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Sample Letters |
Greetings,
For well over thirty years, there has been a functional stairway providing a safe and convenient means of walking from upper Merriewood down to Thornhill Drive. For elementary school students and commuters walking down to a bus stop on Thornhill, this stairway has been the alternative to dodging cars on our sidewalk-less, narrow and very winding neighborhood streets. The very existence of this walkway has also encouraged local hill residents to get out of our cars and walk down to the village, especially on the weekends.
From a safety and convenience standpoint, for recreation and enjoyment of our beautiful surroundings, all of us will benefit from the rebuilding of these stairs.
Sincerely,
(your name here)
Once upon a time we had a lovely neighborhood with quaint stairways running from Thornhill to Valley View, Valley View to Crown, Crown to Merriewood, etc. These stairs were used by kids on their way to and from school, by folks looking for exercise and for those who recognized them as community assets.
Without asking the community or obtaining input from the neighbors, the City of Oakland barricaded the stairs and erected ugly signs warning us to stay off the stairs. I suppose this was the City's way of limiting liability, but these actions do nothing of the kind. Instead, the signs and barricades prevent us from using what was a neighborhood resource and force us to use the narrow roadways instead. I suspect that erecting signs also makes the stairs more tempting to some.
Please let us know what can be done to once again put the stairs back into use. I have emailed Ms. Ford and would also contact any other officials you think might be of assistance in this matter.
Thank you for your assistance in this matter.
(your name here)
As a citizen of Oakland who lives next to the stairs that used to connect Thornhill Dr to Valley View to Merriewood I heartily agree with the people at www.lansharks.net/stairs who are asking the city to repair and maintain the stairs.
My daughter's very good friend lives near the top of the stairs. Since the stairs have been closed we've been forced to drive her up for visits. She used to be able to walk over to her friends. It makes the neighborhood feel much less like a community to have to drive to visit friends who only live a couple blocks away.
Please fix the stairs.
Sincerely,
Jim Lutz
6101 Thornhill Dr.