Editor:
Since 2000, there has been an influx of new citizens in Douglas County. Most, but not all of these people, are from California. I am one of them who loves this county and wants it to thrive. It now seems that many other of the relative newcomers want to shut the door to anyone else being able to come and reside in Douglas County. It's the old "I got mine, now go away" concept.
Dave Nelson, District 1 commissioner candidate, has accepted an endorsement and a sizeable contribution from the SGC who represent "keep the county rural, very little growth." Public records show that he moved here from California in 2003, bought four homes that were under construction, and now professes slow growth.
Do you expect anyone with any logic to believe that you are a genuine candidate with genuine concerns about Douglas County and its economic future? Give me a break.
If you have your way, all of us will be driving miles to get to a grocery or drug store because of the economic destruction that you and your friends in the SGC have in your agenda. If you and your SGC supporters have such a problem here in Douglas County, why don't you move back to California? I for one, wish to stay and watch this county become vibrant once again " not one of the areas I drive through on Highway 95 heading to Las Vegas.
Pam Brekas
Gardnerville
Editor:
Much has been written during this primary county commissioner race criticizing the present Board of County Commissioners for being a fractured board rather than one exhibiting team work. In context, this criticism is usually aimed at certain commissioners who have represented, at times, the minority viewpoint on certain important matters before the commission. This criticism comes from the Business Council and other growth advocates. As I read it, it translates into "if you don't agree with my vote (the majority viewpoint), you're exhibiting an attitude of being uncooperative, obstructionistic or lacking in team spirit." What a bunch of nonsense. Honest debate among honest people is at the very heart of a democratic form of government.
In recent history, we had a board of county commissioners who operated from 1997 to at least 2004 and who collectively agreed and voted unanimously in favor of most all of the development projects that came before it. Check the records. One can say that we certainly had commissioner teamwork during that time and it was certainly never a fractured or an obstructionist board. However, look at the result " a period of unprecedented approvals for residential growth, coupled with an organized decision on the part of these commissioners to ignore or refuse to implement (with minor exceptions), the growth management chapter of the master plan. It was, without a doubt, this kind of teamwork, coupled with a total disregard for the wishes of the residents of Douglas County, that caused the Sustainable Growth Initiative to be placed on the ballot in 2002.
For my (tax) money, I prefer county commissioners who are not in lockstep with any particular interest group, but rather who are capable of (and willing to engage in) critical and independent thinking and analysis regarding the important decisions facing Douglas County. That would result in a more searching, transparent and revealing debate " which is healthier for us taxpayers than the back-room teamwork that I suspect existed during that previous time. And most of all I want county commissioners who will seek out, and be responsive to, the wishes of the citizens of Douglas County who elected them.
Gary Griffith
Gardnerville
Editor:
It's time we got down to the real issues in the District 1 commission race between Greg Lynn and Dave Nelson. Let's start with Mr. Nelson. He is a four-year county resident with highly questionable residency qualifications. He actually admitted that he rented a house in District 1 solely to run for this commission seat. He claims to be a lifelong Republican but, as previous correspondence has demonstrated, he switches parties according to the demands of political expediency.
Not long after moving here he sued Douglas County over the alignment of the Muller Parkway right of way, which runs right behind his home in Arbor Gardens. Does this sound like a candidate who is willing to do his homework before making a serious decision? Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Nelson's appearances before the board of commissioners cannot help but notice that he rarely, if ever, brings positive input. It's always this, that, or something else is wrong with Douglas County.
Now let's look at Mr. Lynn, a 28-year local resident, running a business here since 1985, with a proven track record of involvement in County issues. He wrote a Douglas County newsletter for the building department for 10 years, clarifying code and policy issues for the construction industry. He participated in over three dozen interview boards hiring county staff at levels ranging from building inspectors to Community Development directors and everything in between. Can Mr. Nelson bring this level of real-world experience within the county to the table? Mr. Lynn also designed, organized and built the Douglas County Shooting Facility, a completely volunteer effort.
He then rebuilt the facility, once again as a volunteer, after safety issues cropped up 10 years later.
Mr. Lynn also was one of the authors of the Building Permit Allocation Ordinance, adopted in 2007 after a 16-month effort to reach a compromise with the Sustainable Growth Initiative Committee. Does this sound like a builder who wants to pave the Valley? Mr. Lynn also facilitated the update of the County Design Manual, which led to a nearly year long effort to make some sense out the pending floodplain management ordinance, which had the potential, in its draft form, to stifle economic activity in our Valley.
In fact, the county asked Mr. Lynn, based on his involvement and familiarity with the floodplain issue, to participate in a technical review of the draft floodplain maps conducted by, County staff, an independent consultant and local engineers. Who do you want for your commissioner, a disgruntled newcomer with clear carpetbagging tendencies or a long-term resident with a proven track record of public service and concern for the well being and future of our community?
