January 1, 2004

NEWS BRIEFS

Public health officials caution against carbon monoxide poisoning during cold weather

The Santa Clara County Public Health Department's Child Injury Prevention Workgroup would like the public to know about possible causes of household carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. CO usually exits a house safely through vents, flues, or chimneys.

However, dangerous amounts of CO can accumulate as a result of poor installation, poor maintenance, failure or damage to an appliance, improperly burned fuel, or poorly ventilated rooms which are especially dangerous during the winter. In all these cases, CO is unable to escape and poisoning can occur. Young children are especially vulnerable.

Each year, more than 200 people in the Unites States die as a result of CO poisoning produced by fuel-burning appliances (furnaces, ranges, water heaters, room heaters). Others die from CO produced while burning charcoal inside a home, garage, vehicle or tent; or from cars left running in attached garages. In Santa Clara County, there were four deaths due to CO poisoning from 1999-2000 and 16 hospitalizations.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous, colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is produced by the incomplete burning of solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels. Appliances fueled with natural gas, liquefied petroleum, oil, kerosene, coal, or wood may produce CO. Both burning charcoal and running cars produce CO.

The initial symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to the flu (but without the fever). They include headache, fatigue, shortness or breath, nausea, and dizziness. Large amounts of CO can cause loss of consciousness, suffocation, and death. If caught in time, CO poisoning can be reversed. Carbon monoxide poisoning can result in permanent damage or death. Anyone suspecting CO poisoning should leave the premises immediately and call 9-1-1

The following actions can help prevent CO poisoning.
· Install a carbon monoxide detector as a backup but not as a replacement for proper use/maintenance of fuel burning appliances.
· Make sure appliances are installed, working and used correctly according to manufacturers' instructions and local building codes.
· Have the heating system (including chimneys and vents) inspected and serviced annually. This includes checking chimneys and flues for blockages and corrosion. Ensure all connections are intact/connected properly before using a fireplace.
· Make sure there is lots of fresh air ventilation before using gas-powered engines or chemicals such as paint remover.
· Never burn charcoal or use portable fuel burning camping equipment inside a home, garage, vehicle, or tent.
· Never use gas appliances, such as ranges, ovens, or clothes dryers for heating your home.
· Never leave a car running w hen it is inside a garage, even if the garage door is open.
· Do not sleep in a room with a gas or kerosene space heater if it is not properly vented.
· Move into a well-ventilated area if any CO poisoning symptoms develop.
· Call the local gas company if there is a suspected gas leak in the home.

For additional information on carbon monoxide poisoning or agencies that provide free or low cost CO detectors, call the Santa Clara County Public Health Department Maternal Child Health Program Hotline at 1-800-310-2332.

101-year-old library time capsule on display

A Carnegie Library time capsule was recently discovered by San Jose State University's Special Collections Department and the contents are on display on the fifth floor of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. The discovery marks the 101-year anniversary of having a library located at Fourth and San Fernando streets where the King Library now stands.

The capsule, an 8-inch by l0-inch metal box, contains memorabilia that was placed in the cornerstone of the original Carnegie Library in 1902, and which remained in the building's foundation until it was torn down in 1958 to make way for a new SJSU library. From newspaper articles found with the capsule, the metal box was filled, set into the cornerstone of the Carnegie Library on Feb. 16, 1902, and cemented into the foundation. The capsule contained historical documents, many of which relate to the library's origins. These include a letter to Andrew Carnegie from C.T. Martin, mayor of San Jose, requesting his assistance in securing a library, a letter from a cashier at the Carnegie Corporation allocating $50,000 for a library building, copies of the ordinance accepting the deed to a site on Washington Square for the San Jose Public Library, and the resolution of the City of San Jose to set apart $5,000 annually for the support and maintenance of the public library. An 1896 author and title list of all the books in the city library were also found.

"This discovery of historic documents in the early library's foundation has symbolic as well as practical value,” says Patricia Breivik, dean of the university library. "It shows what a rich history San Jose State University and the public library have shared for the past one hundred years, and that the two libraries were built upon the same foundation."

Although the documents discovered pertain to the San Jose Public Library, the metal box and its contents were discovered in the university's Special Collections. "That's because, in early 1936, SJSU (at that time named San Jose State College), acquired the Carnegie Library from the City of San Jose in a deal that gave the city the old post office at South Market and West San Fernando streets to convert into a library," explains Jane Light, director of the SJPL. “Thus, when the cornerstone was unearthed in 1958 to make way for a new expansion wing of the university library, its contents became university property. That particular plot of land seemed destined for the joint city/university King Library,” adds Light. “Now that the two institutions have joined together, both the public library's California Room and SJSU's Special Collections have created a shared display, in order to showcase this discovery." The contents of the Carnegie Library time capsule are currently displayed on the fifth floor of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. For library hours, see www.sjlibrary.org.

San Jose expands teacher homebuyer program
Revisions to successful program will assist more teachers

Twenty percent more San Jose teachers will be able to buy homes in the community where they teach as a result of modifications to the San Jose Teacher Homebuyer Program approved on Dec. 16 by the City Council.

Since the program was launched by Mayor Ron Gonzales four years ago, San Jose has provided down payment assistance that has enabled nearly 400 public school teachers to purchase affordable homes here. These new revisions to the program could increase the annual rate of teachers participating from about 100 to 120.
“When teachers live in the same community with their schools, they can do a better job to help our children learn,” said Gonzales. “It also strengthens the ability of our school districts to recruit and keep good teachers, which benefits both our schools and our city.”

The changes refocus the program on teachers with lower incomes while still assisting those with moderate incomes. By lowering the maximum loan for moderate income households from $40,000 to $25,000 and setting a formula on the maximum purchase price at based on the area’s median income, the city can reach more teacher households that are earning lower amounts. The changes also will give the city greater flexibility to use other grant and federal funds to support the THP program.

“We are responding to the changes in the teacher homebuyer market,” said Leslye Corsiglia, director of the San Jose Housing Department that administers the program.

“According to the California Department of Housing and Community development, teacher household income limits have increased by 30 percent since 1999, which means more moderate-income teacher households are able to purchase a home without our assistance.”

Gonzales proposed the San Jose THP when he took office in 1999 as a part of his efforts to support quality education in San Jose public Schools.

‘We have been working with educators to make San Jose the most teacher-friendly city in California. The teacher housing program has been very successful and had become a model for other cities,” said Gonzales.

The League of California Cities presented its annual Helen Putnam Award to San Jose for the Teacher Homebuyer Program in September 2003. The award commends outstanding achievement and innovation by California cities whose contributions have resulted in lower costs or more effective delivery of services and that provide models for other communities to emulate.

Since the San Jose program was established in 1999, 388 teachers have been able to take advantage of a wide-range of housing assistance to buy their first homes. Eligible teachers can receive up to $40,000 in zero-interest down payment assistance.

Over the past four years the city has provided $15 million, mostly from redevelopment Agency resources dedicated to affordable housing, in loan assistance for the teacher homebuyer program. This has successfully leveraged over $100 million in private loans that have helped teachers move into new homes.

In addition, San Jose has successfully worked with developers of affordable housing to market new homes to local teachers and take advantage of the opportunities created by other investments in affordable housing.

For specific information about the San Jose Teacher Homebuyer Program, eligibility, and housing assistance, contact the San Jose Housing Department at 277-8486 or visit www.sjhousing.org/program/thp.html