Neighbors organize to oppose new hospital site

Calling themselves the “Save Our Neighborhood Organization,” residents of the proposed site for new Sonoma Valley Hospital buildings announced at a public meeting last week their determination to fight the hospital’s construction plan.
Hospital officials, who had called the meeting to demonstrate that they have heard the neighbors’ concerns and to inform them of the steps they were taking to accommodate them, expressed sympathy with the neighbors’ distress.
“Definitely they have a point,” said Bob Rice, Communications Director for the hospital. “I don’t think anyone working on this project doesn’t realize that these people are talking about their security. It’s their home. For a lot of people, it’s their retirement; it’s their single biggest investment.”
Carl Gerlach, Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, has been working with architects and engineers on a set of changes in acknowledgement of the residents’ objections, and presented some of these at the meeting. Among them were the elimination of multi-story parking, and some alteration of roof lines. Such design details may not appease the neighbors.
Despite the neighbors’ objections, Rice said he could see some good coming from the meeting. “I think they left with a clear idea that Carl was looking for solutions. I don’t think they saw him as an adversary, I think they really saw him as someone trying to make a solution.”
Whether the neighborhood organization can affect the course of the project is an open question. “It’s a numbers thing,” said Rice. “Traditionally 20 percent of the voters will vote no on any tax increase. To win we need 67 percent of the votes. That only leaves 13 percent, and any organized opposition could potentially muster that. Right now there are several special interest groups all willing to fight. There is really no clear right or wrong, just a community torn in their efforts to save their hospital.”