meredith MalnickLos Altos
Concern over Westwind’s fate
I am writing today to express my deepest concern over the fate of Westwind Barn and the 15 acres of land on which it is contained.
Not only is this open space of spectacular beauty, but it also serves the community in numerous ways as well.
Above its riding stable and horse-barn functions, Westwind Barn is the host of the 4-H riding club for disabled youth of which my son most willingly partakes.
As a mother of a child with muscular dystrophy, I believe this unique and rare program for kids with disabilities is a valuable asset for the town of Los Altos Hills and other local communities as well.
This program has changed my child’s life insofar as it has raised his self-esteem, increased his self-confidence and enabled him to successfully participate in a physical activity that would be beyond his reach if the present structure were not in existence.
I urge all Los Altos Hills town leaders to look beyond pecuniary profit and city sprawl so as to work instead toward maintaining green pastures, unscathed landscape and a barn which serves the purpose of many, including those children who benefit most from such a healing and valuable experience.
Elizabeth Ouellette
Los Altos
