The Willow Glen Resident

Letters

Residents with dogs should obey the rules

I was appalled when I read the opinion of Stephen Keller in the Dec. 3 issue of the Willow Glen Resident. Mr. Keller is threatening our law-abiding seniors who walk their dogs on a leash. Mr. Keller needs a course in Civics 101.

It's the law-abiding seniors who have kept Willow Glen a safe and pleasant place to live. It was the lack of respect for the law that almost closed the Willow Glen High School track to the public.

When dogs are allowed to run freely, they can intimidate and knock down people without notice. I wonder if Mr. Keller follows his free-running dog around to pick up its waste? While Mr. Keller is socializing with others, his dog is free to deposit waste without him noticing it.

There are three city ordinances and a state penal code that prohibit such behavior.

Unfortunately, we are living in a time of selfishness. If it feels good, do it. I agree with Mr. Keller that the field at the high school is large enough to accommodate everyone, but we must follow the rules.

Thomas Sutton
Westgate Avenue

Article on billiards hall was one-sided

I was very surprised at the tone of the article "Planners decide pool hall must close at midnight--for now" (The Resident, Nov. 26). It seems that Cecily Barnes was at a different planning meeting than I was. Meredith Avenue residents requested that the city take care of the noise and parking issues posed by extending Billiards and Brew's hours before allowing the owners to stay open past midnight. They were not at issue with the current Billiards and Brew operation, but with the additional problems that would arise with extended hours.

I wonder, is it common for the Willow Glen Resident to be pro-business, without representing or seeking the residents' point of view? Cecily Barnes had obviously conducted an extensive interview with the Billiards and Brew management but did not even attempt to contact any residents.

In the article, Demetri Rizos, the manager of the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association, said that we chose to purchase homes off of a main avenue, but when we did, businesses were not allowed to stay open past 10 p.m. While there are no guarantees in life, I find it offensive for Lincoln Avenue to be compared to other main streets. If Lincoln Avenue is such a main street, then why did Billiards and Brew require a variance and special conditional use permit in order to be able to operate here, and why does it require an additional variance and special use permit to operate 24 hours a day?

Here are some questions that came up for me as a result of the planning meeting and Cecily's article:

If Billiards and Brew knew that they would have to stay open until 2 a.m. to be able to stay in business and would only have "one hour" of good business, why did they request a midnight closing time on their original zoning change request and conditional use permit? Wasn't it always their intention to move for later hours once their doors were open? Even if this was, doesn't the Planning Commission's recommendation to review this new request after one year of operation make sense? The residents on Meredith consider this to be reasonable.

How can Billiards and Brew compare the impact of their stated 200 customers at midnight with Plaza's and Sharky's numbers of about a dozen each? Can they really deny that their business has had a more significant impact, especially considering that those businesses support adequate on-site parking?

Is it a greater right for Billiards and Brew to stay in business and increase their revenue than it is for the residents who have invested in this neighborhood to want to preserve their quality of life?

While Billiards and Brew is an "upscale" establishment, once the zoning has been changed, what would prevent other "less upscale" businesses from moving in?

When the "no smoking" law takes effect in 1998, where will their customers be going to smoke their cigars during business hours?

Again, I restate: Our issue is not with Billiards and Brew's intent to do business. But the city cannot grant businesses extended hours without taking care of the residents. We are willing to work with Billiards and Brew and have suggested two solutions to our concern over parking and noise : permit parking or changing Meredith Avenue to a one-way street.

It was Billiards and Brew's management's inability to address such concerns that caused the five-to-one vote in favor of the motion for delay. Why does Karamanos blame the residents?

One of the purposes of the Planning Commission is to help businesses and residents coexist by considering the impact of decisions on all parties. Why would Billiards and Brew criticize the residents for participating in the planning meeting when they had not attempted to seek out our opinions in advance?

Lynne Welke
Meredith Avenue

When will the city fix hole, remove debris?

In an August issue of The Resident, you ran an article regarding the extension of the Los Gatos Creek Trail to downtown San Jose. I and many other seniors enjoy the trail for our daily constitutionals.

I would like to bring to the attention of District 6 City Councilmember Frank Fiscalini and the San Jose Public Works Department the immediate need to attend to the piles of debris left near the entrance to the trail at Blackford Elementary School. Since the trees and shrubs were trimmed at least six months ago, the city has not picked up the debris. New grass is beginning to grow through, which is an ugly and dirty sight. Of more importance is the gaping hole, 5 feet wide and 3 feet deep, which should have been repaired months ago. I have called different agencies in regard to this. A call to the Public Works Department produced no action. A letter to the parks planning manager produced no action. What does it take in order to get some action?

It's a small wonder no one has been seriously injured by falling into that hole.

You know, as a 77-year-old native of San Jose, I must say that I am thoroughly exasperated and disgusted with the whole City Council, especially when it comes to doing something for the electorate. I guess the average Joe Blow Citizen is too insignificant. The Public Works Department has from time to time placed standards around the hole, but most of the time, they can be found in the creek bed. The taxpayers can buy new ones, right, Mr. Fiscalini?

Dominic F. Conte
Norman Avenue

Corrections

The Rams' basketball player No. 30 was incorrectly identified in the photo on the Dec. 10 sports page. She should have been identified as Marcella Prada.

The Dec. 10 cover story on Past and Presents should have stated that the store was on Lincoln for eight years.

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