Opening more travel options for locals
I wish to commend the effort put forth by the mayors of Gilroy and Morgan Hill, and the Valley Transportation Authority and Caltrain in adding a fourth train from Gilroy. A later departure will be beneficial to commuters and other folks alike.
Perhaps this will provide the impetus to make Gilroy a stop for Amtrak’s Coast Starlight passenger train which currently passes through town on its journey south to Los Angeles and north to Seattle. This is a no-brainer!
Also advantageous would be an extension to Gilroy, Amtrak’s California Capitol Corridor train and this would complement the existing Caltrain service and also provide service on weekends. The Transportation Agency for Monterey County is working to extend this train to Pajaro/Watsonville and Salinas.
Hopefully, the powers that be in Gilroy will lobby to make Gilroy a stop as well. It will open up more travel options for people in South Santa Clara County.
Gary V. Plomp
Gilroy
Disappointed over memorial rebuild
I read with frustration and disappointment the article, “Gilroy plans upgrades to Garlic Festival shooting memorial” (Gilroy Dispatch, Sept. 15). This project was a collaboration of Gilroy small businesses and local suppliers who worked alongside city staff with nearly zero professional and materials cost to taxpayers. The rocks, hardy-perennials, wood and irrigation were installed by a group of city employees, many who crossed over from other departments to get it done and done well.
From the very beginning, this memorial garden received very little maintenance and attention and that is why it is in disrepair. Certainly the ropes and flags, which were part of the original design, had a limited lifespan. Only minimal creativity and planning is required to mitigate that.
The public needs to know that as we now allocate tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to rebuild something which required very little effort to maintain in the first place, that this expenditure was preventable.
For those who donated time and money and who worked on their hands and knees building the garden, this is a frustration. For those who the memorial was built for in the first place, this is disappointing.
Greg Bozzo
Gilroy
