North Willow Glen

NWGNA Friends & Neighbors Meeting Tonight!

2012-01-24T11:24:00.000-08:00

Come join us tonight at Word of Faith Church on the corner of Delmas and Fuller at 6:30pm. Tonight's special guest will be a Command Officer from the San Jose Police Department to fill us in on the police-related activity in and around North Willow Glen. We will also discuss NWGNA's plans for 2012. The Produce Share will kick off soon and we are in the planning stages for our Neighborhood Garage Sale. We hope to see you there!

Learn about safe disposal of fireplace ashes

2012-01-21T13:00:00.000-08:00

After several fatal fires across the country due to improper disposal of fireplace ashes, this information bears repeating:

If you scoop ashes, put them in a metal container and place it well away from the house. Embers can remain hot enough to start a fire as long as a day later.

You can read a bit more about fireplace safety in the Mercury News or the Examiner. The San Jose Fire Department offers a fire safety checklist, also.

Changes proposed for Dancin' On The Avenue 2012

2012-01-20T06:52:00.000-08:00

Plans for this year's Dancin' On The Avenue have been announced with changes after feedback from last year's event. Read in the Mercury News about how changes are being proposed to the event time and how sales of beer and wine are handled.

NWGNA Holiday Decoration Contest Winners

2012-01-14T20:11:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the Holiday Contest winners!
4th place: 538 Fisk won two free meals at Mojo Burger
3rd place: 552 Coe won two free drinks and two meals at Aqui Cal-Mex
2nd place: 546 Atlanta won two free drinks and two meals at Aqui Cal-Mex plus three free cups of coffee and a discount on beans from Peet's Coffee
1st place: 477 Atlanta won a $50 gift certificate to Taqueria Tlaquepaque

Thanks go out to all who gave their homes a little extra this holiday season and to all our generous sponsors for providing the prizes.

Supervisor Ken Yeager's Jan. 12 newsletter

2012-01-13T06:10:00.000-08:00

Topics for this newsletter include:

Yeager Kicks Off Year as Chair of VTA Board
Three Creeks Trail Passes Major Milestone toward Completion
Yeager Focuses On Transportation, Health, and Environment In 2012
County Offers Housing Rehabilitation Loans for Residents in Need
County Seeks Input on Work Life Balance
Calendar of Events

Three Creeks Trail land purchased

2012-01-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

Exciting news from the City of San José, the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority and the Parks and Recreation Department of Santa Clara County! The land for the western alignment of Three Creeks Trail has been officially purchased and set aside for trails. When completed, Three Creeks Trail will provide a 2.8-mile east-west link that connects Los Gatos Creek Trail, the Guadalupe Trail, and the Coyote Creek Trail. This will enable travel on trails from Palo Alto to Morgan Hill, Los Gatos to Alviso.

Read more about this project:

Press release describing the purchase
San Jose Business Journal article
Save Our Trails, the local advocacy group that has worked to support the project

And, here's a message from County Supervisor Ken Yeager who has been supporting this effort for many years.

Greetings -

Over ten years in the making, San José’s Three Creeks Trail project took a great leap forward just before the new year. Thanks to combined funding from three public agencies, land for the Western Alignment of the trail has finally been acquired. Having worked on this project since I represented the area on the San José City Council, I am happy the completed purchase will protect the trail from developers. Now we need to get it built.

The Western Alignment of the Three Creeks Trail is 7.5 acres of land that stretch from Lonus Street at the Los Gatos Creek Trail to Minnesota Avenue located in Willow Glen. Many of San José’s trails run north to south. When completed, the Three Creeks Trail will provide a 2.8-mile east-west linkage, connecting the Los Gatos Creek Trail, the Guadalupe Trail, and the Coyote Creek Trail.

The City of San José serves as the lead negotiator and title holder for the land. Santa Clara County and the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority will jointly hold a conservation easement over the property to ensure that it is preserved as open space and open to the public in perpetuity. Advocacy from the community organization Save Our Trails was also instrumental in moving the project forward.

The land—a former rail right of way—was purchased for $6 million from Union Pacific Railroad on December 23. The County contributed $2 million from its Parks Charter fund toward the purchase, while the City provided $1 million and the Open Space Authority gave $3.25 million.

There are currently 53 miles of trails open in San José with a plan to develop 100 miles total, making it one of the nation’s largest jurisdictional networks. The Three Creeks Trail will expand recreation and transportation options within the urban core.

The City worked with the former property owner, Union Pacific Railroad, and the California Department of Toxic Substance Control to ensure that chemicals remaining in the soil from past railway use were removed, and that the site is ready for future recreational development. The City has already received a grant from the Santa Clara Valley Water District to begin the rebuilding of the trestle bridge at the western edge of the trail. The City is currently pursuing funding for master planning the trail system and its future design and construction.

Going forward, I remain committed to working toward land acquisition for the eastern alignment of the Three Creeks Trail, another railroad right of way that runs from Highway 87 to Kelley Park. A fully interconnected trail will provide residents with more recreational outlets and provide an alternate transportation route for those navigating through the City by bike and foot.

Many, many thanks to all who worked to achieve this goal!

Feds recommend full funding for BART to San Jose

2012-01-09T21:01:00.000-08:00

After six decades of work, federal officials are recommending full funding to extend BART to San Jose. From today's Mercury News:

On Tuesday the U.S. Department of Transportation will recommend to Congress that more than $900 million in federal aid be set aside for BART over the next decade -- the entire amount sought by local transportation officials for the $2.3 billion extension from Fremont to San Jose.

San Jose ranked healthiest metro area by The Atlantic

2012-01-09T08:31:00.000-08:00

The Atlantic has ranked San Jose as the most healthy metropolitan area in the nation. From the Mercury News:

The rankings were calculated by Richard Florida, The Atlantic columnist and director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto, based on the level of smoking and obesity in 315 regions using data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The full Atlantic article is available online.

