Sunday, August 14, 2016
Plentiful buns!
Friday, August 12, 2016
Party in the Park, this Sunday!
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Mango ice cream! Chocolate Fantasy ice cream!
Party in the Park
Hummingbird Park (Corner of Bird and Fisk)
Sunday, August 14, 4:30-7:30 pm
Join us tonight!
If you are curious about joining the board, or are interested in helping our Party in the Park event, please join our open board meeting at Blue Water Cafe, corner of Bird and Willow, at 6:30 pm tonight.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Let's be frank -- we live in a great neighborhood!
Tuesday, August 02, 2016
This is who volunteers in North Willow Glen, Part 7
Another in our occasional series about who volunteers in North Willow Glen.
Sheila Hunter
Year you moved into the neighborhood: 2010
What drew you to North Willow Glen: I had a friend who used to live in the neighborhood and I liked the walkability and neighborliness of North Willow Glen
What you love about our neighborhood: Fuller Park and Hummingbird Park provide multiple spots for meeting neighbors and letting pets and kids roam
What you do to help out in North Willow Glen and why it’s important to you: I have been the treasurer for the North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association. As a member of the board, I learned about how various neighbors advocate for our neighborhood, lead special clean-up efforts, improve our communication, and host special events. I am so grateful for my neighbors' good work; I've been happy to help by writing checks and filling out forms. It is a small way to give back to help build up this special neighborhood.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
This is who volunteers in North Willow Glen, Part 6
Another in our occasional series about who volunteers in North Willow Glen.
Taffy Dugan
Year you moved into the neighborhood: 2008
What drew you to North Willow Glen: I used to own a cookie company and sold cookies at the Willow Glen Farmers' Market. This was when it was still at Willow Glen Elementary School. I was struck then by how family-oriented Willow Glen was and started dreaming of living here.
What do you love about our neighborhood? I remember visiting a friend who lived here in North Willow Glen and falling immediately in love with this neighborhood. So quaint and friendly. Being originally from the South, I grew up knowing my neighbors. It's so nice to live in a place where that's true again.
What you do to help out in North Willow Glen and why is it important to you? Delivering fliers mostly, and participating in events. I feel it's important to do my part, however small or large that may be, to nurture the closeness of our neighborhood. I've been delivering the fliers since we moved here almost eight years ago, so I've really enjoyed seeing how each house has changed over the years.
Friday, July 29, 2016
This is who volunteers in North Willow Glen, Part 5
Another in our occasional series about who volunteers in North Willow Glen.
Member of CADRE, Collaborating Agencies Disaster Relief Effort.
John Francis Maggio
Year you moved into the neighborhood: We moved onto Harrison Street in 1985.
What drew you to North Willow Glen: Our house, on that street, with that backyard!
What you love about our neighborhood: We have a beautiful tree lined street with mature camphors that keep our neighborhood shaded and cool in the hottest weather.
What you do to help out in North Willow Glen and why it’s important to you: I keep an eye out on the railroads Joint Powers land. I watch and let them know when they have too much trash in their lot. And I keep reminding the railroad what it takes to be a good neighbor. They need all the help they can get in that regard! I wrote up my own flyers for the street so that they were aware when San Jose Water was going to put in a new water line and how the subsequent trenching through the street was going to affect their curb trees, i.e. our camphors. In that regard, I established contact with the water department and with the city arborist. San Jose Water agreed to keep an certified arborist on site during the digging. I was able to confirm that an arborist from Davey Tree Company was present. I also wrote up a flyer with all my railroad contacts so that other neighbors were empowered to contact the railroad and point out when the trash or the train noise was too much. Member of CADRE, Collaborating Agencies Disaster Relief Effort.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
This is who volunteers in North Willow Glen, Part 4
Another in our occasional series about who volunteers in North Willow Glen.
