Page 35 - Sonoma County Gazette January 2017

“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” – William Shakespeare
Writing for Cotati has made me an optimist because I keep nding more wonderful people, projects and places. What a great year 2016 was for this columnist.
In the friendship of Cotati Lions Club members we have a wealth of human goodness. There is a positive glow inside the clubhouse. Each member’s face lights up when talking about club projects, people and places they serve. Did you drink a cup of hot chocolate at the Cotati Christmas tree lighting in La Plaza Park? Lions Club members made and poured it for you. Did you bring home a sprig of mistletoe? A Lions volunteer provided and handed it to you.
Remember the Cotati Lions Club failing forty-year-old roof mentioned in this column in August?
Santa lands safely on Cotati Lions Club roof
“Our deepest gratitude to Larry Hunt and Dave Arntz in securing a new roof for the building. This truly has been an amazing adventure in seeing people unsel shly coming together in helping the Cotati Lions Club. Wow, oh wow!” said Lion Rocky A. Burks, Secretary/Treasurer of the Cotati Lions Club.
Thumbs up OK signal for Downtown Rohnert Park
If you did not read the August Cotati column, this is the background. The Cotati Lions Club roof was failing. Enter new member, Rocky Burks. Note that average membership over the years has been around eleven members. Rocky accepted the challenge of manifesting a new roof. There were no funds to replace it.
We heard it straight from the incoming mayor, Jake Mackenzie when he was sworn in as Mayor for the sixth time in his 20 years on the Rohnert Park City Council. As part of his message Dec. 13 he said, in a packed council chambers. “We must have a Downtown Rohnert Park.”
I interviewed Mike O’ Neill who served as Cotati Lions Club President
from 2011 to 2014 and a club leader for ten years. At that time I met his friend and new Cotati Lions member, Rocky A. Burks. Burks canvassed owners and managers at Lowe’s and other building supply companies explaining the situation. Then Burks’ wife took a copy of the August Sonoma County Gazette Cotati column to work. She talked about the need for a new roof. Thus Rocky got introduced to the head of Arntz Builders, Dave Arntz, and discovered they shared a mutual friend. Arntz was already determined to help the Cotati Lions, but when chatting more with Burks, he chose to contribute even more value and professional help. Arntz Builders donated all needed roo ng materials. The Cotati Lions Club had a new roof installed December 2nd & 5th. The removal of the old roof was donated and completed by Arntz Builders of Novato. The new roof was installed courtesy of Westech Roo ng Inc., of Richmond. If you are grateful for what the Cotati Lions Club does, support them with donations.
Jake’s no Donald Trump who creates statements and then quickly disposes of them like a used Kleenex. Jake’s been working on a Downtown RP for at least a decade frustrated by one city crisis after another including threatened bankruptcy. He’s also on the SMART commute train board of directors and admits loud train whistles at road crossings are a crucial dilemma for the railroad. You remember “Quiet Zones” don’t you? Readers of my Co ee Grounds op ed column every week in The Community Voice are kept up to date.
Send all donations to: Cotati Lions Club c/o Exchange Bank, Cotati
It’s becoming more obvious that the success of a Downtown RP depends on an updated rail depot for the SMART passenger trains. A real depot will serve as an anchor for a real Downtown RP. The train is not going to simply quit the rail business and leave everything behind. Already there’s talk about moving the city’s corporation yard to another site and turning it into a parking lot for commuters.
“Cotati’s best kept secret.” Cotati Community Acupuncture
The long-term vision of a commute train serving as an anchor for diverse businesses such as Starbuck’s, Trader Joe’s and True Value Hardware to occupy Downtown RP is a vision gaining a bit of undeniable solidity.
“Cotati’s best kept secret” relies on satis ed customers’ word of mouth. Person-to-person endorsements have led to a very busy practice.
Cotati Community Acupuncture created and operated by Marc Velez, L.Ac. QME. His community acupuncture model is unique in that he is the sole acupuncturist. “This way,” said Marc, “I am able to provide a continuity of care.” Three days a week he runs the clinic from 9 am to 6 pm. He works as a Quality Medical Evaluator on Tuesday and Thursday. Cotati Community Acupuncture is located at 315 East Cotati Avenue.
As far as Quiet Zones are concerned, there’s been talk of a quiet zone from north of Petaluma to Rohnert Park, if, and it’s a big IF, the railroad and have crossing gates, bells and whistles at all the roads it crosses. This is an expensive project as we know by the money spent in downtown Penngove to create a safe crossing. Who’s going to pay for quiet zone crossings?
Want to try a class at Songbird Center?
Tai Chi Chuan is an internal Chinese martial art practiced both for its self- defense, and more commonly, for its health bene ts. This moving meditation quiets the mind, invites a clear body connectedness and plays an important
role in self-healing. Physically, the practitioner experiences stability, strength, exibility and uidity. Mentally, the practitioner experiences relaxation and focus. “Tai Chi Chuan has changed my life. It is my way of grounding and achieving inner peace. My practice helps me stay conscious with my body’s every movement. When I breathe, sit, walk, lift, push, pull and smile; I connect with the essence of Tai Chi Chuan.” Instructor: Michelle Luna Semet, contact Semet at mluna.semet@gmail.com Fees: $45/month or $10 drop-in. Note: walk- ins welcome. No previous experience necessary. This on-going class is held every Monday and Wednesday downstairs at Songbird Community Center, 8297 Old Redwood Hwy, Cotati.
Please email all event, news and suggestions to dtfwriter@gmail.com on or before the 5th of each month.
And with Measure 64 winning voter approval including RP, does this mean people will be planting marijuana gardens adjacent to railroad tracks? This is a potential problem the railroad might be facing.
One thing Mackenzie didn’t mention is that a new train depot, like Cotati has, is needed to replace the inadequate, not very weatherproof platform it currently has. But you can bet it will come up for discussion early next April or May when rail passenger schedules begin.
The only sure thing to keep an eye on in 2017 is how Mackenzie and the rest of the city council will cope with this year. For the federal rail authorities back in Washington D.C. have rules that are running counter to what RP’s City Council has in mind.
And does anyone have any idea what the new occupants of the White House have in mind concerning subsidizing rail travel in small cities like Rohnert Park?
Donald Trump and his selection of generals and admirals do not seem to be leaning in the same direction that small cities like RP would appreciate.
We must keep vigilant for this year is shaping up to be for all of us to
keep a sharp eye on what these new developments that a ect every citizen, homeowner or renter, has in store for us.
Who knows? Maybe there’s even hope for a few acres of a Demonstration Rohnert Seed Farm on the north side of RP Expressway.
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