Have you seen this cat?

2012-01-08T20:22:00.000-08:00

Andy is a dark gray and white cat, about 14 pounds, who has been lost for almost two months. He has been seen in North Willow Glen in the last week, so please contact Madeline at maddy1210@sbcglobal.net if you see him.

His family misses him!

NWGNA Needs Your Help Removing Holiday Decorations

2012-01-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

We had a lot of helpful volunteers to hang the holiday decorations around the neighborhood. Now we could really use help taking them down and storing them until next year. Believe it or not, it's actually fun working with neighbors and meeting some new ones. We will be meeting tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 9am at the bocce courts in Fuller Park. We hope to see you there.

The year in review

2011-12-31T09:20:00.000-08:00

2011 has been a positive one in so many ways for North Willow Glen. Many dedicated volunteers have worked on their favorite events and issues to help make our neighborhood a better place. Here are just a few highlights from the last year:

Spring
Street tree planting
Neighborhood garage sale

Summer
Fruit/Veggie Share in Hummingbird Park
Party In The Park

Winter
Holiday decorating contest and party
Neighborhood street decorating
Holiday yard trees

Throughout the year
High-Speed Rail meetings and planning
Neighborhood beautification and maintenance
Anti-Graffitti Task Force

Our first meeting of the year will be January 24 -- come join us to lend a hand to your favorite project in 2012. We will be meeting at the Word of Faith Church at the corner of Fuller and Delmas at 6:30.

Supreme Court says state can raid redevelopment

2011-12-29T12:15:00.000-08:00

From today's Mercury News:

The California Supreme Court on Thursday found that state lawmakers had a legal right to seize $1.7 billion in redevelopment money to help solve the state's budget woes, at the same time reaching a result that may put the state's nearly 400 local redevelopment agencies out of business forever.

California's high court concluded the Legislature had the authority to raid redevelopment funding earlier this year, rejecting arguments from redevelopment advocates that the budget gambit violated voter-approved Proposition 22, a 2010 measure designed to bar the state from seizing local funding to pay its bills.

City no longer supplying dog waste bags

2011-12-28T09:50:00.000-08:00

The city is no longer providing dog waste bags for city parks. The San Jose Parks Foundation is taking over the City’s program of providing Dog Waste Bags in parks throughout the park and trail system. This sign is going up shortly in North Willow Glen parks.

If you would like to donate any amount towards purchasing additional bags, you can either contact Bill at 408-893-6684 to target your donation to North Willow Glen parks or make an online donation towards bags city-wide at the SJPF web site.

SJPD changing how they respond to alarms

2011-12-27T19:44:00.000-08:00

San Jose Police are planning on changing how they respond to reports of audible alarms. From the SJPD web site:

In 2008, The San Jose Police Department conducted a study of false alarms in the City and found that over 98% of all alarm calls were indeed false alarms. The cost of these false alarms to the Department was $662,000. In 2010, the Department responded to 12,450 alarm calls throughout the City. While this represented approximately 6% of all calls for service, it was the second largest percentile category of all call types. Only two arrests resulted from these alarm calls and only 113 resulted in police reports being generated. It is clear that false alarm responses place a significant demand on police resources.

Consequently, the San Jose Police Department will no longer respond to alarms solely on the request of alarm monitoring companies.

There has been a request sent today to the mayor asking to delay this policy until it can be better understood. You will want to follow this issue especially if your home or business uses an alarm system.

New law Jan 1 for children riding in cars

2011-12-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

A new California law goes into effect on Jan. 1 requiring children under age 8 to be buckled into a car seat or booster seat and they must ride in the back seat. After age 8 or a height of 4 feet 9 inches, kids can ride in the back seat with a lap or shoulder belt.

Read a summary of the new laws for California and San Jose in the Mercury News.

City's single-use bag ordinance effective Jan 1

2011-12-26T08:42:00.000-08:00

From the City's web site:

San José customers will soon be shopping greener than ever. All grocery and retail stores in San José can no longer provide single-use carryout bags at checkout beginning January 1, 2012. Consumers will have the option to bring or purchase their own reusable bags or purchase recycled content paper bags at checkout. Consider the following to prepare for the ordinance:
Read the City of San José’s ordinance.
Sign-up for regular e-mail updates at http://www.sjrecycles.org/bags/retailers.asp.
Use up your supply of plastic and non-recycled content paper bags.
For additional resources and updates, including a list of reusable and recycled paper bag suppliers, visit www.sjrecycles.org/bags/retailers.asp. If you have questions, please e-mail or call (408) 534-BYOB (2962).

You can also read more about this new law in the Mercury News.

PETCO's Unleashed boutique coming to Willow Glen

2011-12-23T17:24:00.000-08:00

PetCo's Unleashed boutique pet store will be opening in the old Blockbuster location on Lincoln Avenue. Read more about it in the SJ Mercury News. You can see more about the Unleashed store, too.

Replace retiring library workers with volunteers?

2011-12-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

Read about Councilmember Oliverio's proposal to replace retiring library workers with volunteers. From the Mercury News:

In an effort to preserve the cash-strapped city's budget, a San Jose councilman wants to replace retiring city library workers with community volunteers or face the more serious alternative of outsourcing the libraries altogether.

"We have beautiful libraries, and if we allow volunteers to augment current city staff, our libraries would be open more days per week," said Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio, who has consistently sought to outsource the city's union employees with less expensive contractors.

The full article is here.

Supervisor Ken Yeager's Dec. 13 newsletter

2011-12-15T07:42:00.000-08:00

Topics for this newsletter include:

Yeager Appointed VTA Chair as Bart to San José Gets Underway
Caltrain Station Improvements at Diridon and Santa Clara
Lynbrook High School Named Intel School of Distinction
Air District Board Meetings Now Streaming Online
VTA Connects Residents to Holiday Adventures
Calendar of Events

The Swiss approach to high-speed rail

2011-12-09T09:36:00.001-08:00

Swiss Approach Map

Would you prefer that high-speed rail cost significantly less than current estimates and didn't divide our city? There's a plan specifically for California high-speed rail from Switzerland for an optimized, interconnected, and flexible system at a reduced cost. This was released six months ago and brought to the attention of rail decision makers at last night's high speed rail town hall meeting. Click this link to download the three page executive summary Acrobat file. What do you think? We'd love to hear from you. Comment here publicly or via e-mail: board@nwgna.org.

Thanks to the Shukait family!

2011-12-04T20:56:00.000-08:00

If the holidays are here, the Shukait family on Bird Avenue must be helping to make the neighborhood festive. Again this year, they organized the ordering of yard trees and wreaths for everyone. It's a family affair, with Pam's son helping to keep things organized as orders were picked up.

More photos are available on Facebook. You do not have to be a member of Facebook to view the photos.

Big thanks to the Shukaits!

Please note: tree delivery after 10:30

2011-12-03T21:39:00.001-08:00

Holiday trees are expected tomorrow after 10:30 due to truck trouble.

Sunday: Holiday Yard Trees/Wreaths Arrive

2011-12-03T18:17:00.000-08:00

The Holiday Yard Trees and wreaths will be here tomorrow, Sunday, Dec. 4 starting at 9:00 am! Please come by and pick yours up at 1023 Bird Ave.

Ho, Ho, Ho!
Pam and Keith Shukait

Have you ever cried over spilled milk?

2011-12-02T06:52:00.000-08:00

Read about North Willow Glen neighbor Taffy Dugan and her dilemma over a burst gallon of milk. It has a happy ending and communicates a lot about a nearby grocery store.

Here's the article.

Holiday tamales: fundraiser for WG Elementary PTA

2011-11-29T08:34:00.000-08:00

If you are craving tamales, you're in luck. Willow Glen Elementary's Bilingual Immersion families are hosting a fundraiser for Willow Glen Elementary PTA by taking orders for holiday tamales.

Just complete the form and return it to the Willow Glen Elementary office at 1425 Lincoln by Wednesday, Dec. 7. Pick-up is Friday, December 9, 2:30 to 4:00 p.m.

Flavors are:

Jalapeno & Cheese Tamale
Pineapple & Raisin (Sweet) Tamale
Salsa Verde (Spicy) Chicken Tamale
Salsa Roja (Mild) Chicken Tamale

Prices are $2.00 each, 6 for $10.00, 12 for $20.00.

WG Tree Lighting Ceremony: Thursday

2011-11-29T07:31:00.000-08:00

Willow Glen’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place at Willow Glen Elementary School on Thursday, December 1, 2011.

Schedule:
5:30pm Holiday Festival Open & Pictures with Santa
6:00pm Book Fair & Music Program
7:00pm Lighting of The Willow Glen Tree

The Holiday Festival will include pictures with Santa, kids holiday crafts booth, book fair, festive treats (including homemade tamales, churros, popcorn and hot chocolate). Holiday performances by:

Willow Glen Elementary Band
Willow Glen Elementary opera
Willow Glen Elementary Choir
Willow Glen Elementary Folkloric Group
Willow Glen Middle School Choir
River Glen's Band "Estudiantina"

The tree this year will feature 2,422 feet of energy-efficient LED lights, equaling 4,700 commercial grade LED lights. Even with all those lights, it is the equivalent of only four 100 watt bulbs.

Marine Corps will be collecting toys at Powell's

2011-11-28T19:16:00.000-08:00

Members of the U.S. Marine Corps will be collecting new toys for their annual Toys for Tots campaign on Dec. 4 in front of Powell's Sweet Shoppe, 1140 Lincoln Ave. from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Donated toys should be new and unwrapped.

Neil Kott, owner of Powell's in Willow Glen, says because of the limited parking situation on Lincoln, there will be people on hand during the donation period to accept toys from drivers.

The Toys for Tots program started in 1947 and since then has collected more than 400 million toys for needy children.

Councilmember Oliverio's Fall Newsletter

2011-11-27T22:15:00.000-08:00

Councilmember Oliverio's latest newsletter for District 6 includes articles, updates and events.

NWGNA Holiday Decorating Contest

2011-11-27T22:03:00.000-08:00

The North Willow Glen Holiday Decorating Contest is on!

Here’s how to participate:

Decorate your house by Sunday, December 11.
Celebrate the holidays with your neighbors! You and your family are invited to an open house with holiday refreshments and cheer at Lila's house at 562 Fisk Ave. on December 11 from 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Fill out your ballot and drop it off at 562 Fisk Ave by 8:00 p.m., Friday, December 16.

Announcing the new NWGNA board

2011-11-27T21:36:00.000-08:00

At our last Friends & Neighbors meeting, a new board was elected. If you would like to reach the board, drop a line to board@nwgna.org.

Chris Davis - President
Harvey Darnell - Vice President
Lila Kakuk - Treasurer
Barbara Keegan - Secretary
Bill Rankin - Past President
Alison England, Dan Erceg, Mary Pizzo, Open - Board

Welcome to the new NWGNA board!

Big thanks to this morning's volunteers!

2011-11-26T13:06:00.000-08:00

A BIG thanks to our volunteers this morning who helped hang festive holiday decorations around the neighborhood. Thanks to Pat, Bernadette, Lorraine, Karen, Mike, Mark, Steve, Alison, Chris, and Bill. And Pepper the Dog.

You can see photos on the NWGNA Facebook page.

Holiday neighborhood decorating: 9 am Saturday

2011-11-25T07:38:00.000-08:00

We will be decorating the neighborhood again this Saturday and we would love to have your help. It doesn't take very long and it's a fun way to kick off the holiday season by brightening the neighborhood for everyone. Join us at 9 am on Nov. 26 in the smokehouse parking lot, 885 Delmas.

We will have coffee, bagels, and fun!

