"We're All Trying To Get To The Same Place, Just Not At The Same Pace"

Hello Homestead Residents,

It's nice to see a little progress being made around here for a
change, concerning our neighborhood street improvements to ensure a
safer community.

I heard that DPW's traffic engineering staff completed their
investigation and has reported back that installation of STOP
INTERSECTION on MELROSE @ EVERGREEN meets the State requirement and
therefore it is warranted, and the Board of Supervisors will then
consider the recommendation to install STOP SIGNS at their Jan. 11,
2011 public hearing, and upon their approval this should be
implemented within 30 days.

That's a good step foward. I brought up that intersection at the last
MHS/HVCA Joint Committee Meeting in support of the HearUS Group's
efforts and the concerned residents who think something should be done
to improve safety at that corner..

I also feel that that corner of Melrose @ Evergreen Ave "as is"
potentially encourages cars to zip down Evergreen Avenue making it
unsafe for pedestrians walking at that "blind spot".

I also believe that without jumping to the conclusion of having so
many stop signs in one area...I feel that maybe as an alternative,
installing YIELD/SCHOOL CROSSING SIGNS AND PAINTED CROSSWALKS on
Melrose, (signs facing north and southbound directions; and crosswalk
painted at the north side and south side of road intersection) and a
PAINTED CROSSWALK on the Evergreen Ave corner (where the current stop
sign is, at the road intersection).

I think this would be sufficient enough to make it safe for
pedestrians and to slow down vehicles without putting up too many stop
signs in a row. (This also causes unnecessary stop and go's which
causes more noise and fuel wasted, and a possible need for the driver
of a vehicle to think that they have to speed down the street to make
up for lost time with all the stop signs).

I'm still glad something positive is getting done around here...I just
wish that the majority of Homestead residents would not continue to be
affraid or discouraged to speak out for the safety of all who travel
Evergreen Ave with this NEW PROPOSAL TO BUILD A 5 FOOT WIDE CONCRETE
SIDEWALK ALONG THE ENTIRE SOUTH SIDE LENGTH OF THE STREET AND A
PORTION ON MELROSE TO MHS potentially causing negative impacts that
could effect how we travel Evergreen Avenue in the near future for as
long as we live here and use this street!

I wish our elected County Representatives would seriously consider
addressing these issues concerning this proposed plan that could
potentially cause negative impacts along with the intended positive
impacts.

[Those residents and representatives who do speak up for concerns
about projects like this are truely the "FOUNDATION OF THEIR
COMMUNITY."]

Why doesn't DPW's traffic engineering staff complete an investigation
and reported back that IF DPW'S NEW SIDEWALK PROPOSAL FOR EVERGREEN
AVENUE MEETS THE STATE REQUIREMENTS AND THEREFORE IT IS WARRENTED, and
the Board of Supervisors will consider the recommendation THAT THIS IS
TRUELY THE SAFEST ALTERNATIVE FOR THIS STREET at their Jan. 11, 2011
public hearing, and upon their approval this would be implemented
within 30 days?

I've been sending out "community support of safety notices with ways
to get involved" to (some) residents in this area for months now.
Unfortunately, I don't have a way to get the information out to the
majority of the residents in this area at this time. (If anyone knows
of an effective way to inform the majority of the Homestead area,
please let me know!) : {Maybe the HVCA could foward my informative
emails to their email list of residents in Homestead?}

For those who DO recieve my informative emails on "what to do to be
heard efforts",
PLEASE PARTICIPATE.

If you don't know what to do, ask your neighbor's for feed back, or
just ask me anytime, or another neighborhood support group!

"We're all trying to get to the same place, just not at the same pace"
-Keith Garriott-.

Enjoy Your Holiday
Season!

Sincerly,

Keith Garriott

(Keith Garriott is a resident of Homestead Valley, union building
tradesman, musician, community activist, and the founder of the Save
Evergreen Avenue Group, which aims to secure for the residents of his
neighborhood the best and safest possible street improvement plan for
Evergreen Avenue proposed by the Marin County Public Works and Marin
County local officials).