Dear Red Phone, With the city not being able to fund the art and
cultural center anytime soon, I think it would make perfect sense
for that lot to be made into some type of community garden.
“Dear Red Phone, With the city not being able to fund the art and cultural center anytime soon, I think it would make perfect sense for that lot to be made into some type of community garden. With these economic times, I’m positive that lot could be transformed into a bountiful beauty rather than the current eyesore it is. There are other communities who are currently hosting their own community gardens, and these gardens establish a sense of community pride as well. The streetscape project did help the downtown, but we’re still missing a major component – people! If there is not a venue or type of restaurant that one prefers, then they may never visit our downtown. We all know that gardening is one of America’s favorite past times and hobbies. They include the following: improves the quality of life for people in the garden; provides a catalyst for neighborhood and community development; stimulates social interaction; encourages self-reliance; beautifies neighborhoods; produces nutritious food; reduces family food budgets; conserves resources; creates opportunity for recreation, exercise, therapy and education; reduces crime; preserves green space; creates income opportunities and economic development; reduces city heat from streets and parking lots; and provides opportunities for inter-generational and cross-cultural connections.”
Red Phone: Dear Green Thumb, It looks like you may get your wish if groups like the Gilroy Arts Alliance and others have their way. Gilroy’s cultural center could get a little bit of culture, at least on a smaller scale.
The Gilroy Arts Alliance’s plan for that property on Seventh Street and the old Salvation Army building is an outdoor stage that includes a community garden and a sculpture garden, following in the footsteps of cities such as Hollister that have experienced success with community gardens.
“The city has been supportive,” said Gilroy Arts Alliance board member Arline Silva. “We got a lot of people on board to get it going. It brings in a sense of community to that area. No one likes to see wasted space. There are a lot of things we can do in a creative world that don’t require money.”
Discussions are still in progress, and there isn’t a time frame when or if the garden will open, Silva said.
Susan Valenta, President and CEO of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce, also thought it would be a good idea, but would not speak for the Chamber as a whole.
“Personally, I enjoy gardening and the pleasure in seeing plants grow and produce is one of my favorite hobbies,” Valenta said. “Gardening is a healthy, educational and productive activity, and having a downtown community garden would have a lot of value for families and individuals through our community. The idea of forming a task force of community members who could research how other communities in Silicon Valley have created and maintained community gardens is excellent.”
Anyone interested in volunteering time can call the Gilroy Arts Alliance at 847-1441 or Valenta at 842-6437.
Left turns at Walgreens
“This is regarding the new Walgreens on First Street. It looks like they’re going to allow drivers to turn left on to FIrst and go westbound. Nob Hill doesn’t allow left turns from their parking lot onto First Street. I’m wondering why Walgreens is going to do so because that’s a very congested area. If you have cars trying to go left into Nob Hill and cars coming out of Walgreens and all the other traffic, it’s just going to be a big mess. Thanks.”
Red Phone: Dear Cautious Driver, Cars indeed can make a left turn coming out of Walgreens. Both city engineers and Caltrans officials who reviewed the plans felt that it would be safe to allow the left turn as long as they took proper precautions.
“During the design stage a number of years ago, we concluded it was safe to make a left turn there,” said City Engineer Don Dey. “The difference between Walgreens and Nob Hill is that the left turns at Nob Hill were fairly close to Wren Avenue. Because Walgreens was farther from Wren and First, the city staff did not believe there would be any problems. As long as drivers are taking proper precautions, they should be safe.”
