Letters to the Argus-Courier editor May 6

Bathtubs a money sink

EDITOR: The focus of April’s Petaluma Public Art Committee meeting was to discuss A Fine Balance, aka the Tubs, which has been on hold since September 2019. Staff reported three options: resume the project in our historic downtown; relocate; or discontinue.

Staff informed the committee there is about $100,000 remaining in the Public Art Fund (after money is allocated for three committed projects) which could be spent on the required environmental impact review bid of $79,280. Staff said the costs of an EIR could go significantly higher, and the committee needed to pay for staff to oversee the process. Staff stated there’s no guarantee the EIR conclusion would support moving the installation forward. During the March meeting, it was reported the committee has spent $44,000 on staff overseeing the project, plus approximately $49,000 to the San Francisco-based artist Brian Goggin. And previously it’s been discussed that Petaluma must include ADA-required bases and lighting for safety reasons, which adds another $125,000-plus.

It was clear to those listening there’s not enough money to pursue the installation on Water Street. The committee discussed alternate sites, although not the Ellis Creek Wetlands. After emotional member comments, they voted 4-3 to continue with the project on Water Street.

It seems the committee has given up its responsibility to be stewards of public art funds. Perhaps the mayor and City Council will remember their fiduciary responsibilities and decline moving forward with the project on Water Street. Not only would going forward bankrupt the Public Art Fund, it would turn Water Street into a construction zone, whenever it might happen. That would completely interrupt business for the local merchants and restaurants. I hope you agree they need our support, not another disruption, especially now that Petaluma has discovered the joy of eating outdoors.

Cheryl Coldiron

Petaluma

Fine Balance a mistake

EDITOR: The recent art committee’s slim majority vote (4 to 3) to move forward with plans to install Fine Balance on Water Street was surprising to say the least.

After the objective financial realities and discussion of relocation were presented, the meeting evolved into highly emotional commentary. I understand that disappointment is a difficult emotion to handle. However, the discussion went way beyond that. Katherine Plank, who represents the Petaluma Art Center, made angry remarks about those who oppose Fine Balance. She criticized the ”small mindedness” of people who “keep harping” on the historic district. She described those opposing Fine Balance as “a handful of very aggressive people.” Committee member Heather Makin also voted to move forward — despite her misgivings about cost, stating, “I’m scared about the money,” scared about continuing to “throw money at this.”

Initially the committee was influenced to select Goggin’s Fine Balance based on his notable San Francisco works: Defenestration, Caruso’s Dream, and Language of Birds. However, they didn’t consider one common element of those works: they were all elevated. None of them were inserted into the public right of way sidewalk or street below. None of them were placed on a purpose-built urban plaza in a historic district. All three did not impinge on the temporary efforts of local restaurants and pop-up retail to survive during tough times. Fine Balance was the wrong piece for Water Street then, and it certainly is now. And I also think it should be wrong for some committee members to insult those who defend the historic nature of our downtown.

Kathy Myers

Petaluma

City’s climate goals too costly

EDITOR: According to Bjorn Lomborg, of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, The New Zealand government tasked the Institute of Economic Research to cost its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. The Petaluma City Council is attempting this in one-third of the time for a city of just over 50,000 people, one hundredth of New Zealand’s. According to the report, The New Zealand total cost is estimated at $720,000 per person and the result would be a delay of one day in reaching the projected global temperature in January 2100. So Petaluma could achieve one hundredth of a day’s delay in warming, or about 15 seconds, at a cost of $720,000 each over 79 years.

Does the city have the resources for this, or the expertise? No and No. So far a ban on new natural gas use is planned, more than doubling the cost of home heating. As usual, the poor pay for elite dreams. In France, the "Gilet Jaunes”- protesters wearing yellow traffic safety vests - shut down much of France to reverse a few cents per liter gas tax increase. The projected required extra Petaluma carbon gas tax is $10 per gallon!

I hope to help stop Petaluma attempting the impossible, armed only with rhetoric, for no worthwhile result. Yellow vests are cheap on Amazon. If you don’t want to try to live in a future Petaluma economic desert, buy one and write “No on CN” on it. Wear it. We don’t want to shut down our economy, just stop our city council from doing so.

Trevor Pitts

Petaluma

City Council should cancel tubs

EDITOR: Having been dismissed as "small minded" by at least one member of the Public Arts Commission, perhaps it is simply defensiveness on my part to suggest that it is the commission members who are exhibiting a failure of imagination in rejecting several reasonable compromises on the location of the exhibit. This group, apparently accountable to no one, appears perfectly willing to continue to hemorrhage public funds, proud to do so, regardless of public opinion. After all, what does the unsophisticated public know of art? I hope the City Council, which is accountable, puts an end to this unfortunate and costly chapter in the life of the city at the first possible opportunity.

Marvin Weinbaum

Petaluma

Thank you River Cats for honoring our son

EDITOR: I just wanted to let you know how proud we are of the Casa Lacrosse team. Not because of its big win April 27 against Petaluma high but because of how they honored our sweet boy. Our son, John Orfali, passed away on Dec. 19, 2019. He had stage lV Rhabdomyosarcoma, cancer in the skeletal muscle tissue. He suffered eight long months. John (Johnny) went to Casa to play Lacrosse with his River Cat (played three years on River Cats) buddies. He also ran for Casa’s Cross country. We live on the west side. He took zero hour so he could go there because that was the only time we could take him. My husband worked and our other son attended school on the west side. Unfortunately, John’s Casa lacrosse career was short lived because he only played a few games as a freshman then was diagnosed with cancer on April 6, 2019. Every Casa lacrosse player, JV and varsity, wore John’s Casa lacrosse number 25 on their helmets to honor our beautiful boy. The coaches made stickers with number 25 on it. They also decided to retire his number because number 25 is already taken and his spirit lives on. We are so grateful of the teams and of Johnny’s coaches and to live in a community that takes the time to remember what family is all about. John is still part of the Casa Lacrosse family and we could not be more proud.

Nina Orfali, Johnny’s mom

Petaluma

Bathtub study a waste of money

EDITOR: Whether one likes or hates the bathtubs, spending $80,000 on an EIR is a waste of money. The project has no obvious significant adverse impacts on air, water, traffic, habitat, or climate. Its major sin is that some people hate it. This controversy triggered CEQA. It also has potential issues with pedestrian and wheelchair accessibility. CEQA only requires that the city state these potential impacts, determine if they are significant, and if so, determine if there are feasible mitigation measures or alternatives. This is not rocket science. Eighty thousand dollars is half a year’s salary and benefits for a senior city planner. Does it make sense that it should take the cost of one persons’ work for half a year to do a report on the fact that a lot of people hate this project and a lot of people don’t? A company is ready to hold interminable meetings and conduct intense analysis. It is not needed for this project. A retiree who needs some extra bucks could write an adequate report in a month.

Neal Fishman

Petaluma