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An open letter to Mayor Marie Gilmore

Dear Mayor Gilmore,

While I very much wanted to come down to speak at the meeting tonight, I am leaving town tomorrow and have to be content with writing you an unsolicited email.

I just wanted to remind you that it's been nearly a year since our meeting when we discussed the reinstatement of the Public Art Commission. While the hiring of a consultant seemed like a blatant waste of the fund to me, the consultant will be providing her recommendations in January.

I understand that you are reviewing the status of the public art fund. Please keep in mind it is your responsibility to staff the Public Art Commission and the other commissions our community has deemed necessary to further the work of democracy.

Please don't be the mayor that made democracy shrink in Alameda. Appoint people to the Public Art Commission and the Traffic Commission and every other commission that needs bodies. People have submitted their applications now well over a year ago.

Please start doing your job and appoint people. I don't even care if I'm appointed any more, just put someone up there so we can continue the work of democracy in this community.

It is my firm belief that Alameda has a strong art community that could thrive and build the economy, awareness of our fine city and develop a culture unique to us with a little more support from the city. These efforts have economic value. Art groups create jobs. Well rounded children make better citizens. Public art is a part of that. Don't lose sight of what's important. It's your job to fix this, Mayor Gilmore. Please appoint new commissioners.

— Eric J. Kos Publisher, Alameda Sun

Thanks from Santa and ARPD

Editor:

On behalf of Santa and the Alameda Recreation & Park Department, we would like to thank the following local businesses for their recent support of our 10th Annual Breakfast with Santa event which was held on Saturday, Dec. 10. Thanks to: Alameda Natural Grocery for the donation of oranges; Trader Joe's for the donation of bananas; Peet's Coffee on Park Street for the donation of coffee and condiments; and Jackie at Feel Good Bakery for supplying the gingerbread people cookies. More than 150 children and adults attended this fabulous event, and all these items helped make Santa's annual breakfast a success.

— Christina Bailey and Adele Hope, Program Coordinators

For shame

Editor:

Shame on the officers for picking on an old man ("Elderly Man Received Unwanted Attention," Dec. 22). Handcuffing him was inexcusable. I find it suspicious that Capt. Rolleri says police received a phone call "from an unidentified witness... thanking the Alameda Police Department for their good work with Bray."

— Besty Brazy

Sad tale

Editor:

The story about Sam Bray ("Elderly Man Receives Unwanted Attention," Dec. 22) is sad and such a tragedy for everyone involved and another reason to perpetuate accusations of racism in Alameda.

— Maureen Cadigan

Thanks for the success

Editor:

Alameda Family Services League would like to thank all those that made this year's Alameda Holiday Home Tour a success. On Saturday, Dec. 10, five of Alameda's beautiful homes donned their finest holiday décor. Handmade, homemade, and festive goodies, crafts and raffle prizes filled the Alameda Elk's Lodge and the social hall at First Presbyterian Church became a Holiday Tea Wonderland; even Santa managed to make an appearance at every home and venue to greet tour-goers and passers by alike.

Homeowners, musicians, sponsors, vendors and hundreds of volunteers made the 41st Annual Holiday Home Tour an event and day to remember! Alameda Family Services League would like to thank those who graciously opened up their homes, sponsored the tour, sold tickets at their retail locations, volunteered or purchased tickets, gourmet shop and boutique goodies.

The Alameda Holiday Home Tour raised funds for Alameda Family Services, a vital human services organization in our community whose mission is to improve the emotional, psychological and physical health of children, youth and families. We look forward to announcing in the New Year how much was raised for this wonderful, essential, community resource.

— Katie Honegger

What's with the huge buildings?

Editor:

I was over in the Harbor Bay Business Park near the community washrooms and the road to the Ferry Terminal, and noticed that the lovely green strip of land, which had previously stood empty for so long to give us more light, air and open views was now covered with nearly-completed, cavernous-type, huge buildings.

So what gives? I did not notice any local publicity on this project, so that our community would be aware of a development project. If developers can come in at any time and build, without notice to the community, they can go anywhere else on the island (including Alameda Point) and put development projects into motion that will be completed before we know about it, which is too late.

Would somebody tell us why we didn't get notice of this project earlier. It seems that the fight against questionable development on prime open land goes on.

