Dear Editor,
This letter is in response to Ms. Erika Mailman’s column
”
Playgrounds, parks under attack, city vigilance needed.
”
I am a Gilroy resident, parent of two and a member of the Gilroy
Parks and Recreation Commission. Additionally, my educational
background is in recreation and I have worked in the parks and
recreation field for the last 15 years.
As a parent who uses the parks in town, I completely understand
your concerns and desire to have a safe place for your children to
play.
Ask not what your parks can do for you, ask what you can do …
Dear Editor,
This letter is in response to Ms. Erika Mailman’s column “Playgrounds, parks under attack, city vigilance needed.”
I am a Gilroy resident, parent of two and a member of the Gilroy Parks and Recreation Commission. Additionally, my educational background is in recreation and I have worked in the parks and recreation field for the last 15 years.
As a parent who uses the parks in town, I completely understand your concerns and desire to have a safe place for your children to play. Parks are special places for children to “unplug” from technology and experience the emotional and physical benefits of both structured and unstructured outdoor play. I wholeheartedly agree with your statement that “Parks are for people …” They are for everyone to enjoy.
As a park professional, I understand that in tough economic times parks and recreation departments are not seen as essential, and are often the first to suffer budget cuts. The Gilroy Community Services Department has been greatly affected by the downturn in our economy. They have seen a significant cut in their budget and staff. Despite this, they have made every effort to continue providing quality services to the citizens of Gilroy.
May I make a request from you and the parents quoted in your article?
Rather than simply creating a long list of problems, it would be helpful to have yourself and others identify some solutions to the issues you raised.
How can we, as community members, give back to the city and help the Community Services Department continue to provide services with limited resources? I encourage you and each parent interviewed, to attend the monthly Parks and Recreation Commission meetings. They are held in the City Council Chambers on the third Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m.
The Commission welcomes community input. Let’s work together toward effective solutions.
Anna Bielecki, Gilroy
Editor’s note: The author of the letter has graciously agreed to pen a guest column letting residents know what volunteer opportunities are avilable to support our city’s parks.
Not happy with customer service from the new garbage company
Dear Editor,
I read your article about Green Waste taking over the business of South Valley Disposal in the unincorporated areas of San Martin and Morgan Hill.
We recently received two large containers and instructions about the pick up schedules for these containers. At this time we did not know that the companies had changed. When we received a bill for the bins we started making phone calls.
We were then told that Green Waste would be taking over the waste responsibilities for our area at higher rates. We asked at that time to have our service be cancelled and the very nice lady we spoke with told us that it would be no problem. We received a bill for $48 and across the top it said that the account would be closed and by paying the $48 our account would be paid in full.
However, we called to dispute the charge because we never received any services from them. They never picked up any trash of any kind at our residence and have not to this day. We compost as much as of our waste possible and dispose of the rest ourselves. We were told that we are required to have at home waste service and that we would continue to receive bills whether we utilized their services or not.
We never requested the new service, we were never given any notice of upcoming service provider changes, and do not want to continue receiving Green Waste services. We were further told that a large portion of the fees go toward cleaning up trash on the road. We don’t trash the road, the highways, the parks, the forests or any other place.
Had Green Waste been forthcoming about the upcoming change, the increased service charges, and the rather large cost for the additional bins that were simply dropped at our house one day when we weren’t there – it may be different, but so far they have been less than honest and professional in their business practices.
We want nothing more to do with them.
Bob and Linda Roma, Morgan Hill
Those who make comments should not be afraid to sign their names
Dear Editor,
Five people have responded to my Feb. 8 Letter to the Editor asking Katie Hall to share the sources that led her to believe marijuana use is “… seven times greater than drunk driving.”
Just one writer identified himself, Ron Kirkish (who I found to be very friendly when I met him at the cemetery, preceding the burial of Sgt. David Gutierrez).
Mr. Kirkish cited a recent airliner incident involving a naked, screaming man who’d eaten marijuana-laced brownies. While I, too, think that incident probably isn’t attributable solely to marijuana, and that it would be termed “anecdotal” evidence rather than scientific proof, I wish “Who Knows” and “Gilroy 1” expressed their disagreement with Mr. Kirkish with less “edge”, as “Brock_Sampson” did (not found in the phone directory, but possibly a second writer who signed their statement).
The least rational response came from “Very Funny!!” That writer somehow concluded I “‘highly’ support” marijuana (I don’t think a reading of my letter to the editor warrants that conclusion) and asks me to give some to my “out of control dogs.”
Since my two dogs are confined within a fence (except when Swee’Pea escapes and goes directly to neighbors, playing with their dog and relaxing with Bob and Lee), I guess “Very Funny!!” doesn’t approve of dogs who bark at passersby from behind fencing set back five feet from a rural road. Sure, I’d prefer our dogs would protect their turf in a mellower way, but more than that I wish people would be rational and not afraid to sign their writing.
Phill Laursen, Gilroy
Headline misled readers on traffic flow patterns at Christopher High School
Dear Editor,
I was disappointed to see the name changed for the article I wrote under “Your Views” in the Feb. 5 Dispatch. The letter was headlined: “City Planning forced the traffic flow patterns that surround Christopher High School.”
Reading such would make one think that the traffic flow pattern, which many have lauded, was the result of city personnel or agencies. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It was the Christopher High School Steering Committee which opposed and reversed the original city plan in lieu of a safer, more efficient one, per text of my letter.
What the city did force was for CHS to add a driveway, on school property, with the addition of a traffic signal at Day Road east. This was opposed to using Sunrise Drive with an existing traffic signal for a total of two on Santa Teresa instead of three. Many people read article titles and either skim the text or ignore the text altogether and therefore your renaming the article was misleading.
Paul McAllister, architect and member of the CHS Steering Committee
Appreciates article and the newspaper’s help in getting the word out on adult day care
Dear Editor,
I would like to thank the Dispatch for publishing Kat Teraji’s wonderful article (Feb. 19) about Live Oak Adult Day Services. Kat took the time to visit our center and really get to know what we’re all about – assisting local families with caregiving their older loved ones.
As she quoted me, in our 17 years here in Gilroy we have been embraced by Gilroy and the whole South County community, and we are so appreciative of all the people who have shared their time and talents with us.
The Dispatch has kindly covered many of our special activities over the years, and done a splendid job of helping us “get the word out” about this resource, which remains the only adult day care center in South County. Thank you!
Cheryl Huguenor, program director, Live Oak Adult Day Services
What America needs for health care is Medicare for everyone
Dear Editor,
The American people are clear about what they value, even if they have been duped by right-wing messaging into opposing government control of health care.
Just look at the “Tea-baggers” who say “government – keep your hands off my Medicare!” Single-payer health care is simply Medicare for all – it is a more effective, less expensive way to deliver high-quality medical care to everyone. Medicare works, that’s why people are so quick to fight to keep it.
Jan Saxton, Aromas
