HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/16/2021 Item 12, O'Neill
Wilbanks, Megan
From:KATHLEEN ONEILL <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Letter for 3/16/2021 agenda, item 12, continuation of winter access to Cerro San Luis
Attachments:Letter to SLO City Council re winter access of Cerro San Luis, 3-14-2021.docx
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Dear Mayor Harmon and Council members, could you please
acknowledge receipt of my attached letter? Thank you.
--
KATHLEEN O'NEILL
P.O. BOX 153
PISMO BEACH, CA 93448-0153
CELL: 805-550-5010
1
To the SLO City Council: 3/14/2021
My sincere thanks go out to the SLO City Council for their wise
approval of the last three-years’ pilot program for evening access
of only Cerro San Luis during the winter months. The restrictions
were reasonable, including limiting the number of people each
evening to 65 and requiring City-issued permits. In addition, Cerro
San Luis represents a minimal percentage of the City’s overall
open space. In so doing, I believe that the City Council achieved
the right balance between access for fitness, preservation of our
open spaces, and consideration for wildlife and humans. The
Council also wisely demonstrated its advocacy of healthy, active
lifestyles, which has always been key to mark eting our beautiful
Central Coast to tourists. The pilot program has recently come to
an end and showed no significant impact on the environment,
neighbors or wildlife. Therefore, I urge the Council to continue
similar winter access with permits permanently.
I represent a group of law-abiding, professional, and mature
adults, most of whom can only hike evenings after work; and we
do so for our physical and mental health. We come from many
careers: veterinarian, Caltrans Executive, air quality specialist,
artist, cellist, microbiologist, chiropractor, author, teacher, health
care administrator, non-profit enrollment specialist, electrician,
and sales representative, to name a few. Some of us have been
hiking this peak in the evening year-round on its wide, graded,
safe road for about 30 years until the City prohibited it a few years
ago. We desire to maintain fitness outdoors all year round. We
have been good stewards of the environment and have been
sensitive to neighbors and wildlife. We have never caused any
trouble on the peak; nor have we ever needed a rescue.
My friends and I treasure the comradery of exercising together
outdoors after work all year round as it is essential for our
physical and mental health, especially during these stressful
times. For people who have never hiked or biked up the mountain
at night and think it is unsafe, let me assure you that it is not dark
or unsafe because we all wear headlamps and walk on the wide
graded road. With COVID on our minds, we need to hike year-
round to relieve stress. There is plenty of room on the wide road
to social distance from each other, and we all wear masks 100%
of the time.
We are asking that the Council vote to permanently continue
winter access to Cerro San Luis. We especially appreciate the
Council’s willingness to respectfully listen to all opinions and then
to make decisions that are reasonable based on facts.
Sincerely,
Kathleen O’Neill
Pismo Beach