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Letters
Foothill Club available for weddings, other functions
Members of the Saratoga Foothill Club were recently surprised by a notice in the Saratoga News naming places for wedding ceremonies and receptions that did not include the Saratoga Foothill Club.
The Saratoga Foothill Club has an award-winning building and site near downtown Saratoga on Park Place. It is Saratoga Historical Site No. 1 and has been available to the community for many years.
We would very much appreciate being considered for mention in any further listing of appropriate facilities for weddings, receptions and other functions.
Nancy Hoffman
Saratoga Foothill Club
Underground parking lot would ease space issue
From letters written here, it would appear that many Saratogans value our diminishing open spaces. We love our orchards; we want more playing fields, and we want a place where we can gather as a community.
The community center inadequately meets our needs today. The city "theater" also suffers from design flaws. Children's productions take place in a multipurpose room that looks as though it was designed for basketball; yet, basketball isn't played there because it wasn't designed for it.
All these space problems, and yet we dedicate more than an acre of disjointed paved space at the city center to parking. Saratoga has outgrown the luxury of above-ground parking. Before we cut down Heritage Orchard, we should put as much City Center parking underground (including as much of the city corporation yard as possible).
We can then tear down the inadequate theater, and add a new theater to a new, two-story Community Center next to City Hall. Properly designed, the facility might have enough room for a theater (usable by adults, children and the City Council) and a single basketball-sized multipurpose room.
Outside, there would be enough room for another soccer field with adequate picnic facilities to double as a community gathering place.
Saratogans, we need to remember that our most precious commodity is not the $1.3 million recreation department reserve, but our land. Dedicating our increasingly valuable land to parking is a waste of our resources.
Laurie Girand
Saratoga Hills Road
Select city manager after Nov. election
The Good Government Group of Saratoga strongly advises the City Council to delay the selection of a new city manager until after the November elections. The process to select the new manager should proceed with input from the community and all available resources.
As an interim city manager has been selected, this person could take direction from the council until the new or re-elected members take their oath of office.
This could avoid having a new manager who doesn't have the full support of the council. A new city manager needs to have the community and the council's full backing when he or she takes over. Saratoga deserves a manager who would like to stay many years and a full council that supports that manager in office.
Saratoga GGG
Officers, Directors
'Post no signs' would be good city motto
In the March 1 issue of the Saratoga News there are letters to the editor expressing concerns about political signs. I am concerned about the proliferation of political signs, also, as well as the proliferation of signs in general throughout our city at all times of the year.
We live in an area where a majority of the residents are very capable of deciding political issues for themselves. The political signs are an attempt to reach the lowest common denominator and to sway the vote by keeping a name or issue in front of the public.
These ugly signs often appear to me to be on public property at the roadway edges and many are not removed promptly (if ever) after an election or an event they advertise is over.
To my way of thinking they are a blight which I would love to see removed immediately whether or not I agree with the election of the candidate or voting an issue the way the sign advertises.
I was pleased to see all the signs around the Argonaut Shopping Center disappear the next day. I thought the wind and rain had blown them all over and turned them into useless mush. That area seems to host all too many of these annoying signs, political and otherwise and what protection we have through our local ordinances never seems to be followed up with enforcement.
If the candidate or those behind the signs asking for a specific vote on an issue think that we are all so ignorant that we will be swayed by these obnoxious signs I am insulted. I consider the existence of signs littering our roadways as the main reason not to vote for that candidate and not to support that issue that the signs would ask that I do. If the backers think I am so stupid as to be swayed by the signs, I certainly don't want them to represent me or to have their particular agenda become law.
During the year, refuse to attend the event that litters our city with advertisements and let the promoters know why you are not going to attend and refuse to participate in the weight-loss program, the get-rich scheme or hire the person who advertises on utility poles to do yard or household work or babysitting.
Ian Webb
Canyon View Drive
Working at the Historical Museum rewarding, fun
We are searching for volunteer docents to join our staff at the Saratoga Historical Museum. The work--which our docents have universally found to be highly rewarding--entails a once per month, three-hour (1-4 p.m. Friday, Saturday or Sunday) stint at the museum.
Those who would like to volunteer should contact Shirley Guest at 408.867.4654. Our docents' only obligation is to greet visitors, answer their questions, point out the displays, and sell our books and pamphlets.
We are also searching for someone to help us with computer data entry work. We are no longer open on Wednesdays or Thursdays.
Harold M. Hodges
Museum board
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
