Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Letters

Piece about tract housing was off track

I would like to respond to Sandy Anderson's opinion article "Tract-home look should be avoided" in your April 2 issue.

My husband and I, along with many of our neighbors, have worked long and hard to secure and maintain our homes in the Union/Blossom Hill/Los Gatos-Almaden Road area. It's so nice to hear that Ms. Anderson considers these homes as "tacky tract-home development," unworthy of gracing the areas close to her.

Additionally, I can certainly understand that donating the property in question to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District would not be wise. It makes absolute sense that my neighbors and I should travel to Belgatos and Westhill parks and not taint property near her home with our presence. Of course, it should be reserved for the fortunate few who live there.

I believe that any development should be weighed and considered so that it is done in a way that addresses concerns of the neighbors, environmental needs and the needed growth of the community.

Unfortunately, while some of the ideas expressed in this article make sense and address these issues, the tone of the article is condescending and insulting.

Ms. Anderson speaks of "developers' greed"; perhaps she and her neighbors should review their own greed and how it influences the way in which their opinions were expressed by Ms. Anderson.

Nancy Campbell
San Jose

Toll House is less likely to collapse or burn down now

In the editorial about historic preservation in the April 2 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, you say: "With all due respect to the handsome building where the original Toll House once stood, we suspect only those in the know about local history have the slightest suspicion that it was the site of some of the town's earliest history."

Don't be fooled by exterior appearance. Under that carefully applied coat of paint, the original Toll House still lives and breathes. You can still touch the original siding, open and close original windows and observe the irregular spacing of the porch.

True, the building does not maintain that characteristic sag and peeling exterior paint of an "authentic" old building. However, since it now meets current structural and electrical building codes, it is less likely to burn down from an electrical fault, collapse in an earthquake or just fall down when the termites stop holding hands.

At considerable expense to the owner, I and two other preservation experts, in cooperation with the Town Historic Preservation Committee and the Los Gatos Building Department, carefully researched all aspects of the original Toll House. The contractor did delicately disassemble the building, saving every scrap that was possible. These members were attached to a new structural frame and should stand for a long time to come. Missing pieces were crafted to match materials from the period.

The paint was applied with great difficulty, due to the deterioration of the old siding. Perhaps the contractor did too good a job!

My extensive experience with historic preservation has shown that old buildings can be brought into the 21st century with their original character intact, ready to last for many more years.

F. Dennis Burrow, AIA
Architect for the Toll House

Letter campaign may help keep the driver off the road

Early in the morning of Saturday, Jan. 18, two women arrived at my door to confirm that this was, in fact, the home of James Edward Peckler. When I responded that I was his wife, they then announced that they had some very tragic news for me.

As they continued, they handed me a sheet of paper from the coroner's office that described an accident where a deceased male, identified as James Edward Peckler, and two additional passengers, Jane Doe and John Doe, approximately 14 to19 years of age, were involved in a fatal head-on collision the previous night near Truckee.

Our lives were changed forever on Jan. 17. An alleged drunk driver, with a previous DUI record, crossed over the center line and collided head-on with my unsuspecting family. A court date is set for May 12. It may be necessary to call for support letters from the community to ensure the maximum jail sentence for this alleged drunk driver. We do not want him behind the wheel to murder any more innocent people.

On behalf of Jana and Jennifer, I wish to thank all of you who expressed sympathy and compassion since this devastating loss. From the overwhelming tribute and love shared at the Calvary Memorial Service, to the daily gentle gestures of tenderness that we continue to receive, this town has wrapped its arms gently around our family to give us comfort.

The group Students Helping Students, founded and coordinated by Andy Gridley, whose courage and compassion allowed them to visit our grieving family bringing flowers, hugs and a beautiful card, will be an everlasting memory.

Thank you to everyone for the cards, flowers, meals, prayers, expressions of concern, donations and memorial contributions. Hopefully surrounded by this love, Jim, Jill and Jeffrey will never be forgotten. Yes, Los Gatos is a very special place to live.

