April 2002 editor: Larry Ames

~ Wed., May 8th, 7PM ~

• Board Elections
• Guest Speaker:
  Special Surprise Guest
  (to be announced)

Come be part of the community!

This year will mark the 75th anniversary of Willow Glen, and WGNA is leading the effort to make Founder's Day 2002 an event to remember. WGNA has taken on the huge task of planning Founder's Day. This is a bit of a leap of faith for us, but we believe that a community event and BBQ will provide an opportunity to celebrate our history and meet our neighbors.

WGNA has also been working to protect the interests of our residents by being active on committees and attending community meetings. WGNA has been involved in the Lincoln Ave. Study, monitoring the impacts of the construction of the Long's Drug store, working with neighbors of the new Valley Christian School on Leigh Ave., assisting the Palm Haven Neighborhood, and pushing the City to adopt new restrictions on Group Homes. I encourage members to visit our web site at www.wgna.net to view positions we have taken, letters we have written, and to learn about developments in our neighborhood.

Our Spring General Meeting will be held on May 8th at 7 p.m. at the Willow Glen United Methodist Church at the corner of Minnesota and Newport Avenues. I encourage WGNA members to attend the meeting, meet other members, cast your ballot for officers, and learn about what is planned for Founder's Day.

I also encourage you to attend our regular meetings on the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Willow Glen United Methodist Church. If I can ever be of assistance, you can reach me by email at president@wgna.net, or during the day at 408/299-3273.

The last newsletter was somewhat rushed because the official "call for candidates" for the 2002-2003 WGNA Board had to be mailed by a specific date. This newsletter too needs to get out on time, but at least this time I planned ahead and asked others to contribute some articles (and I thereby also got out of some work). Based on both a past survey of our membership and a recent consensus from the flurry of exchanges on the WGNA eList, we know that you, our readers, do like to hear regularly from our elected officials. Thanks to Councilmember Yeager and County Supervisor Alvarado, we are able to oblige.

[Note: I frequently receive email postings from these and other elected officials, and I often forward those I think may be of interest to "the eList", WGNA's electronic "talk with your neighbors over the back fence" service. To try this free service, drop me a note to admin@wgna.net with "join eList" in the subject line.]

Since becoming the Councilmember for District 6 a little over a year ago, I've made a big effort to keep residents in Willow Glen informed on progress we've made to make the quality-of-life even better in our neighborhoods. There are some great projects going on that I'm excited to share with you below.

A major effort that is underway is the Lincoln Avenue Main Street Study. A consultant has been hired to keep Lincoln Avenue economically healthy. To date, we have held two meetings with businesses and residents in the community.

In response to these initial meetings we have accomplished much. Safety measures such as repainting of crosswalks, installing lighting, and traffic signage have been addressed. Beautification projects such as tree trimming, planter maintenance, and holiday decoration removal have been completed. Additionally, 50 brand new trashcans are on order, regular storm drainage maintenance has been scheduled, and a shopper research survey has been compiled for the business association.

Together with the business and community input, the strategy is taking form and the consultant is forming long-range goals. This spring, as you walk the avenue, take a look around and hopefully you will be able to enjoy the measures taken to date.

Another important issue I'm proud to be working on is completing the trail projects on Guadalupe River and Los Gatos Creek. In March, I presented an item to the City Council to speed progress on the Guadalupe River and Los Gatos Creek trails and all citywide trails. Over the next two years, people should be able to walk or bike from Lake Almaden to Alviso and from Lexington Reservoir to Alviso. Much of the routes are in place already. It's exciting to imagine the possibilities that such a comprehensive trail system would provide for recreational use and environmental protection.

Improvements of Willow Glen parks are also in full swing. Lincoln Glen Park will soon be open after a few remaining safety issues and adjustments are completed. For Roy Park, tot lot designs have been accepted and construction should begin in October. At River Glen Park, the tennis courts are scheduled to be resurfaced, and Bramhall/Willow Street Park will have its basketball and volleyball courts resurfaced, along with having new bathrooms constructed in June.

For those of you who have been watching the park on Bird and Fisk, there is great news. The funding that the Mayor and I secured last year will cover the refurbishing, and the city will now take over the maintenance of that park. Just recently the community voted to name it Hummingbird Park. I will be looking forward to the grand reopening.

