We are unable to attend the public hearing on San Jose's proposed budget cuts, but we are especially concerned about restroom closures at Bramhall Park from Monday through Thursday.

The San Jose Lawn Bowls Club in Bramhall Park is the site of one of a series of Friendship Games with other South Bay clubs, including Santa Cruz and Carmel.

During these events, the club hosts 45 to 50 players, mostly seniors. The games last from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It would be absolutely devastating to have no restrooms available, especially on a hot day, because we emphasize the importance of players keeping well hydrated to prevent heat exhaustion.

If the restrooms are closed, we will be forced to curtail the use of our beautiful green on those days. That would be a great loss for seniors.

Our concern also extends to the many organized youth activities and the well-utilized tot playground area, as well as the tennis courts. When facilities are unavailable, individuals will make alternate choices, which will lead to unsanitary conditions in the park.

We understand that there are tough choices to be made, but hope you will consider us when you cast your vote as to the future of our recreational facilities.

Helen and Ken Brady

San Jose Lawn Bowls Club

Merchant thanks her many loyal customers

One of my regular customers, whom I affectionately call "Grandma," called to invite me to lunch on May 28 to say "thank you." I thought about this for a moment and wondered, how often does this simple but significant act happen to a business owner? I would guess not too often.

Owning the Posey Garden on Lincoln Avenue has allowed me to meet a great number of wonderful and interesting customers. The rewards of these relationships have been steady business growth, and for this I am very thankful.

As business grows, however, change inevitably happens. So I have made the decision to move my business into the Time Deli building located at 349 S. Bascom Ave. I made this difficult decision for a number of reasons, including the need for more physical space, but it was mainly because the owner of the Time Deli knew of my floral business, appreciated its long-standing quality, and wanted to associate his business with mine.

As of June 1, the Posey Garden Florist will be located in the Time Deli building. I will still have the same creative floral arrangements, the same exceptional customer service, and the same phone number, just all in a different location.

I wanted to take an important moment to say thank you to my customers and to my professional colleagues for their support of my business and hope that you'll visit me in my new location.

I am moving my store, but I'm not moving my heart from Willow Glen ... and Grandma, I will always have time for lunch.

Kay Wolf

Owner, Posey Garden Florist

The impact of separate
but equal still apparent

San Jose Unified School District board member and past president Jorge Gonzalez spoke eloquently about his struggles as a young man dealing with discrimination, but he missed the opportunity to articulate what current steps the board of education is taking to alleviate the achievement gap throughout our district. The socioeconomic gap is widening between our schools, with the haves getting more than their fair share and the have-nots continuing to struggle under the No Child Left Behind policy established by the federal government.

School board member Carol Myers is the only current board member who is standing up and fighting for the rights of all the students in the district. This is very important to the Willow Glen community for many reasons, one of which is economic. Well-performing schools improve the property values for all our homeowners.

These homeowners may not have children or their children may be grown. These homeowners may send their children to our neighborhood schools or they may not. But the fact remains, well-performing neighborhood schools impact all our property values. If we sit on the sideline, we will shortchange the children of this community and ourselves in the process.

Bob Mulvany

PTA Member Willow Glen Elementary