From the Office of Councilmember Johnny Khamis

DISTRICT 10 PARKS UPDATE The parks and trails in District 10 are some of the most beautiful in the City. I am very proud of not only these wonderful parks and trails, but the hundreds of volunteers who have taken it upon themselves to keep these valuable community resources clean, accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Given the City’s budgetary constraints, these volunteers continue to bridge the gaps in service from lower City staffing levels in order to keep these areas maintained. My office works in close collaboration with volunteers and Parks staff to ensure that our parks get the maintenance and attention they deserve. This has been especially evident in the TJ Martin and Jeffrey Fontana parks. With gophers, ground squirrels and an irrigation system three decades old, these parks have faced serious setbacks, but after meeting with the Deputy Directors of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services (PRNS), our hardworking park supervisors, and the park maintenance staff, maintenance in these parks is getting back on track. The faulty sections of the irrigation system have been fixed/and or replaced, and the maintenance team is now being proactive in addressing issues before they get out of hand. In addition, the PRNS Staff have doubled the funding for the gopher and ground squirrel eradication project. Since taking office, my staff and I have worked closely with The Martin Fontana Parks Association to resolve a number of issues. It has always been, and will continue to be my goal to establish solid working relationships with all community stakeholders. It is this kind of collaboration and communication between residents, volunteers, the Council Office and city staff that keeps our parks beautiful. In addition to the work at TJ Martin and Jeffrey Fontana Parks, we will be hosting another clean up day at Guadalupe Oak Grove Park in mid-October. We will be sure to keep your posted so that you can join us!

I would be remiss if I did not thank a band of volunteers who have been around for a long time, but have recently started a new venture in Almaden Meadows Park. District 10 residents Lee Pauser, Dave Poeschel, and Pat Pizzo have recently started the Friends of Almaden Meadows volunteer group. They have adopted the park and are looking for others to join them in keeping Almaden Meadows Park beautiful. If you are interested in participating, you can join their Yahoo! group by emailing almeadows-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Jeffrey Fontana Park’s Memorial Rose Garden gets a makeover

Thanks to the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors (SCCAOR), The Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS), Martin-Fontana Parks Association members, and other volunteers, a lot was done on Sat the 7th.  We dead-headed the roses; fertilized all the plants, pulled weeds, trimmed the curbs, and spread 6 yards of mulch.  A long pole tree trimmer was used to open up the flowering plums in the project. All in all, we got a ton of stuff done; and the garden looks great! Take a look.

* Click on the photos for a larger view

We are set for the Fall/Winter and will do our first 2014 workday in the Spring ’14… maybe early April. Then we will spread another 6 yards of chips and repeat what we did today.  This should give us one great Spring to look forward to.

Coyotes observed in Quadalupe Oak Grove Park

It is important that everyone traversing the interior part of Quadalupe Oak Grove Park be aware that the coyotes have returned to the park. In walking the main circular trail in the vicinity of the restrooms at 9 a.m. today (Labor Day) two coyotes were observed crossing the main path about 30 yards west of the restrooms. Since these are normally nocturnal animals I assume  they were either ill or desperate for food to come so close to people in broad daylight.  Of course the message to the residents of the Villas is obvious as well.

As reported by N. Steuer