In response to Affordable No More: Hopkins Village Homeowners Face Soaring HOA Fees and Special Assessments in the November print edition
Need Smaller Townhomes
If this project had been one- to two-bedroom townhomes, I would have bought in. Why can’t this community build one- to two-bedroom townhomes with garages to satisfy the needs of first-time home-buying locals wanting to buy into the community where they work? Anything bigger prices us out of the market.
~ Dee Gatineau via Facebook
Hopkins Village Is Placer’s Responsibility
I don’t know why Moonshine keeps referring to Hopkins as Truckee. Hopkins Village is in Placer County, and it could have been supported by Placer County. Town of Truckee had zero to do with this project and would have supported it to a much higher degree based on the issues at hand. Placer chooses their own path and lets Truckee take care of the workforce. Placer and NTCA can do better!
~ Dave Polivy, Truckee, via Instagram
Truckee Is Not Affordable
Don’t forget the Martis Camp downpayment assistance you have to pay back on top of the mortgage payment. Nothing here in Truckee is “affordable” for the average American household.
~ Dan Underwood via Instagram
In response to A Fight for Survival of Places that Bring Us Together in the November print edition
Movie Theaters Are Not a Good Example
I appreciate the attempt at community engagement but over a place where people sit quietly and watch something on a screen seems incredibly pointless as an argument for this point. Maybe a public house closing, but a movie theater?
~ Ed Jensen, Sacramento, via Facebook
Third Spaces are Struggling
After reading the article, it’s clear this isn’t just about a movie theater, it’s about the disappearance of third spaces, the places that actually bring our community together. These spaces are struggling because of material-driven consumer habits, declining spending on experiences, and the high cost of running any people-centered businesses, especially in a resort town with sky-high housing costs and constant turnover. Paying real humans a livable wage is expensive, and many small businesses simply can’t keep up. It’s worth looking at where we’re putting our disposable income. Are we supporting local community spaces? Or are we spending it on apps that try to mimic connection, and on disposable goods that don’t give anything back? The article lays this out well and is worth a read, especially as we come into the holiday season and think about how we are marketed to and spend.
~ Christine Bettera, Kings Beach, via Instagram
In response to Tom Lippert: Ski Photographer and Benevolent Soul in the November print edition
Tom Was Inspirational
So sorry to hear of Tom’s passing. I enjoyed running into him when I lived in Truckee, and he and Laurel helped inspire my nephew Trevor to become a pilot before he was old enough to drive. He now flies international routes for United, thanks in part to them.
~ David Fenimore, New Jersey, via website
Capturing the Magic of Skiing
In the early ’80s, Tom Lippert had a photo display at the newly opened Truckee River Bank in the now Alibi location on Bridge Street. As a former ski bum turned banker, behind my desk hung the photo referenced in the article, “Magic of the Powder Day.” That black and white photo has not left my side since. Tom’s photo and the history of the shoot — first tracks on Red Dog after multiple-day power outage — captured my love of skiing and our mountain community. Forty-five years later, that photo still hangs above my desk. Thank you, Tom, for your artistry, you were the “magic” of skiing photography.
~ Dave Giacomini, Truckee, via email