Judy, Jana and
Jennifer Peckler
Los Gatos

DeCinzo cartoon was hurtful

I would like to comment on your cartoonist DeCinzo's portrayal of my grandmother, Dorothea Bamford. I realize that inoffensiveness is impossible when creating a political cartoon, but I still feel very unhappy when I see his repeated mocking representations of her. I think a picture of her with cobwebs and a bird's nest is very painful, not only for me but also for her. I think his depiction of her is prejudiced and discourteous. I am very offended and it depresses me that my esteemed grandmother should be treated so contemptuously. My grandmother may be old, but that does not mean that she is stupid or untalented, and I admire her very much and know she is wounded by this insulting and hurtful depiction of her. Thank you for your time and attention in the reading of this.

Deidre Ryan, 15
LGHS sophomore

Why is Los Gatos allowing its history to be destroyed?

What has happened to the town of Los Gatos? Has it become so greedy and money-hungry, that it must allow all buildings and properties of any historical value to be destroyed?

During the late '50s and early '60s, down came the Southern Pacific Depot, the Lyndon Hotel, the Methodist and Baptist churches, the Los Gatos Town Hall, which would have made a wonderful museum; later came the famous Toll House, and now the most recent, the Los Gatos Soda Works on College Avenue.

Why must the last remaining apricot orchard on Blossom Hill Road be destroyed to build more unneeded houses, the same applied to a few acres on Wimbledon which were recently leveled.

Why? Why? Why?

What is happening to our heritage? What will our children and grandchildren have to look at? Pictures and splinters? Please, don't tell me this is progress--it is absolute wanton and willful destruction.

Wilma Thompson
70-year Los Gatos resident

Post office parking is a nightmare

The words Keep Clear should be stenciled on the pavement where Main Street is abutted by Montebello Way.

Motorists needing to turn left on to Montebello Way from Main Street to go to the post office or adjoining shops often are held an inordinate amount of time when autos moving in the opposite direction on Main Street block the entry to Montebello Way because of a red traffic light at Main Street and University Avenue.

What can be done to keep a few parking spaces open 24 hours in front of the post office so that late visitors can use the post office after closing time? There are postal boxes at the left end of Montebello Way for motorists to use without leaving their cars, but people who work and need to visit their post office boxes have to park their cars.

Often when the post office has closed at 5:30 p.m. and I have come there in my car, I have found all the parking spaces filled.

Obviously, the parked cars belong to people who are in the bars and restaurants, ignoring the inconvenience to people who cannot get to the post office during regular business hours.

Vern Hansen
Los Gatos

Soda Works was already lost to fire and neglect

When tractors roll and old buildings come down, I, too, feel history passing. I also see a new history being born, someplace our children can feel safe in and enjoy, while it gracefully ages into a landmark in its own right.

When the Soda Works building was removed from College Avenue last week, I was confronted with emotional comments ranging from "Butcher!" to "It's about time!" The onlookers gasped and cheered as a huge metal monster ripped through years of decay, neglect and, yes, even a bit of history.

As it turns out, this demolition was not a trick or a mistake, but the first step in a project that will replace the Main Street storefront that fire and decay have stolen from us. From the very beginning, 12 months ago, the Soda Works building was determined to be unsalvageable and was slated to be demolished. My love of the old tattered building prompted me to, in some way, save a feeling or look of the old familiar garage facade to complement the historic brick wall. I have saved the sign and parts of the old facade, not to trick the town history buffs, but as my tribute to a style that was once a part of our town.

As a longtime resident of Los Gatos, I truly care about the history of our town and its historic buildings. As a builder and property owner, I am required to provide safe code-complying structures that meet all handicapped accessibility, building, seismic and fire codes and are pleasant and convenient for people to use. The buildings removed were lost to neglect a long time ago. In this project I have saved all that was left.

In my mind, being a historian means recognizing the authenticity and value of what you have, realizing what is already lost or can't be saved, and preserving and cherishing what is truly historic.

Dave Flick
Los Gatos

LGHS production of 'Oliver!' was indeed a pleasure

On March 28, we had the pleasure of seeing this year's musical production by the Los Gatos High School students, a very talented group. Every one of them deserves congratulations, but as the paper has rules about the length of letters, we will only say we hope that "Nancy" and "Fagin" fulfill their ambitions to become successful actors, and that the wonderful gravely voice of "Bill Sykes" didn't make his throat too sore.

The staff also merits great applause, for a job well done. Judy Bingman goes from one triumph to the next, but London with the award-winning band under her direction will be a hard one to top!

Thank you all for giving us such an entertaining evening.

Bill and Anne Bilkiweicz
Los Gatos