— Willard Ross

Princess is safe

Editor:

Thank you so much for running the article on my cat Princess. She returned home the very afternoon the article ran and I am so grateful! Below is a chain of events that occurred:

Princess was missing two days before Thanksgiving. I walked the neighborhood in the very early morning. hours and some evening hours when the street was quiet, calling her name and rattling a container of crunchy food. There were 60 laminated flyers posted with a large picture of Princess.

I checked both Alameda Animal Shelter and Oakland Animal Services twice each week. I left food and water out on the porch and no other animals came by, not even raccoons.

The Alameda Sun kindly ran an article for me with Princess' picture. Several people called from either the posted flyers or newspaper offering help and told me of a very helpful site called www. catsinthebag.org.

Many people told me not to give up. I circulated a hand-written note to my block of neighbors on Thursday asking them to open their outbuildings and lo and behold, there was Princess in my driveway just like any other day.

A little leaner but alive and I am so thankful my little girl is back after two-and-a-half weeks.

— Cathy Marie Vukonich

Let's hear it for Christmas Tree Lane

Editor:

Having been a resident of Alameda for more than 20 years, I have always enjoyed the trip to our very own "Christmas Tree Lane" almost every year. ("Alameda Christmas Tree Lane Opens," Dec. 1). The effort on the part of the residents as well as the city to make it happen each and every year is indeed laudable.

Since I have a nice camera and am a passionate hobbyist, the annual visit is even more pleasurable. Thank you to the residents of Thompson Avenue as well as the city of Alameda for giving us this annual pleasure. Here are some pictures I took the other night. Hope you enjoy the slideshow at http://harryslenz.zenfolio.com/christmastreelanealameda/slideshow. Here is wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

— Harry Singh

A future for the Mif

Editor:

If the Jack Clark Golf Course is able to accommodate both the Junior Golf and Alameda school programs, it would be wonderful if the city council supported a future for a "Mif Albright Park" that honors the intent of the Alamedans who founded the Mif Albright Golf Course.

Using the site for a sports park could provide outdoor activities and socialization for the growing senior population, the dog owners and those cute kids in strollers.

It seems possible to fit a few of those putting, chipping practice greens among the memorial trees, for practice and kibitzing, a dog park for dog owners to visit and run their pets and a small T-ball diamond for everyone to enjoy watching youngsters begin to enjoy the sport of baseball that is such an island tradition.

The Mif site has plenty of safe off-street parking and would not impact the busy commute-hour traffic, but might generate additional mid-day business for the Harbor Bay Landing shops. If money is needed, the golf course could sell three lots off Flower Lane, which already has some utilities to fund the whole project.

Remember, other communities are buying up green space, not selling it off to developers.

—Jeanne Ley

Sig Alert for Alameda

Editor:

This is not about positive growth for Park Street and the future of Alameda for the next 20 years. A major Interstate 880 (I-880) "road improvement" project is slated to begin soon.

Once it starts, it will probably increase traffic delays onto Park Street into Alameda by 10 to 20 percent for the next 20 years.

I attended one meeting about four years ago in Oakland regarding projects on 23rd and 29th avenues. I made many arguments against both projects. I heard of no other public meetings since. I expected to have seen more public meetings particularly with the Alameda and Oakland city councils.

At that forum, the audience and I found many faults in the Metropolitan Transit Commision's (MTC) rationale for both projects. We felt that doing nothing (spend no money, scrap the projects) was the best solution. MTC's cure for their perceived traffic problem was worse than their perceived problem. I am very curious in what sort of public response reports got placed "on file" for both projects.

I fear that a result of "we addressed all concerns of the public who attended the meeting" might have been erroneously filed.

Monitoring the work progress along I-880 near Oakland and Alameda, I thought that maybe I had "won," and the 29th Ave and 23rd Ave projects would be abandoned.

But when I visited the I-880corridor. com website, I saw that these projects appear "ready to go." Construction will begin in 2012. There are yet no details for either project; but I fear that the projects as originally proposed will be built. The projects appear to only have thought about the effects on traffic along I-880 and not upon the nearby communities.

Doesn't the MTC work to serve the public and the communities? Both projects have dire consequences to the neighboring communities where traffic problems will increase rather than be alleviated by the projects.

What is the best way to stop both projects? Perhaps letters from the public to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission or CalTrans would help.

— Jim Strehlow