In the eight years during which I have been writing these columns, there have been many references to Saratoga's Heritage Orchard, including entire columns devoted to that subject. It's gotten to the point where one could say that, topic-wise, I have run the orchard into the ground, which really is where it belongs (end of joke).
However, just when said topic had earned a long rest on my part, along comes a "Speak Out" letter to this paper that has ignited the issue again. It's from a resident of the Prides Crossing area, which includes the Kevin Moran Park. The writer cites the reported plan of the city council to build two full-size soccer fields, restrooms and parking facilities at that park.
The letter states that this project "would be detrimental to our neighborhood," and I couldn't agree more. The park now is a verdant landscape of lawns and playground facilities that can be enjoyed by the residents of the surrounding neighborhood, as well as visitors. Soccer fields and the accompanying facilities would bring noise and traffic that could only be objectionable in a residential neighborhood.
Where I part company with the writer, though, is where the letter expresses the belief that "it is unrealistic for the city of Saratoga to hold onto land such as the large, 'unused,' Heritage Orchard located on Saratoga Avenue when it could be put to good use for the benefit of the community."
The writer then recommends that the council vote "to build the two full-size soccer fields, restrooms and parking facilities on the large, 'unused' Heritage Orchard."
I think it's that word "unused" that bugs me the most. I submit that the Heritage Orchard is "unused" in the same sense that the Parthenon at Athens is "unused." Call it a symbol, call it a monument, I contend that the orchard's importance goes beyond its basic function as a producer of fruit. It represents one of the main reasons there is a Saratoga today.
Look around at the cities in this country that are recognized because of their significance in history. It's a long list that includes places like Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New York. Here on the West Coast there are cities that are known for their significance beyond being simply collections of houses. Saratoga is one.
Once, before "silicon" came into the vocabulary, agriculture in the form of orchards was dominant in this valley. Saratoga was at the heart of this, and the Heritage Orchard survives as a key symbol of this significance. I maintain that it is not "unused."
I think it's safe to say that, if soccer fields, restrooms and parking lots became part of that particular landscape, the Heritage Orchard as we know it would be gone. Some kind of park, maybe, but not an orchard of any significance.
So, where does one find "unused" land in Saratoga? I'm thinking of a section along the north side of Saratoga Avenue between Cox Avenue and Highway 85.
It's privately owned and, like almost every other property around here, had been an orchard. Now it's a vacant lot, overgrown with weeds and underbrush. Once, it had been considered as a site for the library. Is there a possibility here? Save the Heritage Orchard!
By Willys Peck