Meet San José Mayor Sam Liccardo

— on the next WGNA Board & Membership Meeting, October 11th, 2018

You are invited to come and meet Mayor Sam Liccardo, hear his address, and participate in the public discussion.

We are hosting an open house and community address on the next Board & Membership Meeting of the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association - WGNA.

Note that WGNA meetings typically occur on the second Thursday of the month.

See Mayor Liccardo's web page at http://www.sanjoseca.gov/mayor

#SanJoseCA #SiliconValley #WGNAsj #MayorLiccardo #WillowGlen

NATIONAL SAFE ROUTES “WALK TO SCHOOL DAY”
on OCTOBER 10, 2018 IN WILLOW GLEN

Seasonally, every year, Walk to School Dayreturns in the autumn, and Bike to School Day in the spring.

This national event is organized locally by Stakeholders for a Safe Green Villagein partnership with the National Center for Safe Routes to School.  Willow Glen Neighborhood Association - WGNA is a regular co-sponsor

WHO: PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS for the Willow Glen event include:
Willow Glen Elementary; River Glen School K-8; Ernesto Galarza Elementary; Hammer Montessori Elementary; Gardner Academy; and Washington Elementary.

(Note: in the below, also see separate events and venues for nearby  Gardner Academy and Washington Elementary School).

WHEN & WHERE:
On Thursday 10 October 2018, students, parents, and teachers will meet together at the Bank of America Parking Lot on Lincoln Avenue.  In celebrating "Walk to School Day", we all came together for a morning reception and then go to our respective schools.

Team mascots will appear,including "Q" of San Jose Earthquakes, and others to be confirmed.  Area students and families are invited to participate, along with other area dignitaries.   We will have snacks and giveaways.

Join children & adults around the world to celebrate the benefits of walking:

• Encouraging a child’s next stage of independence
• Physical activity
• Teaching safe pedestrian & bicycling skills to children
• Awareness of how walkable & bikeable community improvements can be made
• Concern for the environment Reducing traffic congestion, pollution & speed near schools
• Sharing time with community leaders, parents & children
• Creating joy and fun!
• Promoting psychological well-being and alertness
• Fostering maturation and responsibility
• Creating habits of activity, empowerment and thinking differently

#WalkToSchool  #SafeRoutes  #VisionZero  #SchoolZone  #BackToSchool  #StakeholdersSGV

#WGNAsj  #WGNA #SanJoseCA#SanJose  #WillowGlen  #LincolnAvenueSJ

Summary from the previous
WGNA Meetings & Events 

Thursday 13 September 2018,
re. Google Campus prosal & Diridon Station Area Plan

A Guest Speaker Presentation by the City of San José     

The guest speaker at our last meeting on September 13th was the City of San José presenting on the topic of the Diridon Station Area Plan and Google, the Silicon Valley technology company that intends to develop a major transit-oriented campus in the core of the city, expanding the present-day downtown San José.   This potential mixed-use master plan development includes offices, residences, retail shops, restaurants and open spaces, and it's estimated that Google will employ 15,000 to 20,000 people.  The company visited with the City of San José in the Willow Glen neighborhood to tell us more about its plans, and how that fits in with the City of San José's Diridon Station Area projects.    

Kim Walesh, Deputy City Manager, Director of Economic Development presented on behalf of City of San Jose, and provided:

• Background information on the Diridon Station Area, including the main plans that are guiding its development, the planned transit improvements, and the partnership with Google;
• An overview of the City’s community engagement process this year;
• A brief summary of the main input received to date.

On behalf of Google, managers of the company's department of Government Affairs & Public Policy joined the city's presentation.  Javier González and were available to answer questions.  

READ MORE (see our original news entry) here.

Thursday 12 July 2018, re. Bramhall-Willow Street Park

The last board meeting was on Thursday, July 12, 2018, and included Willow Glen Planning Area updates on a number of items, and including Bramhall-Willow Street Park.  

This July 2018, we reviewes the issues from the last two years, gave updates on the progress, and engaged feedback on current and future needs in Bramhall-Wilow Street Park.  Two years ago, in WGNA's July 28, 2016 Board Meeting, issues relating to the park were presented by Stakeholders for a Safe Green Village (SGV), then with a follow-up walk-through of the park happening that August.  By November 2016, Dave Mitchell from San Jose's Department of Parks, Recreation, & Neighborhood Services (PRNS) visited WGNA's Board Meeting for a response and presentation.  

— See more about the July meeting at our News page.

— See the recent July 2018 presentation on Bramhall Park here at the Stakeholders SGV website.

National Night Out, August 2018

The Willow Glen Neighborhood Association organized the National Night Out event with this year's host, the Willow Glen Creamery, at the Willow Glen Town Square on the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Willow Street.   Thanks to the creamery and frozen yogurt shop, free ice cream was offered to every guest that participated on Tuesday, August 07, 2018.

National Night Out is a national program (trademarked) by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW).  It occurs annually on the first Tuesday of August.  NATW describes the event as "an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live."

— See more about National Night Out at our News page. 

WGNA Endorses a Position Paper on the 
Wireless Antenna Slimline Monopole

A Special June 21st Meeting in Gardner

Thank you for participating in our special meeting on June 21, 2018, at the Gardner Community Center with the City of San Jose, and the project applicant, Mobiltie LLC.

See the position paper endorsed by the WGNA Board on June 14, 2018 — regards a City of San Jose Special Use Permit to allow the installation of a new 60-foot Wireless Communication Antenna Slimline Monopole within a new 6-foot block wall compound along the perimeter landscaping on a 0.45 gross acre site. The project location/address is at the northeast corner of Prevost Street, and Jerome Street, San Jose.  The Applicant is Mobilitie, based in San Juan Capistrano, CA.  The city's project Reference Number is SP17-044; and number 2017 039775 DV.  The WGNA position paper was endorsed by the WGNA Board and reads in part: 

See Our New Page for the WGNA Greater Gardner Committee

To find more information concerning this project, and all matters relating to WGNA's Greater Gardner Committee, see our new web page at http://www.wgna.net/greater_gardner_wgna

WGNA and the members of its Greater Gardner Committee also share regular developments on our social media pages and other Facebook groups.  Please see our social media options to follow us there.

Letter to the City & Decision at City Hall —

ACTION REQUESTED:

California State Senator Jim Beall, Jr. is requesting that the City of San Jose, Department of Transportation (DOT), conduct a traffic study of these two intersections. Once the studies are completed, the state of California will take on the necessary improvements to make these intersections safe for primary school children to cross. The timing of these two studies is very important.

Please get back to me within the next twelve working days with a resolution. That is, confirm a date and time when these two studies will be scheduled and expected to be completed. We would appreciate a copy of any correspondence sent to the San Jose DOT team, and their responses.

The Bird Avenue roadway has become increasingly busy, and with all the recent developments beginning at the north of the intersections, West San Carlos Street at Bird Avenue/ Montgomery Streets traffic will increase dramatically. The intersection of Auzerais Street, Bird Avenue and Interstate 280 (i.e., the on and off ramps) is already very dangerous.