Letters Letters (July 29, 2005)

Errors in St. Clare's coverage

Editor,

I want to correct some of the factual errors and distortions in your article regarding the St. Clare's proposed expansion in your July 22 issue. First, the neighborhood that resisted the expansion plan is Valley Trails, not Val Vista. I am a resident of Valley Trails, not Val Vista. You also reported that Donna Decker, from the city's Planning Department, claimed that there were five meetings since December held by the church to solicit comments and suggestions with the Val Vista (sic) community, including one in February and one in May. The February meeting was actually a regularly scheduled Valley Trails Homeowners Association meeting, which the church did attend. The May meeting was the annual Valley Trails Homeowners Association potluck dinner to which the church was given an invitation. The church neither responded to the invitation nor attended the potluck. Both meetings were at Harvest Valley Church, not Harvest Park Middle School.

It is unfortunate that despite making those corrections during my presentation, that the Pleasanton Weekly ignored them and chose to print the inaccurate information.

The Pleasanton Weekly goes on to say that "although objecting to expanding the parking lot, (I) also complained about parishioners parking on neighborhood streets when the lot is full." This is a gross distortion. We are not objecting to the expansion of the parking lot, but rather its design and location. Clearly, if the church expansion is approved more parking is necessary. However, we object to the proximity of the new parking to neighborhood homes and the secluded nature of the lot, which we believe will invite safety and crime problems.

The neighborhood repeatedly accepted the city's offers to enter discussions with the church to modify their expansion plans. As Mr. Sayre pointed out, the appellants were not opposed to the church expanding, rather, we are opposed to this plan. I am confident that if both sides show flexibility and enter discussions willing to compromise that a mutually agreed upon plan can be achieved. I look forward to the day when I can address the City Council to endorse an expansion plan for St. Clare's Church, rather than oppose it. Carl W. Pretzel Glacier Court

Letters Letters (July 29, 2005)

A job well done

Editor,

Congratulations on the fine July 8 edition. The articles on Ron Sutton, Corporal Sarah Leslie, the editorial on the success of the PTA and the story on the Lawrence Livermore Lab were all excellent. They are the positive stories that Pleasanton is about. Brad Hirst Santa Rita Rd.

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