Willow Glen Resident
News
That putrid smell will soon vanish from Lincoln Avenue
By Mayra Flores De Marcotte
The rank smell coming from standing water along Lincoln Avenue will finally be quelled.
The Willow Glen Business and Professional Association has been working with the city and Willow Glen businesses to correct the problem.
San Jose Public Works plans to add two drains and repair the existing curbs and gutters. The project, which is scheduled to start in early January should be completed in 10 days, provided that the weather holds, said Norma Ruiz, executive director of the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association. During that time, parking on Lincoln Avenue between La Villa and Le Boulanger will be closed off while public works completes the repairs.
"The city wants to do this project quickly," Ruiz said, "but when the business association polled the businesses on the matter, they didn't want it to interfere with their holiday business."
Ruiz said this collaboration did more than just take care of the odor and standing water problem.
"It's another demonstration of how we can get something done while respecting everyone's needs," she said. "We can get things done with as minimal impact as possible."
The problem began even before the business association became involved, said Fleurish owner Natalie Thompson.
She has been dealing with it throughout her four years in the downtown because her shop is one of the businesses bearing the brunt of the nauseating smell.
"It's inconvenient, and the smells make for a nasty shopping experience," Thompson said.
The smell, a result of water regularly collecting along the curb on the west side of Lincoln Avenue between Brace and Minnesota avenues, has been described by locals as a combination of rotting garbage, mold and car pollution.
Thompson attributes the cause of the buildup to a missing storm drain. While each block has several drains, the area in front of Fleurish has only a hole the size of a softball through which water can drain.
It became particularly bad this year due to the heat waves, so in June Thompson approached San Jose City Councilman Ken Yeager's office for help. Yeager's office arranged for public works officials to survey the site.
Mike O'Connell, division manager of engineering and construction services with the San Jose Department of Public Works, said three separate buildings delivering air conditioner condensation to the street may be contributing to the problem. Other contributing factors include possible runoff from planter boxes and debris and water from storeowners who sweep and hose down the sidewalks.
O'Connell also sent an engineer and inspector to the site in late August to determine whether any additional projects could be undertaken to clear the gutters.
"Mike came along and saved our lives, finally," Thompson said. "That's when the ball really got rolling."
