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From: Sunol Community
News Thanksgiving is a time for reflection and joy . Recently, we celebrated the installation of 911 service with on-board paramedic support for Sunol. On this bright warm day the school yard was filled with our students, firemen, fire fighting equipment, teachers, county officials and local citizens who had worked together to bring us this new service. In the background, we heard the sounds of earth moving equipment as huge rocks were put in place behind the school and nearby homes to repair last winter's storm damage and prevent more flooding. We thank Supervisor Haggerty for his help. We in Save Our Sunol have also been busy. We discussed the traffic problems on Foothill Road at our September meeting. There were many questions without answers to the proposed lane closure for northbound traffic. This was an unacceptable solution for our neighbors who live on Foothill Road. It also caused some problems for Sunol Glen School students and staff. We decided to have a meeting in conjunction with the CHP and the Alameda County staff in charge of traffic calming. That meeting, also in September, brought out a number of people with ideas and alternatives to the possible lane closure. One option was to add an additional CHP officer to enforce the existing speed limits. Another meeting of the County Task Force was scheduled for Wednesday, November 18, and I’ll report on that next time. In October, Gregg Schiffner, a film maker from Nevada City, came to the Sunol Glen School Auditorium with his lovely film, "Stories of the Yuba". The film dealt with the organizing of community activists to save the natural beauty of the Yuba River from its source near Donner Summit to its terminus in San Francisco Bay. It showed the need for people to work together to save a precious resource from an environmental disaster. We thank Finlay Boag for making the program arrangements. Laura Mirkarimi and Bonnie Feltrop provided delicious refreshments. Cindy Frillman added special Halloween decorations and Stephan Doyle assisted with his technical expertise. Graham Barnes, Bree and Michael James and Irv and Diane Tiessen very generously paid for lodging and other extra expenses. The Sunol Valley Plan that would change the agricultural zoning from one house per 100 acres to 20 acre parcels will be discussed in detail on Monday, December 14, 1998 at 7 p.m. in the Sunol Glen School Auditorium. Members of the Alameda County Planning Commission, the Agricultural Enhancement Committee and the Sunol Advisory Group will be present. The zoning change to 20 acre parcels would only be available to landowners who agree to place the remaining 80 acres into grape growing. This is based upon the premise that there will be sufficient water. Dennis Normandy, SF-PUC Commissioner, is planning a Sunol meeting during the first part of December. He wants to address both the progress of the Water Temple Restoration and the quarry issue. This meeting is prior to the Sunol Watershed Resources draft Environmental Impact Report that is scheduled for review in late January 1999. Comments by residents will be very important. SOS awaits notification of our non-profit status; we plan to make any necessary changes to our bylaws and proceed with elections at that time.
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