Morgan Hill
– More than 150 people squeezed into a heated neighborhood
meeting at the Jackson Oaks clubhouse to protest a city proposal to
build public trails near their million-dollar homes.
Morgan Hill – More than 150 people squeezed into a heated neighborhood meeting at the Jackson Oaks clubhouse to protest a city proposal to build public trails near their million-dollar homes.
The residents raised concerns Monday night about fire hazards and issues of privacy and security associated with people wandering around the wooded neighborhood that normally wouldn’t be there.
“Obviously, the fire hazards worry us,” said Jackson Oaks resident Ken Carlson, who has lived in Jackson Oaks since 1982. “I talked to the former (Morgan Hill) fire captain this weekend and he told me if a fire started in this open space it could easily mushroom into a firestorm like they had in the Oakland hills” in 1991 that killed 25 people and injured 150 others.
Others worried about the safety of their unfenced yards as well as their private clubhouse and swimming pool, which are supported by neighborhood dues of about $350 per year.
“Our daughter lifeguards up here at the pool and there’s a proposed trail that goes right around that area,” said Charlotte Carlson, Ken Carlson’s wife. “So that means there could conceivably be some danger” to children not used to worrying about strangers.
The city is proposing unpaved walking and biking trails in Jackson Oaks as part of its “Trails and Natural Resources Study.” The city developed the $40,000 study to provide a city-wide pedestrian and bike system that will incorporate paved and unpaved trails along creek corridors, parks and streets and connect to public facilities, schools, parks and open spaces. The city used state Transportation Development Act funds to pay for the study.
The study is conceptual and is not intended to show precise trail alignments or locations. However, the document may serve as a guide for future planning decisions. The city is circulating the most recent draft, released in February, for a public review period that ends May 21.
Further public review of the controversial proposal will occur at a community meeting 7 to 9pm Monday at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Road. The roughly 85-page study is available at www.morganhill.ca.gov.
The city’s Bicycle and Trails Advisory Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission will review the study this summer. The Morgan Hill City Council is expected to approve a final draft in September. After an environmental review, the council is tentatively scheduled to adopt the trails master plan in February 2008.
The Jackson Oaks neighborhood, which consists of 503 homes built mostly in the 1970s along steep and winding roads in the eastern foothills, includes hillsides dedicated to the city as “open space.” According to the land deed, no grading or construction is allowed except for recreational uses.
Not all Jackson Oaks residents are against the proposed trails. Nancy Lee Smereski, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1988, said the public has a right to enjoy the city’s open spaces and she said some of her neighbors feel the same way.
“We just don’t want the city to think all Jackson Oaks residents are against discussing the proposed trails,” said Smereski, who was booed and interrupted while speaking her mind at Monday’s meeting. “I was astonished and a little frightened by the actions of my neighbors. No dissent was allowed.”
Because the neighborhood’s hillsides and canyons have remained untouched for so many years, many residents consider the land part of their backyard and are vehemently opposed to public trails. But city officials insist they have the right to propose and build the public trails if the public demands it.
“We asked ourselves, ‘Can we put trails there?’ And the answer is, ‘Yes” ” said Morgan Hill associate engineer David Gittleson, who helped work on the trails study for more than a year. He emphasized he’s a neutral party. “The intent is to provide safe walking routes for Morgan Hill residents, get people out of their cars and promote healthy living.”
Gittleson presented the study Monday night to Jackson Oaks residents who, for the most part, angrily opposed the would-be trails near their homes. He promised those in attendance he would pass on their concerns to policy makers.
“Our goal is not to argue, not to confront people, but to collect public input,” Gittleson said.
The city’s Bicycle and Trails Advisory Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission will review the study this summer. The Morgan Hill City Council will approve a final draft in September. After an environmental review, the council is tentatively scheduled to adopt the trails master plan in February 2008.
