January 6, 1966 (20 pages)

January 6, 1966 “GRASS VALLEY . 1S PLANNING THE CITY HALL IN REVERSE With what appears to be a sure ‘instinct for mediocrity, the Grass Valley City Council took steps last’ week to place the job of designing its proposed new City hall in the hands of a-group of engineers. _ With all due respect for the professional competence of T. H. McGuire and Son, the firm which has been proposed for the job, we submit that the job of designing the most important public structure in any city, the city hall, should be entrusted primarily to ,anarchitect, the best architect available. The McGuire people are not architects. In the case of Grass Valley, a city of great character, it is especially fitting that a new city hall should reflect in its design the city's finest traditions and its hopes for the future. It should bea building that is not merely serviceable; it should represent the best qualities of a community; it should be the city's most beautiful building, a product of the best architectural skills and imagination; it should be a building of whichresidents are proud. It is conceivable but on the record improbable that such a building will be designed under the present arrangement. The McGuire firm has to our knowledge no major public buildings to its credit, unless you count a city pump house or the convenience facilian ties at Condon Park, A spokesman for the firm says that an architect probably will be engaged to aid in the city hall design, However, it seems most unlikely that any first-rank architect would agree to hire out under such conditions, _ Yet a firsterank architect is what is needed, Contrary to the popular impression, a good architect charges the same fees a8 a poor one, It is often more economical to use a-highly reputable architect, too, because the job of design will be done soundly and troubles will be anticipated. _What major architect in Northern California would not jump at the chance of designinga city hall for the City of Grass Valley? Why hasn't the Grass Valley city council put out a call for proposals from the architectural fraternity, before consigning the responsibility for designing the city hall to a firm of engineers? Usually, when it proposes to build a major civic building, a city will carefully choose an architect to do the designing, and the architect will engage engineers and other specialists for assistance. Grass Valley, however, has handed over the choosing of an architect and the assignment of an architect's responsibility, if any, to the engineers. This is a backward and seemingly irresponsible way of doing things. The city council proposes to obtain a $15,000 loan from the federal government for design work for the city hall, police headquarters, and parking lot on South Auburn St. It is not too late for the city to modify its loan application to designate an architect instead of an engineer as the designer. Since the new city hall will have to be paid for by a general obligation bond issue, it would make sense to assure the voting public, from the outset, that the city will settle for nothing less than the best architectdesign. IN THE FOOTHILLS VEIN MERCHANTS EXPRESS A DANGEROUS OPINION After two sunny weeks of vacation in Mexico, . have become so relaxed bythe leisurely and friendly pace, that! find it difficult, for a change, to really get angry or disturbed about anything, Yet, . still have a twinge of anger and surprise at the attitude toward law enforcement expressed by some of Nevada City's merchant princes at a recent meeting of the city council, The philosophy expressed mom strongly by Eddie Furano, but backed by several others in the audience that night, might be simply expressed like this if laws in the eity are bad for business, then it is the job of the police to forget-about the laws or, as the — ohiel was told at the ype "tun your back, ” ' Not only was the chief told to turn his baek on parking meter and other traffie violations, but he was informed that "it is done everywhere, ” Chief Lane did not buy this philosophy and neither : do L. Perhaps this kind of thing is done everywhere, but if it is, it is the fault of the people and not the police. On the surface this is really penny ante stuff. We are only taking about a few hundred dollars a year in meter revenue and traffic court fines. If sticking the visitor or the shopper with a fine is bad for business forget about it, says the business man. That is where it starts, but where does it end? It ends when the policemen finally realize that the people who hire them to enforce the law really don't care about law enforcement. When they realize this, the police stop caring too, Suddenly someone is discovered taking a payoff and the same businessmen whosaid “turn your back” will scream and make pious sounds about how there is nothing lower in the world than a crooked cop. We cant have things both ways. We are either going to back our police