December 1, 2005

STREET SCENESerenity Way

The word “serenity” conjures up images of tranquility, calmness and peacefulness. In the past, the south end of Almaden’s Serenity Way would have fit that description, but unfortunately that is no longer the case, residents say.

The homes on Serenity Way are large and spacious and have sold for well over a million dollars.

That serenity is one of the reasons Randy and Sonya Wilhelm moved to the street seven years ago.

“When we moved in it was a lot quieter,” said Sonya. “There wasn’t as much traffic on the street and we loved that there was a creek with frogs and the wildlife. Loons would come swooping down to the water.”

The creek is still thriving, but things have changed radically for the Wilhelms. Recently the couple was driving home from a dinner out with their children, 7-year-old Isabel and 4-year-old Nathaniel, when they came upon a grisly discovery.

“It was our kitty in the middle of the road,” said Sonya. “Blood was everywhere. In fact, it is still there. It looked like the poor thing had been hit twice. The kids ask ‘why would someone hit our cat?’”

The Wilhelm children created a memorial at the mailbox near where their beloved 8-month-kitten was run over by a car. Isabel wrote “dear Buttercup, I love you so much that I just want to kiss you right now” on paper that hangs on the mailbox. The family even threw rose petals in special remembrance for Buttercup, the torti-colored kitten they had come to love. They adopted her as a kitten from animal control on Monterey Road. She was feral but had become cuddly and friendly and “had filled out” since being in the family’s care. But the Wilhelm’s point out there is a bigger issue than their cat being run over.

“Since there are only four houses that actually face Serenity Way with a creek on the other side of the road and no houses, people come screeching up or down the road,” said Sonya. “They honk at my husband many mornings as he’s trying to pull out of the driveway and go to work. I am concerned that it may be our family pet today, but it could be my husband another day or my children as we are trying to go to the pool or on a family bike ride.”

“It’s scary even walking,” continued Sonya. “People drive really fast and right next to the sidewalk. We have a memorial off to the side of the road which has raised some awareness that something has been killed there but I’m sure it won’t slow them down for long.”

She places partial blame for the speeders on people who live in new houses being built in the area. “The road has become a freeway with all the new mega houses they put in over in the Glen Crest neighborhood,” said Sonya.
“We are devastated about the kitty but the issue is bigger than my cat—though this was the last straw. There has been a police van parked out there at times, but it hasn’t been there for a while. Now the speeding is bad but the attitudes are even worse. They think it’s a racetrack!”

The Wilhelms mention that this has been their second pet loss this year; their last cat Princess was attacked by a coyote earlier this year. She wanted another pet for her children who is also a “mouser” for the roof rats they have, but now realizes that any pet will have to be an indoor animal as it is not safe for them outside with the traffic zipping by.

The cat’s death was not the first incident involving speed and traffic. A week before that incident, a car jumped off the road and smashed into their mailbox. Randy fixed the mailbox securing it with a metal bar. But Sonya’s main concern now is for the safety of her children and husband.

“I think they should put speed bumps in the road here,” suggested next-door neighbor Sandilya Garimella, whose family moved in recently. “We need two speed bumps here. Really only three houses are affected by the traffic. I do not let my kids play in the front yard.”

When the Wilhelms were asked what they liked best about their neighborhood they listed their house first.

“It’s big and spacious and has a nice yard,” said Sonya. “And our new neighbors are great. They have two children the same age as ours. We still enjoy the trail that runs the length of the street but all you hear now is the traffic.”

Will the Wilhelm’s adopt another cat?

“Maybe later,” said Sonya. “But it will definitely be an indoor cat.”

A phone call to the city traffic detail regarding the possibility of speed bumps on Serenity Way was not returned by press time.

— By Jeanne Carbone Lewis