Bill Rankin
Year you moved into the neighborhood: 1999
What drew you to North Willow Glen: The affordable housing prices and the potential we saw in North Willow Glen
What you love about our neighborhood: The many ways that neighbors help neighbors
What you do to help out in North Willow Glen and why it’s important to you:
I lead the North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association because I saw other volunteers stepping up and knew that they needed help to make great things happen. I’ve seen the positive impacts of NWGNA’s work every year in the neighborhood and it continues to get better and better. I also lead Save Our Trails, a group that advocates for trails all over Santa Clara County. I initially became involved because of the opportunity to develop a trail using the rail line that goes right through Willow Glen, and it is now becoming a marvelous trail connection. To see it lost would have been a sad occurrence and a missed opportunity. I also help out with understanding the impact of high-speed rail on our area. It’s important to keep the neighborhood intact and mitigate the effect of high-speed rail on North Willow Glen.
Monday, July 25, 2016
This is who volunteers in North Willow Glen, Part 3
Another in our occasional series about who volunteers in North Willow Glen.
Year you moved into the neighborhood: 2008
What drew you to North Willow Glen: We wanted to be central to San Jose and being in a primarily single family home neighborhood within walking distance to both downtown San Jose and downtown Willow Glen couldn't be beat.
What you love about our neighborhood: We quickly became friends with several of our neighbors - some right on the day we got the keys! I soon learned about the history of the neighborhood and its eclectic architecture. When I found out the neighborhood association needed help I decided to check it out and see what it was all about and what I could do to help.
What you do to help out in North Willow Glen and why it’s important to you: I presently help out with NWGNA communications by contributing website, Facebook, Nextdoor, and e-mail content as well as flier design and distribution. I would like to make sure that people know about what is going on in our neighborhood. NWGNA does a good job of bringing people together and neighbors getting to know neighbors is really what makes for a neighborhood. I also really like to keep blight out of our neighborhood so I report graffiti obsessively while I'm out walking my dog. From 2010-2013 I served on the NWGNA board as secretary, president, and past president. Thanks to all the people who donated their time to the cause, we were able to start new traditions like Party in the Park and revive old ones like the neighborhood garage sale. It's more fun than work and the people are great and have become good friends. I encourage anyone who has the time to meet once a month to check out the available board or committee positions.
Chris Davis
What drew you to North Willow Glen: We wanted to be central to San Jose and being in a primarily single family home neighborhood within walking distance to both downtown San Jose and downtown Willow Glen couldn't be beat.
What you love about our neighborhood: We quickly became friends with several of our neighbors - some right on the day we got the keys! I soon learned about the history of the neighborhood and its eclectic architecture. When I found out the neighborhood association needed help I decided to check it out and see what it was all about and what I could do to help.
What you do to help out in North Willow Glen and why it’s important to you: I presently help out with NWGNA communications by contributing website, Facebook, Nextdoor, and e-mail content as well as flier design and distribution. I would like to make sure that people know about what is going on in our neighborhood. NWGNA does a good job of bringing people together and neighbors getting to know neighbors is really what makes for a neighborhood. I also really like to keep blight out of our neighborhood so I report graffiti obsessively while I'm out walking my dog. From 2010-2013 I served on the NWGNA board as secretary, president, and past president. Thanks to all the people who donated their time to the cause, we were able to start new traditions like Party in the Park and revive old ones like the neighborhood garage sale. It's more fun than work and the people are great and have become good friends. I encourage anyone who has the time to meet once a month to check out the available board or committee positions.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
This is who volunteers in North Willow Glen, Part 2
Another in our occasional series about who volunteers in North Willow Glen.
Karen Taylor
Year you moved into the neighborhood: 2005
What drew you to North Willow Glen: I like that it had older homes with a lot of character, that it had its own small downtown, and that it is centrally located.
What you love about our neighborhood: I love that our neighborhood is diverse and that it had a friendly "small town" feel.
What you do to help out in North Willow Glen and why it’s important to you: I deliver fliers whenever fliers need to be delivered on Delmas Avenue. I wanted to be involved in the neighborhood on a regular basis without having the commitment of an office position on the board. Friday, July 22, 2016
Party in the Park - save the date!
