Pacific Union College announced in a public meeting last week that it was deleting 200 housing units out of its original plan for 591 new houses in Angwin. Most of the deletions (145) would come out of parcels zoned for agriculture and which would have required a countywide vote of approval. PUC and its developer, Triad corporation, apparently felt that it could not win that vote.

Save Rural Angwin, opponents to the project, responded immediately with a charge that the College is still 200 units too far from its compromise position of just 191 units. "Let me reiterate the position we have held since the first day we organized," said Allen Spence, SRA spokesman, “and that is we would not oppose the College’s need for housing for its faculty, and the 191 units we would accept is twice as much as it needs. This represents nearly 20% growth in a single development. We will continue to oppose anything beyond that number.

"We shall continue to oppose this development until the College comes down to our compromise figure of 191. Period."

It makes sense to provide new housing in Angwin for the College and the St. Helena Hospital because that fits wise planning principles, which is that new housing should be close to the workplace. However, the 391 additional units which the College is now proposing would be mostly new residents who would have to commute to Napa or Santa Rosa for work.

The traffic problem of 391 more households here would be significant. Some sections of Deer Park Road and Sanitarium Road between Angwin and St. Helena already have an "F" rating. Putting more cars onto that road will create congestion and more traffic accidents. Everyone would face the potential for higher accident insurance rates. Everyone would face the risk of bodily harm and lost income.

SRA refuses to accept the College’s claim that there would be no net loss of agricultural land.

"Consider just the proposed Mill Valley subdivision. How can you subdivide 480 acres into 40-acre parcels for mansions and a gated community, and claim that would not be a loss of agriculture watershed land? This may meet the letter of the law but certainly not the reality," Spence said.

Even the so-called "eco-village" is a sham. Triad and the College are ballyhooing their promise of solar heating to reduce energy consumption. Simple calculations, using official census figures, indicates that the proposed solar panels would save 20 billion btu's of energy. However, the energy required for the new residents to commute to their jobs would came to 27 billion btu’s. That is a loss of 30%. The minimal net increase in Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) would be 8.7 million.

"The College goes through all of these elaborate motions to solicit input from the community but it is still not willing to come to our compromise figure, which is 191 new units, far more than they will ever need. We are looking at institutional greed here," Spence said.

The College still uses exaggerated figures for its so- called "needs." It still refuses to say how it will help the our volunteer fire department to cope with more fire calls, or for our volunteer ambulance crews to cope with more ambulance calls. It still refuses to consider selling or leasing its agricultural lands for agriculture instead of housing subdivisions. In short, it just plain refuses to address the negotive impacts on the Angwin community.

"The meeting last night was just a PR stunt, to give the College another chance to peddle the so-called eco-village," Spence said.

Long-time California Artist Vernon Nye, a key West Coast painter and illustrator whose work emerged during the post-World War II era, will exhibit his work in a "Celebrating 90" Show at Rasmussen Art Gallery on the PUC campus. Now 91 years old, Nye can look back on a long career as an illustrator, teacher, award-winning freelance artist, and leader of art tours around the world.

Numerous Angwin homes have a Vernon Nye painting hanging in the living room. He is not only talented, but is a congenial popular fellow.

Nye was instrumental in building up the art department at Pacific Union College and became a well-known artist in the area, exhibiting in local galleries, judging at the Napa Town and Country Fair art show, and setting up a commercial art studio called The California Art Service. The opening reception for "Celebrating 90" will take place on Saturday, April 21, from 1-5 p. m. The gallery is open 1-5 p. m. Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. For more information, call 707-965-6303.