Letters Letters (April 02, 2004)

They loved it!

Editor,

Thank you for the wonderful article in the Pleasanton Weekly on the Special Olympics (March 19). No doubt it will have a positive impact on how the community views and involves themselves in Special Olympics.

We handed out copies of the Pleasanton Weekly to the RADD athletes on Tuesday night - they loved it! Thank you!

The RADD Roadrunners are here in Pleasanton but thanks to your article and the community support that it will no doubt encourage, they'll be going places, too! Tom MorelliSpecial Olympics coach Prom princesses

Editor,

The DIVAS of Downtown Pleasanton and the Princess Project would like to thank the community for its generous donations of prom dresses, formal gowns and jewelry the week of March 15. Over 290 dresses - some of them with their tags still attached - were collected at 11 participating downtown stores. The Princess Project indicated that this was the single biggest dress collection in the entire Bay Area. The first of the donated dresses were distributed on Saturday, March 27, and a second give-away day is scheduled for April 3 in San Francisco.

If you are interested in receiving a dress go to www.princessproject.org for more information. Karen PaceFounder of DIVAS Traffic control creates Berlin Wall

Editor,

I am an East Pleasanton resident suffering from the gridlock at Bernal-Vineyard-Nevada Bridge: Due to the gridlock, it is easier to drive to the Livermore Safeway, Livermore Post Office, Livermore Cosmo's Barber Shop and Livermore Hoppy's Pub vs. Pleasanton's Union Jack Pub.

Sad we had to leave St. Elizabeth Seton because it is easier to get to Livermore's St. Michael's for Saturday night Mass. Our kids don't know the same kids in the teen groups. I never see old friends at Pleasanton stores or sitting next to us at Pleasanton restaurants since we now find ourselves doing all that stuff in Livermore. It is too hard to get to the Dublin theater so we go to the small quaint Livermore theater.

We chose to live in Pleasanton these past nine years but we are being pushed out. This is a bummer, and the lack of Neal School didn't help the problem, with no neighborhood school binding kids together in East Pleasanton.

I realize the City Council is trying to stop cut-through traffic but this traffic control effort is creating a Berlin Wall for us in East Pleasanton as we get in line with the cut-through commuters. How about a diamond lane for Pleasanton residents? At least widen the bridge.

So many of us in East Pleasanton are sad and depressed over being cut off from Pleasanton in the daily procession of jammed up cars. We have cut our volunteer hours dramatically. After my two-year term, I chose not to renew as the volunteer CEO of Hope Hospice with its meetings cross-town. Since my wife and I enjoy retirement as we raise our family here in California, I guess we don't have to live in Pleasanton or California at all. Maybe it is time to move out of this gridlocked 580/680 Crossroads City. Steve and Pam BehmVia di Salerno

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