Pacifica Tribune Letters to the Editor, 6/16/17. "Councilman Keener sabotages library" by Eric Ruchames, Past President, Library Foundation
"Dear Editor, This letter was originally sent to Pacifica Mayor O’Neill and City Council Members: I was very surprised and disappointed when I learned that Council Member John Keener had placed an item on the June 12 City Council agenda calling for the elimination of the Palmetto Avenue site for the new Pacifica library.
| Above. Left: Library advocates 4 Projects design; Right: Councilman Keener 4-0 NIMBIES design. |
This proposed action by the City Council prematurely makes the work of the LAC and the majority votes of the community moot. Why invite the community to participate in the process when the City Council shows no interest in listening to their community? This proposed action is an insult to the voters and to all the members of the community who have worked so hard for the new library.
In addition, this hurried action comes with no prior notice to the Library Advisory Committee, the Pacifica Library Foundation, the Pacifica Friends of the Library or anyone in the community.
It appears that Council Member Keener is working hard to push his personal agenda forward, doing all he can to sabotage the new library. It seems that every day we are witness to the dysfunctional national government that shows nothing but contempt for the democratic process. It’s sad to see that same attitude in our own city.
I urge you all to reject this action and to allow the process (that the City Council created) to move forward. This community deserves no less."
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Reference, City organizations/Government. Pacifica Library Foundation, Facebook, LinkedIn. Friends of The Library. City of Pacifica/New Library. Pacifica libraries/Sharp Park/Sanchez. Related article. Mercury News/Pacifica Tribune/Special, 5/1/12, "New Pacifica library plans unveiled." Note graphic from Group 4 Projects/Pacifica library conceptual design. Note: June 12, 2017 City Council meeting vote against the motion (but to continue library location progress, including Palmetto Avenue): Mayor O'Neill, Councilmembers Vaterlaus, and Digre. Vote for the motion (to end consideration of Palmetto Avenue, and the Library Advisory Committee progress): Councilmembers Keener and Martin. Motion failed (3-2), thanks to Mayor O'Neill, Councilmembers Vaterlaus and Digre.
35 comments:
Eric Ruchames for City Council in 2018! Please please run!
For once I agree with Comrade Keener. The library on that site is a tremendous lost opportunity.
I'm so glad to hear the name of Eric Ruchames and love the idea that he might be thinking of running again. Welcome back Eric to the political fray. John Keener will run for re-election, and someone of the likes of Julie Lancelle or Cynthia Kaufmann will run with him to take Sue Digre's termed out place. Ruchames would be a far better choice and certainly would be a savior for the city of Pacifica.
Just one more vote on the council for progress will wrest us from the grasp of socialism. With your law enforcement background, you can clean up the dirty politics in town. Remember what happened to Mary Ann: You are in a strong position with your op-ed in the Tribune, Keener is on the defensive, I hope to hear more from you in support of a new library in the coming months. We admire you and hope you try again.
Eric Ruchames will protect us from socialism and clean up the dirty politics in town.
Here he comes to save the day. Mighty Mouse is on the way.
Let'just upgrade current libraries and sell the failed site.
This town needs a new library like the Donner Party needed menus.
It seems so easy for people who haven't been involved in the work of figuring out where/what to do in regard to a new library for the past 10-20 years to make blanket statements about what to do about it. Eric and many others have worked overtime trying to figure it out - and now the City of Pacifica has an appointed Library Advisory Committee to fine tune this even more. Let's let the LAC do their job!
If you think it's a 'failed site' it simply shows that you have no idea what you are talking about.
If you don't have your wagon behind Peter Loeb, the gang of no, you won't get on City Council.
Nothing you yessies can do. Not with your super jack off super pacs.
Seriously you guys aren't Karl Rove or Dick Cheney.
Deirdre Martian, John Keener and their hapless go along gal, Sue Digre are shutting down West Sharp Park project by project. This is the dictate of their NOBY puppet masters.
Let's keep in mind that over 10,000 Pacificans voted to fund the new Library in West Sharp Park. That is a majority block of voters who can send these three city killers packing and get Pacifica back on track to solvency and functionality. You have the power Pacifica, to make a difference. Use it!!!! Don't be like the millions of complaining, non-involved spectators standing by while Trump destroys America. The clock is ticking. The time to act is now.
7:23
Something tells me you failed Real Estate 101. Putting a library in a destination area brings in zero money.
Now go get your shine box!
The answer to what's going on should be obvious.
No to hotel at Beach Blvd.
No to library at Beach Blvd.
No to Palmetto streetscape project
No to sidewalk on Palmetto
Keener wants the sewer lines along the street pulled up and moved inland at a cost of a bazillion dollars to the city
Keener wants the sewer pump at Beach Blvd. moved inland at a cost of a bazillion dollars to the city
Keener does not want to maintain the seawall
Keener does not want to provide beach sand "nourishment"
Wake up: the master plan is to abandon West Sharp Park to the ocean. The Keener Krew just too chickenshit to come out and own it, so they just say no to everything in that area
John Keener AND Deirdre Martian are in cahoots with the NOBY's on this scheme.