Barry Smith
Gardnerville
Editor:
During the county commissioners' candidate's forum at the CVIC Hall on July 16, candidate and Commissioner Doug Johnson stated that a new Douglas County Senior Center was not the will of the county citizens. He based this statement on the results of the 2004 and 2006 ballot questions which included a new senior center.
I would like to correct Mr. Johnson's perception of these ballot questions. In 2004 the new senior center was only one of five items packaged together in a ballot question.
In 2006 the senior center was one of three items packaged in that ballot question. In addition, both of these ballot questions included tax increases which had very little chance of passing during these economic hard times. Even many of the county seniors would not vote for a tax increase when they already pay more than their fair share of the county residential real estate tax.
Even with all of these factors against them these measures almost passed. It would be irresponsible to try to determine the "will of the people" pertaining to a new senior center by the results of these ballot questions.
If Mr. Johnson and the rest of the Douglas County commissioners would really like to know how the citizens of Douglas County feel about a new senior center they would include the following question on the November ballot: "Does Douglas County need a new senior center?"
Paul Lockwood
Minden
Editor:
My topic is in regard to the DART bus scheduling, bus benches and protection from the elements, and of course, the ongoing need for a new senior center that evidently will never arrive.
Today, while at Fuji Park where I often take my two dogs there was an older gentleman sitting at a bench in the shade in the park. There were two other people sitting on a bus bench with no shade or cover just outside the park in the dirt across from Costco waiting for the bus. I had a conversation with the gentleman in the park as my two dogs greeted him. I observed he had hospital wrist bands on his wrists. He stated he was waiting for the bus, but could not take the sun as he just got out of the hospital in Reno and was on his way home to Gardnerville. He had to walk to inside the park for shade as he could not take the heat and sun waiting for the bus, which incidentally was not on time. I was at the park for about an hour, and the bus never arrived as scheduled.
Douglas County needs:
1. Bus benches at every bus stop
2. Every bus stop needs cover from the elements and face the bench north with the cover behind it from the south winds, and away from the east and west sun; and
3. The bus needs to arrive and depart on time or buses don't work for the people.
That is the easiest way I can place this into words. Now for the way I feel about how our seniors' basic needs are not being met.
This county needs to start respecting the elderly and a new senior center is desperately needed. Buses need to place our seniors at the top of the list and start picking them up if needed at their homes even if they do not carry a disabled plaque. Some are feeble and do not qualify as a disabled person.
The gentleman I met today was on his way home from the hospital. No shade and no bus arrived as scheduled. And DART was not answering their telephone.
Does anyone remember World War II and the Korean War? Would any of us be living here now if it were not for this magnificent group of individuals " both the men and the women? We evidently waved that American flag and threw the big fireworks once again - for what? Has our society forgotten our elders are from the age bracket of these two wars? The Vietnam War vets are entering the senior centers now. Next will be the Gulf War age bracket and after that Afghanistan and the Iraq War. Will there be a new senior center then? When? What is the magical age bracket of who gets the new senior center?
I feel compelled to state none of us would be here if not for the age bracket that uses the senior citizen centers today and most often uses the bus system. If it were not for them and their sacrifices, which were many including living through the Great Depression by which many starved and went through times not anywhere near in comparison to the so-called tough times of today " none of us would be here.
Instead of thinking the seniors are about ready to drop dead and therefore they don't need anything, think of your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents - the seniors at our senior center are to someone.
These folks need our help. They don't ask for help. They have spent a lifetime without help. It is time we stand up for them and show them our respect.
Nanci D. Lemburg
Gardnerville
Editor:
The letter by Irene Gutierrez in the July 16 Record-Courier contains some inaccurate information. I agree that the weak dollar has helped raise the price of gas, but the main reason is the shortage of domestic fuel created by environmentalists and the Democrats who have blocked new refineries and drilling.
The U.S. has enough oil and coal to last for the next 100 years. I agree that we need government oversight for the trading of energy as Gutierrez says. But all the naysayers who say it will take 10 years to get new oil flowing is just not true.
If the Russians can do it in two years so can we. There are already offshore rigs that are inactive that can be put in service immediately and we now have the technology to prevent spills 99.44 percent if not 100 percent of the time. I am all for alternate sources of fuel but that will take 10 years or more and if we wait, we will be in a 1929 depression. By the way, the 68 million acres of federal land have no oil on them.
T.B. Pickens has advocated wind power development of electricity.
But the wind generators can only be placed in a few locations to make it profitable and we need backup power because they don't generate 24-7. We've barely tapped nuclear energy because of the big scare created by nut case environmentalists.
