Do you value open space? This is the question Saratoga residents should ask themselves. If your answer is affirmative, then you can appreciate that the city of Saratoga has the unprecedented opportunity to secure the legal right to use PG&E property.

State money is available to make improvements such as bridges over creeks and other safety improvements to the area alongside the railroad tracks adjacent to Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road. If you value preserving the trees and natural plantings that already exist while implementing a simple and safe all-weather trail, then you should be encouraging your city council to move forward with the proposed De Anza-PG&E trail.

I have heard many residents say, "I just want the trail to stay the same." The only way the city can work to ensure this is to secure the legal access to the area from PG&E. This project is fully funded by VTA funds and a private donor.

School children walk and bike to nearby Blue Hills School along this route and improvements would help them immensely. This is a trail for residents of Saratoga; it is going to be accessed by citizens from their own backyard gates or nearby sidewalks, the same way it is now. How would you feel if PG&E came along one day and nailed your backyard gate shut?

Again and again I hear residents say that they value the "rural nature" of Saratoga. If we don't work to preserve that "rural nature" now, then it will not last. Someday the railroad will cease to run. If we have the official easement for a trail on the PG&E land, then we will be able to block the railroad and PG&E from selling their adjacent lands for housing or business in the future. We should prepare for that day by making passive land use a priority in our community and securing the PG&E open space for Saratoga's future.

Denise Goldberg

Scully Avenue

Trail users need to
clean up after dogs

I'm a heavy user of the trail that runs along the railroad tracks. The only improvement I would like to see would be several well-placed signs that read: "All dogs must be on a leash, and clean up your pet's excrement." This would go a long way in improving the "user-friendliness" of the trail.

Cynthia Sartori

Knollwood Drive

Henna 'hairdo' helps
out a cancer patient

I am a cancer patient with a healing story. This spring I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a mastectomy and am now in chemotherapy. I lost a breast, my hair, my eyebrows, my eyelashes and my self-esteem. I found myself figuratively holding my breath, waiting for this phase of my life to be over. I decided that this was not an acceptable way to lead my life.

I was determined to do something that was life affirming and came up with the felicitous idea of having my head painted by a henna specialist. I asked a few questions and was directed to the most marvelous woman, Roopa Raman of Henna Bash in Cupertino. Roopa had never painted a head before but undertook the challenge with sensitivity and artistry, bringing to the project a spiritual quality that was very healing and which I now refer to as "my henna therapy."

The results have far exceeded my expectations. I am physically and emotionally energized by it. People who know me tell me I'm glowing. People who don't know me stop me to tell me how neat it looks, how cool, how artistic, sometimes even calling out from cars to voice their approval. Yesterday a man at the hardware store said, "You are a unique lady."

I no longer feel as though I am being dismembered, rather that I am remembering a life filled with riches, a golden time. I will continue to get a henna tattoo once a month (different each time, like a new hairdo) until my hair starts growing back. I eagerly propose henna therapy to others who are undergoing chemotherapy and send this message: You, too, are a unique person. Embrace it! I wish you joy.

Lee Rogers

Los Altos

Is Moran a sports park
or neighborhood park?

The key issue in the development of Kevin Moran Park is, should it be developed into a sports park or kept a neighborhood park as it has always been envisioned?

What is a neighborhood park? The city of Saratoga has 11 neighborhood parks, typically located in a Saratoga neighborhoods surrounded by homes. Although they are called neighborhood parks, they are available to all Saratoga residents.

They are open spaces that provide people of all ages a place to go and enjoy the outdoors in a peaceful environment whether it's walking a dog, kids playing on play structures, taking advantage of a par course, playing checkers, playing a family game of football, flying a kite and much, much more.

They don't have a lot of parking and they don't import a lot of additional traffic into the neighborhood.

What is a sports park? The city of Saratoga currently has one sports park, Congress Springs. It is the only sports park in the city and we can thank a few dedicated individuals that we have this park. It is primarily used for Little League baseball and some soccer.

So what makes a sports park different? These are facilities that are designed to support organized sports (baseball, softball, soccer, football, cricket ... ). Because of the demand for these facilities they are typically scheduled for maximum utilization.

By their nature they generate a lot of noise, traffic and require adequate off-street parking. If designed well they provide a noise buffer from the surrounding neighborhood on all sides. School facilities are also heavily used to support organized sports.

Kevin Moran Park is not suitable for a sports park. It is truly a Saratoga treasure and an example of what a neighborhood park should be. It is used by young and old to enjoy the serenity of the outdoor open space. It is surrounded on all but one side by homes and the other by the freeway.

It has no off-street parking but enough street parking to support the frequent visitors from other neighborhoods. Scully is the main access street to the park off Prospect Road.

Scully is not a very wide street and the intersection of Scully and Prospect is already challenging with weekend traffic from the neighborhood and adjacent church activities.

A portion of the park is a very old orchard, which has been there since the 1800s. The neighborhood is in favor of further development of the park but we want to make sure it remains a neighborhood park that is available to all Saratogans and that it has all of the characteristics of a neighborhood park.

It is clear that Saratoga needs more sports park facilities but we should not give up our neighborhood park treasures to satisfy this endless demand. So what is the answer?

The city currently owns a very large parcel of undeveloped land called Central Park. It is more than adequately buffered on all sides by churches and city facilities. It provides more than adequate traffic access from Saratoga Avenue and Fruitvale Avenue.

In addition to providing a venue for organized sports, it could also be developed in such a way as to support citywide functions including activities such as a concert in the park series.

Central Park currently contains what has been referred to as the Heritage Orchard. It is important to preserve our orchard heritage and we should preserve parts of the Central Park and Kevin Moran Park as Heritage Orchards.

Let's do the right thing. Too often we look for the quick fix, solving the immediate problem at hand and not taking the time or effort to back off and look at the big picture.

We need to preserve the neighborhood parks we have and make sure these city treasures are not destroyed. We also need to realize that this city has a sport park facility problem that needs to be fixed, but in the right way.

If you agree be sure and let city hall know.

Bob Alley

Northampton Drive