Gilroy
– Couches soiled in dirt, turned upside down and on their sides,
appear old and tired in their ripped coverings. Deep scratches
puncture an oak dresser that’s been gutted of its drawers. When the
wind blows, litter and mattress stuffing dance through the
dirt.
Gilroy – Couches soiled in dirt, turned upside down and on their sides, appear old and tired in their ripped coverings. Deep scratches puncture an oak dresser that’s been gutted of its drawers. When the wind blows, litter and mattress stuffing dance through the dirt.
It’s not a garbage dump. It’s not a garage sale.
It’s a large empty lot sitting directly behind what used to be a thrift shop on Monterey Street in downtown Gilroy.
“The city has all this money for a new police station and construction downtown, yet they can’t seal up this small little problem here?” said a local businessman near the area, who said he’s beyond frustrated with the city’s empty promises to revitalize downtown. “Who’s really helping downtown? The city is spending tax payers’ dollars, but they’re not truly helping the community.”
A mish-mash of eyesores – everything from a broken-down recumbent bike to an old food steamer still sitting in its box – clutter up what used to be a drop-off station at St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, 7660 Monterey St., between Third and Fourth streets, which closed in June. About 10 couches, six mattresses and a heap of other odds and ends sit atop the dirt.
The man, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he first called Lisa Jensema, the city’s environmental program coordinator, about three weeks ago requesting the large items be removed.
He said he called again Thursday, and Jensema told him the items would be picked up in 24 to 48 hours, but “they’re still sitting out there now,” he said Monday morning.
Jensema could not be reached Monday for comment. South Valley Disposal spokesman Phil Couchee said Jensema contacted South Valley Disposal twice last week – the only calls from the city to South Valley to his knowledge – alerting the garbage company of the problem area. South Valley supervisors went to the site for assessment Friday and placed a roll-off box there Monday afternoon, Couchee said.
“There certainly was a lot of material there,” he said.
But the businessman said he doesn’t understand why it took three weeks to take care of something as simple as garbage.
“I’m flustered with the process,” he said. “There’s no reason why it should take so long.”
Couchee said hauling away large items usually happens “pretty quickly,” depending on the job’s size and location. The cost for people who take their own large items to the San Martin Transfer Station, 14070 Llagas Ave., depends on the cubic yard measurements and materials of the items, Couchee said.
Dumping items as large as couches can get expensive, the businessman said, and many merchants aren’t willing to pay for what should be the city’s responsibility.
Besides presenting an ugly welcome to train passengers traveling through Gilroy, he said, the obstructions pose fire danger and negate efforts to improve downtown.
Additionally, while retailers in other parts of Gilroy – namely near highways 101 and 152 – are babied by the city, he said, merchants who have been in downtown Gilroy for years receive little city support.
“The city should take care of it,” he said. “As long as they’re getting their Super Wal-Marts in and whatever else they want, they’re not concerned about this downtown community.”
Another downtown business owner, who also refused to give her name, said she doesn’t feel slighted by the city, but she wonders if efforts at downtown revitalization will ever be fruitful.
“It’s obvious we have a long way to go before we can be considered a tourist destination,” she said. “I’d like to think we’re getting there, slowly but surely. Maybe we never will. I don’t know.”
But there’s no point in not trying, she added, and said she hoped the city continues to try to make downtown a better, more inviting place for residents and tourists.
Dave Peoples, president of the Gilroy Downtown Development Corp., said a similar problem occurs on Eigleberry Street between Fifth and Sixth streets, where a Goodwill Donation Station once stood but closed about a year ago.
Peoples said crews from South Valley Disposal periodically come by to haul away furniture people discard of there.
“It costs a lot of money to take some of that stuff to the dump,” Peoples said. “But a lot of it is usable stuff. People should know better than to just dump it.”
Randy Zavala, a trailer attendant at the Goodwill store in Gilroy Plaza, said many people have the misconception that the area surrounding the trailer is a makeshift garbage dump. He often arrives at his job in the morning to find people have haphazardly discarded their furniture overnight near the trailer’s vicinity, he said.
“People get the wrong impression sometimes that Goodwill is a place to take their trash,” Zavala said. “If it’s garbage – if it’s unusable – then it’s their responsibility to take care of it, and do it the right way.”
Don’t dump it!
Take usable furniture to:
• The Goodwill store at 845 First St. (in Gilroy Plaza between Safeway and Long’s), open from 9am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 6pm Sunday. Call 281-1449.
• The Salvation Army Thrift Store at 7341 Monterey St., open from 9am to 6pm Monday to Saturday. Call 842-3991.
