Save the La Conchita gardens!

As many of you know, I recently left the little seaside town of La Conchita for the somewhat larger town of Carpinteria. This morning I made the short trip back down to my former residence to see my friends Tom & Jacque among others. While sipping coffee and catching up on life in the community, I was very disturbed to hear of plans by the railroad to bulldoze the strip of land along the tracks that fronts the community. This land has been tended to by the residents of La Conchita for years. They've worked to beautify it, keep it clean, and improve the community's image. Some of the residents who live along Surfside, which is the front street closest to the tracks, went so far as to create gardens all along the tracks. One such garden (pictured) is nestled around the drainage tunnel that the residents use as an access to the beach. My friend Tom Fuller has done much of the work maintaining it and, as you can see, it is splendid. However, due to some complaints about obstructed ocean views made by neighbors whose homes are up at the base of the hill that the community sits under, the railroad came in and first erected an ugly metal fence across the front of the neighborhood and now plans to bulldoze the gardens away. After everything this community has been through and fought for, it seems shameful to destroy something that harms none and compliments the whole community.

If you'd like to help save the La Conchita gardens, please contact:

Zoe Richmond
Director, Corporate Relations and Media (Western Region)
Union Pacific Railroad
Phone: (916) 789-6019
Cell: (916) 960-7511
Email: zrichmond@uprr.com