Possible delays for Freedom project are concerning
I am concerned after reading the March 17 article about the upcoming pipework that the City of Watsonville plans to conduct on Freedom Boulevard. The plan has already been delayed due to supply shortage, what happens if there is another supply issue during the work? This is a major artery for traffic through the Watsonville area and the effects are felt anytime there is a closure on this road. Closures during the spring and summer months will only make problems worse for residents who live along the stretch of road that the repairs are proposed for.
These projects usually push travelers into side streets that are not usually high traffic areas, this causes problems for folks that live on these streets as they aren’t used to the high traffic. How are residents expected to cope if there is another delay? It feels dismissive for the city to simply say that they appreciate our patience while the work is conducted.
If other road projects around the county are an indicator, there is a good chance this work will also have issues once it is started. The city needs to provide some kind of reassurance or plan on how to handle the flow of traffic during this project to alleviate some of the concerns of locals and how we will be impacted by the work and any closures or delays.
Brandon Kempf, Freedom
Editor’s new role is conflict of interest
I just learned that Pajaronian Managing Editor, Tony Nuñez, has been co-opted from his role as local journalist and recruited to become the “chief propagandist and apologist” for the new hospital district.
How in the world can that be justified? A major public agency vital to the future of the Pajaro Valley should be subject to the scrutiny of the press without interference. Yet, the dual roles of hospital district director and managing editor of the local newspaper are mutually inconsistent and pose an inherent conflict of interest. This should be an embarrassment to Nuñez and everyone involved with the Pajaronian.
Nuñez’s aspiration to the hospital board is an open and shameless concession that the Pajaronian holds zero journalistic integrity. It’s time to give back the Pulitzer Prize, folks. You’ve forfeited any claim to it.
Ron Baker, Watsonville
We must preserve ag land
The decision to extend Measure U is a difficult one, as you say. But we must find a way to preserve agricultural land. The Pajaro Valley is a unique growing region. We need to build up, not out. More multi-story apartments and condos need to be built. It would be nice to own a single-family home. But would it be worth it if strawberries and apples and lettuce are too expensive to buy? Once farmland is gone, it’s gone. We can’t eat our houses.
Emelyn Buskirk, Watsonville
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