Compost workshops teach Saratogans to transform waste
A community compost workshop will be held in Saratoga on Sat., Sept. 14 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Community Center, Allendale and Fruitvale avenues.
Volunteer master composters from the University of California Cooperative Extension Home Composting Education Program for Santa Clara County will teach the basics of transforming yard waste into a living, natural soil amendment. Composting with worms will be included. The workshop is free.
For more information or to reserve a space, call 299-4147.
City Council approves ordinance to limit area garage sales
A new ordinance will set restrictions on garage sales held in the city.
The City Council approved the first reading of the ordinance at its July 17 meeting. If adopted, the ordinance would limit the number of "household sales" to no more than two in any 12-month period, prohibit the sale of any article of personal property acquired for the purpose of sale and limit signs to one on-site sign, no more than four square feet in area or four feet in height, to be displayed only at the location of the sale while it is under way.
The action was suggested after observations from community service officers that some residents seem to be in the "garage sale" business, holding a sale almost monthly instead of every few years or when moving.
Los Gatos, Saratoga and Cupertino suffer a power outage
Some 15,000 PG&E customers lost electricity during a three-hour power outage July 18. Most of those affected were located in Los Gatos, but surrounding Saratoga and Cupertino also experienced outages.
At 10:50 a.m., a maintenance crew at the Saratoga PG&E substation accidentally sprayed a small amount of dirt and water into a power arrestor while washing down the station's insulators. The sensitive equipment probably short-circuited, PG&E spokesman Scott Blakey said.
The delay in restoring power was caused by the time it took to remove damaged equipment, Blakey said.
"It was something that rarely happens. An investigation is under way to find out why the lightning arrestor went down," he said.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, July 24, 1996.
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