Saratoga News

Let's communicate like grown-ups

By Carolyn Blesch

As a youngster growing up in Burlingame, I recall driving with my parents through Saratoga on our way to Aptos and thinking that this was the loveliest, the most inviting and charming of towns. I still thought that when it came time to settle my family in a community close to Silicon Valley, where I was to work. That was 30-plus years ago. I still think so.

In the ensuing years, I have experienced the grammar schools, Saratoga High School and West Valley Junior College through my children. Our schools prepared one nurse, one doctor and one small-business partner. The entire community supported this process for the most part, although there were times when I grieved over the loss of school bond measures.

I have delighted in the Montalvo cultural center for many, many years, first as a theater- and concert-goer and later as a volunteer. How many communities can boast of such a high-caliber cultural center with its incredibly awesome setting? To be at Montalvo at sunset awaiting a concert and watching the deer grazing in peace on the front lawn is to know true pastoral pleasure. That Montalvo was given to the city and county has made me, as a local, quite committed to preserving it as a cultural gift, knowing that it embodies the meaning of being civilized.

The other Saratoga "institutions" which have had such an impact on our community culture and shaped our community personality are those that are frequently found in other small communities, but hardly are they of the same caliber. I speak of the Garrod horse ranch, which not only stabled my children's horses and taught them equestrian etiquette, but also responsibility, civility, consideration of others and team concepts.

I speak also of those sainted volunteers who headed the 4-H programs, who patiently guided the children through the painful process of raising animals to be sold at auction and ultimately slaughtered. This life's lesson could only have come from sensitive, caring and very wise teachers.

I speak of the librarians who never failed to answer the most fundamental of questions about how to find the answer to homework assignments. My children continue to marvel at their wisdom and patience to this day. These dedicated people always seemed to know from their long association with young people how to answer questions without seeming to be deprecating. Our library continues to be one of the finest, and a drawing card for all ages.

And, lastly, I would speak as a citizen of Saratoga. Thirty-plus years later, I still chose to live in Saratoga. I have experienced City Council members coming and going. I am very aware that they serve at our pleasure. I am also aware that "our pleasure" needs to be conveyed to them in a civilized manner, with the discourse taking the high road of adults listening to adults and looking for the answers that serve the greater good of the citizenry.To continue to negotiate community issues vigorously and in good faith will indeed keep Saratoga the very special place that it is.

Carolyn Blesch, a 30-year resident, lives on Old Tree Way.