Letters

Park threatens the sense of community

Nice quiet residential neighborhoods. Knowing all the families on your street. Kids riding bikes. Walkers and joggers out for their morning run. No noisy big business here. Just a beautiful suburban/rural atmosphere. That's what attracted us all to Saratoga. It's why we pay premium prices for homes here. We each enjoy our own neighborhoods.

But unfortunately, mine is threatened by a park. Three different athletic groups plan to use the park proposed for the Blue Hills-Azule site. Well, the city calls it a park. It's really as many soccer fields as they could jam onto the land, then they added a few extras. It's more of an athletic field than a real park. With three regional soccer groups, Saratoga AYSO, Cupertino AYSO and CYSA as users of this proposed site, hundreds of strangers will be coming and going all the time nearly every day. Kids and pedestrians won't be able to safely travel the streets. The Blue Hills schoolyard will become a muddy mess for those kids. Crime will certainly rise. The quiet residential neighborhood will be gone forever. This is too great a burden to place on my neighborhood or any other.

I don't know that our city really needs more soccer fields. If groups outside the city are using our fields, then at the very least a regional plan must be developed. I personally believe there are more beneficial ways to use our precious land and limited funds. But I am absolutely certain that multiple high-use soccer fields do not belong in any residential neighborhood. Such fields belong in a central location, such as the high school or Central Park, or perhaps even in another city as a regional facility.

The city should open its eyes to other possibilities. Our resources should be used to enhance the quality of life for everyone, not destroy our neighborhood communities.

Katie Alexander
Goleta Avenue

Goodbye wishes to Sheila Arthur

I am writing to add my accolades and best wishes to the retiring executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, Sheila Arthur.

I had the pleasure of working in the chamber office for seven of the 10 years Sheila has been the executive director. Over those years, I saw firsthand the many positive changes and policies she introduced and carried out to make Saratoga's Chamber the very successful, viable business it is today.

Her dedication, hard work (many 14-hour days), ingenuity, energy, sense of humor and an inordinate sense of how to handle many difficult situations to the benefit of everyone concerned, was a wonder to behold and I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be on her staff.

She deserves every accolade and compliment that is being bestowed upon her, as she will be an extremely hard act to follow. Sheila, you did a beautiful job and one you can be very proud of. Now, enjoy your retirement and whatever exciting projects you become involved in. You are a class act and we'll all miss you very much.

Marge MacKinnon
Saratoga Chamber staff

Playfields not wanted at school

I am a resident neighbor of Marshall Lane School and, together with my neighbors, I have been working hard to prevent the installation of permanent sport fields for the Quito Little League and soccer leagues at Marshall Lane School. Marshall Lane School is located in the middle of single family homes. The only access is to travel to Ravenwood Drive, Marilyn Lane, Marshall Lane or Sobey Road. There is no parking space to accommodate the cars that will obviously need to park. These cars will be parking along our streets; even on our property, since the streets are very narrow two lane roads. Marilyn Lane is barely wide enough for two cars to pass. Yes, our children enjoy skating, bike riding and even play ball in our streets. There are children walking to and from school We are very concerned for child safety. We are very concerned that our property will become less desirable as a result of these installations. Those homes on Marshall Lane that back up to the school property will surely know more drop in property value, since the planned installation will be close to the property line.

The letter by Mr. Pierce in the March 24 issue of the Saratoga News states one of the top priorities of the Planning Commission is "to protect that which makes Saratoga special and of the residents' quality of life." I worked very hard to achieve incorporation and am proud to be a resident of Saratoga. I do feel very strongly that Saratoga funds should be used for Saratoga. Marshall Lane School is not a Saratoga school. The largest number of participants in the Quito Little League are not residents of Saratoga. We have been told there are over 200 players and only about 40 are Saratoga residents. Of those, only about 18 attend Marshall Lane school.

I think it behooves our elected officials and appointed city employees to honor their commitments to Saratoga residents.

Rosemary Woodward
Ravenwood Drive

Merchants respond to call for support

Our Committee on Homeless Women and Children of the Los Gatos-Saratoga AAUW would like to express our thanks to the merchants of Saratoga.

Their response to our requests for silent auction and door prize items for our fundraising English Tea was overwhelming. We are aware of the many times they are asked for donations and feel fortunate that so many of them chose to give to us.

We asked the guests at the tea to please notice the listing on our program and the names on the gift certificates. We hope they will thank the business people when in their establishments. We also urge all the residents to support them.

Our afternoon was a huge success enabling us to continue our work with the women and children who have no home.

Nancy Anderson and JoAn Lambert
Co-Chairs, English Tea

Sheriff's Report

Bigger--whether houses, cars or serving sizes--is not necessarily better

Engagement: Kristen Deal, James Vojtech

Saratoga Sampler: Adoption of Chilean baby complicated by intrigue

Sports Briefs

Westmont softball team defeats Santa Teresa

Falcons crush Los Altos in baseball

Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game

Youth sports groups hold tryouts