News

The Gilroy Rotary this week kicked off Hispanic Heritage month, which runs from Sept. 15-Oct. 16 and celebrates the great diversity of our town.

It was the subject of closed-session chatter this week by the Gilroy City Council and of private meetings before that, so the idea of bringing a world-class water park resort and conference center to town is alive and well.And while traffic and other concerns have been raised since the notion was first reported in August, it so far has not become a contentious issue in the mayoral race.Neither Mayor Perry Woodward nor challenger Councilman Roland Velasco oppose the idea.Both say they want it studied more, to ensure Gilroy’s interests come first, and that citizens’ voices are heard as preliminary discussions move forward with Great Wolf Resorts.The Madison, Wisconsin-based firm is billed as owning the largest chain of indoor water parks in the world. It recently opened one in Garden Grove, California.“I am cautiously optimistic Great Wolf Lodge will be a benefit to the city,” Velasco said Tuesday.“Everything I hear is positive,” Woodward said. “It could be a very nice, complementary use of 30 acres of public land that right now is being grossly underutilized.”Woodward was referring to vacant, mostly weed-choked land and empty, unkempt buildings unseen by visitors on the east side of Gilroy Gardens Family Park, the city-owned botanical theme park on Hecker Pass Highway.That’s where Great Wolf has suggested it might want to build an indoor water park, a 500- to 600-room hotel and a conference and banquet center.Nothing was reported out of Monday’s closed-door city council session where the topic was on the agenda, which means no action was taken on the matter.But city staffers from the planning department and one or more elected officials have met at least five times with company representatives, including the firm’s San Francisco-based attorney, according to Woodward, who has attended meetings.He and his family stayed at the Garden Grove location and had a great time, according to the mayor.“There is still a lot of fact-finding to be done, we are talking in very broad terms how this might work,” Woodward said of the meetings to date.Both he and Velasco said the proposal could be a real win-win if it makes good business sense for Great Wolf, is beneficial to the city and residents’ concerns can be addressed satisfactorily.“I know the Gilroy Gardens board of directors feels like this could potentially be a compatible use for that land, but again, they have to make sure whatever we put there isn’t going to impact their finances negatively,” the mayor said.Woodward also is aware of the sensitivities surrounding the theme park’s finances and suggested Great Wolf could play a sort of rescue role for Gilroy Gardens, which is faced with increased operating costs.The city still is paying off the price of buying the park from its former owners for $12 million, he said. When bonds used to fund the park’s construction were not repaid on time, Woodward said it sort of “forced” a change of ownership.“Gilroy Gardens will need 30 percent more attendance to stay afloat because of increased costs largely associated with the increase in minimum wage,” he said. “This [Great Wolf idea] is in some ways a wonderful opportunity if we can do this in a way that is complementary and drives more visits to Gilroy Gardens.”Great Wolf, he added, markets to people who live within a six-hour drive of their resorts, which could open the door to “an untapped pool of people who could be using Gilroy Gardens.”So far there has been at least one area in which the city’s and Great Wolf’s intentions differ, according to Woodward.“They are interested in a land purchase, I am far more interested in some type of long-term lease where the city keeps ownership and control of that area,” he said.On this point the mayoral candidates appear to be on the same page. Velasco said, “I don’t think there’s any intention on the city’s part to sell the land.”Gilroy City Administrator Gabe Gonzalez has also been involved in all talks to date with Great Wolf’s representatives. Gilroy's not interested in selling land at its theme park, he said.“We consider Gilroy Gardens an asset of the city, and for us, in order to maintain land use control, we would be more willing to do a long term lease than selling,” he said.Nor is anything likely to happen quickly, he suggested.“If you look at the type of project and what is proposed, it does not happen overnight, there’s a lot of lengthy discussion to come,” he said.Woodward expects discussions to continue and said that if all goes well they will result in a written agreement on what needs to happen for detailed planning to begin.

If you’ve never ridden a unicycle, you can now add it to your bucket list. Jackie Lea Shelley, a Gilroy artist specializing in portraiture, developed the 100 Unicycles Project to raise money for suicide prevention.

