The Willow Glen Resident

Around The Glen

Volunteers needed for San Jose senior games

Organizers of the third annual "Silicon Valley Classic" San Jose Senior Games are seeking volunteers to help out with the sporting event. The games run July 9-12 and include badminton, basketball, golf, tennis, swimming and track and field.

Volunteers are needed to help out with the athletic events and with clerical duties, equipment, photography and public relations. They will receive a special-edition T-shirt, training and a volunteer-appreciation party. For more information, call Alan Briscoe at 244-1353 or fax 249-9460.

--Rebecca Wallace

County to join pilot retrofitting program

Last time Santa Clara County residents collectively felt the earth move, it wasn't a pleasant group experience. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake left many homeowners with shifted foundations, cracked plaster and, after repairs, empty wallets.

Homeowners who escaped property damage in that quake but fear future tremors may qualify for the California Earthquake Authority's Residential Retrofit Program. The pilot program is designed to assist homeowners in identifying significant weaknesses and risks to their houses from earthquakes, link them to contractors trained in retrofitting and help them secure low-interest loans to pay for the work.

Participants with CEA earthquake insurance will receive reductions in their premiums and reduced interest rates.

Homes eligible for the program--launched June 15 in Santa Clara, Humboldt and Ventura counties--are wood-frame structures built before 1979. They must have crawl spaces or unbolted foundations and may not have pre-existing damage from earlier earthquakes or show signs of water or pest damage to foundations.

For details, call 916/492-4300.

--Anne Gelhaus

Low-income renters, homeowners can apply for state tax rebate

California taxpayers who are age 62 or older, disabled or blind and have annual household incomes of $13,200 or less can apply for a tax rebate through the city of San Jose's Office on Aging.

To assist applicants, the office's Retired Senior Volunteer Program has placed volunteers trained by the Franchise Tax Board at sites throughout San Jose, as well as in Campbell, Los Gatos, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale, through Aug. 31.

Applicants must show proof of age, disability or blindness and bring in either a rent receipt for the year or a property tax statement. They also must show proof of all sources of income.

The rebate--which averages $110 for renters and $100 for homeowners in Santa Clara County--is a refund of state property taxes paid. For more information, call the Office on Aging at 277-4790.

--Anne Gelhaus

[ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ]