LETTERS LETTERS (September 28, 2005)

Hope for Kepler's lies with landlord

Editor:

The Menlo Park community, including myself, has been not only delighted, but greatly impressed, by the broad support for Kepler's, and the rising expectation that the bookstore soon will reopen. The many offers for voluntary professional assistance and investment funds have been beyond expectation.

As of this writing, I wait along with all readers for this event which, as I understand, hangs on the decision of the building owners to accept the new financial plan recently submitted to them.

I realize that building owners, as investors generally, are best served by squeezing the maximum profit out of their investments. This is integral to the economic system. Too often, this rules out community sensitivity. However, often there is long-term benefit in the concept of enlightened self interest.

That said, let us urge the Tan Group (which owns the building) that there may be positive merit to be found in an "economic" Feng Shui in favor of Kepler's. Dean Holman Winchester Drive, Atherton

Offices are not the best deal for Menlo Park

Editor:

I have an obligation to remind David Bohannon that his 2001 proposal to construct office space east of the Bayshore Freeway was opposed by me for two specific reasons: First, office development is likely to bring no sales tax revenues to Menlo Park. Secondly, every 1,000 square feet of office space, if and when it is rented, will be occupied by three employees. Therefore, his current 515,000-square-foot office proposal as outlined in last week's Almanac will attract about 1,600 employees, most of whom will either commute by car from a distance or compete with others for housing in our community.

Two impacts we do not need in Menlo Park are increased commute traffic and increased demand for housing. The latter is especially important since two current low-density residential development proposals providing fewer than 100 pricey new residences on Willow Road and Linfield Drive have unfortunately aroused vocal opposition in the city. Consequently, it seems unlikely that Menlo Park can make any significant corrections to the jobs/housing imbalance that exists in the city.

As the City Council ponders Mr. Bohannon's proposals, the members should be willing to consider other ideas for his sites, including car dealerships and other sales tax-generating uses, such as a large grocery store, long sought by our own Belle Haven neighborhood. Even housing might be appropriate at this site.

Mr. Bohannon has evidently started to abandon his long-held commitment to developing office buildings when he proposed a hotel as part of his plan. Let's encourage him to continue his creative thinking out of his box with more innovative ideas that bring greater benefits and balance to our community.

Steve Schmidt

Central Avenue, Menlo Park

Thanks to those who aided Katrina fundraiser

Editor:

We want to say thank you to all the volunteers, patrons and music-makers who helped out at our barbeque to raise funds to help the victims of the Katrina hurricane.

Lutticken's raised $3,318 for the Katrina Fund. The money went to the Menlo Park Fire Department, New Orleans SPCA and various churches. Without community support, we couldn't have done it. Thanks again. Bob and Judy

Lutticken's Deli

Friends of Library say thank you

Editor:

As volunteer coordinator for the Friends of the Menlo Park Library Book Sale held September 16 and 17, I would like to thank the more than 75 people from the community who volunteered to make this event a huge success.

The Friends couldn't put on this yearly event that benefits the library without this help. Community spirit is alive and well in Menlo Park. Joan Buechner Grace Drive, Menlo Park

Is library really needed in Portola Valley?

Editor:

It appears that Carol Kornfield, who wrote last week supporting the building of a $20 million Town Center complex, which includes a new library, is addicted to OPM (spending other people's money).

Nearly every one of the forms of information -- DVD, CD, films and so forth -- that Ms. Kornfield wants to access, is readily available over today's Internet, at a fraction of the cost of obtaining it from a new government building/library. For those 500 or fewer people in Portola Valley who do not own a computer, they need to take care of themselves for their information needs. I, and the other Portola Valley residents, are not their information access caretakers.

Further, if Ms. Kornfield desires to see children at a book-reading session, I recommend that she visit a day care center, not a library.

Carol, if you want to build a new facility, to rival the New York City Library, or better yet, the Library of Congress, please go ahead. But, build it with your own money, not mine. Al Engen Los Trancos Road, Portola Valley

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