Saratoga News

NEWS BRIEFS

Paul Nettesheim memorial service

Classmates of Paul (Butch) Nettesheim will gather on Friday, May 17 at 5:30 p.m. in the Saratoga High School quad to plant an oak tree honoring their former friend and classmate.

Nettesheim, a member of the Saratoga High School Class of 1968, was an attorney practicing in Washington, D. C. when he died last year of heart failure after choking.

He was born Feb. 15, 1950 at O'Connor Hospital. He is survived by his father, Henry Nettesheim of Saratoga, and by his brother and sister, Eric and Joan Nettesheim.

The cork oak to be planted in the school's quad and accompanying plaque were given in his honor through a memorial fund raised by fellow classmates.

Members of the class of 1968 and friends of Nettesheim are invited to attend the service.

"Paul was very intelligent and had a witty sense of honor," recalled classmate Keith Adams, who, after graduating from Saratoga High School, went on to Santa Clara University with Nettesheim.

Nettesheim obtained a law degree from Santa Clara and a master's degree in law from Georgetown University in Washington, D. C. He had practiced law in Washington since 1976.

For more information, contact Deborah Coburn Rice, 741-1751.

Power shuts down in 90-degree heat

Some 43,956 customers in Saratoga, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Campbell and parts of San Jose were without power for up to two and a half hours April 30 after a big junction box in Saratoga failed around 7 p.m.

The majority of the customers had their power back by 8:30 p.m. and the remaining 5,254 customers were returned to power an hour later, PG&E spokesman Scott Blakey said.

"The cause of this was the failure of a piece of equipment at the Saratoga substation," Blakey said.

"Somewhere along the way, one of the fans stopped and it heated up. The regulator got too hot, and the failsafe kicked in, opening the circuit," he added.

Coincidentally, one of the large junction boxes was not working and the other had been taken down for repairs, leaving only one to face the power needs created by the 90-plus degree heat, Blakey said.

"What happens on a hot day, everyone comes in and hits the button and the load builds up," he said.

The outage hit as many people were preparing dinner.

Help the hungry by leaving food

Saratoga residents can help the hungry by leaving nonperishable canned food next to their mailboxes on May 11, so letter carriers can deliver the food to a local food bank.

It's the second nationwide food drive organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers, in conjunction with the U. S. Postal Service.

In most areas, letter carriers will collect food as they deliver mail. Residents can also bring food donations to the Saratoga Post Office, 19630 Allendale Ave. on May 11.

All food collected will be delivered to the Bay Area food banks to be sorted, packed and delivered to agencies serving 350,000 low-income people.

Last year, Saratoga residents contributed 7,500 pounds of food to the more than 600,000 pounds collected in the Bay Area during the Letter Carriers' Food Drive.

"This is the largest one-day food collection in the United States," said Amy Somers, executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank.

Over 160 acres added to preserve

Over 160 new acres will soon be added to the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve, said board members of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. The board on April 24 authorized the purchase of two privately owned properties, each 80.76 acres and costing $50,000 apiece, to add to the Kennedy Limelkiln Area of the 13,240-acre Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve south of Los Gatos. The district has no current plans to add to the 1,152-acre El Sereno or 739-acre Fremont Older preserves near Saratoga, according to General Manager Craig Britton, but will be monitoring the progress of the West Valley Hillside Preservation Strategy, a joint effort between Saratoga, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and Santa Clara County to establish long-term growth boundaries, minimize the impact of any hillside development, and encourage the acquisition of open space.

Housing Coalition receives $49,246

The Mid-Peninsula Housing Coalition will soon be receiving $49,246 from the city for a renovation project at Saratoga Courts, 18855 Cox Ave. The City Council voted unanimously to draw the requested funds from its Low Income Housing reserve at its May 1 meeting.

The money comes from block grant funds the city is getting through the Housing and Community Development Act for fiscal year 1996-97. The city loaned $50,000 of money obtained through this act to the coalition in 1984 to help it acquire Saratoga Courts, a 20-unit low-income housing complex for seniors built in 1978.

The proposed renovation includes replacement of plumbing fixtures, walkway, landscaping, lights, and stoves; installation of gutters and downspouts; and improvements to the development's office and community room. The construction will be completed in phases to minimize disturbance of the complex's residents. There remains $35,569 in the city's Low Income Housing Fund.

Route 35 closed

Route 35, also known as Skyline Boulevard, will be closed north of Bear Creek Road and south of Black Road for the next two months. CalTrans closed the road on April 30 for landslide repairs. Motorists should use Bear Creek Road and Black Road to detour to Route 17.