In my last column, I focused on exercises that help prevent leg injuries. In this week’s edition, I’ll be focusing on exercises to build strong shoulders—joints that are easily susceptible to injuries because they take immense pressure and a lot of pounding with most workout programs. Before engaging in some shoulder-strengthening exercises, do a simple warm-up of shoulder rolls.

From operatic solos to singing soufflés, Rebecka Evans of Danville knows what it’s like to be in the limelight. Evans wooed the crowds and the judges on July 30 when she won top marks in the Gilroy Garlic Festival’s Great Garlic Cook-Off challenge.Evans, 56, competed against seven other finalists from all over the country to win first place and a $5,000 prize with her creation. Now, garlic lovers can try Evans’ recipe at home.Garlic Goat Cheese Bacon Soufflé with Creamy Garlic Mustard Sauceby Rebecka EvansDecadent goat cheese soufflés served with creamy garlic mustard sauce and blistered garlic grape tomatoes are a satisfying and delicious garlic-infused meal.Prep Time: 25 minutesCook Time: 25 minutesTotal Time: 50 minutesServes: 6Ingredients:6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, plus more for buttering ramekins¼ cup all-purpose flour1⅓ cups whole milk3 ounces mild fresh goat cheese3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese1½ tablespoon thyme, finely chopped1 tablespoon chives, snippedSalt and freshly ground white pepper¼ cup bread crumbs (for dusting ramekins)4 large eggs, separatedBoiling water4 heads garlic (about 35 cloves), peeled and separated1 tablespoon olive oil½ pound bacon, drippings reserved½ cup heavy cream1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard2 tablespoons Bourbon (optional)1 tablespoon honeyOne 8-ounce package red and yellow grape tomatoesSalt and white pepper to taste1 bunch Mache or baby greensSix ½-cup ramekins and a large shallow roasting panDirectionsPreheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter six ½-cup ramekins, dust buttered ramekins with bread crumbs, removing any excess by gently tipping upside down, and set them in a large roasting pan.Make garlic paste: To a small sauce pan, add about 30 cloves garlic and about 1 tablespoon water. Cook over medium high heat until all water is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and continue to cook until garlic is caramelized/roasted. Transfer garlic to a food processor. Add ½ tablespoon chopped thyme and a pinch of salt. Process until very smooth. Makes about 4 tablespoons of paste. Set aside until ready to use.Chop bacon and fry until crisp. Remove bacon from grease and set aside. Turn off the heat and keep pan with reserved bacon grease. Cool bacon slightly and chop fine. Set aside until ready to use.Thinly slice 4 garlic cloves and set aside until ready to fry. Mince 2 remaining garlic cloves. Set aside until ready to make blistered tomatoes.Soufflés: Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook over moderate heat until lightly golden, 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and simmer over low heat, whisking constantly, until the white sauce is thick and has lost its floury taste, about 4 minutes. Mixture will be thick and creamy.Stir in the goat cheese, Parmesan, chives, thyme, 2 tablespoons garlic paste and season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer the sauce to a large bowl and let cool slightly. Whisk in the egg yolks one at a time.In another bowl, beat the egg whites at medium speed until firm peaks form. Stir ¼ of the egg whites into the white sauce to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites until no streaks remain. Add about ½ teaspoon crumbled bacon to the bottom of each prepared ramekin. Pour the soufflé mixture into the ramekins, filling them almost to the top.Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden and firm. Remove the soufflés from the roasting pan using tongs.

Carmel made it clear from the beginning that they were going to run the ball and rely on their running back Covossay Windham in a 42-14 win over Christopher on Sept. 9.

On a crowded November ballot, sharing space with a county transportation sales tax measure and a state proposition to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use, is Measure H, the official name for the Urban Growth Boundary Initiative, which would limit how big and how fast the city of Gilroy can grow.

 

Ryan Nguyen, 18, had just dropped his sister off at Ascension Solorsano Middle School and headed out Christmas Hill Park last May, when the bottom fell out of his car. Literally.

To those who are unfamiliar, Rotary International may seem like a secretive organization whose unusual spoked gear adorns roadside signs and whose purpose is elusive and understood only by its members. But for more than a century, Rotary has been a place where working professionals and community members meet to exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships. The group’s early practice of rotating meetings among the offices of each member is what gave rise to their name.