and tell them to do the jobs for which they were hired and find other solutions to our parking problems, or face the prospect that law enforcement will bea joke around here. If the latter happens, parking willno longer be a problem because no one.will want to come here anyway. eeseeesee¢esss *1088nN AQun0D epeAen*** QO 9961 ‘9 Arenuef** AS A SEASONED veteran of two full weeks in Mexico, I feel I am now qualified to give you this advice, If youdon’t want to stay home forthe Christmas holidays, go to Mexico, The weather here is warm and the days are clear, but more important, there is a party every night for nine consecutive days, The Posada isthe reenactment of the arrival of Mary and Joseph at the inn and whether the Posada is held in a private home as was the first I attended, or at a church, as was my second, the procedure is the same. Half ofthe party goes outside and half remains inside behind the locked door, Everyone holds lighted candles, Then the group outside sings verses indicating they are Joseph and Mary and are seeking shelter for the birth of their child. -The inn keepers are less than friendly at first, but when it is discovered that Mary is the “queen of the heavens", they are welcomed in, The doors are thrown open and everyone joins in singing. Then the pinata, a paper covered earthen jug filled with nuts, sugar cane and potatoes, is strung on a rope and blindfolded partygoers try to smash it with a stick, The attendants always keep it out of reach by pulling the rope up at exactly the right time, Finally, someone is allowed to smash the pinata and then there is a great scrambling of little people to gather up the treasures w hich have fallen to the floor, Everyone then retires inside again for food, drink and much foot stomping dancing until the wee hours of the morning, If you can make it to one Posada here you will be fortunate, If you can make it to two you will be delighted, for every one is a little different, If you make it to nine in a row, you will be very happy indeed, You will also be very tired, As I said, if you don't want to stay home during the holidays, go to Mexico, ---Don Hoagland AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION TAKES A STRANGE STAND Meeting in San Francisco in early October, delegates tO the national convention of the American AutoMobile Association passed a resolution opposing the use of moter vehicle taxes for mass transit, As 4 member of the AAA for longer than I ‘like to recall,

January 6, 1966 “GRASS VALLEY . 1S PLANNING THE CITY HALL IN REVERSE With what appears to be a sure ‘instinct for mediocrity, the Grass Valley City Council took steps last’ week to place the job of designing its proposed new City hall in the hands of a-group of engineers. _ With all due respect for the professional competence of T. H. McGuire and Son, the firm which has been proposed for the job, we submit that the job of designing the most important public structure in any city, the city hall, should be entrusted primarily to ,anarchitect, the best architect available. The McGuire people are not architects. In the case of Grass Valley, a city of great character, it is especially fitting that a new city hall should reflect in its design the city's finest traditions and its hopes for the future. It should bea building that is not merely serviceable; it should represent the best qualities of a community; it should be the city's most beautiful building, a product of the best architectural skills and imagination; it should be a building of whichresidents are proud. It is conceivable but on the record improbable that such a building will be designed under the present arrangement. The McGuire firm has to our knowledge no major public buildings to its credit, unless you count a city pump house or the convenience facilian ties at Condon Park, A spokesman for the firm says that an architect probably will be engaged to aid in the city hall design, However, it seems most unlikely that any first-rank architect would agree to hire out under such conditions, _ Yet a firsterank architect is what is needed, Contrary to the popular impression, a good architect charges the same fees a8 a poor one, It is often more economical to use a-highly reputable architect, too, because the job of design will be done soundly and troubles will be anticipated. _What major architect in Northern California would not jump at the chance of designinga city hall for the City of Grass Valley? Why hasn't the Grass Valley city council put out a call for proposals from the architectural fraternity, before consigning the responsibility for designing the city hall to a firm of engineers? Usually, when it proposes to build a major civic building, a city will carefully choose an architect to do the designing, and the architect will engage engineers and other specialists for assistance. Grass Valley, however, has handed over the choosing of an architect and the