Our neighbors in Palm Haven have been busy working toward refurbishing the Palm Haven Pillars at the entrance points of their neighborhood. They have met with the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association for assistance in setting up a nonprofit account to accept donations to fund this venture. At this point they are accepting bids for the project and plan to volunteer their time to do some of the work themselves. It is neighborhood pride at its best.

These are just some of the exciting projects going on in Willow Glen. I'm proud of the work we've accomplished, but there's a lot more to do. My office will keep working on expanding our parks, keeping our neighborhood safe, slowing traffic, and ensuring that City services are quick and done right. I hope to see even more residents joining me in these efforts.

If you see something you have questions about or want to be more involved with, please contact me at ken.yeager@ci.sj.ca.us or 408/277-5166. In addition, you can sign up for my email updates on the District 6 website (www.ci.san-jose.ca.us/council/dist6/) to keep you informed on the issues you care about.

Have a wonderful spring!

Are raccoons invading your garbage bins? Is your home besieged by Roof Rats? Does your child have head lice? The County of Santa Clara can help you with these and many other common problems.

The County provides programs for the control of vectors, which include mosquitoes, rodents, ticks, fleas, lice, and other undomesticated animals and insects capable of transmitting disease or causing injury to humans.

Vector Control provides the following services to Santa Clara County residents at NO CHARGE:

- Community Educational Programs

- Rat Control and Advisory Services

- Wildlife Advisory/Management Services (skunks, raccoons, opossums)

- Property Inspection for Vector Problems

- Information or Advice on Control of Vectors

- Insect and Tick Identification

- Information on Biology and Control of Head Lice

- Mosquito Surveillance and Control Activities

Roof rats, Norway rats, mice and other rodents constitute an ongoing problem to residents. Rodents, especially roof rats, are common co-inhabitants in our homes, regardless of socio-economic status. Unmanaged vegetation near buildings, particularly Algerian ivy, fruit trees where fruit is not cleaned up off the ground; homes with crawlspaces where the air vent screens are missing or have holes greater than the size of a quarter are what attract rodents to homes. If you think you have rodent problems, contact Vector Control for a free inspection and recommendations.

Go to http://www.sccvector.org/. The County's Vector Control is located at 976 Lenzen Avenue in San Jose. For information on all vector control services, please contact our Education Specialists at (408) 299-2050 or 1-800-675-1155.

Please join us as we celebrate Historic Willow Glen! On Sunday, Sept. 8, 2002, we will celebrate the founding of Willow Glen as an independent city 75 years ago, back in 1927. This year's celebration will start off with the traditional parade down Lincoln Ave, and end up at Willow Glen Elementary School for loads of entertainment, exhibits, a BBQ, children's activities, arts & crafts, sports celebrities and more! New to Founders Day this year is the addition of a Classic Car Show at Washington Mutual.

There are lots of ways to get involved! WGNA is looking for volunteers, classic cars, donations and your support for this year's celebration. We need volunteers in the following areas: Parade, children's activities, silent auction/raffle, merchandise sales, and set-up/clean-up, just to mention a few!

All donations are greatly appreciated! Through your generous support we will be able to ensure a hugely successful event! We welcome your ideas and suggestions. Please visit our web site for more information at www.wgna.net. For donations, please mail your check to WGNA, P.O. Box 7706, San Jose, CA 95150-7706.

Residents in the Palm Haven district of Willow Glen are working together to refurbish and restore the gateway pillars that mark the entrance ways at Coe and at Bird. Their aim is to not only paint and patch the pillars, but to get them back into working order, including lighting and landscaped urns or planters. (If anyone has old pictures that show what the pillars originally looked like, please contact them at mail@palmhaven.info.)

While the residents in the area are undertaking and financing this project on their own, they will be seeking various grants and possibly holding fund-raisers as well. WGNA is helping with the setup of accounts, and will assist with information distribution through our wgna.net website.

The Lincoln Ave Longs is on schedule, plus or minus a few days. The framework is almost complete, allowing for work to begin on the inside of the store. The parking lot construction will begin the fist week of May - hang in there neighbors, this will be noisy! Longs target date for construction to end is mid June. If all goes well, the grand opening will be 7 to 8 weeks later. We wish them much success in our wonderful neighborhood.

My twin nephews are waiting patiently for the new Lincoln Glen Tot-lot to open on the corner of Lincoln/Curtner. Based on the site audit, there were safety issues and adjustments need to be made. The lot should be open by the end of April. Oh what a wonderful day that will be for my sister and other Moms who have been running out of excuses! More good news, another tot-lot is planned for Roy Ave. construction should begin in October!

Around here we are blessed with a rich tapestry of parks and open spaces:

• City Parks, ranging from "pocket parks" like Hummingbird Park, on up to "regional parks" such as Kelley and Alum Rock;
• County Parks, including Vasona, Hellyer, and Almaden Quicksilver;
• Open Space Lands, including Sierra Azul and Fremont Older;
• State Parks, such as Coe and Big Basin;
• Federal: the Don Edwards SF Bay Wildlife Refuge; and
• Trails, such as the Los Gatos and Guadalupe Trails (which are under multiple jurisdictions).

The City of San Jose recently completed a long-range (20-year) plan for the city parks, coming up with what they called "the Greenprint" for future development.

The Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department is now in the process of working out its "Strategic Plan": What exactly is a County Park? How should it fit into the tapestry?

What would you like to see continued or changed in the County Parks? As your representative on the Co. Parks & Rec. Commission, I am asking you to let me know. Should we emphasize remote wild lands or nearby developed lands? Horse trails, hiking trails, bike trails? Group picnic areas? Off-leash dog-runs? Skateboard parks or nature preserves? Parking lots and playground structures or fenced-off butterfly habitats? "All of the above" or "none of the above"?

There will be a series of public meetings around late May / early June to show where we are now on our plans, and to get feedback on where we are going. Check the wgna.net website for meeting dates and locations, or contact Jane Mark at County Parks by email: jane.mark@mail.prk.co.santa-clara.ca.us or by phone: 408/355-2237. And contact me at admin@wgna.net with your thoughts and comments.

Each year, in addition to voting for WGNA President, Treasurer, etc., you are asked to vote for the members of the Nominating Committee. The task of the Nominating Committee is to solicit, select, entice and encourage members next spring to volunteer to serve on the WGNA Board the following year.

WGNA has been around for nearly 30 years. In the early years, the Nominating Committee would present a slate of candidates at the beginning of the May General Meeting, the members present would "elect" them by voice acclamation, and the newly elected Board would take over on the spot and would run the rest of the General Meeting. Initially, this worked fine, but it became more awkward as the Association grew. Even though a "call for nominees from the floor" preceded each voice vote, the Board couldn't get "fresh blood" as no one would want to jump in to take over the meeting right then and there.

Another problem with the old method was that people are busy, and sometimes it's hard to give up an evening to attend a community meeting, especially if things are generally going well. For example, when I was elected President in the mid '90's, only about 29 people came to the General Meeting. (Okay, so the meeting topic, "earthquake preparedness", wasn't a big draw.) The problem was exaggerated when newspaper reporters thereafter used that like an epitaph: "WGNA President Ames, elected by just 29 votes, said..." Something had to change.

About 1995, WGNA adopted the current process that allowed for mail-in ballots, provided that it was preceded by a "call for candidates". This encourages greater membership participation, and it improves the chances for someone fresh to break into the leadership. This process has generally worked well. The Nominating Cmte. has continued to serve its function of recruiting a slate of candidates, but now the process has been opened up so others can run as well. Sometimes the "outside" candidates lose, sometimes they win.

All of which brings us up to the current year. A goal of the Nominating Cmte. is to balance "experience and continuity" with "fresh blood and new ideas". The Nominating Cmte had an easy time this year: all of the Officers (President, 1st and 2nd VP, Treasure and Secretary) have done an excellent job last year, all were eligible under term limits to serve a second term, and all were willing and able to do so. Despite a well-publicized call for nominations, no additional member volunteered to run. One Elected Board Member took time off because of an overly work busy schedule, and a new candidate who is active in the Founders Day event planning has agreed to run for Elected Board this year. Note that, in addition to those to be elected, the incoming President is to appoint two to four members to the Board. This gives the President the opportunity to introduce other new members to the Board and/or to keep old-timers around to provide continuity. (I'll accept such an appointment, and will stick around as an Appointed Board member to reminisce about the "olden days").

Next year's Nominating Committee, also to be elected with this ballot, is the group that will have a challenging task: next year, all of the Officers will be term-limited out if their present positions, so there will be much reshuffling and recruiting. Wish the incoming Nominating Committee good luck!

