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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01_20_2009 Winter SaratoganSaratoganSaratoganTheCITY o f S A RATOG A CALIF O R N IA1956 Winter 2009 Finding Renewal in Saratoga In October 2008, the City of Saratoga celebrated the groundbreaking of Joe’s Trail at Saratoga DeAnza. This new 1.6 mile pedestrian and bicycle trail will run between Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road and Saratoga Road on the PG&E right-of-way located adjacent to the railroad corridor in the City. For years, residents have enjoyed walking their dogs, bicycling, and running along the path next to the railroad tracks. Thanks to a generous donation from Saratoga resident Dee Sanfi lippo, who provided funding for the trail on behalf of her late husband, Joe, an offi cial trail will be built. Development of the trail embodies a process of renewal. This path, once cherished by Sanfi lippo’s husband, will be transformed into a formal trail and added to the City’s expansive trail network that helps to keep Saratoga residents active and connected. Examples of renewal can be found throughout the City. Read more about them in this issue of The Saratogan. Community Event Calendar: Saratoga’s community events are a great way to escape the daily grind and recuperate. These wonderful events, which keep the community unifi ed, are now a little easier to fi nd with the City’s new online community calendar. Read about this new calendar below. Kevin Moran Park: Since the 1970s, Kevin Moran Park has been one of Saratoga’s most treasured parks and is now being renovated. Turn to page 2 for more! Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Community Grant Programs: Each year, CDBG and community grants are allocated to organizations that offer a new beginning to Saratoga residents during times of need. More information is on page 2. Get Connected! Need to know what’s happening in Saratoga? Just visit www.saratoga. ca.us/events.html to get the latest information about public events. The new community calendar is powered by Artsopolis, a regional non- profi t established in 2000 to promote local arts and culture events. Since 2000, Artsopolis has become the most widely used online event calendar in Silicon Valley. Saratoga’s community calendar will feature events that are open to the public (whether free or for a charge) which are located within the 95070 zip code. To add events to the calendar, simply fi ll out the online submission form that is available on the Saratoga calendar and at www.artsopolis.com. Visit the Saratoga community calendar today to get connected with the Saratoga community! Groundbreaking of Joe’s Trail at Saratoga DeAnza A Helping Hand in Saratoga Each year, the City of Saratoga has the opportunity to provide funds to organizations that help the City’s neediest residents through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. This program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to address the needs of lower income and special needs residents. The City is expected to receive close to $133,000 in CDBG funds. Approximately $32,000 is available in the public service category, which is typically allocated to social services agencies. Last year’s recipients included: Saratoga Area Senior Coordinating Council’s adult day care program• West Valley • Community Services’ community assistance program that offers low income residents food, rentals, and utility services in times of need Catholic Charities of • San Jose’s Long Term Ombudsman Program that aims to improve the quality of life for residents of assisted living facilities Another portion of the CDBG funds, about $72,000, is set aside for the non-public service category. This money is used by the City to upgrade facilities to meet accessibility requirements. In past years, the City has allocated the non-public service category monies to equip traffi c signals with audio cues for the visually impaired and install fully accessible seating in the Civic Theater. In addition to the CBDG Program, the City has recently created a Community Grant Program. This year, $52,000 will be available for community based non-profi t organizations that serve Saratoga. Applications for both the CDBG and Community Grant programs were due by January 20, 2009. The Council will discuss the applications in February and make a decision in early March. For more information, contact Cynthia McCormick at cmccormick@saratoga.ca.us or (408) 868-1230. Saratoga Area Senior Coordinating Council luncheon Renovations Underway at Kevin Moran Park Kevin Moran Park has held a special place in the hearts of many Saratoga residents since it was purchased and developed in the 1970s. To enhance this cherished park, renovations are underway and will include a new tennis court, bocce ball court, picnic area, restroom, meditation garden, and a small fl at grass area. These improvements are the result of a community developed consensus plan. While the plan permits Saratoga youth sports groups to expand their available practice area at the park, no games are allowed. The park is named in memory of Kevin Moran, a Saratoga resident and University of California Santa Barbara student, who was killed during a riot in Isla Vista in April of 1970. Almost forty years later Saratoga residents honor his memory every day by playing and relaxing in the park that bears his name. The renovations are expected to be complete by summer 2009. For