A ceremony honoring Gordon Duncan as the new Saratoga fire chief was held Feb. 11. Friends, family and members of the Saratoga City Council attended the two-hour affair, which included speeches made by Duncan and the commissioner of the fire district. Duncan, who has been with the department for 1¹/2 years as the assistant chief, will be taking Ernest Kraule's position. Duncan is working on the complete renovation of the fire building on the corner of Big Basin and Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road.


Saratoga's annual Crab Feed returns

The Saratoga Chamber of Commerce will host the 10th annual Saratoga Community Crab Feed on March 1 at Church of the Ascension on Miller Avenue. The three-hour event will feature all-you-can-eat cold cracked Dungeness crab, salad, bread, pasta and dessert. The cost is $27.50 for adults and $12 for kids 12 and under. Tickets must be purchased by Feb. 24 at Colour Shoppe Draperies & Interiors, located at 12361 Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road. For more information, call the Chamber of Commerce at 408.867.0753.


PSC amends plan for McFarland

Commissioners of the public safety committee voted 3 to 1 to approve the design plan for McFarland Avenue, with the recommendation to city council to amend the residents' request. The original plan, which was proposed by street representative Michael Bustamante and residents of the El Quito neighborhood, includes adding four speed humps and three chatter bars along McFarland. The total cost for the traffic-calming devices in the El Quito area will exceed the allocated $50,000 by $5,000.

Commissioners suggest removing the unnecessary set of chatter bars at the intersection of McFarland Avenue and Paseo Presada as well as one speed hump. This will be presented at the next city council meeting, to be held on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Saratoga Civic Theater.