We’re circulating a book bag of bouquets to volunteers in Templeton who have raised $1 million to build a new library. Templeton has been without a permanent library since the 1970s, so this campaign is a huge boon to the community.
But check this out: The project could be dealt a major setback if construction doesn’t begin by April. That’s because a minor-use building permit from the county is set to expire then. The project has been granted the maximum number of permit extensions, so the Templeton Community Library Association will have to file for a new permit if it doesn’t meet the deadline.
Ideally, the library association will be able to raise the $427,000 it needs to start construction by April. If not, we would urge the county to either make an exception for a worthy, nonprofit project and grant another extension, or expedite the granting of a new permit.
This project has come too far to be unnecessarily delayed now. If that happens, we’ll be dipping into our collection of encyclopedia-sized brickbats.
Preserving our natural beauty
Part of the charm of living in this county is the natural beauty of our countryside. So we offer a bountiful bouquet of native grasses (left preserved in its original habitat, naturally) to the Atascadero Land Preservation Society for its stewardship of the Three Bridges Oak Preserve, a newly acquired 103-acre parcel of oak forest off Highway 41.
Volunteers are carefully planning meandering foot trails through the land with conservation as well as public enjoyment in mind. We look forward to encountering the blue oaks, willows and natural wildlife in the years to come.
Congratulations to rescue team
In lieu of a bouquet, we’ll throw a big, juicy bone to Lassie, the sheriff’s Search and Rescue K-9 that helped locate Felisa Lizada, the Los Osos woman with dementia who wandered from her home Monday. We’re also tracking down Lassie’s partner, Dave Smee, and all the other volunteers who joined in the successful search to present them with you’re-the-best bouquets.
It’s impossible to say too many good things about a group of volunteers willing to give up weekends, holidays and a good night’s sleep to help people in the most precarious of situations. They do so knowing that the outcomes aren’t always going to be positive.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: We strongly urge continued public and private support to ensure this group has the uniforms, training and equipment it needs.
If you’d like to help with a donation — or if you’re interested in joining the group — contact Search and Rescue coordinator Sgt. Mark Maki at 781-4616.
Best wishes to injured player, family
Along with our best wishes for a full recovery, we offer a we’re-rooting-for-you bouquet to Adrian Padilla, the Oxnard football player who sustained a head injury during a football game with San Luis Obispo High. While he remains in intensive care at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, Adrian’s condition has been upgraded from critical to serious; that’s encouraging progress.
We’ve been impressed, too, by the outpouring of support from SLO families who have provided lodging, food and moral support to Adrian’s family — Good Sam bouquets to you all.
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