more information about this project, please contact the Public Works Department at (408) 868-1239. Ask Jana Got Code Enforcement questions? Ask Jana! Send your questions to Jana Rinaldi at 13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga CA 95070 or by email to jrinaldi@saratoga.ca.us. Dear Jana, Every Saturday, my neighbor has his yard maintained by a landscape company. When the landscapers are done with their work, they leave the yard waste bin out on the street. Our garbage collection day isn’t until Wednesday. Is my neighbor allowed to leave his yard clippings out from Saturday to Wednesday? Grass Can Gran Dear Grass Can Gran, There are a couple of rules related to garbage, recycling, and yard waste containers that are important to remember. Garbage cans be placed at the curbside • after 12:00 p.m. on the day before your garbage collection day. Garbage cans must removed from the • curbside by 12:00 p.m. on the day after your garbage collection day. At all other times, garbage, recycling, and • yard waste containers may not be within public view. That means containers may not be stored in the front or side yard and need to be fully screened from public view by a fence, wall, landscaping, or some other structure. Jana Dear Jana, I was at Congress Springs Park on a Tuesday afternoon and noticed a woman with two dogs that were off-leash. I thought all dogs needed to be on a leash in the City’s parks. Can you tell me what the Code says about off-leash dogs? Day Tripper Dear Day Tripper, You’re right, dogs must be on a leash that is no more than six feet in length while in a public place—including our parks. A $75 fi ne can be issued to owners who have their dogs off-leash in parks and other public places. Jana Meet the Youth Commission Of the six commissions in the City of Saratoga, the Youth Commission is by far the largest and its members are the youngest. This sixteen-member commission is composed of teens from a wide range of backgrounds who share an interest in government and leadership. In their roles as commissioners, they advise the City Council on teen issues, represent the interests of Saratoga’s youth, and work to get teens involved in the community. The Youth Commission meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. at Saratoga City Hall, located at 13777 Fruitvale Avenue. Meetings are open to the public and teens interested in youth issues or in applying to join the commission are encouraged to attend. For more information, visit www. saratoga.ca.us/boards-commissions/youth/. Left to right: Staff Liaison Adam Henig, Sangita Annamalai, Kayvon Rezaii, Sammy Rao, Kia Fariba, Natalie Tkalcevic, Kaitlin Finch, Corey Rateau, Elena Rees, Tara Fatemi, Jacob Baker, Justin El-Diwany, Lauren Tang, Tiffany Tseng, Aditya Dev, Cynthia Zhao, and Sameer Kausar. Postal Customer Local PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Saratoga, CA Permit No. 136 ECRWSS The Saratogan 13777 Fruitvale Avenue Saratoga, CA 95070CITY o f S ARATO G A CALIFO R N IA1956 A Big Thank You to Monte Sereno Saratoga residents have Monte Sereno to thank for some of the City’s latest park improvements. On October 21st, the Monte Sereno City Council voted unanimously to give Saratoga $40,000 in State Park Bond funds to pay for the expense of installing a new bocce ball court at Kevin Moran Park and a petanque court at Azule Park. Local park lovers will appreciate this generous donation for years to come! Digital Television Transition It is hard to miss the many advertisements announcing the transition to digital television. This year, all broadcast television stations in the U.S. will switch from analog to digital broadcasts. Residents opting to buy a new digital television rather than a converter should be aware that it is illegal to throw away a television in California. Televisions contain metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium that leak from landfi lls to contaminate California’s precious waterways. Check for local E-waste events or take advantage of West Valley Collection & Recycling’s (WVCR) free E-waste recycling service. For more information, call WVCR at (408) 283-9250. Mobile Emergency Calls Calls to 9-1-1 from mobile phones in Saratoga now go directly to the Sheriff’s Offi ce! Most 9-1-1 calls from mobile phones used to go to the California Highway Patrol emergency call center before getting routed to local law enforcement agencies, which occasionally caused delays in response times. The City of Saratoga invites you to attend the Village Streetscape Improvement Meeting #2 Monday, February 2, 2009 @ 6:30 p.m.Saratoga Senior Center – 19655 Allendale Avenue, Saratoga The City has received a grant from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority to improve patron safety along Big Basin Way, taking into account the unique and historic environment of the Village. Primarily, work will be focused on pedestrian safety improvements and beautifi cation of the Village. This is the second meeting at which members of the public will get to share their thoughts on improvements to the Village Streetscape and review conceptual drawings developed by Gates & Associates. Planned improvements include pedestrian bulb outs, crosswalk in-pavement lighting, hanging plant baskets, irrigation, sidewalk improvements, streetscape furniture, and more! For more information, please contact Macedonio Nunez with the City of Saratoga at mnunez@saratoga.ca.us. CITY o f S ARATO G A CALIF O R N IA1956