Coyote Point, 3rd Avenue -- please read!

From: George Haye (geohaye@hotmail.com-DeleteThis)
Date: Thu Sep 02 1999 - 10:05:41 PDT


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From: "George Haye" <geohaye@hotmail.com-DeleteThis>
To: wind_talk@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis
Subject: Coyote Point, 3rd Avenue -- please read!
Date: Thu, 02 Sep 1999 10:05:41 PDT
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

Can someone please post my alert message (below) to REC.WINDSURFING (and
other U.S. newsgroups you may know of)? It would be really appreciated. I
have junky free internet access with a company that has long gone out of
business and my newsgroup settings are a catastrophic mess.

If someone could do it today, that would really help - the letters must be
received in one week - Sept 9. The planning SF department will be counting
the # of letters that come in relating to the SFO EXPANSION, and the larger
# of letters from windsurfers, the bigger the player we will be in the
process - in other words: BETTER CHANCE OF SAVING COYOTE POINT, AND THIRD
AVENUE if it would be messed up, too. If everyone sends a letter, we could
be a large percentage of the comment letters that come in.

If you could then let the wind_talk folks here know that you've posted the
alert to REC.WINDSURFING, that could keep it from being posted twice.

Mucho mahalo,
-George

--------------
URGENT! HELP SAVE WINDSURFING IN SAN FRANCISCO BAY! Print, sign, and mail a
copy of the Comment Letter (SEE BELOW), and it will really help! If everyone
sends a letter, we can win this battle. Even if you don't live in
California, if you want to protect windsurfing access, please help. And,
spread the word!
   San Francisco International Airport's plans would wipe out COYOTE POINT.
THIRD AVENUE could also be ruined. And, FOUR other windsurf spots are in
danger. All letters must be received by SEPTEMBER 9, 1999. Send your letter
to one of the addresses listed. Or, send letters to both of them. An
original comment letter is best, but if you send in a copy of this Comment
Letter (SEE BELOW), it will definitely make a difference.
   For more info, and a ready-to-print copy of the Comment Letter, see: San
Francisco Boardsailing Association: http://www.sfba.org/sfo.htm
   THANKS FOR YOUR HELP! *WE WILL WIN.*
   Here's the plan: Send a Comment Letter, then...GO WINDSURFING!
-George Haye, Member of the San Francisco Boardsailing Association
My E-Mail: geohaye@hotmail.com-DeleteThis

----------------------------------------------
August 12, 1999

Ms. Hilary Gitelman, Environmental Review Officer, San Francisco Planning
Department, 1660 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA

Ms. Camille Garibaldi, Federal Aviation Administration, San Francisco
Airports District Office, 831 Mitten Road, Room 210, Burlingame, CA 94010,
USA

Dear Ms. Gitelman and Ms. Garibaldi,
   I am a windsurfer who is concerned about San Francisco International
Airport’s runway expansion project. Several world-class windsurfing areas
could be lost or severely degraded if the airport’s proposed runway
expansion proceeds, including: COYOTE POINT, THIRD AVENUE, OYSTER POINT,
FLYING TIGERS, EMBASSY SUITES, and OLD THIRD AVENUE. This includes some of
the best and most popular windsurf spots in the world!
   The Airport’s proposed runway, which would extend down into the Bay
offshore from Coyote Point, would cut off windsurf access to the open Bay.
This would ruin Coyote Point as a windsurf spot for the following reasons: a
windsurfer could no longer access the outer waters which often have the best
conditions for sailing; the wind swells from the open Bay which are ridden
and jumped by windsurfers would be blocked by the runways; and the water
quality in the closed-off area would deteriorate, especially after storms. I
am also concerned about these same effects on the Oyster Point, Flying
Tigers, and Embassy Suites areas.
   Also, if mud levels and sand bars rise due to changes in Bay hydrology
caused by the runways and massive Bay fill, windsurf access could be ruined
at all of the sites mentioned above, including the extremely popular spot
Third Avenue, located in Foster City. The environmental review process must
examine to what extent mud levels and sand bars are expected to rise (or
lower) all along the Bay shore. Real-world examples must be studied, rather
than just doing calculations. The studies must be specific to each
particular area along the Bay shore. The review process must also examine
whether silting would occur in these areas and how likely it would be that
marshland would form along the shorelines. The scientific analysis must be
long-range in scope because these are world-class windsurf sites which will
be used into perpetuity by generations of windsurfers if they are not
destroyed.
   The windsurf areas mentioned are priceless and are irreplaceable. The Bay
fill and runway expansion should not be allowed to occur, because mitigation
is not possible. It is not possible to "develop" comparable windsurf spots
elsewhere. Coyote Point, for example, is irreplaceable because of several
reasons, including: (1) it is well situated for the prevailing Northwest and
West winds that blow consistently through the San Bruno gap and/or from the
fog bank over the western mountains; (2) during the season (from the
beginning of March through the end of October), because of its exact
geographical location, Coyote Point experiences as many good windy days as
anywhere; (3) hundreds of parking spots are available close to the water;
(4) The beach stretches a distance of over half a mile - which is critical
for beginners, and advanced sailors in flood tides; (5) while other local
windsurf spots cannot be used on low tides, Coyote Point can be used in all
tide conditions - even negative tides.
   The environmental review process must examine what effects the proposed
project would have on windsurfing, as well as what effects it would have on
wildlife, noise in surrounding communities, Bay hydrology, water quality,
air quality, aesthetics, freeway and street traffic, and other recreational
uses in the area such as boating. The environmental review process must
consider all other alternatives to filling the Bay and expanding the
runways, including: all technical solutions which could increase airport
capacity in bad weather conditions; cooperation with and/or expansion of
other airports including Oakland, San Jose, and military bases; extending a
BART tube between SFO and OAK airports in order to transport airline
passengers, commuters, and cargo; high speed trains between the Bay Area and
Southern California; and building a new airport near Morgan Hill and/or near
Pleasanton.

Signature:

Date:

Name:

Address:

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