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December 25, 2003
Street Talk by Shari Kaplan
What issue or issues do you feel are the most significant
in the Almaden Valley area? (Asked at Redwood
Center)
"I'm kind of disappointed the Almaden library is going to be
closed for so long. Two years seems like a long time to wait for
the replacement library to be built. I'm mainly going to the Pearl
Avenue library now. Also, my wife is an adult crafts instructor
at the Almaden Community Center and they still haven't found a replacement
venue for that while it's closed for renovations."
George Schoenherr, 62
Almaden Valley
Retired engineer/computer programmer
"Education is the most important thing for me. I'm worried
about the cutbacks our schools are facing. My daughter is in first
grade at Graystone and they lost their librarian. They also cut
out their p.m. kindergarten class. My neighbors have older kids
and they're worried about losing electives in the middle schools.
Elective classes make school interesting—otherwise kids lose
their motivation."
Staci Tenczar, 31
Almaden Valley
Homemaker
"We need a traffic light at the intersection of Trinidad and
Crown. There's a four-way stop, but it needs a light. There's also
speeding on Hampton—we're worried about our children and other
people walking. I think there should be speedbumps. I'm concerned
about our Senior Center [at the Almaden Community Center] because
I don't know where it's relocating. I'm also worried about who might
replace [Vice Mayor] Pat Dando, because she's done a good job."
Kaye Bergren, 60
Almaden Valley
Retired teacher
"I've always wanted Almaden Valley to be its own small town,
separate from San Jose. Kind of like Los Gatos is its own town with
its own special character. I think Almaden Valley has a certain
class that the rest of San Jose doesn't really have. I'm sort of
exclusive about Almaden Valley, I guess. It's a great place to live!"
Darin Poly, 24
Almaden Valley
Substitute teacher
"Almaden Valley is a relatively safe 'neighborhood' with easy
access to everything: stores, banks, parks, schools. Both of my
kids went to school here and got a great education. They're also
doing a lot of improvements to the parks; everything is kept up
so well. Almaden Valley a little town all to itself. I don't really
foresee any big problems happening here."
Mari Bowers, 49
Almaden Valley
Nanny
"I think putting a soccer field on McKean Road is just the
worst idea. Traffic on McKean would be a disaster. It'll be a big
burden on police, fire or other emergency services to get through
the neighborhood due to all the traffic from the sports field. The
road can't hold the traffic at has right now! They'd also need to
put in a bike lane for the safety of the poor bicyclists who use
the road."
Diana Leone, 63
Almaden Valley
Artist
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