Many of us in the neighborhood of the Saratoga Elementary School on Oak Street have been deeply concerned for many years about traffic hazards to the children at the school. About five years ago, our group made a presentation of our observations and concerns at a combined meeting of the City Council and the Public Safety Commission. Although there has been generalized agreement about these risks, the traffic situation at the school has not been improved.
The school board is proposing a major remodeling/rebuilding program at the Oak Street School that will accommodate an additional 100 students, a 27 percent increase. We believe that the suggested remedies for the future traffic problems are grossly inadequate, are not based on reliable information, and may be impractical and unworkable.
LSA Associates is a firm in Pt. Richmond which was contracted by the school board to conduct a study of the environmental impact of this project. This study was requested and paid for by the Saratoga Union School District. If we want to get a loan on a house, we would not be permitted to choose our own appraiser. We would have been more comfortable with a study conducted by an independent agency, without possibility of bias.
The Initial Study by LSA Associates provided the School Board a Proposed Negative Declaration, meaning that they claim there will be no significant environmental impact as a consequence of the expansion of the school, including the traffic situation. Their traffic studies seem to be based exclusively on traffic counts of dubious relevance, and questionable interpretation. We would challenge any intelligent lay person to review the LSA report, to feel confident they understand it, and to understand the basis of LSA's conclusions.
After extensive review of their report by several of us, we have decided this document is badly flawed, is quite unreliable and is not suitable as a basis for decisions of this magnitude. This document was given immense distribution through the school, the library, and the city offices.
In contrast, there was another traffic study which was given scant distribution. This traffic study was performed last spring by Wilbur Smith Associates. Their traffic expert made direct, on-site observations of the traffic at the school on two mornings and one afternoon. Her observations are very similar to ours, ours being based on hundreds of such observations. She, too, recognizes serious traffic hazards to the children at the present time.
On Feb. 9, our neighborhood committee made a presentation to the joint meeting of the City Council and the Public Safety Commission. All of them indicated they were aware of the hazards and shared our concerns, and that they were not satisfied with plans for dealing with increased traffic in the future.
We urged that both bodies express their reservations directly to the school board; furthermore, that they oppose endorsement of the negative declaration until there has been further study by other independent traffic experts. We also requested that the City Council and/or the Public Safety Commission sponsor such a traffic study, to be conducted by an independent traffic engineer.
Our past experiences dealing with city government and the schools have been less than satisfactory.
This is not to impugn the integrity, nor the competence of the fine people who serve on the City Council, the Safety Commission, and the school board. There is a gulf between the responsibilities and the authority of the city government and of the schools in these matters. That is one of many factors that makes collaboration between these agencies complicated and difficult.
Consequently, we believe it is necessary that a frustrated public rise up and insist that these traffic problems be addressed and resolved. The safety of our children is too important to fall through the cracks.
The Saratoga Union School District Board of Trustees has given the community 30 days to examine the LSA Report, and to present their opposition to the proposed negative declaration. They will be conducting a public meeting to discuss this subject at Foothill School, 7:30 p.m., on Tues., Feb. 23. All those concerned with traffic safety around Saratoga schools are urged to attend.
Arthur Anderson Jr., M.D., Jeff and Sheri Barco,
Dan and Carolyn Casas, Robert and Yasuko Hartley,
Michael and Evelyn Oliver, Karen and Peter Nose, M.D.
Saratoga
Wine signs are welcome here
We read with interest the article by Steve Enders on adding signs around Saratoga to help find various places. We are all for it and back the Saratoga Business Development Council in their drive to have this passed.
There are some great things to see and wonderful places to visit but finding them is often difficult. In my 22 years in Saratoga, I'd be the proverbial rich man if I'd have charged a nickel for just every time I explained the difference between Saratoga Avenue and Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road to a visitor. Getting lost at the fire station is nothing compared to trying to find the wineries. Signs are not only acceptable and necessary, they are universal. What major city in Europe doesn't have signs on every street corner so one can find the hotels? How would we find the wineries of Napa if it weren't for the signs?
It's a great idea whose time is long overdo. We're with you.
Chuck and Heather Desmond
Quail Run Court
Saratoga, California Since 1975