The tradition continues

2011-11-23T08:18:00.000-08:00

If you are new to Willow Glen, you can read more about the holiday yard tree tradition.

Supervisor Ken Yeager's Nov.15 newsletter

2011-11-20T13:35:00.000-08:00

Topics for this newsletter include:

Communities across the county honor local veterans
County moves to ban Styrofoam
County hires new Parks director
Air Resources Board finalizes cap and trade program
Check before you burn
Calendar of events

NWGNA is growing more on Facebook

2011-11-20T10:19:00.000-08:00

After using Facebook for two years to spread neighborhood news, we are happy to report that we have 241 interested friends, which is a 120% increase over last year at this time.

You can help spread the word by asking your neighbors if they are getting enough neighborhood news. If not, tell 'em about how to reach us.

Help needed: flier delivery

2011-11-18T18:03:00.000-08:00

We are looking for help in delivering holiday event fliers to the neighborhood sometime in the next week. If you are available to help out, please call Bill at 408-893-6684.

Is this your kitty?

2011-11-05T16:56:00.000-07:00

This cat was found this afternoon and looks like it has recently been in a fight with bite marks in a few spots.

If s/he is yours, leave a comment here and we will connect you to the person who took in the cat.

Daylight savings time ends this Sunday

2011-11-01T23:02:00.000-07:00

Daylight Savings Time officially ends this Sunday, November 6 at 2 a.m. Fall is here!

It's a good time to change the batteries in your smoke detectors, too. Fire Departments encourage it since the time change provides a convenient reminder. Stay safe over the winter with all the candles and space heaters that are in use by using fresh batteries.

Last Farmer's Market of the year

2011-10-28T22:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 29 is your last opportunity to visit the Willow Glen Farmer's Market this year. It's been a great year with wonderful fruits, vegetables, specialty foods, plants, crafts, and more. Come support local vendors at the market, behind the Garden Theatre at 1165 Lincoln Avenue, 9:30 am to 1:30 pm.

Local events calendar has many festive activities

2011-10-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

WillowGlen.org has a local events calendar with lots of info:

Live music, children's events, book clubs, author readings, classes in art, cooking, and exercise, and more.
The season's last Farmer's Market is this Saturday, Oct. 29
Kids' trick or treating downtown 10/31, 2-4 pm
Dog costume parade, 10/30, 5-6:30 pm

The calendar is at http://www.willowglen.org/events.php

Free documentary film: "Radiant City"

2011-10-21T11:01:00.001-07:00

On Monday, Nov 7 at 6:30 p.m., Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio is hosting a showing of the documentary film Radiant City, an examination of the nature of modern suburbia. Seating is limited so please email Tina.West@sanjoseca.gov if you would like to attend. The film's trailer is also available online.

After the film there will be a group discussion on the General Plan 2040 with the Directors of both our Planning and Economic Development departments.

Supervisor Ken Yeager's Oct. 20 newsletter

2011-10-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

Topics for this newsletter include:

CalTrain avoids fiscal emergency through smart budgeting
Yeager hosts community forums on senior issues
Three Creeks Trail reaches another milestone
County works toward 100% renewable energy use
Yeager speaks at national childhood obesity conference
Volunteers and donations needed for local Halloween events
Calendar of events

North Willow Glen Holiday Tree Lane

2011-10-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

For many years, in early December, the streets of Willow Glen begin to light up with the sparkle of miniature evergreens. We would like to invite you to join in this tradition. We have set up a way for you to order a tree for your yard.

If you are interested in having a tree in your yard, and do not already have one for this purpose, please read below for more details.

Orders need to be received by Monday, October 31, 2011.
Rebar available if requested. This is used for anchoring the tree in your yard.
We are expecting delivery of the trees to the neighborhood Sunday, December 4th.
You will have to set up the tree on your own.
You are responsible for putting on your own lights. A very old tradition is to use the large colored lights and to put one white light at the top of the tree.
Trees will be available for pick up at the Shukait’s house (1023 Bird Ave) on Sun., Dec. 4. We will email you the pick up time as we get closer to the date.
Trees are $16 each and four-foot pieces of rebar are $2.50.

* * * This year, we are also offering 22” Noble fir and Cedar wreaths decorated with pine cones. The wreaths will be $15 each. * * *

Fliers are being delivered to your door, but you can also complete the online order form with a check made payable to: Pam Shukait or PayPal pshukait@me.com. (Trees will be from Enchanted Forest Christmas Trees.)

Booster seat law is changing Jan. 1

2011-10-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

Starting January 1, the California state law for children's booster seats is changing. If your kids are under eight years old or a height of 4'9", you will want to know about this upcoming change. The Mercury News article has more details. Mr. Roadshow has a few more details.

Signs on Posts and Trees

2011-10-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

Throughout the neighborhood we often have some great garage or yard sales cropping up here and there and sometimes we have the unfortunate lost pet. In either circumstance, we often see signs affixed to poles or trees. Sometimes this is done properly and sometimes not so much. So if you're planning to have an event and would like to post signs to our neighborhood poles, please follow our tips, because the city does not maintain the look of our poles for us; our friendly neighborhood volunteers do that. So let's make it a bit easier on them and keep our neighborhood looking great. The number one rule is to take your sign down after your event is over. We know that after a long day, this can be the last thing anyone wants to do, but old expired signs can pile up and contribute greatly to blight. When you post your signs, please use zip ties, wire ties, or painters tape to attach signs to poles or trees. These methods are secure enough to do the job and they do not leave behind a sticky residue or remove paint from the poles. The same can not be said of duct tape or packing tape which are much too aggressive for this purpose. By all means, let's not use nails to attach signs to trees as this can be very damaging. We appreciate your help keeping North Willow Glen looking great and we wish you great success with your garage sale or the recovery of a pet.

