City should help with recreational activities
I think that what the Community BMX/Skate Park Committee is doing is wonderful. They are working so hard to get the skate park back for their youth. In Lake County, the skate park is one of the only things kids around here have. I have a younger brother and a boyfriend who ride BMX. When the skate park was closed, they were left with nothing. The city should be helping with the recreational activities instead of leaving these kids in the dirt. Clay Shannon, of Shannon Ridge Vineyards, understands that “Margarita and I just thought it was the right thing to do.?” There is next to nothing in Lake County; this skate/BMX park is a necessity.
I think the entire community should be involved in the effort to re-open the skate park. (This includes the city, businesses and the committee.) While the committee and businesses have raised most (or all) of the funds, the city needs to help (more). The committee, including donations from CSS, the Chamber of Commerce and other businesses has raised nearly $4500. The community as a whole needs to join in and help the youth of Lake County. Joey Luiz of the committee said, “We were challenged by the Clearlake city council to find the resources to get this park repaired and so far it has been a great effort by many.” The city shouldn”t “challenge” anyone to raise the money. The city let the skate park become “unsafe.” The effort of the committee and businesses has been amazing. The city”s effort has been weak.
I give a thumbs up to the people that are really trying for the youth. They”re the ones who have reopened the skate park.
Ashley Crawford
LLHS senior
Mr. Braider English IV
People should properly care for their animals
Please print this letter so that those that don”t know these laws or choose to disregard them will understand that they are being enforced in Lake County.
By law dogs are required to have shelter that protects from the weather; adequate food; a continuous supply of water; and to be spayed/neutered or fined.
Furthermore, chaining a dog for longer than three hours is unlawful.
Animal control and other local agencies have adoption programs for those who cannot provide the above for their animal.
Melinda Young
Clearlake
There is little for youth to do in the City of Clearlake
After reading, “Special delivery for skate park repair” (Observer*American, Jan. 9), I cannot help but be grateful for people like Clay Shannon and any others involved in getting the materials for the skate park. There is a devastating lack of recreational opportunities available for the youth in our community. Without these opportunities, the youth are more likely to participate in harmful activities and graffiti. If we want to help the teens in our community stay out of trouble, then the community needs to step up and provide alternatives.
It is not the government”s responsibility to offer recreational activities to the youth. It”s not really any one person or group”s job either. But if nobody will step up then nothing will ever get done. We should not wait around for people like Shannon to take it all upon themselves. The community as a whole should be helping out and doing their part to support the area they live in.
Katrina Beaudin
LLHS senior
Ms. White English IV
IHSS providers work because they care
Lack of nursing facilities, long waiting lists for vacancies, inhumane treatment and chemical restraints for non-conforming patients keep the increasing disabled and elderly populations in our care.
We, IHSS providers, are a culturally diverse group of the working poor, who enable American society to follow their pursuit of happiness and wealth while we care for their loved ones, who could be mentally challenged, permanently disabled, terminally ill or the elderly that need supervision for dementia or Alzheimer”s or who just need help with household chores due to fraility.
Budget cuts in HMOs, Medicare, and Medi-cal push us into the position to take over the lack of visiting healthcare professionals and most of us are performing duties that usually would be performed by RNAs, CNAs and licensed home healthcare nurses. We are not licensed and earn $20 to $30 per hour less for our services. We are barely eking out a living!
If the proposed state budget cuts are applied to our wages, we will be earning less that minimum wage. We receive no vacation pay, no overtime pay, most of us do not have a day off and not all of us have healthcare. We keep working as angels of mercy, because we care about our clients as if they were our family members.
Thank you for the opportunity to make my voice heard.
Kirsten Doiron
Clearlake
Not just up to our youth to keep skatepark safe
After reading how Clay Shannon offered transportation of materials for the skate park repair, I think that it”s great how local businesses are willing to help repair the skate park. Putting money and services into the community for young adults is exactly what is necessary. When students have fun things to do and places to go, it motivates the youth to keeping the parks ready to use. However, I think the youth should not hold all of the responsibility to keeping the parks safe.
I believe a combination n of volunteers as well as local businesses should provide the work and materials necessary to create and keep up local recreational opportunities for the youth of our county. The Community BMX/Skate Park Committee is doing the right thing with their mission to provide community support. However, the youth using the parks need to volunteer and acquire help so they can help themselves as well.
Local recreational opportunities for the youth are a positive thing for the community and it is the responsibility of local businesses to help keep these parks and opportunities in use. This will keep kids out of trouble and motivate them to help the community when it is their turn.
Daniella Jimenez-Perea
LLHS senior
Ms. Shrive English IV
Awesome that groups are helping with park repairs
I recently read your article, “Special delivery for skate park repair” (Observer*American, Jan. 9). It”s sad that the skate park has been closed for so long. It is so awesome that local companies are helping out with the repairs by donating and local people are giving their time to repair the skate park. The skate park is a great addition to Clearlake. It provides opportunities for the youth in Clearlake.
Hearing that local companies and people are helping out to get the skate park open again makes me so happy. It”s too bad that the Clearlake city council isn”t helping more with providing the funds to repair the skate park. Thanks to the Clearlake Community BMX/Skate Park Committee I have faith that they will get the job done with the help of our community.
The skate park is a good thing for this city. It provides a place for the youth to go and do something productive with their time. It helps keep them out of trouble. BMX riding and skate boarding is a big part of what kids like to do around here. It”s almost the only thing for kids to do here that”s free. The skate park is a very popular place in Clearlake.
I feel that there are not enough local recreational opportunities for the youth here in Clearlake. It would be nice to get a park with a soccer field or a football field. There are some really nice parks. There is just not enough funding to keep them nice. The county should have the responsibility to ensure that these opportunities stay nice and create more for the youth of this county. However, it takes the local people”s effort too, to keep the parks looking nice.
All it takes is cleaning up after yourselves and caring enough not to vandalize the parks.
This community shows that it does care about its future just by putting in the effort, time and money to get the skate park back open to the safety requirements it needs. It”s little steps that makes our city a better place to live.
Thanks to all the people who are doing what they can to make this city a better place. Keep up the good work.
Kaleena Budwell
LLHS senior
Ms. White English IV
Editor”s Note: Student letter writers appearing on this page recently took part in a contest organized by senior English classes at Lower Lake High School. Winning entries were submitted to the Observer*American.