I'm sure that everyone is aware of the recent drop in oil prices just because there has been talk in Washington of new oil drilling. So let's go ahead and get congress off their butts and proceed. Why in the world should we keep giving billions to eastern terrorist oil countries who seek our destruction?
Dan Ballard
Gardnerville
Editor:
Obama reminds me of the senior class president who has a silver tongue and promises everything but has no real solution and is never heard from again.
Guess who I'm voting for ... McCain.
L.L. Kerley
Minden
Editor:
My wife and I relocated to Minden looking for a new home with a less maintenance yard.
As we were driving around looking at housing tracts we came across Ironwood drive and noticed a new tract being built.
As we drove around, we started to like the area, and the location and being closer to the town of Minden.
The tract was La Costa, a Syncon Development.
We then proceeded to the Syncon offices for the project, as the models were not built.
My wife did not have a model to look at, all we had was a brochure.
So, we started to put a plan together, starting with a Syncon agent we picked the house plan which meet our needs.
In the year 2006 Syncon homes started to build the models, and as they went " up we started to see how our home was going to look.
We then started to meet the people working for Syncon, contractors, etc.
As the models were being built our home was also being built, as we were No. 1 in the track.
My wife and I would check it out as it was being built, and we had a chance to see how the construction was put together. As we did this we also had a chance to get some things changed or corrected.
Granted, I am not a contractor, but I have built some things.
So I would go around the structure to check out the framing as the construction of the home was being built.
We were continuously bugging our agent to make sure everything was as we ordered it. As the home was coming to completion and we were approaching our walk-through, we located several issues that needed corrected.
As we located them, Syncon would have a crew fix them.
And as we did this we never had a problem on fixing any situation we had.
As to our exterior, when we did our final walk-through the exterior looked like a new home should look like, as we were getting excited about moving into our new Syncon home.
This is 2008, and it came to our attention that for some reason we could have an issue at the bottom of our exterior wall to the foundation at ground level.
We notified Syncon homes to have them check our home, and we had a repair crew at our home to fix the issue.
Syncon also stated that all the homes in the La Costa track have a standard diamond wall one-coat stucco system, consisting of approved particle board, weather resistive barrier, approved insulation board, approved metal lath, Omega Diamond wall base coat and Omega finished.
Diamond wall one-coat is a residential stucco, approved by Syncon homes and Douglas County building department. At this time all our issues have been meet, and my wife and I are very pleased with our new Syncon Homes. So like I said, we love our Syncon home.
John Damann
Minden
Editor:
On behalf of the Alpine County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and staff, a big thank-you to all involved in the 2008 Tour of the California Alps " Death Ride on July 12.
The county of Alpine " residents and chamber members, county departments, riders and families, sponsors, vendors, technical support, SAG, Cal Trans, California Highway Patrol, Alpine County Sheriff's Department, medical support, TARA, and of course the 700 member skeleton squad. We could not do it without each and everyone.
We wish to thank those several Alta Alpina members who volunteered their time to make this event a continued success.
We look forward to seeing everyone again in 2009.
Teresa Burkhauser
executive director
Alpine County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
Editor:
Douglas County Republican Central Committee hosted the Meet the Candidates Barbecue on July 19 at The Corley Ranch.
All six Republican candidates for county commissioners, as well as other candidates for office, were in attendance to speak to the attendees.
The central committee thanks the following individuals for their donations to this fundraising event: Donna Allgeier, Maggie Benz, David Brady, Richard Brengman, Linda Colavechio, Ron and Gloria Darrington, Mary Jane Harding, U. S. Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., Joyce Holstein, Doug Johnson, Sue Kyle, Georgia McArdle, Ed and Colleen Mahoney, Nancy McDermid, Fran Pritchard of Panchitas, Inc., Wes and Eileen Rice, and Maren Young.
We appreciate your support. Keep informed by visiting our Web site at www.douglasgop.org.
Douglas County Republican
Central Committee
Editor:
Thank you very much for your letter regarding the burglary in my garage on July 6, 2008.
Let the record show that the dollar loss was more like $100, not the $15 or $20 that I told your officers.
I know that it was hardly worth taking up your resources for such a little amount.
I just thought it was important in case others were having similar problems in or area.
After reading the report in the local paper, friends from the Wildhorse subdivision suggested that I let you know that they had problems in their area some time back and three young men were caught ... they didn't know if there was any connection but that you should be advised.
The deputies who responded were very polite and professional.
Will you be kind enough to let them know that I appreciate their courtesy?
Again, I thank you for your time and service to our community.
Please give Sheriff Pierini my best wishes. He should know that his subordinates represent him very well.
Jim Perry
Wildhorse
