The Willow Glen Resident Around The Glen Chicano Networking in the New Year The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has formed a new group, HOLA (Hispanic Optimum Leads Association). The freshly-formed association hopes to provide opportunities for business contacts, meeting folks and general mingling with other business professionals. HOLA meets every Tuesday at noon at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 1376 N. 4th Street in San Jose. The mixer is in the 2nd floor board room. RSVP by calling 467-9890 or sending a fax to 467-9899. --Mary Spicuzza Future fountain will get another trailside home City planners and the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association have decided on a new location for the water fountain it is having installed on the Los Gatos Creek Trail. WGNA recently decided to donate the fountain to celebrate the closure of its involvement after years of contributing to the cross-county hike-and-bike route. After initially deciding on a site near the information kiosk at Willow Glen's northern entrance to the trail, the association learned that water easement issues at the location could stall the installment of the fountain for more than a year. The WGNA has opted for the high-traffic Blackford Elementary School site, which also has access to water pipes running along the trail. The new fountain, a concrete aggregate model designed to be wheelchair-accessible, will be installed as part of the current project to pave the trail. Since the paving project is weather-dependent, there is no set date for the new fountain to be in operation. --Mary Spicuzza Kragen's former spot available for tenant Nearly three months after Kragen Auto Parts relocated to the northern end of Lincoln Avenue, the building at its former location on the corner of Lincoln and Meredith remains vacant. Martin Leon, who is handling the sublet for Kragen, says that the tenants he's interviewed either don't possess appropriate financial backing or are looking for a smaller space. "I've had interest from salons and accounting firms, but they only wanted a certain portion of the space," Leon said. Leon was also contacted by a consignment gallery, however it was a startup businesses, he says, without a strong financial background. "I didn't want to end up with bigger problems than a vacant building," he said. Although parking at the building is limited to 15 on-site spots, Leon says he's not ruling out the possibility of a restaurant tenant. In order for this to work however, Leon would likely have to secure a parking variance from the city of San Jose. "I would love to put a restaurant there," he said. Because the building has been empty for some time, Leon says he's actively looking for tenants and eager to complete a lease. --By Cecily Barnes [ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Willow Glen Resident, January 27, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.