Supervisor Ken Yeager's Oct. 5 newsletter

2011-10-08T21:14:00.000-07:00

Topics for this newsletter include:

County moves forward on plan to protect endangered species
Yeager featured in Eucalyptus Magazine
Smoking policies reduce the number lung of cancer cases
Almaden Expressway improvement project underway
Youth task force now accepting applications
County offers rebates on home energy assessments
Calendar of events

Your voice is needed!

2011-10-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

The City of San Jose Department of Transportation is planning to remove shrubs within the Bird Avenue median due to budget cuts for maintenance. If you disagree with this plan, please speak up ASAP to Mike Zapein, Landscape Supervisor, 408-975-7165.

Here is the text of the notice currently posted along Bird Avenue:

Notice of City of San Jose Landscape Removal Project
"No Established Tree (s) Will Be Removed"

This is to inform you that the City of San Jose Department of Transportation will be removing shrubs and/or ivy with the Median Island landscape. This work is scheduled to begin on or about 10/14/11. This work is being done in response to the current budget situation and significant reductions ion personnel to the Landscape Management Program. Removal of shrubs enables the landscape staff to more efficiently maintain all landscape parcel Citywide to an acceptable condition. If you have any questions about the work proposed at this property, please contact Mike Zapein, Landscape Supervisor at 408-975-7165.

High-speed rail visual designs: last chance for input

2011-10-04T22:50:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night is your last chance to weight in on what you want high-speed rail to look like. The final meeting of the Community Working Group on Visual Design Guidelines for the High Speed Rail project is Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the MLK Library downtown.

The latest draft of the visual guidelines is available online as well as more visual simulations.

Public comments are welcome, either at the meeting or to Ben Tripousis via email.

High Speed Rail Visual Simulations Released

2011-09-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

The California High Speed Rail Authority has released visual simulations to be included in the San Jose High Speed Rail Visual Design Guidelines for the aerial alignment. The guidelines dictate how the structures of an aerial alignment would look. This document does not indicate any preference on the city's part for an aerial alignment over a tunnel. But if the aerial alignment is chosen, the Visual Design Guidelines ensure that the structures will be in accordance with the city's ideals.

Photo simulations have been produced and incorporated into the document to better illustrate what all the text in the document supports. We have chosen those closest to our neighborhood for you to preview. Please have a look to see if you agree with the direction this is headed. Representatives of the project will be on hand to present these and more at our Friends & Neighbors Meeting this Tuesday, September 27th and they would like to hear from the community. So let's hear it. What do you think? Is this what High Speed Rail should look like?

Bird Ave looking east


Bird Ave looking north

Bird Ave looking northwest to Diridon Station

Gardner Academy looking east - hoop bridge

Gardner Academy looking east - basic bridge

NWGNA Friends & Neighbors Gathering: Tuesday

2011-09-24T15:24:00.000-07:00

Come join us on Tuesday evening at the NWGNA Friends & Neighbors gathering, 6:30 p.m. at the Word of Faith Church, 873 Delmas (cross street is Fuller Ave.). The agenda for Tuesday is:

Introductions
Parks maintenance and fighting graffiti: Mike Will, Parks Department Director, will talk about park maintenance efforts and show us how to fight graffiti. A limited supply of graffiti-fighting supplies will be available.
Nominations and voting for NWGNA board positions: Available roles are Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Board Member. You may nominate yourself or someone else for a position.
High-speed rail photo simulations: Come see what high-speed rail in San Jose might look like.

Community service projects available

2011-09-20T22:42:00.000-07:00

Does your student need to do community service work for school? If so, there are opportunities for your child to help with neighborhood maintenance projects, upcoming events, and more. To find out more, contact us at board@nwgna.org.

Dog and cat licensing amnesty program until Oct. 31

2011-09-18T21:41:00.000-07:00

The City of San Jose Animal Care Center currently has an amnesty program for licensing cats and dogs. Until October 31, 2011, you can register your animals with no citations, late fees or penalties. After this period, owners of unlicensed pets are subject to late fess and/or citations.

Please note: All dogs and cats are required to have current rabies vaccinations before being licensed. The San Jose Animal Care Center will o ffer the rabies vaccine for only $5.00 on selected dates. Visit www.sanjoseanimals.com for details.

Also: All San Jose residents who purchase a new license, renew a license or adopt a San Jose shelter dog or cat during September and October will be automatically entered into a lottery for a chance to win either a $1000 grand prize or one of four $500 prizes. Tickets will also be made available without charge to all other participants upon request at the City of San Jose Animal Care Center. Prizes sonsored by Pet Awareness and Welfare Society for San Jose Animal Care Center, www.paws4sjacs.org

Cherry tomatoes galore

2011-09-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

We've got a pile of cherry tomatoes to offer at the Produce Share from 1:00 to 3:00. Yes, there's a football game on, but at least the tomatoes are in the 49er colors, right?

Produce share on Sunday

2011-09-17T23:42:00.000-07:00

Don't forget the produce share on Sunday, in Hummingbird Park, corner of Fisk and Bird, from 1:00 to 3:00. If you have something to share (plants, veggies, fruits, goodies made from your garden, etc.), come on by and drop it off. You don't need to offer anything to receive something great -- the goal is to keep great food from going to waste. We look forward to seeing you on Sunday from 1:00 to 3:00.

Galarza classroom looking for donations

2011-09-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

Our local school, Galarza Elementary, is looking for donations for a trampoline via the site Donors Choose. Check out the details to learn more.

Produce share on Sunday

2011-09-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

Don't forget the produce share on Sunday, in Hummingbird Park, corner of Fisk and Bird, from 1:00 to 3:00. If you have something to share (plants, veggies, fruits, goodies made from your garden, etc.), come on by and drop it off. You don't need to offer anything to receive something great -- the goal is to keep great food from going to waste.

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday from 1:00 to 3:00.

Lost cat - help find Penny

2011-09-01T11:47:00.001-07:00

A beautiful cat named Penny is missing from Ramona & Coe. Their backyard faces the construction at the old railroad tracks so she may have been scared away from the immediate neighborhood. Attached are a couple of pictures. Penny is very friendly. Call (510) 408-6329 or email tatutana@yahoo.com any time if you see her. The family is offering a reward.

