A recent letter ("Railroad crossing at Cox is in need of repair," Jan. 18) expressed unhappiness over the bumpy railroad crossing at Cox Avenue. I would like to point out a truly dangerous situation at the same site. A metal barrier protecting the warning light completely blocks the bike path, forcing cyclists into the busy stream of traffic and over the most uneven section of pavement.

A simple solution would be to lower the curb and allow bikers to use a short segment of the rarely used sidewalk to get around this obstacle.

Something should be done before a serious accident occurs.

Alex Bernyk

Williamsburg Lane

Kevin Moran should remain
a park, not a soccer field

Please leave Kevin Moran Park as a park. We have enough soccer fields in Saratoga. I have lived in my home in Saratoga for 36 years. Do the people supporting more soccer facilities live here in Saratoga, and have they lived here for 36 years? No.

In a few years their children will be grown and gone, but we who live here in Saratoga will still be here wanting a quiet, natural space in which to walk, meditate or take our children and grandchildren for play.

There are plenty of soccer fields already in Saratoga. The number of soccer players has not grown, only the people pushing soccer fields. Let's preserve the quiet and natural surroundings, which have made Saratoga such a desirable place to live. Let's preserve the property values that must undoubtedly decline with the installation of a busy soccer field, the required parking, the noise and the numerous cars coming and going.

We need Kevin Moran as a park, not a soccer field. Let's not destroy any more trees.

Carolyn M. Keen

Goleta Court

Visit Kevin Moran Park
now, before it changes

From those of us who cherish Kevin Moran Park, to those of you who don't even know of its existence, run over to it and enjoy it before it is no longer a meditative retreat.

Then when it comes time to elect new council members, swiftly kick out Nick Streit, Ann Waltonsmith, Kathleen King and Aileen Kao. They will have been solely responsible for the loss of Kevin Moran Park, as it is.

Some of us are not constantly plugged into our radios, iPods or cell phones. We like quiet. There used to be a time and place for everything. Now, many of us fail to see the difference.

Mal Mori

Miller Avenue

City should have chosen
half-size field option

While the local soccer leagues provide a very worthwhile activity for the soccer youth and families of Saratoga, there remains the issue of just how much of Saratoga's city park and school fields, as well as park maintenance costs, should be devoted to soccer as opposed to other recreational uses. Substantial city park space is already being used by soccer teams whose membership is a small percentage of the city's population. The question is, how much is enough?

The city already provides eight game fields with the Congress Springs and El Quito parks. Two schools, Blue Hills and Redwood, provide an additional two game fields. The El Quito Park field is primarily used by a Cupertino-based soccer league (De Anza Youth Soccer League, which includes Saratoga residents).

Kevin Moran Park currently provides practice-only flat grass for two teams at a time. Local schools (Argonaut, Foothill, Saratoga, Marshall Lane and Christa McAuliffe) provide an additional 20 practice fields. Christa McAuliffe School is primarily used by the West San Jose AYSO league (which also includes Saratoga residents). West Valley College and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints each provide two practice fields. This is a lot of land devoted to just one sport.

Still, the city council voted for more land for soccer--a full-size, under-16 field to be added to Kevin Moran Park, in addition to the one half-size field that already exists there. This would allow six teams to practice simultaneously, as well as allow official games to be played. El Quito Park already provides this size field.

The alternative proposed by the neighborhood reps for the development of Kevin Moran Park added another half-size soccer field to the existing one, which would have provided practice space for four teams. This fits easily into the space on one side of the existing park without disturbing the natural beauty of the park, while limiting the incoming traffic to more manageable levels.

Bruce Euler

Miller Avenue

Council made the correct
decision in park issue

These are the facts:

1. Kevin Moran Park is one of the largest "community" parks in Saratoga.

2. Kevin Moran Park is slated for renovation using grants specifically designated for park improvement; funds are not being taken from other city needs.

3. A task force was implemented over six months ago to come up with a solution that served the needs of the neighbors, the community at large and special interest groups (including soccer, cricket and any outdoor activity that requires flat grass).

4. The task force came up with two options but could not get past their differences.

5. The task force turned the decision over to the city council.

6. The city council had Kevin Moran Park on its agenda on Jan. 4, at which time it listened to all sides of the issue until well past midnight.

7. When the 50-plus speakers finished, the city council members respectfully discussed the matter and took a vote.

8. At approximately 12:30 a.m., the majority of the council members voted to include in the renovation plans one full-size and one half-size soccer field to serve the needs of the ever-growing youth population in this wonderful community.

The decision is made, and now it is time to move on. We need to quit beating this dead horse and live with the majority decision that was placed in the hands of the city council.

The neighbors need to stop being ridiculously tainted with their comments. You need to accept the decision and share the park with all of Saratoga, including its youth who play outdoor sports on severely limited space already. Even with the fields that will be added, the youth still will not have enough fields to accommodate them.

Lori Hibbett

Via Regina

Kevin Moran Park the
wrong place for soccer

As a longtime supporter of AYSO soccer, I am alarmed at the amount of bad will being generated toward AYSO in my community due to a controversial project that has the city divided. This is the addition of major playfields, parking and restrooms at Kevin Moran Park. Ten years ago (in 1994-95), Little League proposed a similar plan, but after studying the park, determined it was too small, not served by major streets and would generate too many bad feelings by concerned neighbors. The local AYSO president concurred, and its use as a small practice field remained, which was acceptable to all--until now.

I am too far from Kevin Moran Park to be affected by the installation of new sporting devices, but I am deeply concerned about the safety of the young grammar school-age children using the park.

In addition, unsavory people live in very close proximity to the park (see story, page 1). Some neighbors will no longer let their children use or cross the park unsupervised due to this. We can only pray for the inevitable child walking home or left standing alone after soccer practice, waiting for a delayed parent to pick them up as darkness falls.

A.L. Hoffman

Northampton Drive

CORRECTIONS

In last week's cover story, "Chic Pick," names were misspelled. The members of the Chapter Chics are: Ann Renn, Pam DeBarr, Lisa Enquist, Pam Fox, Karen Grellas, Bernie Hoye, Melodie Addison, Jane Sample, Stephanie Scordelis, Lisa Seago, Carolyn Silberman, Marisa Ribarbelli, Gayle Rohner and Ruth Welch.

In the Jan. 18 story, "Saratoga Cub Scouts are on track for annual derby day," a child was misidentified in a photograph. The boy holding his face in his hands was Sahaj Mahesh.