Three Creeks Trail: Important Decisions - Have Your Say

Thanks to Barbara Keegan for this note about important, timely decisions about Three Creeks Trail:
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Below is an excerpt from an editorial in today's San Jose Mercury News regarding a proposed trail extension that would link existing trails near our neighborhood.

The Open Space Authority will be taking action tonight to consider coming up with some additional funding to make this project a reality.

Our representative on the OSA Board is Mike Potter. His email address is mpotter@openspaceauthority.org

I strongly support this important trail project and encourage those of you who share my interest in expanding our trail system to make your voices heard. I don't think I can make tonight's meeting, but I will be sending an email to Mr. Potter to express my support of this project.

"The goal of establishing a real trail network in Santa Clara County at times has looked doubtful...The goal can move much closer tonight if the county Open Space Authority agrees to San Jose's request to kick in another $1 million for the purchase of Union Pacific Railroad right of way. If you care, drop by the board meeting and speak up. It's at 6 p.m. at the authority's headquarters, 6980 Santa Teresa Blvd. in San Jose.

We already have the Los Gatos Creek Trail, the Guadalupe River Park, the Highway 87 Bikeway and the Coyote Creek Trail -- all great places to walk or bike. But the Three Creeks Trail will provide the three-mile crosstown connection to tie them into a network...San Jose has come up with several million dollars, and next month the Santa Clara County supervisors will vote on a $2 million allocation from the voter-designated Park Charter Fund for regional parks and open space. The Open Space Authority already has contributed $2 million toward the project, and we hope it can find another $1 million."

Three Creeks Trail: Have Your Say

If you are interested in offering your opinion on the Three Creeks Trail project, there are three opportunities:

• Attend the Open Space Authority Meeting this Thursday, August 26, 2010 at 6pm in South San Jose. See http://www.openspaceauthority. org/about/agendas.html for more information.
• Write a letter to the Board of Supervisors about the Three Creeks Trail because the acquisition is time sensitive
• Union Pacific Railroad is required to do a clean-up of their former rail line prior to selling the land. There is concern for bigger, older trees along the line so that they are not harmed during the clean-up process. Save Our Trails is asking concerned neighbors to write emails to Andrew Berna-Hicks, the DTSC Project Manager, asking that an arborist be retained to inventory all specimen trees with roots in the proposed areas of contaminated soil removal and that a plan be devised to preserve these trees against any significant injury from the removal work. The deadline for public comments is 5:00 p.m., August 26, 2010.

Note: For anyone who is interested in the background of this path and the purpose of the planned Three Creeks Trail including the opportunity it provides for cross-county connectivity, please see a slide show prepared by Larry Ames for Supervisor Shirakawa at this address: http://www.l-ames.com/3Crks/pages/image/imagepage1.html; click on the >> in the upper right corner to step forward through the presentation.

Fruit/Veggie/Etc. Requests

If you have a special request for the fruit, veggie, etc. exchange, send email to ambwrr@yahoo.com and we will get the word out. Our very first request has already been answered with a promised crop of avocados for this Sunday.

So far, we have heard requests for these plants: tea, catnip, and stevia. If you are splitting your plants and have extra, bring them by!

Fruit/Veggie Exchange: Sunday!

Join us for the fruit, veggie, etc. exchange on Sunday from 11:30 to 1:30 in front of 1012 Spencer, between Willow and Atlanta. We know that we will have avocados, watermelon, and more!

Fruits
Veggies
Seeds
Bulbs
Cut flowers
Plants
Baked goods
Coupons
And more

Even if you do not have a home garden, come by and pick up some fresh produce and other goodies! Call 408-893-6684 with any questions.

Article in San Jose Business Journal: Fresh & Easy Market

In today's SJ Business Journal: Fresh & Easy to open first Bay Area market in Willow Glen

Article about drunk driving accident on Fuller Avenue

Article in today's San Jose Mercury News: North Willow Glen neighbors react to drunken driving accident on Fuller Avenue

Possible new grocery store in the neighborhood next year

As many of us know, we've gone back and forth about whether Fresh & Easy, the British grocery chain, would fill the former Albertson's spot at Bird & Minnesota. Updates today tell us that it is becoming more likely. Read the story from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Supervisor Yeager's August 2010 newsletter

Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager's latest newsletter is available online.

Volunteers needed for roads commission

The County is currently seeking volunteers to serve on its Roads Commission. The Roads Commission acts in an advisory capacity to the Board of Supervisors on matters generally relating to the planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of the County's expressways, highways and roads.

If you are interested in being appointed to the Committee, please contact Hong Cao in my office. She can be reached at 299-5040 or hong.cao@bos.sccgov.org.

Fruit/Veggie Exchange starts this Sunday!

Carrot Seeds

Fruit/Veggie Exchange
Every Sunday through September
11:30 a.m. — 1:30 p.m.

Front yard of 1012 Spencer (between Willow and Atlanta)

Bring your extra bounty of fruits, veggies, seeds, bulbs, cut flowers, and succulents, even baked goods, to share with neighbors. Take what you need, leave something to share. Call 408-893-6684 with any questions.

Also: If you have a large quantity of fruit in your yard, Village Harvest is a nonprofit volunteer organization in the greater San Francisco Bay Area that harvests fruit from backyards and small orchards, then will pass it along to local food agencies to feed the hungry.  Contact Village Harvest at 888-378-4841 or villageharvest.org

Feel free to share a recipe that uses summer garden goodies!

Fruit/Veggie Exchange flier delivery help needed

We have fliers today for the fruit and veggie exchange that we are starting this weekend and are looking for flier delivery help around the neighborhood for this weekend. The fliers will need to be delivered by Saturday night at the latest. Sorry for the late notice!

Please call Bill at 408-893-6684 or email to bill@networds.com if you can help.

S.J. Municipal Rose Garden named 'America's best'

A nonprofit association of rose growers has named the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden as "America's Best". Read about it in the Mercury News and plan a visit.

SJ Mercury News: Three Creeks Trail

Read about the plan to unite three major trails in San Jose in today's Mercury News: http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_15689633

To submit comments to the county, e-mail parkinfo@prk.sccgov.org. For questions, call 408.355.2215. For updates on the Three Creeks Trail, visit www.sjparks.org/Trails/WillowGlenSpur/WGS.asp.

Union Pacific right-of-way

From David Dearborn about the railway right-of-way:

Union Pacific Railway right of way (ROW) between Lonus and Minnesota Ave. is slated for clean up: 4,000 dump truck trips - 2,000 full... 2,000 empty. Contaminated soil under and near the old tracks will be removed and new clean soil added to replace it.

Come learn more.
Ask questions and comment.
Help make this a good thing for San Jose and Willow Glen.

Save Our Trails as been working for some time to raise funding and political will for bringing this into San Jose's trail network. The project is far from complete but this Clean Up Project could bring this one step closer. Come learn more...

AUGUST 11, 2010 Wednesday 6:30PM at Hicks & Minnesota

For more information and a brief slide show summary visit Project Overview (this may take a minute to load)

Virginia Street flood control project is progressing

Work is underway by the Santa Clara Valley Water District on a $10 million project to protect nearly 7,500 homes from a 100-year flood by improving flood channel capacity. It is quite an impressive undertaking that should lead to the area being removed from the flood zone and removing the necessity to purchase flood insurance. You can take a stroll down Virginia across Highway 87 to see the work that is underway or read more at http://www.valleywater.org/services/UpperGuad6.aspx.