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| 2014 Party in the Park |
Thursday, July 21, 2016
This is who volunteers in North Willow Glen...
Many, many people volunteer in a lot of different ways to make North Willow Glen an amazing place to live. To raise awareness and recognize them, we are doing a series of brief bios highlighting who they are and why they take time to help the community.
If you would like to help out in the neighborhood, let us know by sending an email to board@nwgna.org.
If you would like to help out in the neighborhood, let us know by sending an email to board@nwgna.org.
Lorraine Round
Year you moved into the neighborhood: 2008
What drew you to North Willow Glen: We definitely loved the vibe of downtown Willow Glen, and being walking distance was a big draw originally.
What you love about our neighborhood: I love knowing our neighbors, and how everyone looks out for each other.
What you do to help out in North Willow Glen and why it’s important to you: We help deliver fliers when there are meetings or other miscellaneous things going on in the community (like Christmas Trees!) and help with Christmas decorations around the area. We like to feel connected to our community and do our part to help others feel connected too.
Sunday, July 03, 2016
Online reporting of illegal fireworks activity in San José now available
Fireworks cause more than 15,000 fires every year, and half of reported fires on July 4 are started by fireworks. Additionally, sparklers alone caused more than one-quarter of emergency room injuries seen in 2014. (see statistics)
All fireworks in San Jose are illegal. To report use of fireworks, use the city's online form.
Thursday, June 09, 2016
CHSRA Meeting Recap
In case you weren't able to make it to the High-Speed Rail meeting on Monday, here are some observations. CHSRA had several information stations around the perimeter of the meeting room. These areas covered station planning, right of way issues, environmental review process, Caltrain electrification, and alignments.
The station design area featured two boards, each with an overhead view depicting Diridon Station and including track alignment in and out. One board showed the at-grade alignment and the other showed the aerial alignment. Bruce Fukuji of CHSRA discussed some of the issues regarding the two options. For one, the at-grade option required the ability for UPRR freight trains to be able to cut across all of the tracks from the spur that runs southeast of the station. The coordination of which could halt freight trains, local trains, high-speed trains, or all of the above. Secondly at-grade requires a number of compromises to the scheduling of the trains in order to prevent them from stacking up one behind the other. The aerial route alleviates each of these concerns. HSR would have dedicated tracks at the station and for a period on each end of the station. One item not depicted particularly well was the aerial route north of the station. It was easy to tell that those tracks were off to the east of the existing tracks and over a corner of the SAP Center's north parking lot. The ramifications on the area beyond that could not be determined as that area was not presented - this meeting was for the San José to Merced section.
The right of way (ROW) table dealt with the process of private property acquisition. The staff working this table did not know what properties would need to be acquired under either alignment option. They could however, tell attendees about the process should they decide they need land you may own. The first step of which is to appraise the value of the property. The entity that would purchase the land is the same entity that would determine its value. If the value was disputed by the property owner, the property owner could then receive up to $5,000 from the state to have the value of her land assessed by a licensed appraiser. CHSRA would not necessarily honor the new appraisal. If this process still does not result in the agreement of both parties a condemnation trial begins. If the property owner wins the case, her appraisal fees and attorney costs would be paid by CHSRA. The property owner will be given a minimum of 90 days notice, is eligible for advisory assistance in relocation, and may qualify for moving related expenses. If the property owner feels she has lost business she must submit a claim to prove it.
The environmental review process overview was given verbally so it was a bit more difficult to understand. The Environmental Impact Report/Statement (EIR/S) itself is requires a number of steps and a significant amount of paperwork often in great detail leading to the final design of the project. The CHSRA strategy appears to be re-using the initial EIR/S from several years ago, though that pre-dates the blended system design that is currently being considered.
The Caltrain Planner Jill Gibson explained that regardless of the option (at-grade or aerial) Caltrain would be electrifying two tracks for their trains. In the event an aerial alignment is chosen by CHSRA, both existing tracks would be electrified and a third, non-electrified track to accommodate freight trains would not be required between Tamien and Diridon stations.
