Locked and fenced school campuses take recreational option away from residents
Dear Editor,
This is in response to the article,” School campuses off limits after hours” that Katie Helland wrote on Friday, Feb. 7. Its saddens me that almost all the school campuses in Gilroy are now closed or fenced off from the public for after-hour activities.
I have two children, 8 and 10, and live by Brownell Middle School. As they were growing up (still growing) we would frequent the field and basketball courts both in the evening and weekends. We played soccer, baseball, basketball and one even learned to ride a bike on the basketball court (blacktop).
Along with others in and around the neighborhood, the school field and courts were utilized. Now with the fence up and locked we are unable to run around and play. I do understand the reasoning for the fences, safety issues and vandalism. My question is has vandalism cost for the schools that have fences gone down? Are kids vandalizing when they are on campus (during school)? Another question is, did all neighborhoods with fences being built around a school have a chance to keep them open similar to Las Animas School?
A great solution that would address both problems is a joint-use agreement. In a nutshell, joint-use agreements facilitate a partnership between two or more entities, often school districts and local government agencies (e.g. parks and recreation or nonprofit organizations, to open up spaces such as playgrounds, athletic fields, pools, and gymnasiums to the community outside of school hours or to open up community facilities to schools at a reduced cost or for free.)
For more information on a joint use agreement, please refer to this website, www.jointuse.org. With the City of Gilroy really trying to pave the way for good health for its residents (great trail along the levee, Sports Park on Monterey, Christmas Hill Park, and being bicycle friendly) it only makes sense to look into a joint-use agreement for school fields and courts to be open for public use during non-school hours. This way residents both children and adults have an increase opportunity to be more physically active.
Mike Torres, Gilroy
The Golden Quill is awarded occasionally for a poignant letter.
Great meal and wonderful service at Old City Hall restaurant downtown
Dear Editor,
This Valentines Day, my husband and I weren’t able to celebrate it on the 14th and had to wait till the next day to go out to dinner and see a movie and get some alone time. We decided to use the gift card we received for Christmas and go to Old City Hall Restaurant for a romantic dinner.
At OCHR we received not only the best service, but the best food we’ve ever received in Gilroy. Chuck, our waiter not only made our experience a pleasant one,a but one that will keep us coming back for a long time. My husband and I both ordered ribeye steaks. I asked for medium rare and my husband asked for medium well. After ordering our food and waiting, Chuck came over and apologized stating that my husband’s steak was too charred and he had the kitchen re-firing a steak to give my husband exactly what he had ordered. This really impressed us. You don’t see that quality control at every restaurant you go to.
After watching many hours of Restaurant Impossible with Robert Irvine or Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsey, we both knew that this was a good thing. After we arrived for our reservation of 5:15pm, OCHR got very busy. Orders were pouring into the kitchen. Not only did they have to start working on other people’s orders, they had to remake my husband’s steak. We waited for an hour for our food to arrive.
Yes, while sitting at our table munching on bread to hold us over, looking up movie times and grumbling about how long our food was taking, we were on the verge of making a complaint when our waiter brought out not only the best looking steaks we’d ever seen, but the best tasting ones we’ve ever had. Not only was it worth the wait, but our waiter Chuck kept coming to us and apologizing for it taking so long.
He promised us a free dessert. However, we were so stuffed that wasn’t in the cards. He gave us a $10 gift card instead. We left with our tummies full, happy and satisfied and knowing that our next visit would be a little lighter on our wallet.
Nikole Harlan, Gilroy
Gilroy Museum and the volunteer staff a godsend for the family’s history
Dear Editor,
I live in Seattle, Washington, but grew up in Gilroy near 10th and Rosanna streets. I recently spent Nov. and Dec. of 2013 in Gilroy to research my family history and gather information and stories from my relatives. I am emailing to share with others how useful the Gilroy Museum was for me in gathering my family information.
The Gilroy Museum was so pivotal in the success of unearthing the details of my family history. I spent several hours at the museum learning about the basic history of the city (we go back three or so generations in the area), and also spent time perusing the old Gilroy Dispatches. The volunteer staff at the museum saved me a significant amount of time specifically because of their organized index for when death notices appeared in The Dispatch.
I was able to bring this information back to the elders of my family and essentially help them with reviewing their lives. Access to a city’s historical archives are vital to the positive well-being of a city; it gives the city residents an identity.
I was amazed to hear that the Gilroy Museum was at risk of being permanently closed due to funding, which I can only perceive as the lack of value for history felt by the city leaders. I am so grateful for the stewardship of the Gilroy museum volunteers.
Abraham Peña, Seattle, WA
