Saratoga News News Briefs Business Council gives itself direction Members of the Saratoga Business Development Council decided Jan. 26 that it should continue to meet, and that it's doing important work in sharing common interests. Last year, prior to the departure of then-Mayor Don Wolfe, some questions rose as to the purpose of the group, especially its relevance alongside other business groups such as the Chamber of Commerce. The group, made up of business leaders from around the city, also chose City Council member John Mehaffey as chairman. SBDC members also said that they would like to keep the focus on a continuing dialogue of ongoing issues. They also expressed a desire to work on broader issues, including better marketing of the shopping and business opportunities of the city, as well as downtown parking and city-wide traffic issues. Members will also focus on increasing the visibility and bolstering business in the "gateway" area, near the border of Cupertino on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road. The SBDC will hold its next meeting in two months, on March 23. The City Council sends message Two weeks ago, Saratoga's City Council approved and sent a letter to state Assemblyman Jim Cunneen, hoping to persuade him to continue efforts to solve what some residents say is an ongoing noise problem coming from Highway 85. A similar letter was also sent to Cunneen recently from the Cupertino City Council. The letter states that the city is interested in Cunneen's progress in looking for funding in the state budget to implement one of the noise abatement measures spelled out in the Acentech Noise Study, which was completed last year. The council also asked Cunneen, if he's able to do anything, to consider looking into using rubberized asphalt, which uses bits of recycled car tires in pavement, which can also significantly reduce road noise. "One way to do this might be through a successful demonstration of its application along a portion of the state highway system, and of course, the Route 85 test corridor comes to mind as an ideal candidate location." According to City Manager Larry Perlin, the city hasn't yet had a response from Cunneen. [ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Saratoga News, February 3, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.