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| kalison
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07-07-2008 01:54 AM PST (US)
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06-19-2008 07:55 PM PST (US)
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Deleted by topic administrator 06-24-2008 11:27 PM
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06-16-2008 06:37 PM PST (US)
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06-12-2008 12:32 AM PST (US)
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Deleted by topic administrator 06-16-2008 05:30 PM
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| ques
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06-11-2008 11:32 PM PST (US)
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05-16-2008 02:25 AM PST (US)
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Deleted by topic administrator 05-17-2008 07:08 AM
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| fdfd
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04-01-2008 02:03 AM PST (US)
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Messages 15-14 deleted by topic administrator 07-22-2006 09:28 AM |
| Vesta
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02-16-2004 09:22 PM PST (US)
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Just so you all know - the traffic lights are going in BECAUSE of the increase in traffic that the Crinella/Theissen Project AND the Burbank project will create. The company that the county has hired to study our traffic needs has determined that two lights will be necessary, starting with the one at Mirabel and 116.
Many of us would still like to see the possibility of a round-a-bout at Mirabel and 116 instead of a light. The brake dust and acceleration exhaust is a bit much for downtown, especially when combined with what will come off the Covey/116 intersection, which has no space to accommodate a round-a-bout. Allan Tilton, our resident traffic engineer has already designed one for the Mirabel intersection, and has mountains of information on their benefits. There are now 5 in Petaluma.
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David Chase
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01-29-2004 08:10 AM PST (US)
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Ah. They have a name for it now.
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| Roger Karraker
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01-28-2004 06:22 PM PST (US)
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I rather like the Windsor "look and feel" too. The look is pseudo-Victorian, but that's really just the building facades. (Fenestration means window treatments, a sub-set of the facades). Underlying the Victorian doo-dads is a serious urban design plan, one that is loosely called "new urbanism." I'm really quite excited about it and I'm glad Ramona has chosen an architect, Orrin Theissen, who understands it. I've tussled with Orrin before, a dozen years ago before he drank the New Urbanism Kool-Aid. Nevertheless, he's brought good design to Windsor and Graton. I've written about New Urbanism before. I'll see if I can dredge up some of the stuff I've written. And last spring my wife and I traveled up the East Coast, specifically visiting New Urbanist developments in Florida, South Carolina and Maryland. I took lots of pictures, so maybe it's time to upload some so folks can see what we're talking about. Incidentally, New Urbanism was really born at a conference in San Francisco nearly 20 years ago and the Bay Area is really its ideological home base. The central organization, the Congress of the New Urbanism is located in San Francisco. Its website has all kinds of documents about the movement and an excellent database of projects and pictures. The site isn't terribly well designed, though: it's a bit clunky. But click on stuff and eventually you'll find interesting things. Or, ask here and I'll find stuff for you, David, or anyone else. I've been all over this New Urbanism stuff for about four years. In 2000 I attended their convention in Portland, Oregon and I've read a whole lot of the New Urbanism books.
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David Chase
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01-28-2004 04:10 PM PST (US)
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The new buildings in Windsor certainly create a new look. I actually like and appreciate the trouble they took to create the different facades and all the details they added. Fenestration, I believe it's called. It does seem to have somewhat of a theme park feel to it, however. I don't know if that's good or bad, it's just a feeling.
Some combination of bypass and downtown center - a center that meets the needs of the people who live here as well as guests who like to wander through wine country - would be a tremendous asset. Wouldn't it be nice to have that done in time to avoid the proposed traffic lights? As difficult as it is to get from Covey onto 116 sometimes, Forestville with traffic lights will not be the same.
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| Vesta
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01-27-2004 09:17 PM PST (US)
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Downtown Forestville is about to get a real make-over when the Crinella Project gets built. With Orin Theissen as the builder, you can bet he's going to continue his well-known theme of Victorian architecture so prevalant in Graton and especially Windsor.
And with the other developers buying up what's available downtown (Orin also bought the lot next to Chuck's Barber Shop - and more will come available with time), we need to consider having some design guidelines.
Our town is definitely diverse in it's architecture, but if new people come in with the usual modern attempts at modeling after the past - the GENERAL past - not Forestville's, we'll look like any other downtown and not distinctly Forestville.
Both the Forestville Chamber of Commerce and the Forestville Planning Association are talking about how to create guidelines that our town can grow with comfortably into the future.
For one thing, the county says we can have three story structures. Now you KNOW how horrible that would be in such a small town. What if we say TWO stories only. Philadelphia set the limit at the height of the Ben Franklin statue on the top of Town Hall. We can set a limit as well.
And what about architectural style. If we had guidelines, we wouldn't be living with Mediterranean pillars right now. Forestville, historically, is false front and adobe. Khysie (Quiksilver Mine Co. gallery) did a great job of taking that false front style and modernizing it without messing with our native style.
It's time to take control of our future.
Come to a Forestville Chamber of Commerce meetings (first Wednesday every month at 5:30 at the Food for Thought building on Railroad Avenue) and join in the discussion about what we can do.
Go to the Fprestville Planning Association website at www.foretvillefpa.org and contact David Carpenter, the Downtown Planning Committee chair about working out guidlines we can establish.
Working with either or both of these local organizations could make the difference between losing our downtown to developers or keeping it feeling like home.
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| Vesta
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01-24-2004 11:17 PM PST (US)
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ANswer to Adam,
Believe it or not, there IS a sidewalk along Covey to the high school. It just doesn't LOOK like one. It's a gravel path the town insisted on for the students a few years back. But homeowners along the path let their bushes grow in the way, people park their vehicles on the path and it has degraded over time. So everyone went back to walking in the road, which is indeed, dangerous. It's another project the town needs to get behind.
And the mural needs funding to keep going. The artist Jeff Harper, has to make a living like everyone else, so he tends to do paying work when it comes along. We need to help him with some funding to get the 116 side finished before tourist season.
If anyone wants to help, I collect money for him at The Package Store - not that any has come in lately. But if anyone wants to contribute - just leave an envelope for Vesta with Jeff Harper's name on it and I'll get it to him. The reason the first mural went up on the side of the building is because the owner of the Forestville Club honestly believes that people see that side more than the front. Never made sense to me - but it's his building!
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| Vesta
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01-24-2004 11:11 PM PST (US)
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Answer to Drea Moore,
I know it's difficult to go to a meeting or social event alone when you don't know anyone. It's one of those fears I worked my way through in life - but I'm middle-aged and it took some time! You are still young, so just keep working on it卋ecause卼he best people I have ever met are the ones I've met through volunteering.
Well, my daughter has introduced some pretty fine people to me as well as she has grown up through school - but part of that was also volunteering at the school. Part are her friend's parents!
No matter what - the people you meet when volunteering are people who have passion and people who care. They are willing to live outside of their own lives in order to contribute to the greater whole. Pick any subject you are interested in or passionate about and volunteer. You are guaranteed to meet good folks - who have been strangers themselves and know what that feels like.
And yes, many will be older than you. So many volunteers are people whose children have grown and they now have time outside the family. It's just the nature of things. But that makes them also parents - who are basically open, flexible individuals because that's what it takes to be a good parent!
When you see a small group of people talking, just walk up to them and stand there listening for awhile. In time you will see an opening to add your thoughts into the conversation. From then on it's just a natural flow.
Enjoy!
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