Letters

Fiesta de Artes organizers thank the volunteers

On behalf of the Los Gatos Kiwanis Club, I would like to thank the many Los Gatans who made our recent Fiesta de Artes event so successful. We are pleased to host the fiesta, the town's only art and wine festival, each August on the civic center lawn. This year we had a tremendous turnout that helped raise money for local Kiwanis projects, including scholarships, youth projects, maintaining the Los Gatos Creek Trail, and allowing us to help other local institutions such the Southwest YMCA, the Youth Science Institute and Eastfield Ming Quong.

My particular appreciation goes to the hundreds of non-Kiwanis volunteers who poured wine, served food and contributed to the success of the fiesta.

We couldn't do it without you.

Ernest G. Patterson
President, Kiwanis Club of Los Gatos

Crosswalks are needed near local school

I drive my daughter to school every morning, or we carpool with some families nearby. She is afraid to use the crosswalks because she says drivers don't wait for kids trying to use them, and in fact, try to run them down. Mindful of this, I personally make every effort to stop and allow a student to cross when I am driving her to school. In doing this, I not only aid in the safety of another person's child, I am showing my daughter by example that it's good driving practice to follow safety rules.

This morning I witnessed a very disturbing act by a parent that I think deserves some attention. As I turned north onto Leigh Avenue from Anne Way, I stopped at the crosswalk and waved to a boy who had been standing, waiting to cross for several minutes. Traffic began to back up behind me as the boy entered the crosswalk. As he passed through the middle and was directly in front of my car, another motorist passed me on the left, from behind, endangering both the boy in the crosswalk and oncoming traffic.

What horrified me most was that this motorist then turned right into the parking lot at Leigh High School. This had been a Leigh High School parent, so intent on not breaking his/her morning schedule that he/she was willing to risk the life of another parent's child to save a few minutes.

In 1978 my sister was a freshman at Prospect High School. Midway through the year a friend of hers, we'll call her Lisa, crossed Prospect Road after school to get home and was struck by a motorist. Her body was dragged several blocks before the car was able to stop. Lisa died at the scene. My sister attended the funeral, which was open-casket. All of Lisa's girlfriends were there, crying. My sister said she was one of the few brave ones that looked into the casket.

At 15 years old, my sister later told me that the undertaker had done a remarkable job with her makeup and that Lisa had looked beautiful, but there was an expression of sheer terror on her face that the undertaker had not been able to erase. A month later a crosswalk with a traffic signal was installed at the place where Lisa had crossed--mostly because it was used by many students. Parents had been calling for a crosswalk or stop light at that particular place for years, yet it wasn't until Lisa lost her life that anything was done about it.

We need something at our crosswalks to protect our children. I hope this matter gains the attention of all Leigh parents and faculty immediately, and I pray that it won't take the death of a student to take appropriate actions for the safety of others.

Jane Medefesser
Los Gatos

Town needs to listen to all who use thoroughfare

I am surprised that the Los Gatos Town Council would even consider a roundabout at the intersection of Winchester Boulevard and Daves Avenue. Winchester Boulevard is a major access route into Los Gatos. The needs of all who use this thoroughfare must be considered, not just the desires of a few local residents. We have too many traffic congestion points as it is, and traffic continues to increase. Adding more congestion will contribute to more accidents, not safer conditions.

Del Riesenhuber
Los Gatos

Traffic signal will tax nearby streets

When the town council takes into consideration the expense of putting in a light signal at Daves Avenue and Winchester Boulevard, they need to add one more at Vineland Avenue.

As a means of avoiding another red light, motorists will circumvent the inconvenience by rerouting down Kavin Lane or Palos Verdes Drive. This will jam up the intersection at Vineland and Winchester, not to mention turning quiet residential streets (Kavin, Palos Verdes and Vineland) into raceways. A light signal at Daves is not a valid solution.

Nora Alvord
Monte Sereno

Photo: Los Gatos Film Festival

Plinks, planks and plunks of nothingness

Local Home Sales and Property Listings

Obituaries

Best of Picture from the Past

Sports Briefs

Los Gatos High School varsity football

High school sports

Los Gatos High School frosh-soph football