TC gave Casey needless publicity

Drew Grewal

Fresh off her humiliating defeat in the Republican Senate primary, Toni Casey is clawing again for publicity in any way she can get it. Unfortunately, the Town Crier provided her with an outlet (”Paths debate winds on,” July 21).

Where did (Lauren) McSherry dig up this story? There isn’t any controversy over the Pathways Committee - it seems that was produced solely by McSherry and Casey.

If Casey took issue with the committee’s actions, why didn’t she write a letter like the rest of us?

Maybe she doesn’t have to, and that’s the point - special treatment by the Town Crier?

Casey, Fenwick and their cronies debased the true character of Los Altos Hills through a concerted campaign of greed, using their power to alter the Los Altos Hills pathways to their personal benefit.

Casey’s cohort was voted out, and we thought we were finished with her once and for all, but thanks to “special connections” with local media she’s back in the news.

Let’s just hope she focuses a bit more on her current post with the Bush administration and moves full time to Washington, D.C., and leaves us alone for good.

Dirty, noisy construction on Miramonte

Sandra Beges

The Mountain View Miramonte Expansion Project is nothing short of a disaster. The noise and alarms from the backup trucks is driving us out of our minds.

The brain definitely has a memory, and listening to these alarms all day long never stops. It continues long after the trucks have gone, until you think you are losing your mind.

The dirt, dust and chaos from the trucks aligning the perimeter of this site are indescribable. The smell of the fumes from the diesel trucks is unhealthy, toxic and deplorable.

I had a Mountain View supervisor, Dickson Tam, out to my home where our newly painted home is filthy, our pool entirely black and now off limits, and even he was appalled.

Miramonte Avenue is dirty from one end to the other, even with (supposedly) the water trucks watering down the street. This is very likely to become a mental health issue. The violations are being taped and documented.

I ask that all members of the Los Altos City Council, and our noteworthy director of public works, Jim Porter, to visit Diamond Court and the surrounding site on Miramonte Avenue to see firsthand the destruction taking place on top of our homes.

We residents insist you all leave your business cards in our boxes or on our front doors as our representatives, to show that you have witnessed this onslaught.

I, at the request of neighbors in this area, would like the city of Los Altos’ documentation and daily reports on the measurements of the air quality, noise decibel levels and diesel fume levels that have been documented during this approved project.

Please let me know by e-mail or phone when I can arrange to pick up this documentation. Contrary to what the EIR states, the effort on Mountain View’s part to mitigate the dust and dirt has not taken place.

Their efforts to water down the site are totally inadequate, and on a daily basis they have only turned on the water trucks when they see us filming.

Furthermore, in the letter to residents from the Los Altos Department of Public Works, dated May 21, 2004, Page 2, Section e, it states that the site excavation and dirt hauling hours are limited to between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays.

As the Los Altos point of contact, can Public Works Director Jim Porter explain why the dirt excavation trucks are lined up and begin promptly at 7:30 a.m. every day?

Why is there confusion over the start times between the two cities’ department of public works? We would like an answer to this immediately.

Each and every one of you has disappointed us tremendously.

Winbigler incompatible with Pinewood use

Jim Finch

Pinewood School’s proposed campus on the former Winbigler property is totally incompatible with Los Altos Hills land use standards.

This property is better suited for five single-family homes, which would conform to LAH zoning criteria.

Pinewood is an excellent school. But just because they already occupy a campus in Los Altos Hills, does not mean they are entitled to construct a new campus on a different site.

The topography of the former Winbigler property would present many challenges and the proposed building square footage and density would greatly exceed normal residential standards for this site.

The increased traffic and ingress and egress on the dangerous “S” curve would be akin to a commercial development on the property.

Obviously, a commercial development of this magnitude would never be approved for this site and a school should not be considered as well.

Pinewood’s proposed move inappropriate

Danesh and Homa Tavana

We are Los Altos Hills residents who live on a street adjacent to the proposed Pinewood school site on Campo Vista Lane. We are sure that by now the school has heard from many residents about their strong opposition to its relocation plan.

As residents who takes great pride in the beauty, safety and peacefulness of our town, we are also strongly opposed to the plan. The site Pinewood has chosen is completely inappropriate for that purpose and will have a significant negative impact on not only our neighborhood, but our community as a whole.

Here is a list of what we believe a few of these negative impacts are, and how they jeopardize our town’s values.

1. Bicyclist and pedestrian safety, especially children’s, in what is currently the worst traffic corner in Los Altos Hills with the least driver visibility.

2. Excess traffic, noise and light during morning rush hour and in the evenings,

3. Increased risk of automobile damage to homes near the “S” curve on Fremont Road.

4. High school teenage driving, and late night social activities near school.

5. An inappropriate commercial building site on top of a very visible hill in what is primarily a residential neighborhood.

6. Existing school site (the former Bullis-Purissima school) just a block away.

7. Disruption of peace during school social events.

8. Devaluation of property in the neighborhood.

9. Limited sewer access, low water pressure and poor drainage in the area.

10. Unhappy neighbors who have opposed Pinewood’s plans from the beginning.

We are hopeful that upon truly listening and taking to heart the many voices of its neighbors, Pinewood will do the right thing and reconsider moving to this site.