Produce share on Sunday

2011-08-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday from 1:00 to 3:00.

This week's Produce Share: Lots of goodies

2011-08-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

At this week's Produce Share in Hummingbird Park, we will be giving away free tomatoes, cucumbers, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, potatoes and a variety of greens. Plus whatever you bring over to share with your neighbors! We always have more than we can give away, so please don't be shy -- there's lots of goodies for everyone.

Also: From 1:00-2:00, Roy Nordblum will be giving a free demonstration and class on greywater, how you can simply and inexpensively use your washing machine water in your yard. No need for a building permit or any changes to your plumbing. He will tell you how you can even do it yourself.

Produce share on Sunday

2011-08-19T16:59:00.000-07:00

Don't forget the produce share on Sunday, in Hummingbird Park, corner of Fisk and Bird, from 1:00 to 3:00. If you have something to share (plants, veggies, fruits, goodies made from your garden, etc.), come on by and drop it off. You don't need to offer anything to receive something great -- the goal is to keep great food from going to waste.

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday from 1:00 to 3:00.

NWGNA Anti-Graffiti Update

2011-08-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

If you have a phone and you regularly walk one of our neighborhood streets, you have everything you need to keep graffiti at bay in North Willow Glen. We've been adding to the task force at a good clip since our last update. With the commitments of a couple additional households, we've managed to cover the entire stretch of Delmas. There are still many opportunities, particularly in the northeast and southwest corners of North Willow Glen.

The adoption of a street does not mean a lot of work for anyone. The most effective tool in fighting graffiti is your telephone. Simply calling the graffiti hotline will usually get the problem corrected within 24 hours by the city. We can also make sure you get the right cleaners and paints if you're the sort that's into doing it yourself. Contact us at board@nwgna.org and we'll get you set up and added to the list of graffiti busters. The brightly colored-in streets on the map have been claimed and you can see there are many still up for grabs.

Thank you, Treat Ice Cream!

2011-08-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

Big, big thanks to Treat Ice Cream of San Jose for donating the ice cream for yesterday's Party In The Park. The vanilla and mango ice cream was a delicious treat for kids of all ages. Thanks so much, Treat Ice Cream!

If you're not already familiar with Treat, they've been in business since 1951 and produce gourmet ice cream, sherbets, and sorbets. You can either buy from their location downtown, through local grocery stores, or enjoy their products at Willow Glen Frozen Yogurt.

Treat Ice Cream Company
11 S 19th St
San Jose, CA 95116
(408) 292-9321
Mon-Fri 7:30 am - 4 pm

The share is on!

2011-08-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

The share is on! Come join us -- there's always plenty of vegetables and fruits plus other goodies, so feel free to come by and pick something up even if you don't have something to share this week.

Supervisor Ken Yeager's August 11 newsletter

2011-08-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

Topics for this newsletter include:

California Shapes U.S. Environmental Policies
Restaurant Industry Responds to County Actions
County Expands Broadcasting of Public Meetings
VTA Light Rail First in the World to Offer Free 4G WiFi
Public Health Department offers Free Whooping Cough Vaccines
Great Race for Clean Air
Calendar of Events
Featured Event: Join Supervisor Yeager in the Breathe Extreme Challenge

Party In The Park - Saturday

2011-08-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

Get ready to celebrate our neighborhood by joining us for our party on Saturday, August 13, from 5 to 8 p.m. in Hummingbird Park, corner of Fisk and Bird. We will have music, a kids craft table, and hot dogs and drinks – feel free to bring a side dish to share. The Produce Share table will be also available during this fun gathering.

NWGNA Anti-Graffiti Task Force

2011-08-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

With city services on the decline, neighborhoods are becoming more reliant on residents to step in and pick up the slack. On the anti-blight front we're recruiting neighbors to join our growing anti-graffiti team. Together we can keep our neighborhood looking good and have a positive affect on our property values. We're making it as easy as possible on everyone and the more people we can get to join in, the easier for all of us. Contact us at board@nwgna.org and we'll provide you with the proper cleaners, paints, and tools so you too can help stamp out blight in North Willow Glen. The map shows the streets that have been adopted with a colored overlay for each volunteer. Click it for a larger view. There are still many available. Don't let your street get left out!

NWGNA July Friends & Neighbors Meeting

2011-08-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

Your North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association held its most recent Friends & Neighbors Meeting on July 26th. If you missed it, you missed a great Powerpoint presentation by Master Gardener Debbie Rice. She spoke to attendees about the ins and outs of growing fall vegetables and how to plan your fall garden. It was great to learn about the incredible variety of vegetables we can grow in our climate and the best ways for doing so. There was a lively Q&A period after the presentation that yielded even more great tips.

Our councilman Pierluigi Oliverio attended the meeting and took the floor to discuss what's going on with city government. Of course it's not all rosy there these days with budget issues; a great reason to build a strong neighborhood association, right?

We discussed board elections which will be held at our next meeting on September 27th. All positions are open and we'd love to have some new participants on the board. Depending on the position, time commitment can be relatively small. The board meets monthly to discuss what we can do as an organization to help improve our neighborhood. Over our term we have initiated a number of events; The Produce Share, summer parties, garage sales, maintenance, etc. If you have any tips or suggestions, let us know. And if you'd like to spearhead an activity and need our support, we're here to help. We're a friendly bunch, trust me.

Speaking of summer parties, this year's Party in the Park will be August 13th from 5:00-8:00pm at Hummingbird Park. We'll be serving food and snacks and have lots of activities for kids and adults alike. We'll even have dance lessons! So come and hang out with your neighbors, get some food, cut a rug, and celebrate the waning days of summer before the kids head back to school. Or possibly celebrate the fact they're going back to school! Am I projecting here?

