Have you noticed Highway 9 is a little cleaner and vegetation has been cut back? At one time recently, we spotted 11 trucks and their crews working on Highway 9 to scrape, sweep and trim back trees and bushes to gain a little more pavement on the shoulders and open up visibility.

We wanted to pass on a "thank you" to John Curtis and the town of Los Gatos, John Cherbone and the city of Saratoga, Brian Loventhal and the city of Monte Sereno and CalTrans for the wonderful trimming and clean-up effort on Highway 9.

This was a wonderful joint effort by all involved, and we thank you for making this happen and taking action to make the roadway a little safer until funding comes through to do even more work.

JoAnne Peth, Lana Malloy

Monte Sereno

Show seniors just how
'rich' Saratoga really is

In September 2003, I attended a community meeting and watched senior after senior get up to the microphone to request help for their senior center. After reading how disappointed the seniors are because of the city council's decision to sell the North Campus, I feel compelled to write.

Someone at that meeting said that Saratoga is a "rich" community. Rich in what sense? Rich in the sense of caring about our neighbors, sharing with our neighbors, reaching out to our neighbors? Rich in the heritage handed down through the generations? Rich in the care its citizens have given to keep their yards and streets looking attractive and repaired? Rich in the sense that the people have supported and maintained its schools, merchants and fire department? Or just rich in the cost of its real estate?

Saratoga is home to a very large number of seniors. Look around your neighborhood. One-third of the residents on my cul-de-sac are retired and have lived here most of their lives. Most of them have lived here since the 1940s and '50s. They are living off of Social Security and pensions. Most of them are not rich. Certainly, if they mortgage their homes or sold the homes in which they raised their children, they could be considered rich. But they would prefer to spend their "twilight years" in the town that they nurtured and watched grow into the community it is today.

Saratoga seniors have invested up to 50 years of their lives, or more, in this town. They have invested in its people, starting up and supporting its many clubs, organizations, services, businesses and schools. They have also paid 50 years of property taxes to help support schools their children attended only 12 years. They have paid a $40 million parcel tax for the schools. And they donate even more money to the Saratoga Education Foundation for the schools, for the benefit of the younger citizens of this city.

Isn't it time for us to give to them for a change? Isn't it time to give the seniors a return on their investment? Isn't it time to show them we are a "rich" city--rich in respect, care and concern for our elders? Isn't it time to say "thank you" and give them back just a little of what they gave all of us? Isn't it time for them to sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor, rather than have to expend further time and effort trying to solicit the city government to help them out?

Instead, why don't those Saratoga citizens who do have extra money consider donating some of it to the Senior Center, 19655 Allendale Ave., Saratoga. Then maybe they can purchase that nice North Campus with the beautiful trees and not have to fight the traffic around Redwood Middle School to get to their senior center. The middle school students can take over the seniors' current facility and have the larger building that they want. It would be a win-win situation.

Riches come from the heart, not from the value of the land. Let's open our hearts to the seniors in our community and show our appreciation for the years they have invested in Saratoga, making it the "rich" community it is today.

Diane Gorman

Kahala Court

Voters won't forget
council decision in '06

Sam Goldwyn was right: A spoken agreement isn't worth the paper it's written on. Neither is the city of Saratoga's word. At [the Feb. 16] council meeting I was appalled to hear Norman Kline baldly state that Saratoga's agreement (when it bought the Grace Methodist Church property at well below market) to use North Campus for civic uses was not binding because it was made by a prior council!

I won't forget those ill-chosen words in 2006, and I'm sure a lot of other voters won't either.

Barbara Mendenhall

Idlewood Lane

Reader says, 'Another
one bites the dust'

A few weeks ago the shoe repair shop closed its doors. Most Saratogans would not give the closing a second thought. To me and many others, it is another sign of the decline of our Village shopping. Last year Henrietta Hens and Patrick James shut their doors. California Living is about to move out of town.

The town's business development coordinator has left and moved to Los Gatos.

The Saratoga City Council needs to be proactive in attracting new businesses. Two new businesses--Tapioca Express and Uncorked--are great additions.

Walk through any other local downtown district, such as Los Gatos, Willow Glen or Los Altos.

They have regional chain stores that bring in business and vibrancy. You will find energy that downtown Saratoga is lacking.

Our downtown is moving in the wrong direction.

We as citizens of Saratoga can do two things: support downtown business, and voice your opinion to our city council.

Bob Shepherd

Forrest Hills Drive

Creative solution needed
to save North Campus

The city council, by a 3-2 vote, has decided to sell the North Campus, the prime city property on Prospect Avenue that they bought three years ago from the Grace Methodist Church.

This property was meant for current and for future community use and posed no traffic or parking problems as our current city facilities do on Allendale. It requires remodeling but is useable. Now this property is planned for simply another nine houses.

This is depressing to me, a resident since 1967, a former member of the city council and an active member of the community.

We are giving up valuable city land that would benefit the whole community now and in the future to solve the city's short-term financial problems.

The decision to sell is a logical business decision but not a good decision for the future of Saratoga as we are running out of land for city use and the land costs continue to rise.

I ask myself many questions like:

Why does the council want to continue to centralize all of the city facilities on one dead-end city street that has parking and traffic problems?

Why won't Saratoga residents--with such expensive houses, high incomes, and intelligent people--fund the city expenses to maintain our beautiful city?

Why, why, why?

To insure the residents of Saratoga really want to sell this important land, I ask that the city council suspend the sale six months to give the people of Saratoga an opportunity to come up with a creative financial plan to save this property for the use of the community.

If that doesn't do it, this retiree will at least be able to say we were given the opportunity to save it.

John "Jack" Mallory

Kirkmont Drive