Willow Glen Resident

News

News Briefs

BevMo request to
be heard by city

Residents are encouraged to attend the June 13 San Jose City Council meeting, when the conditional use permit and liquor license exception for a proposed Beverages & More on Lincoln Avenue will be discussed.

On May 10, Steve McLaren, Beverages & More co-founder, filed an appeal with the council because the planning commission was unable to approve his request for two conditional use permits because of a "public convenience or necessity" issue.

The issue pertains to whether a community wants or needs a specific establishment. The issue is unclear in this particular situation because the area is already considered overconcentrated with off-sale liquor licenses.

The commissioners sent the request to the city council for a decision.

McLaren wants to locate in the former Barbarella space on Lincoln Avenue, next to Subway. He wants to have a public drinking establishment (wine- and beer-tasting area) with offsite sales of alcohol. The store will not open if both permits are not approved.

Ed Rast, president of the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association, told the commissioners April 26 that emails exchanged on the community elist concerning the approval of a Beverages & More were split 50-50. He noted San Jose senior planner Carol Hamilton also received emails and letters that were equally divided.

The city council will decide if a "Determination of Public Convenience and Necessity" can be made.

The hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. in council chambers, 200 E. Santa Clara St., between Fourth and Sixth streets. Parking is available in the Sixth Street public garage, and parking tickets will be validated.

For more information, contact city planner Rebekah Ross at 408.535.7842 or email Rebekah.Ross@san joseca.gov.

Whip up that recipe,
enter food contest

Willow Glen residents can bring out their inner Julia Child by participating in Le Boulanger's first recipe contest.

The contest marks the bakery's 25th anniversary. Entrants will have a chance to win prizes such as a three-night stay at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas including airfare, accommodations, show and food allowance. Second- and third-place winners will be given California getaway packages with French themes.

The winning recipe will also be evaluated as a possible Le Boulanger menu addition.

Contestants can pick up entry forms at any one of the 17 Le Boulanger bakeries, including 1351 Lincoln Ave., until Aug. 25.

Entries must be submitted to a Le Boulanger location no later than 5 p.m. on Aug. 25. Finalists will be announced Sept. 19, and the Le Boulanger 25th anniversary "taste off" will take place Sept. 24.

For more information, call 408.774. 9000 or visit www.leboulanger.com.

Parcel maps free
through county

The Santa Clara County Assessor's Office is now providing parcel maps free on its website, www.scc-assessor.org.

The new feature supplements the online property-lookup system, one of the county's most used sites, and is part of the county's ongoing effort to modernize the assessor's office.

The new website provides access to 11,421 map pages. There may be anywhere from one to 100 parcels on one map page. The maps are displayed as PDF files and are configured for 8 ¹/2-by-11 paper.

Customers who want 11-by-17 parcel maps can request them by completing the "Assessor Parcel Map and Property Characteristic Request Form," which can be downloaded from the website or requested by calling 408.299.5500. The charge for the large map is $8.

E-waste collection
aids green effort

Willow Glen High and Willow Glen Middle schools have teamed up with ASL Company, a state-funded recycling operation located in San Jose to host a free electronic- waste collection event for the community.

The "Drive In and Drop Off" electronics event will accept computers, monitors, VCRs, printers, fax machines, stereo equipment, telephones, microwaves, TVs, mice, keyboards, DVD players and speakers.

The event will take place in the Willow Glen High School parking lot, 2001 Cottle Ave., on June 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information, contact Heather Thordarson at 408.468.0230 or email hthordarson@semiconductorparts.com.

Chen's students
have exhibition

Students in Shirley Chen's Chinese brush painting class at the Willows Senior Center will display their artistic talent on June 10-11.

The students will have their first art exhibition, featuring work from their weekly class at the Willows. The event takes place at Berryessa Chinese School, located in the Berryessa Community Center, 3050 Berryessa Road.

The exhibition begins June 10 with a
1 p.m. reception and will be open on June 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Paintings and cards will be showcased and for sale.

Vanessa Moyen
role wins medal

American Musical Theatre of San Jose honored high school students from throughout the Bay Area, including one student from Presentation High School.

Vanessa Moyen was among the 1,000 students from 27 schools who attended the 12th annual High School Musical Theatre Awards event on May 23.

Moyen walked away with a medal for best female supporting performer for her role in her school's Singin' In the Rain. Moyen played Cosmo Brown in the show.

Two schools selected
for model project

The Santa Clara County Office of Education recently announced eight county schools have been selected to participate in the Model Schools Project, after an extensive application process. Two of the schools are part of the San Jose Unified School District--Gardner Academy and Willow Glen Middle School.

The schools selected for the project will collaborate with and be supported by the county office of education and the Successful Practices Network of Willard Daggett's International Center for Leadership in Education.

The goal of the project is to exceed Academic Performance Index targets, close achievement gaps, demonstrate excellent instructional and leadership practices, and increase community involvement and support.

There are approximately 300 schools nationwide in the Model Schools Project.