Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Feb. 23, 2024

E-bikes should be allowed on MMWD watershed land

It is critical that the Marin Municipal Water District’s watershed recreation plan includes adequate opportunities for seniors to safely ride mountain bikes within the watershed. I have enjoyed riding and hiking there for over 60 years. It has been a blessing and has been critical to both my mental and physical health.

I am now 82 years old and my physical abilities have declined. Riding my electric-assist bike on the watershed routes has become my principal recreational activity.

I pray that the MMWD Board of Directors will provide a wide range of suitable routes for us to enjoy safe and enjoyable riding when the new plan is announced in the coming weeks.

— Donald Herzog, Mill Valley

The truth is that we don’t need gas stoves

We don’t need gas stoves to cook during power outages.

My daughter got a ride in an ambulance to the emergency room instead of having her fifth birthday party. She couldn’t breathe during an asthma attack. If I had known my “natural gas” cooktop was making her asthma worse and poisoning our family mealtimes, I would have immediately gone electric. If our outdoor air quality was as bad as the air in our kitchens, I suspect it would violate Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

A recent Harvard study found that “gas appliances like stoves and ovens can be a source of hazardous chemicals in our homes even when we’re not using them.” One of these hazardous chemicals is benzene, a known carcinogen.

There are other ways to get through power outages without losing our ability to make coffee and eat hot food. One way is to buy a portable battery to power an electric hot plate and coffee maker, then recharge the battery with your car if the outage lasts long enough. Another idea is to use your barbecue or a camp stove.

Of course, the continued reliance on methane for heating and cooking, as well as fossil fuels for our cars, is increasing the damage to our atmosphere and is tied to the extreme weather that leads to more frequent and longer power outages.

Does it make sense to poison our families and spew greenhouse gasses from our homes for the more than 99% of the time the power is on to avoid the pain for the amount of time it is off?

Life is a series of choices. The choices we make today about whether to switch from methane to electric appliances have serious consequences to our health and our children’s future on earth. It’s not hyperbole. It’s science.

— Susannah Saunders, San Anselmo

School board put itself into a difficult position

The Mill Valley School District Board of Trustees has unfortunately painted itself into a corner.

In January, it had a plan to rebuild the Mill Valley Middle School on its existisng site. That plan generated little controversy. Then, in February, the board introduced a new idea to build on Friends Field, an integral part of the beloved Mill Valley Community Center.

This plan was made public without any consultation with city officials. Predictably, this has generated a political firestorm in Mill Valley from those who cherish the Mill Valley Community Center, as well as the events and daily programs on Friends Field.

Ironically, the Friends Field proposal also created controversy over reusing the existing middle school site from people who were previously told there were no alternative sites. Now, everyone is unhappy.

The school board has set its March 7 meeting to make a decision on which site to use to keep the project on schedule and to avoid escalating costs. Unfortunately, most of the information needed to help make a decision on whether to proceed with the Fiends Field site is not yet available.

Engineering studies, permitting questions and legal authorizations are all unsettled. They will not be available by March 7. Given the number of unanswered questions about the Friends Field site, I think the risks are too great. The board has a fiscal duty to drop the Friends Field site idea and proceed with their previous plans, or look for other alternatives.

Another risk for the board is that this breach of trust could imperil future bond elections to failure. Had the Friends Field proposal been part of the bond election materials, last year’s Measure G tax proposal benefitting the district never would have passed.

— Douglas Nelson, Mill Valley