Letters to the editor
“It reminded me why I feel so lucky to live here…Sunday’s “Stand for Ukraine” was a Mendocino day with old-timers, newcomers, and tourists coming together for a common cause…the desire to do something,” said Dave Gross. And do something they did with more than $50,000 raised. To make the total go even higher a check can be sent to Mendocino Rotary Foundation c/o Ray Alarcon, 45060 Ukiah St. Mendocino CA 95460.
Meredith Smith organized food sales, Matt Rowland provided the banners all over town and Rotary-sponsored the event. Harvest Market provided the bouquets of sunflowers for sale, Thanksgiving Coffee and North Coast Brewing provided liquid refreshments, and donors, from inns, merchants, artists, and individuals provided silent auction items.
Thanks to Marci, Penny, Barry, Karen, Sally, Mike, Ed, Milt, Judy, Toby, Jeff, Katy, Mary, Jennifer, Tim, Paul, Joan, Dred, Doug, Pat, Marilyn, Betty, Judith, and the wonderful musicians. Gratitude is extended to everyone who helped in so many ways and the private donors.
So how will this money be used? Two organizations will be recipients. Nova Ukraine at Stanford University will get half and a Mendocino Rotary member living in Germany will use the money to buy medicine and supplies in that country. He then drives the supplies to the border in his truck where they will be handed off to a fellow Rotarian from Kiev for delivery. This way there is no overhead, no shipping costs, and all the money will aid Ukraine directly.
Dave Gross was inspired by a quote from more than a century ago by Edward Everett Hale. “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.” Thanks to Dave Gross and all those folks who believed this.
— Katy Tahja, Comptche.
The discussion for removing the Albion River Bridge is coming to an end. CalTrans has begun a public comment period, ending May 20th. If the decision to replace moves forward it will take three years to complete. This project is one of three projects, Albion River Bridge, Salmon Creek Bridge, and straightening/widening Highway One along the coast between these two bridges, which Caltrans refuses to acknowledge as one big project, thereby avoiding an environmental impact report, as required by the California Environmental Quality Act.
When completed, Albion residents will lose their winding road and picturesque Bridge. Instead, they’ll have a wider straighter highway that will send speeding cars across the standard and wider cement bridges into the small two-lane highway that continues north of the Albion Bridge.
I never understood why CalTrans
doesn’t embrace caring for our historic Albion Bridge? What a feather in their cap it could be! At the estimated cost of 100 million dollars, with leftover toxic debris from the dismantled wooden underpinnings, this replacement bridge will gut the soul of our little town and leave our “claim to fame” to be remembered only in pictures. Safety concerns? Check out the study done by two independent bridge engineers: https://tinyurl.com/bdetk3rc
Please send an email to Caltrans, Lisa Walker albionbridge@dot.ca.gov, and say why this is not a good way for them to spend our transportation funds. For more info go to: https://www.facebook.com/savethealbionbridge