Editor:

Thank you to Ted Pease for a balanced article about the needs of the Trinidad community to retain its small-town feeling compared with the perks of very needed vacation dollars coming in from vacation rentals ("For Rent," Dec. 10). I feel like Mr. Pease was able to express the situation accurately and with respect to all involved.

As a long time homeowner (since 1979) of a Trinidad house that is used both as our own family gathering spot and vacation rental through Trinidad Retreats, I see the need to compromise here. The community won't ever be like it was (like every community I know, and it is not the fault of vacation rentals), but having some regulations and the ability to enforce them is needed to ensure that the rights of residents are not violated.

The dollars brought in by vacationers are sorely needed and an asset Trinidad cannot ignore. I believe the focus from here needs to be on how to regulate and implement the vacation rentals ordinance. We have personally never had a complaint but those who are repeat offenders need to risk losing their license to operate. I believe those who wish that the vacation rentals would be changed to month-to-month rentals would be very disappointed if that happened, speaking from my experience as a property manager/owner in Arcata.

Trinidad needs the dollars and it needs to keep its residents happy. I know we can find a point in the middle and have both.

—Jan Nash Hunt, Bayside

Editor:

Great article written by Ted Pease.

However, I'd like to make it clear that I have never considered myself a "Trinidadian." I am proud to be a Westhaven resident. I actually would love it if our zip code wasn't the same. Westhaven residents shouldn't be paying Trinidad sales taxes, we are in the county.

Also, my Facebook page is: "Save Westhaven from Vacation Rentals and White Collar Greed."

I look forward to the day when the county enforces its own ordinances and closes down the two roadside motels, aka vacation rentals, close to my home. Loud parties, speeding cars, trash, renters' dogs defecating on neighbors' properties, renters trespassing and parking on neighbor's properties, etc. are nuisances that the quiet community of Westhaven doesn't need or want. So what if the county and some greedy profiteers make big money? The rest of us shouldn't have to live next to strangers in order for others to make money. I wonder how many of these vacation renters are sex offenders and child molesters.

—Mara Parker, Westhaven