Letters for August 15, 2009

Thanks, Glen Ellen!

Dear Editors,

Last Sunday [Aug. 2] a water main broke and filled the creek, flooding the Glen Ellen Market parking lot and my neighbors’ driveways and basement. It also ran through my gallery for 1 hours causing a huge mess! The good news? So many people came to help! As someone (Cathy in the nutrition department at the Glen Ellen Market) put properly, it was a “Flood of Kindness.”

Employees of the Glen Ellen Market as well as customers rushed over to save paintings and other items. My friend Michael Doyle saved loads of art and then got my dogs to a safe place. Other people whom I did not know came rushing over to help. My neighbor Lisa Hardy came to clean. Donna and Sparky asked the owner, Linda of the Jack London Lodge, for help. They offered me a place to stay there and helped me with the storage of art. Christine Hansson offered to let me stay at the Chauvet and stored the art.

Kristi Jeppesen offered her help as well as a place to stay at the Glenelly Inn. My friend Casandra came by with dog food as did my friend Barney and my brother, Richard. There were many more!

It has been determined that the flood consisted of approximately 100,000 gallons of water. But that was nothing compared to the love, compassion and kindness that came through the gallery.

I now tell people, if you have a crisis, the best place for one is Glen Ellen! My appreciation to everyone.

Jeannie Fitzsimons
Glen Ellen

Woolsey should call health care meeting

Dear Editors,

To date our Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey has no Town Hall Meetings scheduled during her break to discuss the Health Care Initiative. This bill will seriously impact all of us. Please call Woolsey at (707) 542-7182 and express your interest in attending a meeting to discuss this issue.

Carol Tenwalde
Kenwood

Local heroes

Early one Sunday morning this past July, Kenwood’s Lonnie Van Winkle and his pal Brendon Thomson were headed to Santa Rosa for breakfast. As they were approaching Ledson, they stopped in their tracks, first on the scene after an accident where a small truck had slammed into a utility pole, knocking it at a 45-degree angle. The force of the impact jack-knifed the truck, flipping it on its side.

The driver, a young woman, was trapped and screaming for help; somehow her ankle had become pinned under the truck during the collision. Lonnie raced to her rescue maneuvering past the crackling, dangling wires, and with Brendon’s help managed to lift the truck off the ground, freeing the woman, just as the truck burst into flames.

An Oakmont man whose house was next to the accident scene supplied a hose and Lonnie extinguished the blaze. By now, Kenwood firefighters and paramedics had arrived to take over. Lonnie recalls the woman, an emotional wreck, but safe, was still screaming, “My truck, my truck,” as she surveyed the totaled vehicle. Lonnie replied, with a sage observation, “Your truck is replaceable; you aren’t.”

It’s nice to know that we have such selfless people in our midst. Thanks, guys.

Anne Coffelt
Kenwood

Oakmont accessibility issue

The newly remodeled activities center in Oakmont was opened July 28th. Two buildings were joined together with a large atrium. It is a beautiful structure inside and out.

However there is no wheelchair/walker access. There is a decal saying the doors are wide enough.

Even though it may be legal not to have the push button door opener, it seems that in a retirement community of our size there is a considerable population that requires such access. For example, a person with arthritis or a 90-year old woman probably would not be able to open the heavy doors.

I’m hoping something can be done to rectify this situation. I look forward to a reply from the Oakmont Board of Directors.

Michele Ingham
Oakmont