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Speak Out
Save Founder's Day or community will
As is typical in our household my wife and I put the kids down to sleep last night, cleaned the kitchen and then enjoyed some quiet time. I picked up the Aug. 22 issue of the WILLOW GLEN RESIDENT and was immediately taken aback by the cover article, which described the circumstances under which Founder's Day would not be celebrated this year.
How, I thought, could the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association keep such a decision under wraps for so long and then offer up such weak excuses for what obviously was their own lack of attention to a wonderful Willow Glen tradition? I finished the article and was filled with a sense of helplessness. Why is the association shutting the Willow Glen community out? Do they really feel that we don't care or wouldn't want to help save the event? Why didn't they at least tell us and ask for the community's help?
I continued on to read your opinion article on page 17 and was then filled with another emotion. This time I was encouraged by a sense of hope. Someone does care I thought, and I was sure that there must be many others in our community that do as well.
I was born and raised in the Santa Clara Valley, and my wife and I bought our home in Willow Glen just over two years ago. I have lived on and off in the Willow Glen/Campbell area for the past 10 years, and my wife and I made a very conscious decision to put our roots down and raise our three children here in Willow Glen. Willow Glen has an incredible sense of community, and celebrating Founder's Day represents exactly that.
We are very proud to be from Willow Glen and believe that our neighborhood is filled with incredibly kind and caring people. You are correct. Founder's Day must be salvaged!
I don't know exactly how our family can help, but please let us know what can be done. I work full time, my wife runs her own mortgage business out of our house, and we are raising three fantastic children, but we are more than willing to donate our time for the Founder's Day celebration. We will also be more than happy to donate $1,000 to the Founder's Day celebration "pot."
Just point us all in the right direction, and I'm sure we can raise the eyebrows of the association. They will listen, or they will be replaced by those of us that want to make a difference in our community.
Jim Voydat
Jonathan Avenue
Businesses are bitter about Founder's Day
Here is another twist to the Founder's Day situation: What about the Realtors, business owners and service providers that were solicited to place ads in the WILLOW GLEN RESIDENT and other papers, who formatted, paid and expected their ads to generate both good will and revenue and now will be left with bitter feelings. Being a Realtor, I know of many Realtors who bought ads (I did not) and know of businesses on "the avenue" who did. What, if anything, is the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association going to do to "make things right" with the people and businesses that they are supposed to represent?
H. Zimlich
Century 21 SCVA
Lincoln Avenue
The Willow Glen Resident is not one of the newspapers that solicited advertising for Founder's Day -Editor
Appalled at WGBPA
Thank you for an excellent opinion article in the Aug.22 issue of the Willow Glen Resident. As a past member of the executive board of the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association (WGBPA), I am appalled by the decision to cancel this year's Founder's Day celebration.
The association has had a lot of difficulty in operation. However, what association doesn't? The association's board of directors is difficult. I believe this to be the reason it has no volunteers who want to work with its members. As a member of the association and a business owner, I have yet to see a newsletter or be informed of any functions, and I feel my Business Investment District (BID) dollars are wasted.
The community is exhausted hearing about this so-called embezzlement. Dimitri Rizos was a fine association manager. He was also respected. Believe me, if there were $11,000 to be taken, I sure would like to know where it came from and how it could have happened under our noses. This is simply a power struggle that happens when people think they can do better not knowing how difficult the job is. This board needs to wake up and smell the coffee. Is it any wonder that people won't step forward?
Willow Glen has many fine merchants that could do a wonderful job if they were enjoying it. This board made it no fun. I hear the complaint weekly from my customers who used to volunteer. Hopefully, good people will step forward and set an example.
Julie Painchaud
Laurie Avenue
Yellow Cab should be new housing complex
As a Willow Glen resident, I am in favor of converting the Yellow Cab Company site into new housing. This particular corner has been a black eye for the approach to Willow Glen for many years. I also support residents' comments that something be done about making the development more community-friendly by perhaps having as many units as possible face the street.
I, however, strongly disagree with the neighbors who indicated that a Spanish-style architecture would not conform to the area. The three most common housing styles in Willow Glen are Tudor, Craftsman and Spanish. All Willow Glen neighborhoods have Spanish architecture in them in colonial, mission or southwest styles. In fact the nearby Palm Haven neighborhood has numerous wonderful Spanish-style homes, many that front onto Bird Avenue.
Other classic Spanish style examples in Willow Glen are the recent remodeling of the downtown Adobe Hall building and the new upcoming Long's Drugs building which will have a Spanish motif. Area neighbors might be interested in knowing that the oldest house in Willow Glen is the Sunol Adobe, a very Spanish-style building.
Spanish architecture is very Willow Glen. I think Spanish-style housing at that corner would be great if it is done authentically. If some residents insist that a Spanish theme doesn't conform, then they run the risk of merely appearing to be anti-Hispanic. I hope they focus their attention on other much more important questions like quality design and finishes.
J. Michael Gonzales
Marques Avenue
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
