Comments by Jack Kirkpatrick
August 02, 2009
The Latest Old Idea! Half Moon Bay's only ethical response now is to develop the Beachwood property into the Beachwood Park not a development! The ethical course is now clear: The politicians had the developer, the politicians had the permits, the politicians reneged on the permits, the politicians lost a lawsuit to the developer for reneging and then the politicians then tried to use taxpayer money to pay the lawsuit out of park land money and lost. The politicians then stuck the city taxpayers…
July 31, 2009
This is a geography and an "I am so tired by the time I get back to HMB" problem more than a socioeconomic problem! I am not so sure that "Most of us residents want to return straight home after work and shop locally." I think most of the residents want to return straight home after work - they are lucky to be home by 6:00 PM. Beyond that, they are dead tired and enjoy the comfort of the home over the community. The community is the means to a upscale home and and a upscale community with a downscale…
July 30, 2009
I doubt that you have one part that is truely utilized and one downtown won't do it - mothers take kids to parks; it is doubtful that they will tagged their kids along to build downtown businesses - they go to centralized malls with a huge all service market of Pharmacy like Longs. You say "Plenty of towns do a lot better with fewer resources." I'd like to know more - which towns do a lot better with fewer resources on the west coast; which towns in the Central Valley and keep working eastward. I'd…
July 30, 2009
HMB will away be an isolated bedroom community and agricultural village; it is hardly a sustainable tourist community, is a close by drive for the peninsula and San Francisco. It is doubtful that downtown is recoverable, but will remains a transient trap for investors who will lose their shirt, sell off to another fleeting business. The Downtown Business Association and Chamber of Commerce isn't up to the task; it is the bedroom community that determines the success of downtown and the residents…
July 25, 2009
Don't worry about these park closures. HMB politicians are committed to building you a 24 acre Beachwood Park instead of selling it to developers instead of letting Chop Keenan develop the land and losing an $18 million lawsuit to him. The city tried that quid pro quo tactic with the Sacramento legislature to get money from AB/SB 650 and AB 1991 and from urban park proposition funds, and I-Bank funds, to settle the lawsuit in name of building a park. People of HMB - insist that Beachwood Park be…
July 16, 2009
That may be, but a quid pro quo for money from the state is the kind of bad faith thinking that has troubled HMB for drcades.
When you wheel and deal like that it may be playing the game, but it is not a "fair play" quid pro quo - it is a variation to spin and in effect is more of a swindle the taxpayers.
Build the 24 acre Beachwood Park and stop playing games and spinning and parsing it as something it didn't want - a development of housing.
July 01, 2009
HMB Public Take Notice From the June 10 Half Moon Bay Review HMB - where is that new Beachwood Park...? Oh, never mind, you look like you are in deep dodo again for doing nothing when Parks were so important to you with your manipulative lawsuit bailout in AB 1991, AB/Sib 650. You have another day of reckoning - July 21, 2009! The council "by another unanimous vote, scheduling a July 21 meeting to discuss and vote on turning over the 24-acre property at 880 Stone Pine Road to the Peninsula Open Space…
July 01, 2009
I am aware of the Oak Wood Park property, but after checking Caoastsider and Half Moon Bay Review, I have not read what HMB settled for in amount or dollars or forgiveness or.... (the various "or" are a bit scary considering the host of politicians you have to deal with and their ethics). It was referenced to the next HMB meeting for approval.
Does anyone have this referenced or know the results.
Thanks
Jack
June 30, 2009
Wait: "Hindsight should tell you that it would have been better had the city been unwavering in its support for environmental laws instead of dropping that support in the face of a bad legal decision that favored the developer." NO - hindsight would have been better if the city honored its issued permits and then not have tampered with the property to create an artificial wetlands! There needs to be a high standard of ethics and transparency (that old hackeyed word) that seems to be lacking time…
June 27, 2009
Swanson's Beachwood never looked better - now it is an eyesore snuggled between housing developments or a maybe a farm. Fix it. When did HMB complete that naturaist park? Tha is an idea - a nudist park with campgrounds, showers...!
