The people of Saratoga need the facts to several unsubstantiated assertions made by AYSO members. Kevin Moran Park was established as a neighborhood park from the very beginning. The park is utilized as a mandated access for elementary and middle school children. The 1991 Park Master Plan changing qualifications for neighborhood versus community status was never adopted. In 1996, council voted 5-0 that Kevin Moran Park was to remain a passive park; no soccer.

Comments stating that anti-development faction exists in the neighborhood are unfounded. Monies due to KMP were taken and given to El Quito or Beauchamps. The 600-plus neighbors, not a small faction, have signed a petition against additional flat grass and have asked for development of tennis, basketball, tot lot, bocce ball, meditation garden, specimen heritage orchard and community garden, as well as a few other items. These recommendations were made keeping in mind the need for our minimum service city to develop passive parks since Saratoga has no money.

Questions for the city:

* How much taxpayer money has been spent on soccer over the past 10-plus years? Right off the bat, we have $1.9 million of city funds for Congress Springs with soccer representing 4 percent of our population, a special interest group.

* How much money has been spent on senior facilities/services over the past 10-plus years, seniors representing 33-plus percent of our population?

* Where are the 520 city letters dated Sept. 14 that none of the neighbors received notifying them of a KMP council meeting on Sept. 21?

* Why did the city council let contracts at certain schools slip away to external city soccer groups (San Jose, Los Gatos)? Council minutes state that the council would be doing research and negotiations to secure school space for AYSO. In fact, the city promised this in a letter to the neighbors. Needless to say, our council spends more time on this than more important issues that affect the "whole" community, such as infrastructure.

* In a city letter to neighbors dated Aug. 4, 2004, the city stated that the KMP project was suspended until the city answered questions. One question the city was to answer before proceeding further was park status: neighborhood versus community. The city has had 16 months to provide the city-approved documentation of KMP status as a "community park." We, the neighbors and taxpayers, are still waiting to see it. Where is the document that would be subject to public meetings, not a staff person's opinion, declaring KMP as a community park and no longer a neighborhood park?

We, the neighbors of Kevin Moran Memorial Park--with redwood groves and sycamore trees, playground, grassy field (OK for soccer to utilize the last 10 years), par course and a heritage orchard--have requested that the city develop this park responsibly as a passive park, which will not put further burden on our city's future for maintenance and upkeep unlike an active use park such as Congress Springs Complex.

We, the neighbors, have waited 35 years.

Mary and Brian Robertson

Saraglen Drive

Connie and Jules Farago of Saraglen Drive, Sandy Cross of Scully Avenue, Doug and Imogene Blatz of Northhampton and Laurie and Steve Pakula of Northhampton also signed this letter.

Save North Campus
comes to an end

Our efforts to save the North Campus for the future of the Saratoga community have come to an end.

It is apparent that the city council will, on Nov. 16, authorize a change in the general plan, approve the environmental impact statement and rezone the land for nine residential lots and then sell the North Campus in January for more unneeded housing in Saratoga. Basically, the council majority is saying Saratoga needs the money from the sale now and will not need the land in the future. We disagree with the decision.

We have considered pursuing a referendum requiring the city council to put the issue on the ballot at the next general election so all citizens could vote on the issue but have determined that during the coming holiday season we do not have the resources to prepare a petition and collect the 2,000 signatures on the petition needed to qualify.

We are disappointed we could not save the land for the future of our city, but we are proud of our efforts for the city and the support we received from the residents. It was a long struggle, but we were very pleased with the many letters to the editor, emails, telephone calls, pledges and donations. We had over 300 citizens who pledged their support. Unfortunately we raised only $350,000 in pledges, and that was not enough to purchase and save the land in the time we had.

Our biggest disappointment was not that we were unable to raise sufficient funds to purchase the site for the community, it was the unwillingness of three members of the city council to address the need for land-use planning, listen to the residents and discuss the issues. It was clear Kathleen King, Nick Streit and Norm Kline had made up their minds eight months ago and did not want to discuss the issues at any time with the committee.

We do thank the community for listening to us. It is now up to the residents at the next city council election to determine if they agree or disagree with the current leadership and the direction the city is going.

Jack Mallory

Kirkdale Drive

Story leads to creation
of a unique piece of art

Who would have dreamed that the "Murals or Illusion" story in the Saratoga News May 18, 2005, about John Pugh, the well-known "trompe l'oeil" artist, would have had such a profound effect on me. Because of this wonderful article, I phoned John and inquired about a mural for my living room. Since his price was more than I could afford, he gave me the names of two local artists who work for him and I commissioned them to paint a mural on muslin of my Paris apartment where I lived in 1980. It's a beautiful, unique piece of art. When I sit in my real living room, I am actually in two counties, the United States and France. Thank you so much for publishing the John Pugh story.

Esther Dickler

Fruitvale Avenue