Red phone: Vacant lot lacks curb appeal


There is a vacant lot between 1335 First St., and the AAA office
on Kelton Drive. The dirt protrudes onto the sidewalk narrowing the
walkway to a single person. Trees are overgrown with branches
obstructing the path, leaving one to duck to avoid being hit. Who
is responsible for the maintenance? This lot is definitely lacking
curb appeal.

“There is a vacant lot between 1335 First St., and the AAA office on Kelton Drive. The dirt protrudes onto the sidewalk narrowing the walkway to a single person. Trees are overgrown with branches obstructing the path, leaving one to duck to avoid being hit. Who is responsible for the maintenance? This lot is definitely lacking curb appeal.”

Dear Curb Appeal,

Joe Kline, the city’s public information officer, said the owner is responsible.

“We will contact the property owner and request that this be cleaned up as soon as possible,” he said.

Stop sign needed at intersection

“I’m calling about the new ‘highway Hirasaki.’ I don’t know the last time an officer was parked there between 7:45 and 8:05 a.m., but if they did, the city would be rich with all the tickets given out. There’s now a bus stop on Hirasaki at Los Orroyos Park. Cars don’t stop for adults, let alone 100 unsupervised children. The city needs to put a three-way stop on Hirasaki and Fair Valley to slow people down. It’s only going to get worse when the new high school opens. Hopefully they’ll be smart enough to take action before there’s another fatal accident.”

Dear Stuck in the Fast Lane,

Red Phone contacted Gilroy Police Sgt. Jim Gillio, who said the department has worked traffic enforcement in this area.

“I will forward this complaint to our traffic officer for more enforcement,” he added.

As for the stop sign, the matter will be forwarded to engineering for determination. But keep in mind, any new traffic signal cannot be installed until studies show the intersection meets certain criteria.

So good caller, don’t hold your breath. It took more than a year to study then construct the left turn only lane from southbound Church Street onto eastbound 10th Street. In the meantime, stay safe.

Where is my newsletter?

“I’m calling about the Gilroy Dispatch e-mail newsletter. When it first came out I signed up for it and received it for about a month and a half. Since then, I’ve stopped receiving it. Is the e-mail newsletter still in operation?

Dear Woe is Web,

we’re sorry to hear you’re not receiving the e-newsletters and breaking news alerts. We hate to pat ourselves on the back, but we have to say they’re pretty nifty.

We’re not sure what went wrong, so we recommend signing up for the newsletter all over again (or signing up for the first time, for those of you who have not yet). Go to www.gilroydispatch.com/subscriber and reenter your information. Then, look for a confirmation e-mail to arrive within 20 minutes and click on the link provided to confirm your subscription. At 5 a.m. the next morning, you should receive a newsletter packed full of stories, photos, cartoons, mugs of our Most Wanted and more.

Should you not receive a confirmation e-mail or should you not receive your e-newsletter, please contact our resident geek (oh, and online editor … ) Christopher Quirk at 847-7240 or

cq****@sv**********.com











. He will be more than happy to make sure you get your daily dose of Gilroy.

Weeds turn property into an eyesore

“I’m calling about the property at 1632 Hanson Court. They started construction about two years ago and now they have fences falling down and weeds growing and I’m just wondering how long do permits last for? Thank you.”

Dear It’s a Mess,

Red Phone contacted Planning Division Manager Bill Faus, who said the standard period for a construction permit is six months, however, they can request an extension. As for the weeds, Fire Marshal Jacqueline Bretschneider said the property owner did abate them back in June, however it may be that they have grown back.

“I will take a drive and check out the weeds,” she said. “If that is the case, we will ask the property owner to abate them again.”

So good caller, look for a resolution soon. If not, give Red Phone a holler.

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