Check Out What Rohnert Park Readers are Talking About

At Rohnert Park Patch, we believe news goes two ways — it's an ongoing conversation with the community. We'd love to hear from you! Here's what readers have had to say about some of our coverage so far...

The city is working up a , which originally was geared towards mobilizing Sonoma State students as the artists for the project. But earlier this week the Cultural Arts Commission rejected the three submissions so far and said they wanted to open it up to elementary, junior and high schoolers.

"I don't see the advantage of having SSU students involved if it means that a timely solution can't be achieved," said reader Doug Strickland. "Why not open the opportunity up to local artists in general? I'm willing to bet that muralists that aren't under student and academic calendar pressures might be able to execute more quickly. How about it Gina?"

Matt C. said "I'm with you Doug. Our community has plenty of former art students and artists that would leap at the chance to undertake this kind of project, and the comissioners would have more room to interact with independent artists without having to liason with SSU."

This month, hundreds of police agencies are cracking down on drivers using their phones while driving and ticketing them, no matter what. Rohnert Park Patch reported last week that 50 tickets have been written so far. It's a story Rohnert Park residents feel very passionately about.

Doug Strickland had something to say: "If you are driving without a license you a can have your car impounded, why not the same for cell phones? If you get caught using your phone when driving you lose it for 30 days first offense."

"What a brilliant, idea, Doug!" said reader Pamela Fender.

Rohnert Park Patch's series "," generated a swarm of interest on Facebook and Twitter. One article, that , was popular amongst readers.

"After the recent Japan earthquake, we replaced our cement tile roof. More than half our tiles were supported only by rafters," said reader Leland van den Daele. "The new roof has an undergirding of plywood and reflective insulation covered by shingles. We made this change because in the Kobe earthquake about two decades ago, houses with tile roofs collapsed under the weight of the tiles. A compounding factor for our house was "rafter only" support for the tiles. The house has poor sheer strength, so if it starts to tilt, the house might fracture. Lots of RP houses still have these 50 year tile roofs. They are attractive and provide good insulation from the sun, but unfortunately they are dangerous in earthquake country, compounded by inadequate support and lack sheer resistance."

The story about the got people talking too.

"PG&E will go down as one of the most brutal utility monopolies in the history of the United States. Their recent ongoing disaster includes the involuntary subjugation of millions of Californians to the untested effects of pulsed microwave radiation put out by their new SmartMeters. They have continuously changed their numbers and story on the power output but these half truths will do nothing to slow the erosion of public health in this state. SmartMeters are much more powerful and biologically harmful than cell phones when valid statistics are presented," said one reader.

"Apart from the heath hazards there is another important reason to be very wary of anything PG&E does to "help" consumers, if PG&E can read your meter from a distance then they can also program your meter as well. How simple it would be for PG&E to add a small increase to the hourly watt charge, it would not need to be much even a tenth of a penny per watt hour, but when you add that up across millions of users it amounts to millions of dollars per year," said reader Jack Fender.

The Cotati Arts Project is installing art all over the city, and the .

"Wow! This is really great. Art in public spaces has been prized the world over... reminds me of sculptures placed in the center of large, civic water fountains in Europe, etc. Way to go, Cotati!" said reader Karen Pierce Gonzalez.

People had something to say about , Hunter Ward, a six-year-old who turned one of his passions into a business too.

"We purchased a hiking stick from Hunter last year at the Rohnert Park Farmers market. He is an awesome little boy! Don't be surprised to see him doing big things in the future!" said reader Shari Moore.

"Thank you for including my boy Hunter as a Whiz Kid. He is a great kid and we are very proud of him," said Aimee Ward.

Rohnert Park and Cotati schools are in dire straits. about the uncertainty of the state budget and how it'll impact area schools got people talking. 

"I don't have specific answers other than this one: education has always been one of the greatest vehicles to bridge the gap between those who have and those who don't," said reader Karen Pierce Gonzalez. "It is also one of the most significant ways we prepare future generations for their participation as adults in this society. What are we doing as Californians to provide adequate education for all (not just a select handful whose families can afford any and all of the options that are currently available)?"

"My son goes to the Santa Rosa Charter School. Santa Rosa Charter School is an International Baccalaureate School ... there is one principle, one administrative assistant, and one janitor. A charter school can do this because it is like a separate school district. Charter schools are exempt from many of the more burdensome laws that the Rohnert Park - Cotati School District is subject to. That's why the educrats hate charter schools," said reader John Hudson.

"There are 21 kids in his class instead of 30. Field trips are by car pool, not school bus. There is no hot lunch program except for Pizza on Tuesdays and pasta or Mexican food on Fridays. Parents are expected to volunteer for the hot lunch program one month (for each class) out of the year. There is also one work day when parents are expected to volunteer for maintenance and construction of new play facilities. I wish the Rohnert Park-Cotati School District had a school like this available to us."

News about the possible cuts to library staffers and hours is changing again.  was confirmed by a Rohnert Park librarian earlier this month.

One reader said: "I've just introduced my five year old grandson to the library. we have been going several times per month, he has gotten his own card and has started to look forward to our weekly trips. It is a bloody shame that our children have to receive the brunt of these cutbacks at every angle, good grief give them a break somewhere help keep them off the streets!"

Another said "these stories are all too common. Still waiting for this headline, "management decides to reduce their own pay by 25%." allowing the people of sonoma county to use county services. With fuel prices rising for summer, I expect some of the bus scheduling to diminish also. Why would the transit management act any different than library management?"

Follow Rohnert Park Patch later today for news about how will impact Rohnert Park and Cotati. The article we ran about the proposed cuts ignited some readers.

"This project is so wrong... Why dont they cut the train and keep the path? said one. "I sure the cost savings will be much higher! We will them call this project SMABT. Sonoma Marin Bike Trail!!! Much cheaper and much more green!!!"