Our neighborhood maintenance day was July 31st. If you couldn't make it, that's okay, there will be three to four of them throughout the year. There's a lot that the city doesn't do for our neighborhood. It looks as good as it does largely due to the diligent work of a handful of our neighbors. The more of us that can pitch in, the faster it goes and the better our little area looks. The parks got a lot of attention from our crew last weekend. Check them out! We'll announce our next work party so you'll have plenty of time to plan for it. Any time you can contribute is a huge help. We can all spare an hour right?

As you may have read, the Produce Share has really taken off lately as we are experiencing a huge influx of homegrown goods: even baked goods and recipes get exchanged. Other neighborhoods in our area have taken notice and they're starting their own shares. How awesome is that?

Hopefully this gives you an idea of what you missed last week and what you'll be missing in September if you find yourself somewhere other than the Word of Faith Church on the 27th. See you there!

San Jose High Speed Rail Aerial Visual Design Guidelines

2011-08-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

The city of San Jose and the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) have been working with people from around the city to establish the aesthetics of aerial structures for a high-speed rail system in our city. As part of the process, two Community Working Groups (CWG) have been appointed by the City Council to work together with the CHSRA.

In no way does this rule out the possibility of a tunnel structure. However in the event that an aerial alignment is chosen, these guidelines will provide the basis for the design. The guidelines will be incorporated into the Environmental Impact Report at the time it is written. The fourth and possibly final version of the document can be viewed or downloaded here: https://sites.google.com/site/nwillowglen/visual-design-guidelines-draft-4 [6.6Mb file]

The next steps will be for the CWG to finalize and approve the document on Sept 15 and present to City Council on the evening of Oct. 25. The City indicated that they will do public outreach with the document between those two dates in community meetings (and then also discuss aerial versus tunnel).

Many members of your North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association have been attending meetings and a number of our proposals have been incorporated into this draft. The City and CHSRA are nearing the end of this process so if there is anything you would like to see added, subtracted, or changed please let us know in any of the forums we have made available: facebook, website, e-group, or directly via e-mail (board@nwgna.org). We will do our best to bring your comments and concerns before those responsible for the document. But please remember, this guideline is for visual purposes only and does not address alignment concerns.

Did you lose a ring?

2011-07-31T20:07:00.001-07:00

Neighbors found a ring last weekend at Hummingbird Park. If you think it is yours, send me an email to bambooplanet@earthlink.net to describe it and they'll get it back to you.

Neighborhood Spruce Up - Sunday

2011-07-30T11:22:00.001-07:00

A reminder that we will be sprucing up some areas of the neighborhood tomorrow, July 31, and would love a big turnout of helpers. With the city unable to afford the same degree of maintenance that they were able to just a few years ago, it falls on the neighborhoods and individuals to step up to keep up the same level of maintenance in the parks and streets.

The "official" meeting time is 9:00 am. at the Bocce court in Fuller Park (on Fuller between Bird and Delmas) but some neighbors will be out earlier in an effort to beat the heat.

Coffee, bagels, and cold beverages will be available. Bring gloves and your favorite garden hand tools. Other tools will be available.

Contacting your NWGNA Board Just Got Easier

2011-07-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

If you've got questions or concerns about your North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association we'd like to hear about them. Got a great idea for a new event? Maybe you're thinking of ways to make our events even better. Maybe you'd like to make a change in the neighborhood and would like our support. Whatever it is, we'd like to know. And reaching us has just gotten a bit easier. You can reach all the NWGNA officers by sending an e-mail to board@nwgna.org. We'll discuss your query and get right back to you. So let's hear it North Willow Glen. What can we do together to improve our neighborhood?

Last week's produce share

2011-07-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

For those who may have missed it, here is the report from Roy Nordblum about last week's Produce Share -- join us this Sunday from 1 to 3 in Hummingbird Park, corner of Bird and Fisk to join in the fun:

July 24th - Biggest and most successful Produce Share event so far. Lots and lots of people, so many I did not count them all. Tons of great food came and went across that table. There was a decent children turnout, and Dove and her little friends made pine cone bird feeders with peanut butter and breadcrumbs. Fresh-baked bread, home-made raspberry jam, banana-coconut-walnut bread, it was all very yummy, we had a great time meeting each other and sharing recipes and neighborhood talk. Our Councilman Oliverio showed up and handed out cloth grocery bags with the City graphics, beautiful! Lots of veggies and fruit and plenty of extra everything, the kids were great, the participants wonderful. You shoulda been there!

Agenda for tonight's Friends & Neighbors gathering

2011-07-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

Come join us tonight at the NWGNA Friends & Neighbors gathering, 6:30 p.m. at the Word of Faith Church, 873 Delmas (cross street is Fuller Ave.). The agenda for tonight is:

Introductions
Debby Rice, Master Gardner, Fall Vegetables and planning your fall veggie garden, Q&A to follow
Upcoming NWGNA elections, all board positions are open for nominations, elections will be Sept 27
Party in the Park 8/13, volunteers needed!
Neighborhood Maintenance Day this Sunday 7/31 9:00 at Fuller Park bocce court
Park maintenance updates
Veggie Share updates
Next Friends & Neighbors meeting Sept 27

Help needed: flier delivery this week

2011-07-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

We are looking for help in delivering fliers to the neighborhood sometime this week or weekend. The streets where we need help are:

Prevost
Warren/Sheppard/Snyder
Fuller (between Bird & Prevost)

Our usual team of helpful delivery people have the other streets handled, but we still need help with the sections listed above. It's a great way to see more of the neighborhood and get a nice walk in. If you can help out, please call Bill at 408-893-6684.

Sinkhole closes lane, off-ramp on Hwy 87

2011-07-14T07:16:00.000-07:00

KTVU.com

Check out news coverage of a sinkhole that has developed this morning at the Alma off-ramp to Highway 87.

http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_18475993

http://www.ktvu.com/news/28544999/detail.html

Infrastructure for All

2011-07-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has produced a video which demonstrates the opportunities for turning blight into something great. What do you think? Is this a vision we could use for guiding the development of our neighborhood and city? If so, where do you envision the implementation of these suggestions?

