Tuesday, January 12, 2010 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., Roosevelt Community Center: 901 East Santa Clara Street

Police Report (from Lt Harper):

1. No parking signs have been posted along Monterey Highway near Blossom Hill to discourage trucks. After a short grace period, they will be cited. Additionally, No Trespassing signs have been posted along the railroad tracks. Pedestrians found on the rail side of the signs will be ticketed. Lastly, a fence will be erected parallel with the tracks near Blossom Hill to provide a physical barrier to prevent crossing. This is a high-level safety concern, as we've experienced a fatality of a neighbor earlier this year.
2. The police substation will be onboard Fall 2010.
3. During Q&A, we discussed the continuing problems on Southwind from Section 8 housing. There have been assaults and a drug overdose. Legal action has been taken, and one of the homeowners has been notified of the problem.
4. If you see any drug activity in the neighborhood, call 911 or 311. Also, you can call 971-DRUG, which is anonymous. The important thing is to keep the police informed. They need our eyes and ears.

District Two Report (from Councilman Ash Kalra):

1. Lowes is scheduled to open in spring of 2010
2. Hitachi site development is on hold, due to the economy. There are approximately 3,000 high density homes planned for the area. The initial developer (Signature Homes) has pulled out. Even though the construction is on hold, the parks have been completed and are open to the public.
3. The Edenvale Community Center on Branham East (near the new library) will be opening in 2010.
4. Santa Teresa Library is scheduled to reopen in February. The new building is approximately twice the size of the old. It will contain a large room available for community meetings, such as SLNA.
5. The pedestrian crossing bridge will break ground in the spring of 2010, with a scheduled completion by year's end.
6. Repaving Monterey continues to be a financial struggle, but Ash is working hard for funding. He had arranged for the head of San Jose Department of Transportation (DoT) to drive down our section of the road to confirm the dire situation. In addition to local pressure, Congress is pushing for the reauthorization of the Transportation Bill which would be a source of funding for the project. Ash and his staff will continue to push. He encourages the neighborhood's involvement, too, such as the petition launched on Facebook.
7. The city faces another huge budget deficit. This year, the gap is approximately $94 million. Ash is actively working with the city council on bridging the gap, trying to minimize the impact on city services.
8. There will be a community meeting on the High Speed Rail sometime in December, scheduled by Ash. He knows this is a “hot issue” for SLNA and will keep the communication going.
9. Ash provided some additional information on the Edenvale Housing Development on Ford Road. This is an affordable housing project already approved, but the plans have been modified based on community feedback. The document from Ash will be posted on our SLNA website this week. (www.slna.org) Please check back.

President's Message (from Randy Froh):

1. In 2010, we will continue with general meetings approximately once a quarter. The focus will be dispensing information through the emails and our website, rather than meetings.
2. The Second Harvest Food Drive will run November 23 through December 23. Collections will once again be at 81 Tennant Avenue (the “Humbug House”). Last year we filled three 55-gallon drums. Please bring cans when you stop by to see the Christmas Lights.
3. Randy is very involved in monitoring the plans and progress of the High Speed Rail, working with the HSR team to help minimize any negative effects on our neighborhood . There are three alternate proposed routes, but all three will follow Monterey Road by the SLNA community. Our concerns are the lane loss of Monterey, neighborhood safety, and the impact to beautification & noise(sound wall & electric wires). He will keep us informed.

Compiled by David Wilkins (dwilkins@slna.org)