June 26, 2009
So when are you going to build that important Beechwood Park? That is a lot more imortant than salary increases - maybe you could save those increases wages and perks and place them into a saving account for the park. In the meantime, build a fence to keep out of the slimy wetlands so you don't distroy the natural habitat. Protect the gofers, field mice and salamanders and let them be without issung them permits to build their new homes. Don't even go to a developer to build homes More slimy thinking…
June 22, 2009
The pinnicle of arrogance is for Mayor Muller to say "the decision as to what to do with the 24-acre Beachwood property will come with time. There’s no rush,” he said. It was a big deal to HMB last week - you didn't get what you wanted, so now there is no rush - that is butt-covering BS lies. You HMB politicians are so conflicted in your values - OK... No park, so sell it? When? You know you can can knock a little money off that new found bond early! Sell it at auction in October and make sure…
June 22, 2009
"Half Moon Bay Interim City Manager Michael Dolder is disappointed with the decision but said the city will now take ownership of the land in September." Gee, now all we need is for Mayor Muller and the City Council to direct the Planning Commission and their engineering department to submit bids to place some shovel ready, hungry out of work citizens to get that Beechwood Park built by the start of next summer's Little League season! Does anyone want to lay odd it will take three years...; 5 years...…
June 22, 2009
By the way, if the "johnny come lately" city council doesn't get the cash up front to pay Keenan the $18 million on the due date, they should lose their jobs or resign and HMB should lose its city status. I have a hunch the bonds will be worthless junk bonds and you will owe Chop the $41 million and you will never be able to pay off the $18 plus $20+ million in interest. I can hear mayor Jonh Muller saying to god mother of the 1990s, Council Member Naomi Patridge, somewhat like the refrain from Oliver…
June 22, 2009
It was just "gridlock" Jerry and "ye" old man wasting the taxpayers time instead of advancing the general welfare of California citizens!
The two didn't have time to settle the budget and were distracted by the paid special interests calling on their becjk and call offices.
Yee and Hill should settle the budget or resign and let's get people in there that can do the job on time and within the pay as you go budget.
June 17, 2009
The majority voting bloc since the 1990 have been responsible for this fiasco for voting in incompetent special interest politicians that were not looking our for the general welfare of HMB. The politicians that created and appointed the planning commissions are even more responsible for this fiasco. There is plenty of groupthink to go around the city limits and their hired hands in the form of attorneys and other specialists. Even your civil servants haven't performed well and are clearly responsible…
June 03, 2009
I agree, Carl, there may be an opportunity for someone to pick up this business - there is a old school of entrepreneurship where people who lose their jobs in recession change course and buy or start a business and never look back. Many "hippies" also redirected their attention and stated many mainstream businesses in the 1970's after rethinking the importance of a business model. However I was troubled by a statement that set me off with skepticism about this business in the original article: "While…
June 03, 2009
Like it or not, Mr. Long did put his personal life out there as part of the hype and sell or no sale options: He has to go to RI to take care of his parents. "Since I don’t have all that much time, maybe two months at best, before I really need to be back in Rhode Island to help out there, if I can’t find any interested parties, I’ll be having to progressively sell off the inventory, hardware and fixtures. Unless a rabbit pops out of someone’s hat, this looks like the plan." I would not market…
June 03, 2009
At least I know where to bite the apple. It is like a lot of food products; the best are sold and display in our markets, those that are not first rate are delegated to canning and sadly, the imperfect fruits are often thrown out or plowed under instead of sent to the homeless kitchens and shelters or given to the needy. Beyond that thought, you can nearly always relocate the family to HMB. I have a 94 year old mother-in-law living with us for 12 yrs after relocating with her stroked aling husband…
June 03, 2009
If it was really profitable, it would be sold, it is not about securing a loan for any buyer - it is the bottom line of the balance sheet and bankers look at that security because they don't have to worry about a default. Now the Big 3 manufactures can't get money (except through a bankrupt government who can assuge their guilt to save a bit of history - in the end, they know GM and Chrysler are goners) because the private financial industry knows that they have been billions of dollars in debt and…
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