Speak Out!

Letters

Neighbors don't all favor Fatima remodel

In response to Steve Enders' article about the proposed renovation of Our Lady of Fatima in the May 12 issue of the Saratoga News, it should be made clear that there are several issues about which many neighbors in and around Our Lady of Fatima have expressed a great deal of concern.

It is misleading to indicate that "neighbors appear satisfied." We neighbors will only be satisfied if CEO Preston Wisner and the board of directors follow through with the plans they discussed with the homeowners.

The architectural plans are far superior to the existing buildings at Fatima. However, Mr. Wisner has in the past been negligent in following up on telephone inquiries from neighbors regarding noise control, ugly signs and adjoining property they own on Oak Street which has or should be condemned by the Board of Health (the structure commonly known as "the house of doors").

Because of this precedent, many neighbors are skeptical as to what Our Lady of Fatima and its management will really come up with. As a consequence, there will be a great deal of scrutiny during any planning commission hearings.

Additionally, that tiny corner of Oak Street doesn't need more traffic nor an ugly, huge blacktop driveway. Oak Street currently has problems with school traffic, commute traffic, bus stops and a one-way-in and a one-way-out driveway at Kerful Cleaners. These all create an accident waiting to happen.

So yes, it was wise for Mr. Wisner to meet with the neighbors he would never respond to before so that he could now make a concerted effort to correct and pacify these same neighbors--particularly when he wants/needs something. We will all wait and see.

Audrey and Ron Chapman
Oak Street

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This letter was signed by three other Oak Street neighbors.

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Logic not part of school board decision

I would like to echo the sentiments in Jill Hunter's letter printed in the May 12 issue of the Saratoga News. It is beyond me why the individuals of the school board have come to the conclusion they have.

As I understand the situation, the school board has decided to cut down half of the smaller eucalyptus that line one of the buildings on the southwest side of the campus. They also have decided to commence the expansion and, after completion, take down one of the two large trees residing on the edge of the existing basketball area, depending upon which appears least healthy.

I still do not understand if the school board's final plan is their original plan, whether they will adopt the plans proposed by the "tree" people or implement some middle ground. Why would either tree, which has been there over 100 years, suffer health problems now?

Apparently the school board believes the final plan is expected to have some impact on the health of the two big trees. Otherwise, why would they cut down the least healthy one after the renovation? Since they won't know for sure which one of the trees this will be, reason goes to say that neither tree is an obstruction to the adopted plan.

I can find no logic in the conclusion that the board has adopted. This tells me that their minds were set on tree removal regardless of the tree's impact on the project. Further, by taking the "meet you in the middle approach," this tells me that they feel they have pacified us by agreeing to only butcher half of the ancient landscape at the school. The impact the trees have on the renovation does not seem to be the issue. It seems it is a school board who feels it is more important that they stand their ground, rather than appeal to the desires of the community.

I attended several school board meetings and heard some of the comments made by individuals who wanted the trees removed. Some of which were that children can trip over the seeds that the trees drop and scrape their knees, and branches can fall on the children. Give me a break. If dealing with this kind of mentality, and dealing with an elected board that operates with such arrogance and indifference is representative of Saratoga then this is not the community I thought it was.

Bob Busse
Oak Street

City Council cleaning house, not city sewers

In the May 19 Saratoga News on page 9, there was an item headed "Final chance for septic tank users." That is wrong, as there was no chance for septic tank users after the present City Council got into office. Anyone who voiced the opinion that it was not right to force people to go on the sewer if they had a septic tank in good working order was immediately cut down by the council.

The council had made a deal with the Friends of the Santa Clara County Creeks and San Francisco BayKeepers, and they were not about to back away from that agreement.

This council is in the process of firing the present city attorney, and they refused to reappoint three members of the planning commission. They are cleaning house. They have been in office for five months now, and I have not seen one of DeCinzo's nasty cartoons against them, even though there were a number of times when if it were one of the previous councils, he would have smeared them months after the fact, even if they were out of office. DeCinzo feels that the present council is more pious than the Sisters of Notre Dame.

It is quite obvious that Friends and BayKeepers helped put in the present council, so they could get what they wanted. There is no way that septic tanks in the Brookview area could be causing the creek to be contaminated behind Don Whetstone's building at the corner of Saratoga Avenue and Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road. I am not saying that it is, but it is more likely that it is his sewer line than my septic tanks that is causing the pollution there.

Marvin Becker
Mellowood Drive

It's a pleasure reading columns by Carl Heintze

I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy reading Carl Heintze's columns in the Saratoga News. The one about paper airplanes was great!

It is really a pleasure to read some "good old-fashioned" columns that are reminiscent of some of the "older generation" writers--no big political or social-issue axes to grind--just good writing.

Keep up the good work!

Claire Wilson
Los Gatos

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