Infrastructure for All from ASLA on Vimeo.

High-speed rail visual designs: have your say

2011-07-11T20:46:00.000-07:00

From the city of San Jose:

City of San José High-Speed Train Aerial Alignment Visual Design Guidelines:
San José Community Working Group (CWG) Meeting: July 18, 2011

High-Speed Train Visual Design Guidelines: The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority), working in coordination with the City of San José, is preparing visual design guidelines for the elements of the proposed High-Speed Train project within the city limits of San José. Once developed and adopted by the San José City Council and the Authority board, the visual design guidelines will guide the development of high-speed train components in San José.

Community Working Groups: To gather community input during the development of the visual design guidelines, the City has formed two Community Working Groups (CWGs), each composed of 10 San José residents that represent a cross-section of the San José community. The two CWGs will meet several times between March and July to provide input on the visual design guidelines.

CWG Meeting Dates: The next CWG meeting will be a combined meeting of both groups on Monday, July 18, 2011 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Willow Glen Library (1157 Minnesota Avenue). At the meeting, the CWG members will review a revised draft of the visual design guidelines and provide additional feedback to the project team. The guidelines have been revised by the project team based on input from the June 28 meeting and formatted to include images and visual simulations to provide a visual description of the guidelines.

How to Get Involved: The members of the two CWGs have already been appointed by the San José City Council. All San José residents and interested parties are welcome to attend the discussion and provide comment during the public comment period of the meeting. Please contact Ben Tripousis with the City of San José for more information.

Ben Tripousis, City of San José Transportation Systems Manager
(408) 975-3717
Ben.Tripousis@sanjoseca.gov

Missing child

2011-07-11T15:12:00.001-07:00

The San Jose Police Department has issued an alert about a missing child. In the area of 8th and Julian Streets at approximately 6:55 am today, a missing 13yr old who is autistic and has the mental age of 6-7 years old was reported missing. Units are in the process of searching the area for Jesus Garza, a Hispanic juvenile who is 5 foot 8 inches tall and 150lbs. Jesus was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, black shorts and black shoes. Pictures of Jesus are available on the SJPD website at www.SJPD.org or via the Mercury News. If you see Jesus, please call 9-1-1 immediately.

The Share is today -- what do you seek or offer?

2011-07-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

Fruit Canning Factory, San Jose

San Jose was once famous as The Valley of Heart's Delight, a major center of fruit and vegetable farming and processing. In our own small way, we are continuing this tradition with the North Willow Glen Share, every Sunday from 1:00 to 3:00 in Hummingbird Park, corner of Fisk and Bird.

What are you bringing today to the share? What are you seeking at the share? Even if you don't have an offering, come by to chat about the neighborhood, gardening, cooking, even canning -- but not on this big factory scale!

Trail clean-up has begun

2011-07-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

Neighbors have noticed recently that work has begun on the old railroad lines in our area. Prior to selling the land to the city so it can be converted into the first part of Three Creeks Trail, Union Pacific is required to clean up any hazardous materials on the property. The materials that are being cleaned up are mostly diesel fuel from train engines and creosote from railroad ties. Crews will be digging down two to five feet, mitigating dust, and removing contaminated soil for 20 feet on either side of the center line. Then, crews will be bringing in clean fill, packing it, and leaving a gravel top. The full build-out of the trail by the city will happen in a later phase.

You can read more about this effort on the web site for Save Our Trails.

Share goodies available now!

2011-07-03T14:50:00.001-07:00

Lemons, grapefruit, plums, catnip still available! Come now!

Plums!

2011-07-03T13:36:00.001-07:00

Available at the share now, corner of Bird and Fisk, until 3:00.

Produce share on Sunday

2011-07-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Don't forget the produce share on Sunday, in Hummingbird Park, corner of Fisk and Bird, from 1:00 to 3:00. We will have zucchini and lemons and more. If you have something to share (plants, veggies, fruits, goodies made from your garden, etc.), come on by and drop it off. You don't need to offer anything to receive something great -- the goal is to keep great food from going to waste.

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday from 1:00 to 3:00.

Rose, White & Blue Parade

2011-06-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

Enjoy a family holiday filled with history, patriotism and roses! Enjoy an old fashioned family-style parade as it winds through the Rose Garden neighborhood ending on the grand avenue of The Alameda. This homespun parade features live bands, dance groups, home-made floats, kids on bikes, antique cars, and more. Following the parade, attendees will enjoy the picnic on The Alameda featuring food and drink from local restaurants under the shade of the trees on The Alameda together with live music.

When: July 4 at 10 a.m.
Where: Shasta Avenue and West San Carlos Street to Randol Avenue and The Alameda in San José

More Information: http://www.rosewhiteblueparade.com

Any requests/offers for the produce share?

2011-06-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

What kind of plants or produce would you like to see at the share this Sunday? Do you need lemons for July 4? What can you offer to bring to share with others? It is likely that we will have zucchini to offer.

Music in the Glen starts June 30

2011-06-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

The Willow Glen Kiwanis are again sponsoring Music in the Glen this year, a series of weekly free outdoor concerts at Willow Glen Elementary School. The concerts are Thursdays between June 30 and August 4.

Food sales benefit Willow Glen Elementary and Turn Around Scholarship for SJUSD.

For more information, check out the Willow Glen Kiwanis web site.

Report graffiti online with photos

2011-06-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

The San Jose Police Department web site now enables citizens to report graffiti via an online form plus add multiple photos to the report. If you see graffiti in our neighborhood, snap a photo and report it to SJPD.

Important: If you are reporting a crime in progress or other emergency in San Jose, do not use this form. Instead, call Emergency dispatch at 911, or (408) 277-8911.