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Hospital closes senior gym; council race begins; bird food review

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Sonoma Valley Sun

Many who used the Senior Wellness gym at Sonoma Valley Hospital aren’t happy with its closure, announced in a July 1 form letter to members. The budget-tightening move sends clients to the Parkpoint club, where they will get a reduced rate – for 90 days.
“We have made this decision reluctantly,” wrote Dawn Kuwahara. “The gym program has operated at a loss since its inception and the hospital can no longer absorb this cost.” The hospital facility served about 80 seniors, who now get an introductory deal at Parkpoint. After 90 days, they can join – without an enrollment fee – the membership for folks over 65, for $65 a month. The rates are comparable (and there’s a pool), but folks will miss the gym, and atmosphere, specialized for seniors. Meanwhile, the hospital’s overall Senior Wellness program, with its clinics and classes free to Medicare patients, continues.

It’s game on for Sonoma City Council. Incumbent Ken Brown was the first to file the requisite paperwork, early on Monday, moments after the process officially began at 8 a.m. Since then, three other candidates have entered the fray: Madolyn Agrimonti, Linda Corrado and Rachel Hundley. The deadline is August 8. The two males who announced their intentions some time ago have yet to file; likewise incumbents Steve Barbose and Tom Rouse, who likely won’t, leaving the race for the three seats wide open.

Shakespeare wrote a dog into just one of his plays, “Two Gentlemen of Verona,” so the casting is very important. Waddling into the role in the localized version (“Two Gentlemen of Sonoma,” page 28) is Jasper, a Chihuahua of rather Falstaffian proportions seen regularly, off stage, at Joe-2-Go. They say his bark is worse than his bite — and in a lovely English accent.

Outdoor dining is lovely this time of year, the couple decided after a meal on the Plaza. Just then, out of the warm summer breeze, a bit of bird poop landed on an empty plate. Response: “Everybody’s a critic.”




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