To: County Supervisor Blanca Alvarado and San Jose Councilmember Frank Fiscalini
re: Continued support for the Los Gatos Creek Trail
Dear Supervisor Alvarado and Councilmember Fiscalini,
The Willow Glen Neighborhood Association (WGNA) has been actively involved in supporting the Los Gatos Creek Trail for years: we have been sending delegates (Charlotte Teicher, Chris Svensson, and now Lawrence Ames) to the Los Gatos Creek Streamside Park Committee for a period spanning twenty years; we have participated in a variety of studies (e.g., the Los Gatos Creek Trail Master Plan and the MidTown Study); and we proposed, designed, and implemented an Urban Stream Restoration Project along the creek in anticipation of, and in preparation for, the extension of the trail into Willow Glen.
Now is an opportune time to complete the Los Gatos Creek Trail. Only a little over a mile of trail remains to be built, but it is a critical segment: crossing under Interstate 280, it connects the existing trail (and Willow Glen, Campbell, and the Town of Los Gatos) to Downtown San Jose, Confluence Point Park at the Arena, and the Guadalupe River Park and Garden. The region is undergoing a renaissance, with developments both to the north of I-280 in the MidTown region, and to the south along Lincoln Avenue in northern Willow Glen. And the Trail has many friends in various offices and positions to support grant proposals and other funding sources.
The remaining section of trail is entirely within San Jose city limits, but it is a regional resource serving residents from throughout Santa Clara County. It is only natural that City and County should continue cooperating on the project. The purpose of this letter is to reaffirm the support of the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association, both by the Board and by the general membership. We remember and appreciate the campaign promises each of you made to work with the other to see that the trail is built to Downtown by the end of your current terms: we offer whatever assistance we can provide, be it public outreach or grant-application letters of support. We want to see this much used and much appreciated trail completed as soon as possible!
Kris Cunningham, WGNA President.
cc: Los Gatos Creek Streamside Park Cmte.; Guadalupe River Park & Gardens.