The alignments table was staffed by Gary Kennerley of Parsons Brinckerhoff. It featured very long strips of satellite imagery of the proposed alignments along with section views showing two options of at-grade rail beds through North Willow Glen. One option, similar to the current cross section features sloping sides of dirt and rock that build up the rail bed. This would require the acquisition of yet to be determined parcels that would all but certainly include most of Fuller Park, Word of Faith Church, and other properties located south of the existing tracks. The other at-grade section would not require property takes. CHSRA would avoid this by removing the mature pine trees that separate the rail bed from the Fuller Park and constructing walls possibly 12 to 18 feet tall at the edge of the current ROW. Presentation renderings of this were grim, showing an imposing gray wall with some vegetation planted along the side. The remains of the park were a strip of grass and the existing fencing.
The aerial alignment option uses much of the existing ROW of I-280 and CA87, crossing over both of them and approaching the station above the existing tracks. To achieve this, some pillar supports would need to be placed north of I-280 near or over Orchard Supply to Diridon Station.
CHSRA staff presented the plan for the San José to Merced section. One of the more surprising pieces of information was from CHSRA Regional Director and former San José Transportation Systems Manager Ben Tripousis who said there would be no cost to San Jose for high-speed rail. Speaker comments and a Q & A period followed.
Commenters repeatedly expressed their dissatisfaction with CHSRA outreach. Fliers were distributed only to houses on the north side of Fuller Avenue and the south side of Jerome Avenue 24 hours before the meeting started. The meeting itself would not have happened had it not been for residents asking the offices of Raul Peralez and Pierluigi Oliverio to ensure it happened. Other neighbors noted the repeated division of the Greater Gardner neighborhood, first by UPRR, then I-280, and again by CA87. Adding walls and taking more properties would continue to isolate the area whereas the aerial route would benefit HSR efficiency without further impacting this part of Willow Glen. Others added that the burden of transportation was once again being born disproportionally by poor and Hispanic families, bringing up social justice issues with the at-grade option. It was for many of these same reasons that CHSRA decided in favor of the aerial option and against the at-grade alignment themselves, only to return years later trying to return to the at-grade alignment. Residents noted the complete lack of materials showing any underground option. In response, Mr. Tripousis added that the underground options would be contained in the EIR/S and it was not off the table. Ironically, tunnel drawings were not on any table in the room. Attendees pointed out that both north- and south-of-Diridon Station issues are resolved by going under ground. Budgetary questions were asked repeatedly. It was pointed out that the Prop 1A budget for the project was $40M yet the current projection is $64M. Mr. Tripousis insisted the project was not over budget because the budget is $68M and that CHSRA builds as the money becomes available. The final major thread of questions came with regard to the legality of the project overall. Commenters noted that Prop 1A specified that California would have a dedicated high-speed rail system and that a blended system could not be built without the consent of the people through a new measure.
The station design area featured two boards, each with an overhead view depicting Diridon Station and including track alignment in and out. One board showed the at-grade alignment and the other showed the aerial alignment. Bruce Fukuji of CHSRA discussed some of the issues regarding the two options. For one, the at-grade option required the ability for UPRR freight trains to be able to cut across all of the tracks from the spur that runs southeast of the station. The coordination of which could halt freight trains, local trains, high-speed trains, or all of the above. Secondly at-grade requires a number of compromises to the scheduling of the trains in order to prevent them from stacking up one behind the other. The aerial route alleviates each of these concerns. HSR would have dedicated tracks at the station and for a period on each end of the station. One item not depicted particularly well was the aerial route north of the station. It was easy to tell that those tracks were off to the east of the existing tracks and over a corner of the SAP Center's north parking lot. The ramifications on the area beyond that could not be determined as that area was not presented - this meeting was for the San José to Merced section.
