Letters

Why is town rushing to be a big city?

I was raised and lived in Los Gatos for 27 years and have always been proud to say where I am from; however lately I have been nothing but upset with the town. First of all I can never find a parking space, and I remember when the town said no big business was allowed.

Now when I look around, it is so crowded, I see nothing but construction and the new buildings are absolutely horrendous. I'm sorry, but if we are trying to keep the town looking historic, who in the world would authorize a 72-room hotel with seven conference rooms and a 166 seating restaurant on a small piece of land with a terra cotta tile roof and stucco walls?

Oh yeah, it must have been Mayor Steve Blanton, who has done nothing but try to build a San Jose size city into a Los Gatos size town.

Kirsten Haws
Los Gatos

Thanks to all who made LGHS program happen

I would like to thank all of the people who worked so hard to present the Every 15 Minutes program to the Los Gatos High School students.

This was a tremendous undertaking and couldn't have been accomplished without LGHS parents and staff. They spent over 6 months planning and working to produce a program that was presented in 2 days.

With much appreciation and admiration, thank you to Kim Bidermann and Kathy Winkleman, Community Against Substance Abuse, and Shannon Kiszka-Armstrong of the Parent-Teacher-Student Association, for your many hours of hard work.

In addition I would like to express my gratitude to the following members of the LGHS staff who also worked on Every 15 Minutes: Diana Pleasant, Jeff Mount, Alex Schultz, Tonya Lynch, Kristi Grasty, Doug Ramezane, Don Hand, Ralph Aguayo, and Gayle Shank. Thank you one and all.

There were many others whose names I do not know but they werea vital part of this production. Thank you to the members of the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department, the Santa Clara County Firefighters and Paramedics, the Santa Clara County Coroner's Office and Valley Medical Center's personnel who participated.

I feel fortunate to live in a community with these dedicated and caring people.

Anne Crane
LGHS parent

Parking solutions aren't so close as editorial suggests

Reading the editorial in the April 26 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly- Times titled "Town finally commits to parking solutions," the public may get the impression that the building of a parking garage(s) in downtown Los Gatos is imminent.

I think this is wishful thinking on the part of the author of the editorial. First, it is my understanding we still have a number of people in the area who feel we should have more than one garage built. Second, how are we going to pay for the parking facilities?

I do agree if the garage(s) are to be built let us move on, but before the town commits itself to any more capital expenditure, let's be sure all the parties involved march to the same drums and the question of funding has been solved.

Egon Jensen
Los Gatos

Community, local businesses helped with cookie sale

This year's Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County cookie sale was a huge success, and we could not have succeeded without you! Thanks goes out to the community for their generous support. You not only got a great box of cookies, but over two-thirds of your purchase went directly to help Girl Scouts in our area.

A special thanks goes to Faith Lutheran Church and the Rev. John Kessel for allowing us to use their facilities for our initial cookie delivery.

We also want to thank the merchants who agreed to let us sell cookies in front of their businesses: Le Boulanger, California Cafe, Borders Books & Music, Oakville Market, Sur la Table, Walgreen's, Safeway, Lunardi's, Fiori's Hallmark, Peet's Coffee, The Wooden Horse, Nob Hill Foods, Hollywood Video, Super Crown Books, Starbucks, Jamba Juice, all the merchants of Cornerstone Shopping Center, and the town of Los Gatos.

We are thankful for the continuous help and generosity of these merchants!

Through the cookie sale, Girl Scouts learn about responsibility, setting and achieving goals, working with the public, money management, teamwork and organization. Cookie sale earnings support Girl Scout activities and programs. The Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County serves more than 18,000 girls and young women in our community. For more information, call 408.287.4170 or visit www.girlscoutsofscc.org.

Betsy Dunbar
Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County
Cookie Chair, Los Gatos/Monte Sereno

Perhaps Mr. Davis should read report before spouting off

I would like to take this opportunity to express my outrage at Ray Davis' letter regarding the granting of the approval for the Mariposa Montessori Preschool application in the May 5 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times. I completely disagree, as many do, with his opinion on this matter.

This was a difficult decision by the Town Council and, I believe, that members acted in the best interest of all of the town residents (especially our preschoolers!) by approving this application.

The presence of this school will have a huge community benefit, and families will be able to enjoy it for years to come.

This is an excellent use of the Faith Lutheran property which currently is one of the only churches in town which has been unable to utilize their space in this way. A neighborhood where many small children already live is an excellent location for a preschool.

After the closing of two major preschools in town last year, many Los Gatos residents were forced to travel to Willow Glen to attend the school that we, Los Gatos residents, were able to open last fall. Many other residents were forced to travel to Saratoga and Campbell.

Of course, most of the children now currently enrolled at Mariposa in Willow Glen live there. We don't anticipate that any of them would now want to commute to the Los Gatos location. Why would they want to travel to Los Gatos when they already have a great school there?

Does Mr. Davis know something that we don't? Has he somehow now become an expert on preschools in addition to his self-proclaimed expertise in town politics and policies?

At the Los Gatos location, we will offer priority registration for Los Gatos residents, a first for any preschool in town, as well as requiring carpooling to cut down on traffic and pollution. Maybe Mr. Davis should actually read our application before he starts criticizing us and jumping to inaccurate conclusions.

I applaud the Town Council and the town staff for the time and energy they put forth regarding this application. In the end, I believe, many will see it as the right decision and a job well done by the council.

Joanne Varni
Los Gatos
President, Mariposa Montessori Preschool

Police Report

Is the Town Council out of touch?

Kelly Johnson is a drum major

Obituaries: Dwight Mitchell, Jr., Alberta Stoefen

Picture From the Past: Los Gatos High was once popular in Willow Glen

Sports Briefs

Gatos golfers win league title

Frey's ninth-inning hit wins one for Pirates

Los Gatos girls hoopsters win title at NJB Nationals