Letters Letters (January 28, 2005)

City should work for residents

Editor,

I have been a Pleasanton resident for more than 10 years, and have followed many issues that have been brought before the City Council. Very often, I learn of these issues through your newspaper. Like the article I read in the Jan. 14 issue regarding the "zoning conflict" for the residents of Vervais Avenue. This is a terrible situation for the homeowners, and the city is completely at fault!

How do things like this happen? More and more I read about seemingly petty issues the city consumes itself with. This is far from a petty issue, and the city should not hesitate in correcting this matter, and any other incorrect decisions that have been made, especially when they cause such hardship on residents.

Your article stated that the City Council had discussed this matter in "closed sessions" in which there were no minutes or comments. What is the matter with these officials? Do they have something to hide, or is it that they don't want to show their lack of concern for residents, or their greed and selfishness when it comes to spending Pleasanton's money on only what they want.

I can only hope that our newly elected mayor and all other city officials will work solely for the betterment of all Pleasanton residents - after all, without the residents, there would not be a wonderful city named Pleasanton.

Please keep up the wonderful job done by the Pleasanton Weekly, in providing the public with informative and unbiased reporting. Kelli Adams-ChanceNorton Way Weekly has become 'part of Pleasanton'

Editor,

A hearty congratulations to the Pleasanton Weekly as it celebrates its fifth anniversary of providing our city with local news and interest stories. I have enjoyed reading the articles and columns, and seeing the many places residents have traveled with the Weekly over the years. The Weekly Web site has allowed college students and those who have moved to never be further than a click away from Pleasanton.

My wish for the Weekly is to continue to keep the focus local, celebrate the character and characters of our town, and to remind us each Friday of why we live in Pleasanton. Congratulations - the Weekly has become as much a part of Pleasanton as the Arch over Main Street! Gloria FredetteOakbrook Court Don't widen Vineyard

Editor,

We would like to voice strong opposition for widening Vineyard Avenue and thereby increasing the noise, increasing the fumes, increasing the traffic and decreasing the desirability of our home - our investment in our life in Pleasanton. We look forward to enjoying our yard (which backs up to Vineyard Avenue) and sharing good times with friends; the traffic on Vineyard now, much less in the future, makes it extremely difficult to carry on a conversation and hear the other person clearly.

Great strides have been made by the city of Pleasanton to alleviate the road and traffic noise by narrowing the road to one lane in each direction (that helped!), with the promise to coat the asphalt with a rubberized coating to further deaden road noise. This was supposed to be completed after the utilities were installed which was last year - no coating has been applied yet.

The peace and "quiet" of our neighborhoods should not be sacrificed just to merely help other people cut through our areas on their way in or out of Pleasanton. That is wrong! We have invested a lot of $$$ in our home remodeling and repairing, with a major renovation and landscaping to begin in a few months. I am questioning whether we should improve our property or just move to a city that values, respects and protects the safety, security and noise levels of its neighborhoods. Steve and Paula EvansChardonnay Drive

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