From: Mary Gourley
To: Oriana Hart; Erik Billing; Elissa Overton
Subject: FW: Commons at the O"Reilly
Date: Thursday, August 20, 2026 12:38:02 PM
From:
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2026 12:37 PM
To: Mary Gourley <[email protected]>
Subject: Commons at the O'Reilly
I’m writing to urge you to support moving the city’s four undersized, deteriorating buildings to the O’Reilly campus at the north end of town. I live on Barnett Valley Road, outside of Sebastopol proper. But I use the library, the senior center, the community center and rarely, city hall. I shop at, eat at and generally support the businesses in town, as do the many of us west county residents.
I’ve read the Sebastopol Times article about the pressing needs of these four buildings and the options to address them, been to a council meeting where the subject was discussed and toured the O’Reilly campus with the Community Commons Committee. I was impressed. It checks all the boxes, is the only option available now, and would be a magnet for businesses that would revitalize an underused part of town.
If the new civic center were to be located near where city hall is now, there would be very little opposition. But while some downtown businesses fear that moving it away from Main Street would adversely affect them and some locals who can walk to the current facilities don’t want to lose that convenience, my observation is that most people who use the four facilities drive there (and struggle to find parking), are there for a single purpose and don’t necessarily go shopping afterward.
This opportunity is here now. The problems are ongoing and worsening, and delaying would increase the cost of the already more expensive alternative sites. I am a senior who would like to see this accomplished in my lifetime.
Thanks for your consideration.