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MEASURE F - Should the Town of Atherton construct a new library
in Holbrook-Palmer Park using funds dedicated for Library purposes only,
by replacing the Main House and some surrounding patios and walkways?
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YES
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NO
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Here is the City Attorney's impartial analysis for this measure. Please feel free to comment below by clicking on the "comments" link, writing your comment in the box and then signing your name by going to the Comment as menu and selecting "Name/url" and then writing your name in the space. (You do not need to enter a url.)
Dear Atherton citizens,
ReplyDeleteMy opinions on Atherton Measures F and M follow.
* Measure F
To maximize use of funds and facilities, a new town library should be part of our town master plan. We've repeatedly asked for a master plan that includes a library. We still have no town master plan and no reason why a new library
shouldn't be part of a new town master plan.
Instead we have a Library Committee report that evaluates environmental impacts. The fact that the Library Committee met for two years is irrelevant; e.g., not one public meeting was dedicated to library location or state-of-the-art library technology or master plan integration.
* Measure M
It might not take a village to raise a child, but a village that updates
baseball facilities for children is a village where children should be raised.
The arguments against M contain inaccurate statements and appeal mostly to fear;
e.g., "might happen…difficult to tell…might overwhelm."
No on F; yes on M!!
Scott Feamster
Atherton resident and Park user
I disagree with the City Attorney's comment that replacing at least 5,000 square feet of patio and with a building with not taking open space.
ReplyDeleteThere are several reasons to vote No on Measure F.
1. The Ballot Measure does not limit the size of the library.
2. If approved 3 members of the council could build a 15,000 square foot facility.
3. Doing seismic improvements on the current library, which was upgraded in 2000 would have less environmental impact.
4. With Menlo Park's library so close by and not at capacity, will this be a "White Elephant"?
Regards,
Charles Marsala
A big NO for the library. A serious misuse of funds, even though $5M is set aside for the new library. This will take much more than the allocated funds, for which we will be paying. Instead, collaborate with the Menlo Park library, only a mile away, expand it if need be - a much more appropriate use of our tax money.
ReplyDeleteThe Worthings 100% agree with Coach Feamster. All city services need to be in one centralized area, not scattered. We should have a baseball field that sparkles! John and Peggy Worthing
ReplyDeleteYes, but, the library would not be exclusively for the use of the town but for an entire county of people, bringing in traffic, and expense to manage the facility. I would like a small town, with a small library that is which is what we have now. Update our current library do not ruin the peaceful open space.
ReplyDeleteGail Teymourian
Life-long resident
Strange I attended three of the public meetings. You apparently did not care about the issue when they were offered. Don't state something that is not true. There were meetings, they publicized and everyone had the opportunity to attend them. What you have stated about M about inaccurate statements is true about the one you made on F. People had and did voice their opinions very strongly both for and against with the against being repeated many times.
ReplyDeleteMuch has been said in derogatory terms about the proposal to build a new library
ReplyDeletein Holbrook-Palmer Park. This is a serious proposal made by serious people but
a reading of comments makes them sound like accomplices of Jack the Ripper. I
have spoken to people on both sides of this issues and find no villains, only
people interested in keeping Atherton the wonderful community that it is. For
those of you who are still able to be objective the September 21, 2011 comment
published in The Almanac offers information that is overlooked in most of the
discussions but contains perhaps the most compelling reasons to favor this
proposal. The Main house in the Park is not an historic structure, it is a poor
replacement of the original that burned down in the '50s. It is little used
ever since it was determined that weddings in the park were adding cost, not
profit, for the Town. The town needs space for the building department and
other administrative functions in the vicinity of the Town Center. The existing
library space made earthquake safe can meet these needs at relatively low cost.
Leaving the library where it is leaves us short until and if we can come
together, raise funds, and design and build a new Town Center which may well be
5 to 10 years in the future. Meanwhile there remains inadequate library space
for lectures, childrens' programs, office, storage, etc. Happily there are
ample funds that can only be spent for library uses to make this happen. Please
read Viewpoint: "Library and opportunity for Atherton" at
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:mv6y3x6XYsAJ:www.almanacnews.com/morg\
uepdf/2011/2011_09_21.alm.section1.pdf+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShruEl8-Dr\
CoWe4VD25zgWnRsfIPllxsOvdy1epX0oGUyHshHEyB4lvT-yYEejIFKi-Yiw_yg1aJGbdWk5ItssDoeL\
7o2jr1wRScomql466zjCrNJVeEeQ_sGb29bcnyvCmqXTI&sig=AHIEtbQV2brJwfKVdXh28m1xfoCsg6\
HhDQ
Ted Ullman