Page 3 - Sonoma County Gazette 11-17

Strength and Unity
In the October Gazette under the Cotati Heart and Soul there is a article of concern to me. The Gazette printed a personal vendetta attack on a shopping center in Cotati.
My heart is heavy as I observe the devastating toll the firestorm has taken. Amid the ashes of unthinkable loss
and destruction, what shines through is the strength and unity at work in our community.
The Wolf Den Plaza was attacked in this column for simply enforcing their (clearly marked and noted by the writer) customer parking restrictions. The writer of the column was not shopping at the locations and used their parking lot for her convenience while attended a function close by.
Last week, nearly every school district in the county was closed. As some
school sites begin opening their doors again this week, student safety and
health will continue to be top priority. Staff are working around the clock to monitor conditions so that school at the remaining closed sites can resume as soon as it is safe to do so. More than anybody, educators and school staff understand
I don’t believe this to be a good use of the platform provided by your paper. The suggestion to not shop
at these locations is offensive and destructive to the small businesses serving the community. I suggest she follow the rules in the future to alleviate this situation.
the importance of restoring a sense of normalcy and routine to students.
On behalf of the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE), I want to extend
my sincere gratitude to these men and women, many of whom have lost their own homes in this tragedy. Thank you to custodial staff for providing our students with a clean school environment by replacing air filters, cleaning desks, and power washing school grounds. Thank you to office staff for your diligent record keeping and communication with parents. Thank you to teachers and counselors
Michael Dawson Guerneville
for adjusting your schedules to provide guidance, comfort, and stability to
our children. Thank you to school and district administration for your dedicated leadership and coordination. You all play an essential role in ensuring the success of our students, and you couldn’t be more valuable in these challenging times.
I agree with you Michael. Every innocent business had the potential to be hurt, and not one of them was at fault. Simply following the rules would have stopped any offense before it even began.
Wood Heat
Getting chilly these nights, and I am struck with the realization that our main source of heat is our wood- burning stove, but I simply can’t fathom lighting another fire that would torture this air we are trying to breathe. I wonder what the wood burning community is thinking
and what are some guidelines? Is it time to get the gas heaters out and make every day a spare the air day? Thoughts from the community are welcome.
Chris Dec
I heat with wood as well - but love it. It’s a sustainable source of energy. All the logs come from tree services. Trees grow every day. I have an EPA Certified wood stove that literally puts no particulate matter into the air and re-burns smoke until there is nothing going up my chimney. But still - I have plugged in my electric heater - the little oil ones that
Steven D. Herrington, Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools
LETTERS cont’d on page 4
11/17 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 3