Red Phone, I would like to send out a heartfelt thank you to
Gilroy Fire Department and specifically Jim Buessing. My little boy
is very afraid of fire and May 22, we woke up to the fire in the
Santa Cruz mountains. My boy was very frightened. I took him to the
fire department and Mr. Buessing took the time to talk to my son
and he felt much better. Thank you very very much for taking the
time to do that.
Firefighter went the extra mile
“Red Phone, I would like to send out a heartfelt thank you to Gilroy Fire Department and specifically Jim Buessing. My little boy is very afraid of fire and May 22, we woke up to the fire in the Santa Cruz mountains. My boy was very frightened. I took him to the fire department and Mr. Buessing took the time to talk to my son and he felt much better. Thank you very very much for taking the time to do that.”
Dear Thankful, Red Phone contacted Jim Buessing and Fire Chief Dale Foster. Buessing said it was his honor to speak with the young man.
“As a parent, I understand the fears that some young children have of events that might be beyond their comprehension. I felt it was my obligation to talk to him on his level and help him understand what was occurring and that it was OK to share his concerns with me. Together we were able to put his fears at ease. I do appreciate the “thank you” and if I were not the individual on duty that day I can assure you that any other member of the Gilroy Fire Department would have taken time out of their schedule and addressed his concerns just as I had.”
Chief Foster said he is proud of the department and its members who often assist the community in ways other than traditional emergency response roles.
“It just goes to show how much our members care about the community and are willing to help those who need support,” he said.
Weeds are a fire hazard
“Red Phone, there was a fire behind the movie theater where Rosso’s Furniture store is located on Monterey Street. I live on Garden Court and was wondering if anybody got a hold of the property owner of the empty lot and told him to cut his weeds down. It is very dangerous.”
Dear Worried, Red Phone contacted Gilroy Fire Marshal Jacqueline Bretschneider, who said the fire looked to be caused by power lines that came down near the field south of the theaters.
“The field is owned by the 11th Street Commons Investors, and they did get sent a weed abatement notice on April 16. We will schedule the site for abatement by a city contractor, however our goal is to have each property owner manage their property themselves. Unfortunately many will wait until the deadline.”
News rack cheats customers
“Tell the people at the Gilroy Dispatch when you go buy it at 7-Eleven, or the donut shop or one of those places they raised the price to 75 cents and you do not get to open the door and you don’t get a paper and you get back 50 cents. They sure are making money on us senior citizens. They told me last week they fixed the one at 7-Eleven on First Street. Well, I went over there again and it still got me for 25 cents. Got 50 cents back and no paper.
Dear Losing Money, the Gilroy Dispatch recently raised the price of its Tuesday edition. The increase reflects the higher costs of just about everything, including paper and gasoline. We do appreciate your willingness to pay the additional 25 cents. Red Phone contacted Circulation Manager Mark Contreras regarding the broken machine at 7-Eleven and other locations.
“I will take care of this,” he said.
So good caller, if the machines are not repaired, give Red Phone a jingle.
Yes, Jeffery’s is closed
“Red Phone, Jeffery’s restaurant in Gilroy is now closed down. Is this the beginning of the end for some restaurants due to the economic times?”
Dear Wondering, yes the restaurant is closed, though the reasons for its closing are unknown. However, Larry Cope, President of Gilroy Economic Development Corporation, said it could be a consequence of a receding economy.
“My assumption is restaurants are a fine line for businesses,” he said. “People are eating out less or it could be from the increasing cost of food.”
Good caller, see page 3 for a story about a new cafe opening downtown and a Spanish-style eatery and wine bar that may take the place of the shuttered Chips N’ Salsa.
