Gilroy Gardens Gossip

How do we find out about what is really the truth behind Gilroy
Gardens? We’ve heard the land between Eagle Ridge and the park will
be developed, that it will be a water park, or it will be a green
belt. How do we really find out what’s going on?
Gilroy Gardens Gossip

How do we find out about what is really the truth behind Gilroy Gardens? We’ve heard the land between Eagle Ridge and the park will be developed, that it will be a water park, or it will be a green belt. How do we really find out what’s going on?

Red Phone:

Dear Caller, your confusion might stem from the fact that there is no finalized decision about the park formerly known as Bonfante Gardens. If the city acquires it, which is still an ongoing debate, it may become one thing. If it’s sold off to private developers, it might become something else. What will determine its ultimate fate is the political process – what the elected members of the city council decide to do. City leaders, once they have run the budget numbers and reviewed the legalities surrounding the deal, have said they will ask residents for their opinion on what should be done with the park. We will continue to report on each step of the process, and you can attend city council meetings or view the meetings on your local CMAP channel.

Parents need to step it up

I’m calling about the April 4 article “Traffic Safety Worries.” In the article, it talks about how it’s the school district’s, city’s and police department’s responsibility to get children to school safely. I don’t think it’s their responsibility. I think it’s the parent’s responsibility to get their children to school safely. I also want to comment on Tuesday’s article “Another Child Hit on Way to School.” The mother of the child said she’d lost her job and was at home when the child got hit, two blocks away. Why couldn’t she walk her kid to school and take responsibility?

Red Phone:

Dear Caller, Red Phone reread that article line by line and cannot find a reference to all those agencies having the responsibility of getting children to school safely. The closest thing we could find was the mother of the child that was hit, Angela Mollinedo, said in the article that the district and city are not making the streets safe for kids. Red Phone would hope that everyone – parents, police and school districts – would work together to ensure our community’s children are safe. We should, as taxpayers, expect that streets are, at least, not dangerous to children. As for your second concern, dear caller, Red Phone is all for personal responsibility, but we don’t know why the mom couldn’t walk her child to school any more than you do. Perhaps she was away at a job interview. Maybe she was ill. We are wary of assuming things. We all know what happens when you do.

Poor PLanting

I agree with the March 28 caller who complained about the condition of our parks. It’s been a year since Sunrise Park opened and already seven newly planted trees have died. Three beautiful flowering cherry trees near the picnic gazebos died within three weeks of planting due to lack of water. The sprinkler heads had been buried. Most of the other trees died from sitting in pools of water. In the fall I talked to Chris Orr (Gilroy parks maintenance supervisor) about replacing these trees and he said he’d look into it. Nothing came of it. When can we expect to have these trees replaced?

Red Phone:

Dear caller, Red Phone contacted Chris Orr, park maintenance supervisor for the city, who indicated fall was not the best time to replant trees.

“We will replace the trees in the next month depending on the availability,” he said. He also wanted to remind readers that questions and concerns about park maintenance issues are welcome. The department can be reached at 846-0444.