Happy New Year, everyone. We are starting to see some traction on the website, with over 807 unique visitors to date. We also met with 50 of our neighbors for personal presentations at our small marketing and public outreach office at the corner next to the Filling Station. We have met with nearly all the residents that live close to the corner. So far, the meetings have been productive, and our neighbors have all been positive and supportive with the content of our application to the County, so far. Derek Lum, who sits on the SID Board, Herm Rowland of Jelly Belly fame, and Farmer extraordinaire Steve Tenbrink, are just some of the noteworthy people that have all come down to see the plans and discuss the details. People have been very supportive in particular of our plans for Manka’s Meadow specifically, and many of the changes we are planning for the Filling Station. These include better pedestrian access, better crowd control measures, and our strategy for better audio sound control. Also, many people are grateful for our realistic planning for our parking needs, which the County, and our neighboring commercial properties, have not been so diligent about. Our District Supervisor, Ms. Wanda Williams, has come out and met with us twice now…each time for nearly three hours. Supervisor Williams has taken very careful notes, and really gotten into granular detail, about various details regarding the planned improvements. Right now, it feels like she will be very helpful to help things move along. This is appreciated, as we are aiming to strengthen our working relationship with County staff and foster a more collaborative approach. In any event, please make a point to send a note and schedule a date. We would love to talk with you about the project.
You might note that we have added a new section to the website…this is the portion discussing our plans for the old Joeseph C. Wolfskill Mansion (some call the (Armstrong House), and the explanation of the recent construction work that has been underway on the old Mansion. Look for more information to be added in future weeks.
Also, I would like to raise an alarm about an existential threat to Suisun Valley that keeps me awake at night. It is clear that certain county and city officials have their eye on Suisun Valley, not necessarily in a healthy or productive way. There appears to be a movement, I suspect, possibly backed by the housing lobby, to plumb Susiun Valley with city sewer and water services. They are actively studying the use of floating bonds that would encumber properties within the valley, thereby raising property taxes on valley property owners to cover the debt service to pay for their ambitious infrastructure investment dreams. I want to be clear that Tam and I are strongly opposed to this effort. The Solano County Board of Supervisors is planning to begin spending money to study this issue, which invariably is a process that tends to validate their objectives. Some thought Tam and I would be supportive of this move, as it would presumably help us achieve our development goals for the corner. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are numerous safe and modern ways to safely manage organic waste, without resorting to municipal utility services, and the annexations and sprawl they lead to. So far, our existing Supervisor Wanda Williams has indicated that she is opposed to this idea, and I hope she means that. But she’s only one vote. We need strong support for the “Keep Suisun Valley Rural” position and risk the aggressive urbanists who are largely government staff employees and government elected officials. Please let me know if you agree with the “Say No to a City Sewer Line” position… we need to identify all opposed to this and make ourselves heard! We don’t need to have the government decide it is in our best interest to force us to pay for City Sewer we do not need or want. Thank you to Lisa Howard at Tolenas Winery, Roger King at King Andrews Vineyards, and Gary Bacon of the Suisun Valley Inn for joining Tam and I on this position and making yourselves heard.
Look for more on this blog soon!