Don't let the Dragon Lady wiggle out of this. Digre is in the fog as usual.
This is a crisis in the making that Pacificans will have to grapple with long after these two carpet baggers have moved on to the next town they plot to destroy.
It's all about "I got mine, screw every one else".
The library project is now effectively dead,for sure!
Half Moon Bay did such bad job on library contract that they need $200,000 contingency fund! Palmetto library site location has all kinds potential additional cost overruns.Pacifica would be in more financial trouble!
OMG AN EIGHT PERCENT CONTINGENCY IN A CONTRACT???!!!
9:03 is someone who doesn't have a clue about construction projects.
9:03AM Probably Deirdre Martian, The Dragon Lady.
She claims she is soooo smart because she was a Project Manager (as in construction).
LIE!!!
She was a Product Manager (as in product placements and packaging for things like perfume in Macy's)
BIG DIFFERENCE.
She's a bigger liar than Vreeland and Trump combined.
9:03 pm is a perfect example of the NIMBY mindset preventing anything and everything in Pacifica. There's always a reason to say NO to something and never a reason to support anything. In 9:03's case, there isn't even an actual problem to point to, just a potential one that they totally made up so they can say NO to the project!
According to Linked In, Deirdre Martin is a a product and project manager in IT services for the Pasha Group, an international transportation and logistics management firm.
Martin, Keener and Digre view accomplishing nothing as an accomplishment.
2:12
Why does it matter where she works?
3:41 that's cause the yessies can't get their shit together.
5:12 It matters where she works because 11:07 is desperately trying to claim she's a liar about being a project manager, but the facts show that it's actually 11:07 who is lying.
The Dragon Lady knows nothing about construction, budgets, governance or common sense.
Even though she constantly brags about how smart she is and what an expert she is at everything she's nothing but an opportunist from Philly. She thinks the NOBY's will butter her bread right into the mayors office. What she doesn't know is that the NOBY's are just as incompetent as she is and they will put Pacifica to death before she can claim fame. Ahhhh... too bad for Martian.
Get rid of her, Colonel Keener and their little dog Digre before they completely obliterate our town with the stupid ideology of their puppet masters.
HMB council thought 10% contingency fee was built in to $23,000,000 library cost.
Every time we turn around this library gets more expensive is the way it feels,” said Councilwoman Deborah Penrose.
hmb councilmember has concern about hmb library, therefore no new library for pacifica because...?
another fine example of brilliant NOBY logic from the NO-Nothings
10% contingency is very normal and prudent for a project this size.
Learn from other's mistakes is apparent point.
Due to price uncertainty the City of Pacifica built in a 40% contingency for the wastewater retention basin.
"Learn from other's mistakes is apparent point."
Oh, word? And what mistakes are those?
Tom
Any chance you'll take on a construction project with a 40% contingency?
Talk about pushing one's own personal agenda, apparently PFOL have scheduled a "Ground Breaking ceremony" for "our new site at Palmetto and Montecito" for tomorrow, Saturday, June 24th at 10am. Apparently, "Jackie Speier, Jerry Hill, Kevin Mullin, Don Horsely, and Mayor Mike O'Neill will be there."
Who knew they'd passed a bond measure, obtained ownership of the property, and completed all the necessary environmental assessments and permitting? Oh, they didn't? Then why would they all act like they had. Isn't that when you hold a "groundbreaking ceremony?" After you've done all that?
The groundbreaking is for the Palmetto Streetscape Project not a library site.
5:04, I'm amazed you even know how to breathe, given the yawning stupidity of your post.
The groundbreaking ceremony is for the Palmetto Streetscape project which has nothing to do with the library. PFOL hasn't "scheduled" anything, they're one of many organizations circulating the invitation to the event.
Were you anywhere near Fukushima in 2011?
It's people like 5:04 pm in this town that truly disturb me. They post these supposedly sarcastic items like they are in the know when they probably have problems tying their own shoes. Listen, read and learn before you continue to make a fool of yourself.
1:16,
There are a small but vocal group of people in town that really, really, really don't want any improvements in this town, not quite realizing that if Pacifica goes down the shitter (bankruptcy or disincorporation) then their work on enviro protection goes down with it. Zoning, overlays, city regs...it all goes bye-bye if the state or county take over. Stuff like a public vote for residential in the quarry or development of Highway 1? Say adios, muchachos.
These people are so opposed any progress that they'll ignore all facts and invent their own reality to support their positions.
In 5:04's case, he's completely against the library, but since he doesn't have any facts or intellectual wherewithal to back up his position, he dreams up a nonexistent library groundbreaking ceremony to use it to slam the project.
This maneuver is called the "Full Stegink."
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