Saratoga News

Letters & Opinions

Speak Out

Saratoga alive with
the sound of music

Last Saturday the Village of Saratoga was alive with music and dance in the Bank of America parking lot from 5 to 7 p.m. The community dance, called "Saratoga Swings," was the idea of one resident, Donna Guldimann, and her friends Lynda Anderson, Saundra Hill and Connie Mitchell. They rented a stage for the live band the Classics, they set out tables with linen tablecloths and bouquets of flowers, they commandeered a dance instructor (Agnes Gregorian) and they got permission from the bank to use its parking lot after hours. It was a wonderful evening full of camaraderie and fun. And it was free to all. The sidewalks were jammed and the stores and restaurants were hopping.

The same four residents are planning another evening of dance on Saturday, July 28. This time the crowd will be doing salsa, again from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Bank of America parking lot on Big Basin Way. Please come, bring the children and the grandchildren and have a night of good wholesome fun. It's like having a block party in the whole town.

Jill Hunter

Lomita Avenue

Hanson Cement can't
be allowed to expand

Hanson Cement (in Cupertino) has been listed as one of the major point sources of air pollution in Santa Clara County by Scorecard, the pollution information website. It is the biggest source of five out of six criteria air pollutants. These are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and sulfur dioxide. These compounds have been well documented to be significant causes of human morbidity and mortality. Their deleterious effects on the atmosphere are also very well documented.

Unfortunately, Santa Clara County is already suffering from poor air quality, matching the air quality of some of the dirtiest counties in the entire country. The American Lung Association in its latest report card has given the county an F grade with regard to particulate air pollution. So Hanson Cement is polluting air that is already classified by Scorecard and the American Lung Association as among the dirtiest in the nation. This being the case, how can Hanson Cement be possibly allowed to triple the size of their operations?

Hanson Cement is located close to a densely populated urban area, and the deleterious impact of their operations--long-term health effects--is not limited to the foothills of Cupertino but the entire county. Can the operators of Hanson Cement provide us with clear quantitative information of how this expansion would affect all of the above air quality criteria? Can they provide clear plans for mitigating the adverse effects of their operations? Can they provide us data as to how many trucks use Stevens Creek/Foothill roads to get to the freeway today, and what would this number be if they receive approval for their expansion plans?

I strongly encourage all fellow citizens of Santa Clara County to attend the public meeting at Cupertino Community Hall, 4-6 p.m., on July 26. If you cannot attend, then write to the county planning division and to elected officials. The time to act is now because once an agreement is in place, it will be extremely difficult to get any changes made.

Lola Kashyap

Cupertino