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Letters
Town's decisions already impact county residents
While the recent initiation of annexation proceedings by the town of Los Gatos has stirred emotions, we believe that a dispassionate study of the issue will lead those affected to conclude that annexation is in their best interest.
It is clearly more efficient for the town to provide services and to solve problems in the unincorporated pockets than for the county to do so. In fact, it is the promotion of governmental efficiency which prompts the county to ask municipalities, such as Los Gatos, to initiate annexation proceedings.
We in the unincorporated pockets are within the sphere of influence of the town; in fact, we are surrounded by the town. We have a Los Gatos address; we are proud to say we live in Los Gatos; we are justifiably as concerned as town residents about issues such as land use, development, circulation, parking and the preservation of open space.
A little more than two years ago the town formed a task force to review its General Plan. The task force applicants were selected from all areas of the town, and from the unincorporated pockets, in recognition that town planning affects us all.
The undersigned served on the task force and on its successor, Task Force II. We were encouraged by this collaborative experience and became convinced that citizens in the county pockets must become more involved in what is going on in the town that surrounds us.
Not only are the town's hands tied when it comes to solving problems like traffic, parking and noise in the unincorporated areas, but major decisions are being made, such as plans for Los Gatos Boulevard and the North Forty. These surrounding areas have greater impact on those of us in the unincorporated areas than on many town residents.
The most effective way to have a voice is to be enfranchised. Decision makers are responsive to those who vote. This means annexation.
It seems very shortsighted to oppose annexation because the town, for example, makes it harder to cut down trees, or would not permit new granny units. The undersigned know, from canvassing the unincorporated Blossom Hill Manor area while serving on the task force, that most residents have concern for the broader community. We hope that manifests itself during this process.
It's our town, too. Let's become a part of it!
Judy Rogers, Woody Nedom
Los Gatos
The community needs preschool
My husband and I chose Los Gatos as the community in which to raise our children due to its strong sense of community. We came from a neighborhood lacking a sense of community with its children attending preschools and elementary schools all over the valley. Once we got settled into our new community, we felt great comfort knowing our children would be attending preschool and elementary school with the other children in our community.
Much to our surprise, the closure of Casa Maria Montessori not only left us disappointed that our children would not attend the school but started a nightmare search to find openings in the other preschools in our community. With Hillbrook preschool closing as well, most of the displaced Casa Maria children were placed on long waiting lists at the other preschools in our community.
The solution was to send our children outside of our community, sometimes a great distance, or try to start another preschool to support the burgeoning need.
As part of a group of parents to start a new school in our community, I was pleased that the Faith Lutheran Church location was ideal for the new preschool. We are a community of neighborhoods and what better place to have a preschool but in a family-rich neighborhood. Unfortunately, many residents feel that the preschool will add to their existing traffic burden.
The need for preschools in our community is critical; summing up the long waiting lists at our existing preschools is indication enough. Allowing Mariposa Montessori to join our community would only benefit our entire community. I believe it will force the town to address the traffic issues that have plagued this neighborhood long before the preschool was created.
It will also send a message to the parents of the youngest members of our community that this is a community that supports families and believes in nurturing all of our children in our community.
Leslie Hench
Los Gatos
Locating preschool close to families makes good sense
Next week, the Town Council will be reviewing a use permit for Mariposa Montessori to open up a preschool at Faith Lutheran Church on Ferris Avenue.
There are not a lot of state-approved sites available in Los Gatos for the purpose of preschools.
As a mother of three, it is hard for me to travel far when all three of my children need to go in different directions. I do not want to add to the already overpopulated freeways by enrolling in a preschool five or 10 miles away.
For the huge number of families in Los Gatos, there is an extreme shortage of spaces in preschools. I don't mean daycare situations but quality preschools that are specifically aimed at educating the 3- to 5-year-old children in Los Gatos and surrounding areas.
Los Gatos has always been known for its high standards--its heritage homes, preserving its trees and wildlife and its excellent education. With the closing of two of these quality preschools, Hillbrook and Casa Maria, Los Gatos is falling short in the preschool-education area.
The Ferris Avenue site offers our children a neighborhood area to go to school. It offers them space to run and play in and it simply offers them safety--an important factor in today's society.
As Los Gatos continues to grow in the number of homes and children, I wonder where these children will begin their most important years. I hope they, as well as my own children, will be able to spend them in their own community, near their family and friends.
Jane Melrose
Monte Sereno
Corrections
In the Seniors column in the Oct. 6 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, the title of Walter Bortz's book was incorrect. He is the author of We Live Too Short and Die Too Long. His most recent book is Dare to Be 100.
In the Oct. 6 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, the feature article on the Hillbrook Autumn Kitchen Tour mistakenly said the tour's ticket price included a buffet lunch at La Hacienda. The lunch is actually an additional $15.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
