I doubt you knew the neighborhood around Blue Hills School was invited by the Cupertino School District to a meeting. This concerned the building of the YMCA center. That was about 1990. Did the parents know they were supposed to park in the parking lot and walk through the playground to the center? The neighbors stated this would never work. However, the school district stated it would not be a problem—end of discussion.

The neighbors on Goleta Avenue have tried to do something about parking. We as a group have been working with the city on a traffic plan. When a plan has been completed by parents, neighbors and the city, it will avoid the safety issue of children crossing the street anywhere, and areas will be provided for better vision and a better flow of traffic.

Safety on this street does not begin on Monday and end on Friday. Soccer games are here on the weekends for six months, as well as the pickup at the YMCA until evening.

The near-misses are just outside the door, and it is scary.

—Joan Greene, Goleta Avenue


Heritage commission saves Dorcich home

I have recently become aware of a pending housing proposal on Dorcich Ranch on Quito Road. My daughter and her neighbors recently viewed some of the proposed plans for this housing development at the Saratoga Planning Department several weeks ago.

I have heard that the heritage commission showed sensitivity and interest in the farmhouse on that property. Thank you for preserving the Dorcich Ranch home on Quito Road.

Since orchard property is diminishing, it's important to save what we can that represents the history of our neighborhood, community and city. I am pleased the heritage commission shares this belief.

I would also like to see the home with a plaque or other well-represented monument that displays the home as a "Saratoga heritage designated landmark structure," as designated on your preservation list. Including other ensurances that this home will be well taken care of and preserved. My neighbors and I would agree this is a home to preserve as a landmark. A question: Does this preservation also include the "barn" on the property?

An idea one of my neighbors suggested was to continue to have the Dorcich home a "Gateway landmark" in this area of Saratoga. Currently there is a low ranch-style fence on the property. Her idea is to position the preserved Dorcich home on the property so that residents of Saratoga can easily view this home from Quito Road without any walls, obstructions or large fences.

This would continue to add neighborhood charm to this area of Saratoga, which includes both El Quito Park and Sunland Park districts. To continue to have the Dorcich home as a heritage landmark in our districts will present a showcase of what our community and heritage commission have preserved.

As a side note, we are also concerned about the traffic and pedestrian issues that may arise from the construction of the Dorcich housing development (i.e., the large amount of cars traveling down Quito Road and the parking and foot traffic from the YMCA and finally the foot traffic from the bus stop in front of the Dorcich property). We hope the city is taking these factors under consideration and will suggest traffic advisory matters in this development to ensure the safety of all residents and businesses in this area.

—Ole Lara, 60-year resident of Saratoga