”
Red Phone, there’s been a 40-foot motorhome parked in front of
our house for seven to eight days at a time hooked up to another
house with an electrical cord. Nobody else can park. He does this
several times a year. Wish you’d take a look at it, it’s on Maria
Way.
”
Police on the case of RV parked on Maria Way
“Red Phone, there’s been a 40-foot motorhome parked in front of our house for seven to eight days at a time hooked up to another house with an electrical cord. Nobody else can park. He does this several times a year. Wish you’d take a look at it, it’s on Maria Way.”
Dear Peeved at Parking,
Red Phone contacted officer Gary Muraoka, who said he’s been checking on that vehicle since last week. “RVs are allowed to be on city streets two days out of two weeks. I have seen him there for two days now and every day he stays longer than that he is going to be issued a citation. I hope the owner removes the vehicle before they receive too many paper cuts from my citations.”
Apparently the owner got the message. Muraoka said as of Wednesday, the RV had been moved. But if it returns, good caller, let Red Phone know. But it is good to know police are on the case.
Water flows to bay
“We have a neighbor who sweeps and washes his street and lets all the garbage flow down the gutter and washes all the trash off the street into the gutter and pushes it down the drain. He doesn’t respond to requests to stop.”
Dear Washed Out,
Red Phone contacted Santa Clara Valley Water District spokesperson Susan Siravo, who said it’s important for people to realize that storm drains flow directly to creeks. Therefore trash put in a storm drain will end up in your local creek.
“Creeks are natural drainage systems, carrying storm water away from homes and businesses, and they are valuable natural resources. While most people know that trash and chemicals should not go into a creek, many don’t know that leaves and soil also pollute and obstruct flow and may result in flooding. It is illegal to dump anything into a creek or storm drain.
To report illegal dumping, call the district Pollution Prevention Hotline (24 hours) at 1 (888) 510-5151. Then let Red Phone know and we’ll make sure your complaint is followed up.
The mystery stench
Last week, a caller complained about an awful smell of garbage in south Gilroy when the wind blows from east to west and wondered where it was coming from. South Valley Disposal & Recycling General Manager Phil Couchee said garbage trucks were not the likely culprit, but did promise to contact the caller about the smell. Meanwhile, several readers contacted Red Phone with a possible explanation. The Z-Best Composting Facility on Highway 25 is less than five miles from the caller’s neighborhood, and could very well be the cause. In Dec. 2006, the Dispatch published a story about a planned expansion of the facility and one neighbor’s angst over the stench, which permeated his neighborhood.
The company is asking county planning commissioners for permission to expand onto the remaining 80 acres of its 157-acre property. Fifty acres of the additional 80 acres will be used to spread out its 10-foot-high mounds of manure, tree branches and other “farm and yard.” The project is winding its way through the county permit process.