assignment of an architect's responsibility, if any, to the engineers. This is a backward and seemingly irresponsible way of doing things. The city council proposes to obtain a $15,000 loan from the federal government for design work for the city hall, police headquarters, and parking lot on South Auburn St. It is not too late for the city to modify its loan application to designate an architect instead of an engineer as the designer. Since the new city hall will have to be paid for by a general obligation bond issue, it would make sense to assure the voting public, from the outset, that the city will settle for nothing less than the best architectdesign. IN THE FOOTHILLS VEIN MERCHANTS EXPRESS A DANGEROUS OPINION After two sunny weeks of vacation in Mexico, . have become so relaxed bythe leisurely and friendly pace,

that! find it difficult, for a change, to really get angry or disturbed about anything, Yet, . still have a twinge of anger and surprise at the attitude toward law enforcement expressed by some of Nevada City's merchant princes at a recent meeting of the city council, The philosophy expressed mom strongly by Eddie Furano, but backed by several others in the audience that night, might be simply expressed like this if laws in the eity are bad for business, then it is the job of the police to forget-about the laws or, as the — ohiel was told at the ype "tun your back, ” ' Not only was the chief told to turn his baek on parking meter and other traffie violations, but he was informed that "it is done everywhere, ” Chief Lane did not buy this philosophy and neither : do L. Perhaps this kind of thing is done everywhere, but if it is, it is the fault of the people and not the police. On the surface this is really penny ante stuff. We are only taking about a few hundred dollars a year in meter revenue and traffic court fines. If sticking the visitor or the shopper with a fine is bad for business forget about it, says the business man. That is where it starts, but where does it end? It ends when the policemen finally realize that the people who hire them to enforce the law really don't care about law enforcement. When they realize this, the police stop caring too, Suddenly someone is discovered taking a payoff and the same businessmen whosaid “turn your back” will scream and make pious sounds about how there is nothing lower in the world than a crooked cop. We cant have things both ways. We are either going to back our police and tell them to do the jobs for which they were hired and find other solutions to our parking problems, or face the prospect that law enforcement will bea joke around here. If the latter happens, parking willno longer be a problem because no one.will want to come here anyway. eeseeesee¢esss *1088nN AQun0D epeAen*** QO 9961 ‘9 Arenuef** AS A SEASONED veteran of two full weeks in Mexico, I feel I am now qualified to give you this advice, If youdon’t want to stay home forthe Christmas holidays, go to Mexico, The weather here is warm and the days are clear, but more important, there is a party every night for nine consecutive days, The Posada isthe reenactment of the arrival of Mary and Joseph at the inn and whether the Posada is held in a private home as was the first I attended, or at a church, as was my second, the procedure is the same. Half ofthe party goes outside and half remains inside behind the locked door, Everyone holds lighted candles, Then the group outside sings verses indicating they are Joseph and Mary and are seeking shelter for the birth of their child. -The inn keepers are less than friendly at first, but when it is discovered that Mary is the “queen of the heavens", they are welcomed in, The doors are thrown open and everyone joins in singing. Then the pinata, a paper covered earthen jug filled with nuts, sugar cane and potatoes, is strung on a rope and blindfolded partygoers try to smash it with a stick, The attendants always keep it out of reach by pulling the rope up at exactly the right time, Finally, someone is allowed to smash the pinata and then there is a great scrambling of little people to gather up the treasures w hich have fallen to the floor, Everyone then retires inside again for food, drink and much foot stomping dancing until the wee hours of the morning, If you can make it to one Posada here you will be fortunate, If you can make it to two you will be delighted, for every one is a little different, If you make it to nine in a row, you will be very happy indeed, You will also be very tired, As I said, if you don't want to stay home during the holidays, go to Mexico, ---Don Hoagland AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION TAKES A STRANGE STAND Meeting in San Francisco in early October, delegates tO the national convention of the American AutoMobile Association passed a resolution opposing the use of moter vehicle taxes for mass transit, As 4 member of the AAA for longer than I ‘like to recall,