Opinion

Dear Editor:

Gilroy Gardens: what’s the lesson here?

Dear Editor:

As the current school year approaches its halfway mark, we can

• Yes! While I appreciate council’s approach of carefully vetting the idea of spending the money, this is something we should definitely support. With re-emphasis on crime prevention through recreation, the pool can be considered an important piece of that puzzle. Look to San Jose for this one: Nicely funded recreation programs with low crime rates. It’s a proven method. From purely a local perspective; how can we allocate millions to the west side and not spend a couple hundred thousand on the east side. Also, very disappointed to read city officials comments about how hard it is to find and hire lifeguards. The Culture-of-No has got to go! • YES!!  Both of my children learned to swim during Summer use of the pool by City of Gilroy Parks and Recreation programs. Over the years, thousands of children have utilized that pool for Summer cool off, excellent exercise opportunities and positive activities.  $117,000 is a small price to pay for the beneficial use by many Gilroy youth. • Yes! I think is is ridiculous not to provide community recreation equally for all of our children. The city spent a lot of money on Christopher High’s pool and they should invest equally throughout the community. The amount to repair and maintain the pool is small compared to the community impact of not providing recreation for ALL of our children during the summer. • Yes. Good partnership for GUSD/Parks&Rec for summer programs and school year phys ed. Cost is in reality very minimal but GUSD must pick up part of the tab. • No. There simply is not enough population surrounding the pool to warrant the repair cost and upkeep – 50 kids per week for 6 weeks then only 20 per day average does not pencil out! • Definitely. We now have public “neighborhood” pools in the northwest quadrant (CHS) and in the southern central area (GHS). We need to keep one for our residents on the east side of Gilroy. Not everyone can afford their own swimming pool and cooling off in a pool on a hot summer day is an American tradition! • Yes! Our town needs pools. Of course, I am a swim teacher and I have a very strong bias, but pools in neighborhoods are so important. Knowing how to swim is so important. I am a strong proponent of city-GUSD partnerships for recreation and this is one place to do it. Parks and rec employs local youth as lifeguards and swim teachers and serves the community with rec and instruction. If we neglect it any further toward ruin, we’ll never get it back. • My vote is a unanimous YES! The South Valley Middle school pool would provide a source of entertainment for our youth and extra jobs in our community.  First, it’s the only pool on the east side of town for the residents in that area. Some of the children that use this pool would not have the means to travel across town. Second, my daughter swims for the Gilroy Gators, and this is the pool they use for their practices. The Gators have been established for almost 30 years and currently are looking for a pool to have their practices over the summer.  Unfortunately the parks and recreation programs are taking up most of the available times at the Christopher and Gilroy High pools. The Gilroy Gators program may potentially have to look outside of Gilroy for a location. Don’t we want to keep our Gilroy Gators in Gilroy? • No. Gilroy operates two swimming pools in Gilroy. Our city administrator says that participation of swimmers in the summer at the SV pool is 20 or less per day. The SV pool maintenance has been shoddy and now requires $117,000 - $300,000* in repairs. Seems that $183,000 was suddenly not necessary based on dollar estimate in the April 9, 2012 article. Move away from the older pool and concentrate on the maintenance and support of the two high school pools. *$300,000 Dispatch Feb 9, 2012, South Valley Middle: Too pool for school?". “The pool requires nearly $300,000 in repairs and ongoing operating funding to stay open.” • Yes, provided the city can reach an equitable cost sharing agreement with GUSD. This is, after all, GUSD property and responsibility. • They should. It serves an area of town that is often forgotten, and now with the ridiculous water slides at CHS the disparity is glaring.

Olin should move its dirty soil out of Morgan Hill

Dear Editor:

The recent gang violence on the campus of Gilroy High School is

• Yes. While bankruptcy is many times unavoidable, it still likely reflects some fiscal irresponsibility in getting there. It certainly would cause me to take a closer look at what may have been the reason and then a judgment as to their ability to understand city financial matters. • Yes. Public representatives should be held to a higher standard of care since they having direct control over our health, safety and welfare and the potential to abuse the power entrusted to them! • No. Especially if the bankruptcy was many years ago.  We need to concentrate on current issues and concerns. • Yes, somewhat. While I try to keep in mind that often bankruptcy is unavoidable, it does give me pause and make me consider their candidacy a little more. • Yes.  Personal fiscal responsibility reflects a person's ability to be fiscally responsible with our tax dollars. • Yes. I don't think knowing a candidate filed bankruptcy in the past would keep me from voting for them, but the voters need to know all the information that helps us make an informed decision about a candidate. Someone who filed bankruptcy may not be the best candidate to run our city. • No. I have voted already. That said we are asking candidates to manage city budgets so this could potentially be a deciding factor. • Of course it should. There’s judgment involved and we need our Council people to make good decisions and fiscal issues are critical to the health of the city. Spending all the city funds and declaring bankruptcy would not be a good idea. • No. However, personal monetary decisions made public through declaring bankruptcy can sway people into believing that this will transfer into the candidate’s decision making processes in a public servant position. I don’t believe this is true, given personal money issues have many factors that we may not be aware of nor should we be. • No. The bankruptcy itself would not change my vote. If I knew the reason why it occurred may change my vote.