Monthly Archives: May 2016

Gilroy celebrated the spring installment of Bike to Work/School Day on May 14, the day when local commuters are asked to leave the car at home and find an alternative means of transit.Nearly 40 percent of Bay Area commuters live within five miles of their workplace, according to the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, which is holding bike-centric events throughout the region in May.The group states this is a manageable distance for even the most novice cyclists, but in Gilroy, where just 20 percent of residents work within city limits, the challenge to substitute the car or truck for a bike is obviously greater than tech workers living in the crux of Silicon Valley.This is where local advocates, city staff and innovative school initiatives have stepped in.At Las Animas Elementary School, where parents must contend with a neighborhood in flux as construction crews work all around the school, the administration has embraced a simple, but innovative program that aims to minimize traffic congestion during morning drop-off, while promoting healthy lifestyles.“When you have private taxis dropping off students in the morning, you have an issue with traffic,” said Las Animas school principal, Sylvia Reyes.The answer: a pilot program where once a month parent volunteers lead a “walking school bus” and walk a group of students the final few blocks to school. For the older kids, a “bicycle train” follows the same concept, this time with bikes.Reyes said the program, which started in October, has been a great success.“Our parents our wonderful,” said Reyes. “The program builds awareness and excitement and the early morning physical activity help with students’ concentration and energy levels.”The school also hosts family nights where kids can learn about bike maintenance and get their bikes fixed for free. And for the class that has the most students participate in the monthly bike or walk to school activity, they get an award at the end of the year.“The students get little treats so they notice that we are noticing,” said Reyes, adding that the school and program partners hope to extend the program to more days in the month.“We have noticed a decline of traffic and congestion on those Wednesdays when the program runs,” she said. “Our parents and volunteers have done a fantastic job supporting our students in getting healthy.”To ensure students are safe on their journey to school, city public works staff meet regularly with school district officials to assess the infrastructure needs of city schools, according to city Traffic and Transportation Engineering Manager, Henry Servin. Public works also meets with the school board four times a year.At the start of each school year, Servin says, city staff reviews bell times and walking routes to schools and addresses requests for crosswalks, signage or any other necessary structure.Servin is also the staff liaison for the city’s five-member pedestrian and bicycle safety commission, which works to promote bicycle safety in the city.The commission hosts “bicycle rodeos” in collaboration with the Gilroy Police Department, where attendees learn the rules of the road and can get some free bike-centric treats in the process. At one of the rodeos, kids got a free bike helmet.The commission also secured donations for critical signage along 6th street.Servin says “share the road” signage or street markings are effective tools in bicycle safety.“When motorists see designated bike lanes or “sharrows” (street markings) - any indicator that reminds them to share the road - they tend to drive safer, go slower and accident rates go down,” he said.“A little investment in paint and signs go a long way,” he said.Servin said the city is serious about making it easier for residents to walk or ride their bike in Gilroy.“It has been the expression of the city council and residents that they want more bike lanes and we are working to provide that,” he said, adding that the city’s general plan has a bicycle and pedestrian master plan.“Gilroy considers all residents needs - pedestrians and cyclists,” said Servin. “We are a very recreation-oriented community with over seven miles of bike trails and plans for 22 miles.”Getting commuters out of their cars for the daily slog, may be more of a challenge.Just 277 people in Gilroy get on a CalTrain daily to work or school, and of those, just over 30 regularly bike to the station, according to Servin.This is in addition to commuters using the VTA Express bus routes or private bus services from the likes of Google or Yahoo!“We are hoping that will increase,” he said.

Henry Ward Beecher once said, “Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.”

“I’m a dumpster diver,” says David Hartwig. The 69-year-old Hartwig makes garden birdhouses at his home workshop in south Gilroy. He’s what some might call an birdhouse enthusiast.

Tour the hot springs

Sweet, plump and in demand, Santa Clara Valley dried fruits continue to make taste buds tingle after all these years.

Rich and Linda Sotelo’s love of classic cars brought them more than a room full of trophies—it led to romance.The San Martin couple, who will have their 1955 Chevy Bel Air in Gilroy’s Memorial Day parade and on display at Christmas HIll Park, met 34 years ago driving in their cars and talking on CB radio.For those born after Jimmy Carter was president, citizens band radio was the chat room of choice before internet chat rooms. It was a walkie-talkie-style radio where strangers communicated while driving. Now, they are mostly seen in old Burt Reynolds movies and still used by long-distance truckers.Rich and Linda talked on the radio before they met in person. They were among a group of Gilroyans who chatted on the commute up Highway 101, getting traffic reports from a man who was in a tractor baling hay on the side of the road in Morgan Hill and would alert CBers, saying, “Traffic backed up way back there.”Rich, 73, went by the name “Slapstick,” after the candy bar of the same name. Linda called herself “Nicky,” just a random name taken from her upstate New York upbringing. They would talk on their commutes from South County to Silicon Valley. She was a quality control engineer at Memorex and he was a facilities manager for companies including GE and Quantum.What they call retirement, some might call work. Rich spends three hours a day taking care of his collectible cars, which include a 1941 Chevy Special Deluxe and a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle convertible. No water from a hose has touched them. He cleans and shines them all with a water-free compound.Both travel to car shows all through the summer, everywhere from American Graffiti gatherings at the Kohl’s parking lot in San Jose to big shows in Reno. Unlike some collectors, who are so fussy they won’t even drive their cars, Rich and Linda use them them to get around, round, round.Rich bought his 1955 Bel Air when he turned 55 because that was the first car he ever drove and he was nostalgic for it. He’s also had a 1923 bucket Model T, a 1931 Model A and a 1957 Chevy pickup.“You can’t keep them all,” he said. He stores them in portable tent structures on his property, he said, because it’s too hard to get a permit to build another garage.Everywhere they go they meet other car lovers.“We’ve met so many people who have become such good friends, like brothers and sisters,” said Rich. “It’s not about the trophies. It’s about having people look at the cars who love cars.”What’s different about classic car lovers?“They have personality, they are a lot friendlier,” said Rich. “We congregate a bit more. If we talk to someone and find out he has a car and we have a car, that’s a real bond. Even a wife won’t tear us apart.”In this case the hobby brought this wife and husband closer as they travel all summer, often to shows that benefit veterans. Rich served in the Army Airborne Division as a drill instructor in 1964 and 1965. When she asked for air conditioning, he put it in. When she wanted power steering, he did the same. He was more interested in comfort than authenticity.“There is something different about car people,” said Linda. “They sit around and they appreciate what you have because they know what it takes to get it looking like that. We’ve gone to some car shows and people were in the trunk of our ’31 Chevy. No appreciation. They were sitting in the car, playing with the radio. You don’t do that.”They do have some more recent cars, including a Honda SUV, but they don’t hesitate to drive the classics around town and around the state.“If we wanted to go to Ukiah, we go,” said Linda. “If you want to go to Oakhurst, we go. You want to go down to Paso Robles, we go.The say the old bench seats are much more comfortable than today’s buckets. And they love the metal construction of the old cars, as opposed to the plastics in today’s.They’ve added other artistic touches, including pin stripes, hand etchings, a commando mascot doll and dream catchers, which is a theme Rich likes.“Chasing dreams is important to people,” he said.

Gilroy’s Memorial Day is a family tradition that draws thousands to a series of events throughout the day; it’s also a labor of love for the handful of volunteers who put it on each year.