'Not All In' 

Editor:

Thank you for the update on the proposed hotel at the Cher-Ae Heights Casino ("More Lipstick," March 21). Much to no one's surprise, nothing has really changed.

Water usage and effluent treatment still appear to be the two of the major issues which need addressing. The concern over a reliable water supply has not been adequately answered. The Rancheria's hope that Luffenholtz Creek will furnish its water needs, as well as all the current users, are about as realistic as my expectations of drawing a royal flush in a game of five-card Omaha. Odds are, it's not going to happen.

While doing laundry offsite will certainly mitigate some of the onsite wastewater issues, the majority of effluent discharged to those systems is "blackwater" (i.e., that generated by toilets, showers and bathroom sinks). Given the inherent instability of ground in the subduction zone we're all perched on, I believe the fears of potentially more slippage are not unrealistic.

On top of that, I have yet to see what proposed occupancy rate is going to justify building a 100-room high rise. Since weed was legalized, the days of dready high rollers with fat sticky rolls of black market chronic cash dropping Benjamins on blackjack hands are largely gone. Without a current estimate of occupancy, how can the above issues, as well as traffic impacts, be addressed intelligently?

Which leaves us with the biggest issue — the impact on the viewscape. While the Sundbergs might think this isn't such a big deal, I believe the rest of us who appreciate the unique beauty of our coast do. This thing is going to stick out like a turd in a punchbowl. As Westhavenite Don Allan said, no amount of lipstick will fix that pig.

I, for one, am not "all in."

Mark Dondero, Orleans