The right of way (ROW) table dealt with the process of private property acquisition. The staff working this table did not know what properties would need to be acquired under either alignment option. They could however, tell attendees about the process should they decide they need land you may own. The first step of which is to appraise the value of the property. The entity that would purchase the land is the same entity that would determine its value. If the value was disputed by the property owner, the property owner could then receive up to $5,000 from the state to have the value of her land assessed by a licensed appraiser. CHSRA would not necessarily honor the new appraisal. If this process still does not result in the agreement of both parties a condemnation trial begins. If the property owner wins the case, her appraisal fees and attorney costs would be paid by CHSRA. The property owner will be given a minimum of 90 days notice, is eligible for advisory assistance in relocation, and may qualify for moving related expenses. If the property owner feels she has lost business she must submit a claim to prove it.
The environmental review process overview was given verbally so it was a bit more difficult to understand. The Environmental Impact Report/Statement (EIR/S) itself is requires a number of steps and a significant amount of paperwork often in great detail leading to the final design of the project. The CHSRA strategy appears to be re-using the initial EIR/S from several years ago, though that pre-dates the blended system design that is currently being considered.
The Caltrain Planner Jill Gibson explained that regardless of the option (at-grade or aerial) Caltrain would be electrifying two tracks for their trains. In the event an aerial alignment is chosen by CHSRA, both existing tracks would be electrified and a third, non-electrified track to accommodate freight trains would not be required between Tamien and Diridon stations.
The alignments table was staffed by Gary Kennerley of Parsons Brinckerhoff. It featured very long strips of satellite imagery of the proposed alignments along with section views showing two options of at-grade rail beds through North Willow Glen. One option, similar to the current cross section features sloping sides of dirt and rock that build up the rail bed. This would require the acquisition of yet to be determined parcels that would all but certainly include most of Fuller Park, Word of Faith Church, and other properties located south of the existing tracks. The other at-grade section would not require property takes. CHSRA would avoid this by removing the mature pine trees that separate the rail bed from the Fuller Park and constructing walls possibly 12 to 18 feet tall at the edge of the current ROW. Presentation renderings of this were grim, showing an imposing gray wall with some vegetation planted along the side. The remains of the park were a strip of grass and the existing fencing.
The aerial alignment option uses much of the existing ROW of I-280 and CA87, crossing over both of them and approaching the station above the existing tracks. To achieve this, some pillar supports would need to be placed north of I-280 near or over Orchard Supply to Diridon Station.
CHSRA staff presented the plan for the San José to Merced section. One of the more surprising pieces of information was from CHSRA Regional Director and former San José Transportation Systems Manager Ben Tripousis who said there would be no cost to San Jose for high-speed rail. Speaker comments and a Q & A period followed.
Commenters repeatedly expressed their dissatisfaction with CHSRA outreach. Fliers were distributed only to houses on the north side of Fuller Avenue and the south side of Jerome Avenue 24 hours before the meeting started. The meeting itself would not have happened had it not been for residents asking the offices of Raul Peralez and Pierluigi Oliverio to ensure it happened. Other neighbors noted the repeated division of the Greater Gardner neighborhood, first by UPRR, then I-280, and again by CA87. Adding walls and taking more properties would continue to isolate the area whereas the aerial route would benefit HSR efficiency without further impacting this part of Willow Glen. Others added that the burden of transportation was once again being born disproportionally by poor and Hispanic families, bringing up social justice issues with the at-grade option. It was for many of these same reasons that CHSRA decided in favor of the aerial option and against the at-grade alignment themselves, only to return years later trying to return to the at-grade alignment. Residents noted the complete lack of materials showing any underground option. In response, Mr. Tripousis added that the underground options would be contained in the EIR/S and it was not off the table. Ironically, tunnel drawings were not on any table in the room. Attendees pointed out that both north- and south-of-Diridon Station issues are resolved by going under ground. Budgetary questions were asked repeatedly. It was pointed out that the Prop 1A budget for the project was $40M yet the current projection is $64M. Mr. Tripousis insisted the project was not over budget because the budget is $68M and that CHSRA builds as the money becomes available. The final major thread of questions came with regard to the legality of the project overall. Commenters noted that Prop 1A specified that California would have a dedicated high-speed rail system and that a blended system could not be built without the consent of the people through a new measure.
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