March 4, 2004

Guadalupe River Trail opening celebration
Trail now links Almaden Lake and Chynoweth Avenue

By Jeanne C. Lewis
Staff Writer

San Jose was once a large valley full of prune, cherry, plum and apricot orchards. Now, surrounded by tracts of houses and commercial enterprises, parks, trails and open spaces provide respite to the 925,000 residents. Last Saturday, the Guadalupe River Trail opened, connecting Almaden Lake to Chynoweth Avenue. The dedication, officiated by Vice Mayor and District 10 Councilwoman Pat Dando was attended by a small crowd of Almaden and Blossom Valley residents.

The trail showcases mountain vistas and trees, meandering next to the Guadalupe River. The dedication at the end of the completed trail extension features a large clear percolation pond owned by the Santa Clara Valley Water District, providing a million and a half gallons of drinking water a day to San Jose. Shorebirds enjoy the fresh water with a back drop of Highway 85 standing tall, an enormous modern sculpture emerging from the pond. Available for pedestrians and bicyclists' use, the 12-foot path provides an artery through the city and relief from crowded streets.

The accomplishment is the joint effort of the city of San Jose, Santa Clara Valley Water District, Callander Associates, V.E.P. Community Association, residents of Fell Avenue and Costco.

“This is a true partnership between government and the water district. They opened up their property, working with the city and parks department to make sure it happened,” Vice Mayor Dando said to the crowd. “Committee meetings with the public and the government agencies assisted in the project coming in ahead of time, on budget and ahead of schedule.”

The vision of Guadalupe River Trail is to extend to downtown by Children's Discovery Museum and then to Alviso, connecting with the San Francisco Bay Trails. The southern end of the trail connects with Los Alamitos Trail providing access to McKean Road.

“Two years ago, the board of directors of the water district met with the city.” Rosemary Kamei, director, District 1 of Santa Clara Valley Water District said to the crowd. “The water district is excited about opening up joint use for recreation and trails and at the same time the public can learn about our facility. We're glad we can help.”

Santa Clara Valley Water District's primary concern is to protect the community from floods and to assure safe drinking water. Their commitment to have joint use of the properties represents a unique partnership between city agencies and public. They also provided funding for the Guadalupe River Trail.