A central memorial for auto crash victims proposal will be heard
by city council
Chris Bone – Staff Writer
cb***@************ch.com
GILROY
The sad irony of roadside memorials for victims of car-related accidents is that they sometimes endanger the mourners.
Gilroy may follow in the path of the city of Santa Clarita, which dealt with the roadside problem last year by building an expansive $100,000 memorial for 67 local youth killed in car accidents. Rows of short concrete posts emanate from the oval cobblestone commemoration in all directions. A reddish plaque cemented on the top of the well-liked structure declares, “Know more” and then encourages onlookers to avoid intoxication and driving distractions.
Gilroy Community Services Director Susan Andrade-Wax – who used to be Santa Clarita’s recreational superintendent – said the memorial for victims 24 years old and younger is a “positive way of dealing with a very difficult situation,” and it did not cost the city of Santa Clarita a dime because private donations financed the project.
“It was a piece of cake getting people to throw money at the Santa Clarita project,” Andrade-Wax said. “In fact, one of largest donors was a car company.”
The Gilroy City Council will evaluate Parks and Recreation Commission’s Oct. 16 unanimous vote to support the idea of a youth memorial, though no specific proposal has yet been written, Andrade-Wax said.
Even with its memorial, roadside homages still sprout in Santa Clarita since the city has not outlawed them. Instead, the city works with families to take them down after 30 days and honors the family’s loss at the memorial.
“We let the community know that we established the youth grove, and one of the reasons we established it was to get rid of roadside memorials,” said Tess Simgen, Santa Clarita’s community services analyst. “But we don’t just take them down.”
Andrade-Wax said she had received a number of calls from concerned residents who feared for the safety of those who visit roadside vigils. Gilroy has not yet addressed the issue of existing memorials.
One victim who would definitely appear at any Gilroy memorial would be Brayan Trejo, a 5-year-old resident who died in June 2006 after a truck hit him while he rode his scooter in a crosswalk on 10th street.
Atop each concrete post in Santa Clarita sits a circular plaque with a name and age, which is preceded by the word “forever.” The memorial not only protects mourners, Andrade-Wax said, but it serves as an educational tool that Gilroy could use, too. Driver’s education classes in Santa Clarita visit the site, she said, and there is an annual “Evening of Remembrance” around prom and graduation to remind students to be safe behind the wheel.
