”
At the Las Animas tennis courts, they have shut off the water
faucet that is very handy for people playing tennis and handball.
Now there is no drinking water which will could be bad as the
weather gets warmer. Will you check with the city and find out if
it will be turned back on. If not, are they going to put signs at
the entrances saying no drinkable water, bring your own? Thank
you.
”
“At the Las Animas tennis courts, they have shut off the water faucet that is very handy for people playing tennis and handball. Now there is no drinking water which will could be bad as the weather gets warmer. Will you check with the city and find out if it will be turned back on. If not, are they going to put signs at the entrances saying no drinkable water, bring your own? Thank you.”
Dear Parched Player, Looks like the water shutoff was just temporary during the winter.
“All six stand-alone drinking fountains at Las Animas Veterans Park were de-winterized last Friday, April 3 and were made ready for public use,” said Bill Headley, Parks and Landscape supervisor.
“One required repair from frost damage before drinking fountains were winterized late last November. Park drinking fountains are easily frost damaged.
“Damaging night freezing conditions are normally experienced into the month of March in the Gilroy and South County areas. Drinking fountains were de-winterized in early March for Little League activities at the Sports Park. One Sports Park drinking fountain required repair in mid- March due to freeze damage.
“Gilroy to the south and Petaluma to the north are considered situated at the edge of the Bay Area Mediterranean climate which challenge Park Maintenance staff on both frost sensitive plants and drinking fountains.”
American Idol power outage
“While watching American Idol, the evening of March 31, our electricity was going on and off – about 9:30 p.m. in the southwestern part of Gilroy between the high school and Monterey (Road). Just curious what that was. We didn’t see anything in the paper. I know something was going on early in the day over by Gavilan (College).”
Dear Idol Watcher, Red Phone’s own batteries also received a jolt during this time. Hopefully the power went out when Megan Joy was singing so you didn’t miss anything. According to PG&E spokesperson Nicole Liebelt, a metallic balloon made contact with a line. It caused just a momentary outage, but it affected 4,800 customers, she said.
Metallic balloons that drift into PG&E power lines cause between 100 to 150 outages each year, affecting electric service to thousands of PG&E customers throughout northern and central California. In the most dangerous circumstances, metallic balloons cause power lines to fall to the ground creating the potential for fires, property damage, injury and even death.
In order to significantly reduce these types of outages each year, PG&E reminds customers to follow these important safety tips for metallic balloons:
-“Look Up and Live!” – Use caution and avoid celebrating with metallic balloons near overhead electric lines.
-Make sure helium-filled metallic balloons are securely tied to a weight that is heavy enough to prevent them from floating away. Never remove the weight.
-Keep metallic balloons indoors and never release them outside.
-Do not bundle metallic balloons together.
-Never attempt to retrieve any type of balloon, kite or toy that becomes caught in a power line. Leave it alone and immediately call PG&E at (800) PGE-5000 to report the problem.
-Never go near a power line that has fallen to the ground or is dangling in the air. Always assumed downed electric lines are live. Stay away, keep others away and immediately call 911 to alert the police and fire departments.
Fraud reminder
“Hi, I just wanted to let you know that my mother was the victim of online credit card fraud recently. She was doing everything right, burning her receipts and bank statements, not making purchases online, and she had perfect credit on top of it all.
“However, she got a call from her bank that an unknown person(s) had charged about $200 to her account for internet service and other things. She did not have to pay.
“Fortunately the company called her to inquire about the charges before they authorized them and the company is now doing a full investigation. But she is still baffled as to how this could have happened. She has since canceled her credit card and must now open a whole new one. Please send out a reminder that no matter if you do everything right, credit card fraud can still happen to you. The reason the people got caught is because her bill comes to a different address, not where we live. If it weren’t for that fact, there probably would have been a lot more charges.”
Dear Victim, Red Phone is sorry to hear about the fraud but appreciates your willingness to try to help others. Even when you are cautious, thieves can still find a way to get your information. Just a reminder, check your balances regularly to make sure there is no unauthorized activity. Third-party fraud protection services may be helpful. They are usually available for around $10 a month.
