Los Gatos Weekly-Times
Letters & Opinions
Speak Out
Apple store
a step toward
'mallification'
Seeing in your paper the picture of the Apple store on N. Santa Cruz Avenue reminded me of something that has been bothering me since the store opened. How could the planning commission allow such a garish storefront in our town? This is the final step in the "mallification" of downtown Los Gatos.
Joyce Sogg
Los Gatos
Voter believes
D is 'fiscally
irresponsible'
I urge Los Gatos residents to vote no on Measure D. It is fiscally irresponsible. Why should we vote to finance a million-dollar single-use park and then pay $50,000 a year to maintain it when we do not do this for any other youth sports activities? I am aware that a debate on this measure was scheduled for Jan. 14 but was canceled by the yes on D supporters. Why no debate? Voters need the facts and a debate would provide it.
Dianne Rhudy
Los Gatos
Measure D is
being 'forced'
on residents
I am in complete agreement with the group protesting Measure D, which would get the town and we the people to pay enormous sums for a skateboard park and its ongoing upkeep. I have been furious that this is even being considered, much less "forced" upon us, which is what I understand Measure D would do.
I was integrally involved for the first 12 years in the development of A Place for Teens (now the Venue, formerly the Outhouse), now 20 years old--the local teen center for all teens, not just a certain group of teens. We had to write tedious, involved grants for the town of Los Gatos to give us even a little funding here and there over the years; we wrote many grants to other foundations, corporations and other funders.
We've put on zillions of fundraisers in the community for the teen center year after year, and found a huge number of people to donate a lot of what we needed--some of which are the land (we got San Jose Water to give the land to the town, who now charges the Venue $1 per year to "rent"), the building's fabulous architectural design (donated by John Lien), the construction (Tim Blackwell and Bros.), procuring the supplies (Tony Silviera), the oversight of the project (Bernie Findlay), the back-hoeing, building supplies, furnishings, etc., etc., etc.
The teens themselves over the years have worked and worked with the community to make this outstanding teen center and all its many programs happen--for all teens. It took many years and has now been extremely successful the last 10 or so years under the amazing leadership of Lee Fagot as its longtime, dedicated, devoted president, and the fantastic director, Mike Loya.
The annual budget to run the teen center, its programs, upkeep and repairs is around $100,000 a year, which the teens and involved adults work very hard to raise each year. I have no objection to a skatepark for teens, but that this skatepark advocate-group wants the town--the people--to pay for all those expenses for a small group of specified teens is outrageous.
Like Mike Wasserman has stated, "When people in Los Gatos wanted a new pool, or to improve the library or theater, or build a bandstand, or help teachers, (or build and run a teen center) they raised the money. When the scouts, Little League, Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions, churches, soccer, etc., need something, their members work hard to raise the money for it--they don't force taxpayers to give them money via a costly ballot initiative."
Gladie Rabitz
Los Gatos
A few reasons
to support the
skatepark plan
As a parent of skateboarders and a former skatepark volunteer, I would like to offer another perspective on some of the opposing arguments to the skatepark.
* Design--When skateboarders rejected a prefab, mobile ramp design, it was because many skateboarders already have these and more advanced types of ramps in their own back yards. The current design offers a range of challenges for skaters of all ability levels.
* Usage--From large urban areas like Sunnyvale to rural hamlets like Ben Lomond, well-designed area skateparks are in nearly continuous use in all seasons during all hours of operation by skaters from young children to 20-somethings.
* Funding--Local governments often support individual, group and team recreational activities with bike lanes, trails, parks, tennis courts, playgrounds, fields, and parks and recreation programs. These types of expenditures are not usually portrayed as competing for funding with other public services, although, like the skatepark, they are. Instead, they are seen as the foundation of a strong community.
* Fundraising--Grassroots fundraising efforts for the skatepark have garnered $300,000 of pledges for materials and funding from the community, including $17,000 cash in a designated town account.
* Development costs--Both the land value and construction costs of the skatepark are, inevitably for this area, very high. However, burdening any public facility with the market value of the land upon which it resides would reveal that such facilities are generously subsidized.
* Maintenance--Annual maintenance costs, capped at $50,000, include on-site staff to supervise the park. Popular and established area skateparks in Sunnyvale, Ben Lomond, Santa Cruz and Mountain View do not have paid, on-site supervision. Yet, town supporters of on-site staffing also use the expense as an argument opposing the skatepark.
Esther Holst
Los Gatos
School band
raises $5,000
with tree pickup
Thank you to our wonderful, generous community! The Los Gatos High School marching band and color guard would like to thank everyone who supported our annual Christmas tree pickup on Jan. 2. We worked past sundown and collected 681 trees--earning more than $5,000 to support our marching band program.
Special thanks to West Valley Collection and Recycling for donating five Dumpsters and Los Gatos High School and the Los Gatos Union School District for use of their parking lots.
Carolyn Dufort
Los Gatos
Carolyn Dufort is the president of the Los Gatos High School Band Boosters.
Area residents
appreciate efforts
at the library
On behalf of our family and members of our Santa Cruz Mountain
community, we would like to thank the staff of the Los Gatos Library for staying open an extra hour on Friday during the storm and the closure of Highway 17. A couple dozen members of our community were able to stay dry, and use the library's Internet service to check the status of Caltrans' repair work on Highway 17. As the storm continued and it became clear that the highway would be closed for some time, members of the library staff provided hot coffee and hot chocolate.
Rick and Julia Parfitt
Los Gatos