Willow Glen Resident
News
News Briefs
'Sassy Seat' artists
honored by community
A recognition ceremony for artists who painted the 10 bus benches along Lincoln Avenue will take place Aug. 23 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Comerica Bank in downtown Willow Glen.
The "Sassy Seats" project is part of the Willow Glen Beautification project. Pictures of the benches and recognition plaques will be on display, said Kitty Mason, chairwoman of the Willow Glen Beautification Project.
Mason said the event is to honor the efforts of artists, individuals and organizations, including Valley Transportation Agency, San Jose Unified School District and several paint companies.
The benches, which feature school mascots, symbols of peace and portraits of children, were painted by local artists and inspired by schoolchildren. One bench, across from the Willow Glen Elementary School, shows a bright orange tiger--the school's mascot.
The Willow Glen Beautification Project headed the effort with the help of a $1,500 San Jose Beautiful grant and paint donations from Dunn-Edwards, Kelly-Moore and Frazee paint companies.
24-hour Fitness is
eyeing site in plaza
A conditional use permit is under review by the city for an all-day fitness center to open in the Willow Glen Plaza at 2306 Almaden Road next to Safeway supermarket.
24-hour Fitness, a California-based fitness center chain with more than 350 locations around the globe, has applied for a permit to use the 18,000-square-foot space that was the former site for Fontanetti's Athletic batting cages. Fontanetti's relocated to The Alameda near the Rose Garden.
If the permit is approved, 24-hour Fitness will begin construction to convert the space into a fitness facility, according to Greenwood and Moore Inc., the architect for the project.
Youth commission
to fill District 6 seat
City Council District 6, which includes the Rose Garden and surrounding areas, is seeking a new representative for the city of San Jose Youth Commission.
Youths between the ages of 14 and 21 who live in District 6 are invited to apply for a three-year term. Commissioners serve as youth advocates and participate in neighborhood and community meetings in addition to serving on the commission and on sub-committees.
The commission meets on the fourth Monday of each month in the evening, and commissioners usually spend 10 to 12 hours a month on projects, reports, training and meetings.
Applications are available from the office of the city clerk on the second floor of City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St. and on the city's website at www.sanjoseca.gov/clerk/vacancy.htm. For additional information, call Betty Montoya at 408.277.2744.
McKinley Avenue strip
could be private road
The San Jose City Council will decide Aug. 29 whether to convert a 280-foot-long strip of McKinley Avenue between St. Elizabeth Drive and Meridian Avenue into a private road. Pinn Brother development is requesting the change as part of its planned development.
San Jose Public Works Assistant Director David Sykes said this is a common request in development projects. Emergency services, including police and fire, would still retain access. The sanitary sewer on this portion of the street will remain intact, but a storm sewer will be relocated and managed privately.
The public works department determined this section of McKinley Avenue is no longer needed as a public street. Traffic does not cut through the street, and it is not used heavily by residents.
The Pinn Brothers development is planning to construct 46 townhomes on a 2.2-acre site on Curci and St. Elizabeth drives. The development includes a 0.6-acre public park.
The public is invited to the hearing at 1:30 p.m. at San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St., to voice any concerns on the issue.
School jump-starts
year with ice cream
The Willow Glen Elementary School PTA will sponsor an old-fashioned ice-cream social on the school grounds, 1425 Lincoln Ave., Aug. 29 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in front of the kindergarten classrooms.
Teachers will serve ice cream sundaes to students and their families, according to PTA president Alexandra Hoppe, to jump-start the new school year.
Hoppe said teachers will also discuss after-school programs with parents. "It's just a time for all the families to get reacquainted and meet the teachers," she said.
WGHS has info night
about college process
A college information session for Willow Glen High School seniors and their parents will take place Aug. 29 from 6 to 7 p.m. in the college and career center, 2001 Cottle Ave. The focus of the event is to inform students and parents about what they need to do to prepare for the fall college application process, according to college and careers center technician Louise Gill.
Topics will include writing college essays, taking or retaking SATs and getting good teacher recommendations.
Gill said participants will learn how to fill out a student résumè, a form that lists all academic and extracurricular achievements in order to help teachers give recommendations.
The center will inform students and parents on college entrance requirements for the California State University system, the University of California system and private universities and touch on financial aid and scholarships.
The session is the first in a series of four informative evenings, Gill said, one session for each grade.
"Parents and students need to be aware of what they need to be doing right now," she said,
WGHS freshmen hit
it off at orientation
Teachers and upperclassmen greeted more than 275 freshman during welcome week at Willow Glen High School Aug. 14-16.
The week started with a kick-off assembly, followed by student leader-led activities to help incoming freshmen get to know their classmates and teachers, according to Melissa Foster, director of activities at the high school.
Students attended teacher-led seminars on graduation requirements, extracurricular activities, time management and conflict management and diversity.
The group split into two groups, returning on Aug. 15 or Aug. 16 to participate in team-building activities, such as Week of Welcome Olympics, which was followed by an awards ceremony and student government nominations.
Students left with a positive attitude about the high school and their classmates and teachers, Foster said, and they had fun.
"When the students leave smiling, that is the best reward," she said.
