AUGUST 2015 NEWSLETTER
Most of you may have already followed the “ban the blower” debate that has unfolded for the last couple of years at the Sonoma City Council. The debate by now may seem beaten to death. You’ve heard both sides and probably realize there are good arguments to ban the blowers and cogent ones to keep using them. The purpose of this newsletter is not to try to sway your opinion on this issue, but to specifically let you know how a ban on blowers would affect your monthly service and the price you pay for it.
If the city council bans the blowers at their September 9th meeting (currently they’re leaning 3-2 for a ban), your service will be influenced in one of two ways. If you want your landscape maintained with brooms to the same standard as it was by the blower, your costs will go up. It takes longer to broom hardscaped areas and you are basically buying time. If you keep your monthly rate exactly where it is now, your landscape will simply be a little less tidy. We will put in our usual time and even work a little harder because a push broom takes more elbow grease to use. The result won’t be as perfect, especially if you have a lot of paths, asphalt areas, heavy tree cover or decks.
I am giving you the email addresses and phone numbers for the 5 city council members in case you want to contact them. You can also access their contact information from the City of Sonoma website. In a preliminary vote Gary Edwards and David Cook have been pro-blower and Laurie Gallian, Madolyn Agrimonti, and Rachel Hundley have leaned toward a ban. It is notable that the previous council voted 3-2 not to ban the blower, but did put restrictions on noise levels and times of use. The ban would also prevent homeowners using a blower on their own property.
David Cook, Mayor
David@cvmgrapes.com
707-490-8921
Office Hours: Every Wednesday 11:00 - Noon @ City Hall
Laurie Gallian, Mayor Pro Tem
lauriegallian@comcast.net
(707) 738-9847
Madolyn Agrimonti, Councilmember
magrimonti@comcast.net
650-740-2540
Gary Edwards, Councilmember
gary@sagekase.com
707-695-0329
Rachel Hundley, Councilmember
rachelhundleyesq@gmail.com
707-999-8394