So, this year you are presented with an uncontested slate of candidates. All will do an excellent job, but they'll win whether you vote or not. You may thus be asking, "why should I spend my 34¢ when it won't make a difference?" Two answers:

(1) You shouldn't. Come to the May General Meeting. Meet your neighbors, discuss the issues of the day, meet the candidates, and cast your vote in person (thereby saving the 34¢). -OR-

(2) The people you are voting for are all volunteers, each giving up many hours of their free time to work for a better community. If you can't come to the General Meeting, at least spend a couple minutes and the 34¢ on a stamp to show them your support. Help John avoid the "elected by 29 votes..." label.

As per our bylaws, this year's Nominating Committee (Larry Ames - Chair, Kris Cunningham, J. Michael Gonzales, Linda Herschbach, and Ann Leever) solicited nominees from the general membership (see the March newsletter). Having received none, the committee then met to suggest possibilities and recruit volunteers. The result is the excellent but uncontested slate of candidates before you:

Seven years on the WGNA Board, participating in tree plantings, graffiti paint-outs, neighborhood clean-ups, and neighborhood/developer meetings. John has taken on special projects such as the WG Beautification Project, WG Elementary Traffic, the Candidate Forums, and now the Founders Day Festival. John is Chief of Staff to County Supervisor Don Gage, who represents Gilroy and the south county.

Born and raised in San Jose, her family owned a cry cleaners on Lincoln Ave. in the '40's. Helen has been involved with neighborhood cleanups, has worked with code enforcement, and now is a driving force on the Founders Day Festival Planning Committee. She is director of Aluminum Sales at Campbell Metal Company.

A native of San Jose with an undergraduate degree from San Jose State University and a law degree from Santa Clara University. Sharon works for the City of Campbell as the Community Development Department, overseeing the Planning, Building and Housing Divisions. She is involved in urban design, neighborhood planning and quality-of-life issues.

Resident of Willow Glen for 40 years; raised five children through the neighborhood recreation programs at Willow Street Park, Broadway Elementary School, Markham Middle School and Willow Glen High School. Margaret wrote most of the successful grant application that will underwrite the Founders Day Festival.

Resident and business owner in Willow Glen since 1989, Jim runs the Phoenix Publishing Company on the Avenue. Jim is instrumental in keeping our books in order even as the giants of the accounting industry collapse around us. Jim helped WGNA apply for 501(c)4 non-profit status from the IRS

Moved to Willow Glen 8 years ago; a member of the WG Beautification Project Cmte for 6 years, now also serving as liaison to "United Neighborhoods". Recently helped residents of the Palm Haven District with setting up fund-raising accounts, and is helping them apply for grants to beautify the various entrance gateways.

New to the Board this year. Two sons at Willow Glen Elementary school. Interests include gardening, collecting antiques, and enjoying good company. Involved with our local schools, concerned about traffic conditions and working for positive interactions between local businesses and neighbors. Works in Human resources, Project management and Benefits Analyst.

Lives in Willow Glen but works for the Fire Department in Menlo Park. Captain and Task Force Leader, California Task Force 3, Harold led one of the teams of firefighters working on the World Trade Center rescue and cleanup.

A 30-year veteran of the San Jose Police Department. Concerned for the safety of children, conditions of the neighborhood library, how construction and remodels reflect the uniqueness of Willow Glen, and traffic calming.

Resident of Willow Glen for fourteen years. Works for the Office of County Executive as Director of Special Projects. Was Project Director for the recent remodeling of Valley Medical Center, is now involved with the County Fairgrounds Revitalization Project, among others.

Me - the madman behind the word-processor and master of the web: rocket scientist by day and parks advocate by night.

This is the slate of nominees for the Nominating Committee: these are the folks tasked to assemble a slate of candidates for 2003 - 2004:

• Kris Cunningham- Chair
• Larry Ames
• J. Michael Gonzales
• Ann Leever
• Phyllis Ward
• Linda Herschbach - alternate

If you have a household membership (as indicated by the "H" on the backside of the ballot), then each of two members of the household may vote: one member marks the choices in the left column, and the other member checks the right column of boxes. If you have an individual membership (with an "I" on the backside), you are entitled to a single vote: use the left column of boxes-any marks in the right column will be ignored. If you are a new member (less than six months), have a non-voting "Associate" membership, or have a complimentary membership (for city/county, churches, etc.), then sorry, but you may not vote (as indicated with an "N"). If your membership has expired (indicated with an "X"), you may vote if you include your renewal.

After allowing time for the post office, the ballots will be collected and tabulated by impartial observers. The results will be posted on the WGNA.NET website, released to the media, and reported in the next newsletter (probably sometime in the fall).

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