Gilroy
– A free educational series aimed at connecting residents and
inspiring dialogue kicks off next week at the Gilroy Senior Center,
spanning topics from domestic violence to local development.
Gilroy – A free educational series aimed at connecting residents and inspiring dialogue kicks off next week at the Gilroy Senior Center, spanning topics from domestic violence to local development.
“It’s a different atmosphere than going to a city council meeting,” said Marilyn Roaf, grants coordinator for the city’s Housing and Community Development division. “It’s more of a learning forum, to empower attendees to pass along information in their neighborhoods.”
The fourth annual Gilroy Neighborhood Academy, co-sponsored by the Gilroy Police Department Neighborhood Resource Unit, the city’s Housing and Community Development division, and South County Housing, brings residents together to learn and link up over common interests.
“People in the community have been asking the agencies similar questions,” explained Community Service Officer Rachel Muñoz. For instance, as drivers sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic on 10th Street, many have wondered, “When are they going to build that bridge?” Muñoz said, referring to the road linking 10th Street shopping centers with the Kaiser medical facilities and the outlet stores.
At the academy’s first session, ‘Building a Bridge to the Future,’ residents can learn about the long-awaited bridge and a host of other city projects. Traffic engineer Don Dey and South County Housing representative Nancy Wright will discuss projects in the pipeline, such as the downtown Cannery housing project, a mixed-income development that will bring hundreds of residents into the area.
“Some community members have raised issues around traffic, with that many additional residents,” said Daniel J. Chavez, a neighborhood developer for South County Housing. “There are be efforts to mitigate those things, and people can get a lot of great, current information about the project” at the March 13 event.
Dey will explain the bridge project and the traffic management that will accompany it as well as community busing plans.
By attending the Academy, “they’ll have a much better idea of what’s being proposed and when it gets implemented, they’ll have an understanding of what’s being accomplished,” said Dey.
Upcoming sessions on domestic violence and youth issues will generate discussion and share information on the topics.
“There’s so many misconceptions about domestic violence,” said Perla Flores, who handles sexual assault and domestic violence programs at Community Solutions. “People think it only happens in poor, uneducated communities; that a batterer is a horrible person, 100 percent of the time; that women don’t leave abusers because they don’t want to, that drugs and alcohol cause it, etc.”
Community members who attend all three sessions, held on consecutive Tuesdays, will be awarded a recognition certificate at the final session on March 27, care of Mayor Al Pinheiro.
“Come learn about the community you live in,” urged Muñoz. “The more we know our community, the stronger we can make it.”
