Our View: A beautiful addition to downtown headlines our weekly
community scorecard
The following organizations and individuals deserve either CHEERS or JEERS this week:
CHEERS: For the builders of the new downtown building that is poised for occupancy at Lewis and Monterey streets. Dave Sheedy, Mark Hewell, Ken Howell and Scott McNamara constructed a beautiful cornerstone building based on a former Masonic temple that occupied the space before burning down in the mid-1980s. The project fits the planned mix for downtown, combining residential condominiums with retail ground-floor use. If its success is a clear indicator, good things are store for the future of downtown Gilroy.
CHEERS: For Gilroy Police Department Detective Mitch Madruga, who built a rock-solid case against a would-be sexual predator. Madruga’s sting operation culminated at Christmas Hill Park when Bruce Tebo showed up from 300 miles away to have sex with a fictional Gilroy 13-year-old girl. Madruga finished off the case with a conviction for Tebo and an 18-month prison sentence. OK, Madruga didn’t prosecute the case, but he sure made it easy for the district attorney’s office with complete records and a mountain of damning evidence.
JEERS: For South Valley Disposal’s plans to put the garbage transfer station on Highway 152 across from Gilroy Foods. Two years ago, city officials told the waste company it was a rotten idea. Clearly, most of the decision makers don’t live here. It’s still a bad idea. The potential smell when the summer off-shore breezes kick in and the additional traffic are the two main reasons to flatly deny this and make it clear to company officials that it’s never going to fly.
JEERS: For Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Hugh F. Mullin, who sentenced two teenagers who vandalized Antonio del Buono School after entering through the roof to 200 hours of community service and a $468 fine. Perhaps Jordan Matthew Newton and David Sanchez could write a public letter of apology and tell the Gilroy community why this light sentence from Justice Mullin is justifiable.
CHEERS: For Erin Griesbaum, who is staging an exhibit at City Hall entitled “What’s that smell? (It’s that funky Gilroy).” The title’s a bit odd, but the exhibit is about the history of garlic in Gilro – and that’s a quick lesson all Gilroyans should embrace.
JEERS: For the news that the ban on cell phone use during airline flights might be lifted. In those close quarters, the rudeness that people currently exhibit would be magnified to the point that verbal conflicts might become commonplace.
JEERS: For the record-breaking number of days of rain in March: 22 days of measurable rainfall. OK, that’s enough – we get it, if we wanted to live in Seattle, we’d move. Besides, it’s playing havoc with all sorts of local sports programs from Little League to the high school.
