Los Gatos Weekly-Times Letters Legacy of consultant needs clarifying Several times in the recent past, I have read in Los Gatos Weekly-Times that one of the divisive issues in Monte Sereno this past year was the hiring of a $3,000-a-day consultant for goal setting. I want to report the actual facts surrounding this matter. The hiring of the firm of Pearce Walters was reported correctly--because it was necessary to maintain a level of civility between the council. As mayor at the time, and because of the contentiousness within the council, I personally did not want to facilitate this goal-setting meeting. Rather, I wanted the opportunity to participate to the same fair and equitable degree as would the other four councilmembers. The task of combining the rules of active participation with that of an impassioned/unbiased chair, facilitator, moderator, interpreter, recorder and construction of flow charts and recommendations was, in my mind overly daunting. In my best judgment, the city would best be served by an independent facilitator/consultant. A number of consulting firms were researched and evaluated by Gay Strand, our former city manager. Pearce Walters was selected largely based on the favorable recommendations of other West Valley city managers. The contract with Barnett Pearce and Kimberly Walters Pearce (on file at City Hall) included: preliminaryone-and-a-half hour in- person interviews with each individual councilmember and the city manager in advance of the workshop. Prior to these interviews, each councilmember was given a form to complete and return to these consultants. The Pearces then prepared a document that was distributed to each councilmember in advance of the meeting summarizing the results of the interviews. On Saturday morning, March 21, 1998, all five councilmembers and our then-city manager convened at City Hall with these two consultants. We were given additional material and an agenda for the day. Thus, the cost for both consultants was $3,000. This sum included not only the six-plus-hour goal-setting session, but also the pre-workshop agenda with its supporting informational documents. This two-week consultation process should not be interpreted or misrepresented as "a $3000-a-day-consultant." Suzanne Jackson Vice Mayor, Monte Sereno Creek Village would serve many needs In response to Egon Jensen's letter about the proposed Los Gatos Creek Village apartment project on Miles Avenue, in the Jan. 13 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, I would like to clarify some of the misconceptions surrounding the development. First, the project is purposefully designed to meet Los Gatos' particular housing needs. The gentrification of Los Gatos has noticeably displaced many of the people who once could afford to rent the small cottages that distinguish the downtown districts. These people traditionally help give the town its genuine community feel. The future tenants of Los Gatos Creek Village will not be "settled" in from afar, but rather will be given the chance to live in close proximity to where they work. This is the very model of small-town America that unfortunately has been lost in the suburban sprawl of the late 20th century. Second, federal, state and local housing requirements mandate meeting rigorous standards regarding safety and habitability. Third, the project has been in the planning process for more than two years with much input from both the town and local residents. Extensive landscaping will reinforce the native riparian trees that historically distinguished the area. The size of the project will be 12 studio apartment units. This is not a family development. It is intended to provide much-needed rental housing to those people who work in downtown Los Gatos. A locked gate will provide direct access to the trail for a five minute bike ride or a 10 minute walk into the central business district, thus reducing auto congestion and parking need. In sum, Los Gatos Creek Village is definitely a win-win situation for the town: good for businesses downtown, good for the environment, good for the tenants; and good for Los Gatos' over-all urban design. Bill Zavlaris Project Manager Community Developers-Local Development Corporation Neighbors came to the rescue during fire Chris McMullen and Gary McMullen looked out of their window around 6 p.m. on Dec. 21 and saw a fire burning in the rear of our home, just below and next to our redwood deck. Gary jumped the 6-foot fence separating our properties, found his way through the dark unfamiliar with our back garden, located the garden hose, and extinguished the fire. Chris, meanwhile, telephoned the local fire department, which came immediately. The firefighters checked under the deck, and put out any remaining embers. Our fire department does a splendid job, but these thoughts are particularly for Chris and Gary. Would that we all had such alert, kind and unassuming neighbors. Marionette Tack Los Gatos [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, January 20, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.