Letters

Commissioners should be thinking safety first in fire station design

It is unfortunate that the commissioners of the Saratoga Fire District have decided to politicize the process of designing a safe fire station (letter to City Council, March 20, copied to the Saratoga News).

By requesting a qualified, impartial analysis of the traffic safety issues for both the Highway 9 (Contempo) site and the Saratoga Avenue site, the city council is simply acting responsibly by exercising due diligence in determining which site would be the safest for a fire station that will serve our community for decades to come.

If there is one safety concern of the community that has been repeated over and over again, it is that the blocking of traffic on Saratoga Avenue to back engines into the existing fire station is inherently unsafe. The city of Saratoga would be remiss if it permitted the construction of a new building that built in this serious safety flaw.

The fire district commissioners are also doing a disservice to the community by suggesting that the city is responsible for cost increases and delays in the project. Just as in the case of a homeowner who proposes to construct or remodel a building in the city, the fire district has the responsibility to design a building that conforms to city zoning requirements. This means that the district should have determined all the zoning restrictions, including front setback (critical to the safety of personnel and motorists), lot coverage requirements, and parking requirements before it spent in excess of $300,000 of taxpayer funds on a final design of the station.

If it turns out that the station has to be redesigned, it is the responsibility of the fire district, not the city.

As a taxpayer in the Saratoga Fire District, I would demand that my elected representatives, the fire commissioners, account for the costs of redesign. In neither the original bond election nor the commissioner election last fall was a specific fire station design submitted to the voters. Rather than digging in their heels and weaving political spins on flawed designs, the commissioners should commence design of a safe station that conforms to city zoning requirements.

As a council, we are committed to the construction of a safe fire station for our community. This means obtaining an impartial traffic safety analysis from an engineer not affiliated with any of the stakeholders on or near the corner. This is far too important a project to do anything less.

Stan Bogosian
Saratoga City Councilman

Saratoga School PTA says thanks to local businesses for support

Saratoga School PTA would like to extend sincere thanks to the following local businesses for their gifts and donations to our Wild, Wild West fundraiser: A.P. Stump's, Mount Eden Vineyards, Bella Saratoga, Natural Instincts, Blue Rock Shoot, Northstar Ski Resort, Café Marcella, Picchetti Winery, Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards, Preston Wynne, Harmonie European Day Spa, Ron Ringsrud Co., Hong's Gourmet, Safeway, Iberia Restaurant, Saratoga Oaks Lodge, Jake's of Saratoga, Savannah-Channelle Winery, Kathryn Kennedy Winery, Seemore Putter Company, Kersti Malvre, portrait artist, The Napkin Ring, Lindamood-Bell^®: Saratoga Clinic, Thunder Mountain Winery, Little Women's Tea Parties, Viaggio Restaurant, Los Gatos Brewing Co., Montalvo, Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Co. and Westgate Beauty Store.

Your support makes a difference in our school, our community and in the lives of our students.

Saratoga School PTA

Cartoonist is doing his job by awakening our thought processes

In response to a letter from Alan Caras (Saratoga News, March 20), I heartily disagree with his statement regarding cartoonist Steven DeCinzo's work. Mr. Caras states, " His work diminishes the tone of an otherwise useful and amicable journal and chronicle of our town and neighborhoods."

Whether one agrees with DeCinzo's point of view or has been hoisted on his pitard, DeCinzo does what every good political cartoonist should do--make us think! DeCinzo's cartoons are neither "sophomoric" (A. Caras) nor subtle; he successfully identifies and addresses the heart of an issue. It is not the duty of a political cartoonist to appease or pacify his readers; in fact, his duty is quite the opposite. If a political cartoonist does not awaken our thought processes or bring an issue to light, he is a failure.

Whether or not we readers agree with DeCinzo, he does his job superbly; let his pen continue to stimulate our "little grey cells."

Marcia Fariss
Saratoga

DeCinzo supporters say 'Lighten up!'--paper is fortunate to have him

It's sad that Alan Caras (in the Saratoga News, March 20) does not or cannot appreciate the humor in DeCinzo's cartoons. DeCinzo sees and portrays the humor, the ridiculous, sometimes the outrageous, in situations that occur around town. Like Oliphant, Toles and others who grace the national press with jabs at national issues and personages, DeCinzo earns his pay well by showing us another view of the (sometimes rather grim) world around us.

Our local press is fortunate to have a cartoonist who can depict so well some humor in our local scene (and his caricature portraits are very good--we often recognize the faces). To Mr. Caras and others who cannot enjoy these caricatures, we can only say, "Lighten up!"

Marjorie Ottenberg
Bob Wallace
Foothill Lane

Correction

In the March 20 issue of the Saratoga News, the owners of Chicken Salsa were incorrectly identified. Ann and Alex Cheng are the owners of the restaurant on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road at Prospect Avenue.

Photo: The Easter Bunny visits Saratoga Elementary School

Commentary: Pledging allegiance, over and over again

Photo: Argonaut Elementary School's Math Fun Day

Local Home Sales Listings

Aegis Gallery presents exhibit of light-hearted work

Saratoga Sampler

Sports Briefs

High school softball & baseball

Sign-ups for youth sports camps