Letters

Diagonal stripes at post office are dangerous

What were they thinking when they changed the parking stripes on Santa Cruz Avenue at the post office!

As a daily post office box user I now feel as if I am risking my life every time I get my mail. When I park on the newly striped diagonal spots it takes three moves for me to exit the space. I must slowly back out so I can see around the SUVs or vans parked to the south. If I am lucky enough that there are no cars whizzing off the freeway, I can then continue to straighten out my vehicle to aim it north. By then, there definitely are cars that have exited the freeway.

They now must screech to a halt because my car has just finished backing up into their lane. It is no better parking across the street. Now the challenge is walking back across the street in a crosswalk that hides you from the cars heading north. The drivers cannot see you until you are halfway across the street. Many elderly and small children do not have the sense of timing that is required for this feat.

As a property owner and Los Gatos taxpayer, I do not want my dollars paying for a multimillion-dollar lawsuit when someone gets killed, either trying to back out of the diagonal spots or trying to cross the street at the dangerous crosswalk. I am not a psychic, but I am predicting it will happen.

Alice Durkin
Los Gatos

Thanks to all who were part of fundraiser

Even the leprechauns are green with envy over Los Gatos' response to the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Shamrocks Against Dystrophy campaign. Many thanks to the thousands of people who donated to MDA and signed paper shamrocks at businesses in February and March. Their generous participation in Shamrocks will help MDA continue to provide families affected by neuromuscular diseases in our community with valuable services.

As one of many who has a loved one affected by a neuromuscular disease, I'm genuinely grateful for the caring support of customers and employees at convenience stores, supermarkets, restaurants and other retailers in Los Gatos.

The 18th annual Shamrocks Against Dystrophy campaign raised more than $10 million nationally. These donations help MDA fund almost 400 research teams worldwide.

On behalf of the millions of Americans affected in some way by the more than 40 diseases covered by MDA, I thank you, and may St. Patrick bless you all year long!

Maureen McGovern
National Chairperson
MDA Shamrocks Against Dystrophy

Traffic concerns addressed for school's permit

I am a Hillbrook School parent and am writing to urge the Los Gatos Town Council to approve the school's pending conditional-use permit at its meeting on April 16.

As the Hillbrook school carpool coordinator, I want to assure the council and the community that we have taken every effort to reduce and slow down traffic around the school. Since our last appearance before the council in December, the parents organized a carpool committee and we have been very busy. Our efforts have resulted in carpool participation by over 60 percent of our families with a corresponding decrease in overall traffic.

While I am a resident of Saratoga, I consider our two communities to be very closely tied. Not only does my son attend school at Hillbrook, but we shop and dine frequently in your town.

I hope the Los Gatos Town Council will take this opportunity to approve Hillbrook School's conditional use permit.

Alison Humphries
Saratoga

Parents thank the community for its response

For some time many people have contended that there has been a decline in simple human values in our society. This letter is being written to refute, at least in part, that contention.

It has been over a year since our son, Tim, chose to end his life at home with a self-inflicted gunshot. We miss him dearly and wish that the dreadful depression from which he suffered had never descended upon him. This letter, however, addresses other matters.

As soon as our neighbors became aware of what had happened, the following occurred:

Our next-door neighbors opened their homes as a receiving area for our family members and friends. Several sets of neighbors removed us from our house after the coroner had completed his work and took us next door. These neighbors (plus our next-door neighbors) then proceeded to clean Tim's room and remove all signs of what had happened there.

No words adequately can describe how grateful we are to them for the things they did for us on that awful day. The ambulance workers and the Los Gatos Police were equally caring and considerate.

Alan and Betty Orr
Los Gatos

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