Around Town … with Robert Airoldi: Gilroy gets $4.5 million from feds to improve city park, trail to school
A total of $3 million will go toward renovations at San Ysidro Park
San Ysidro Park will receive $3 million for renovation. Photo courtesy city of Gilroy
By Robert Airoldi
Robert Airoldi
There’s some good news coming from the federal government. Gilroy will receive $4.5 million for two recreational projects after President Joe Biden signed a $1.7 trillion spending package Dec. 29. A total of $3 million will go toward renovations at San Ysidro Park, while $1.5 million will help fund a one-mile trail to Christopher High School.
The San Ysidro Park project in East Gilroy will receive the most money out of the 15 projects Congressmember Zoe Lofgren requested for funding. The projects, spread across the state’s 19th District, will receive $13,602,000 total from the federal government.
The San Ysidro Park Healthy Living Enhancement Project will upgrade the park’s toddler area and playground with ADA equipment and add outdoor exercise equipment.
The multi-use trail for bicyclists and pedestrians would extend along Lions Creek from Kern Avenue to Christopher High School at the intersection of Santa Teresa Boulevard and Day Road. The trail will also include ADA-compliant curb ramps and a concrete retaining wall.
Photo by Nolan Lyle
Nova and Alex Vega, an operations aide responsible for dog programs, get some exercise in the yard at the new San Martin Animal Shelter.
The Animal Services Center in San Martin has been operating at over capacity for dogs since March 2022, said Program Manager Lisa Jenkins, and there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight.
Shelter staff put out a plea to the public to adopt these dogs or foster them temporarily. Jenkins said many people have surrendered their dogs to the shelter due to changes in living situations.
Many low-cost spay and neuter programs have also ceased since the pandemic, and Jenkins said the shelter, which currently has veterinarian vacancies, is struggling to keep up with the procedures due to the influx of dogs.
For information, and to check out the list of adoptable dogs that is updated hourly, visit animalservices.sccgov.org. The shelter can also be reached at (408) 686-3900 and [email protected].
From left: Sophia Manzur as Rosie, Zoey Ocampo-Sobkoviak as Donna Sheridan and Bella Cambell as Tanya. Photo courtesy Mt. Madonna
Love, laughter and friendship hit the Hawk’s Nest stage at Mt. Madonna as the high school actors perform “Mamma Mia!” Set to the hit songs of the Swedish pop band ABBA, “Mamma Mia!” tells the story of Sophie Sheridan and her mother, Donna, in a hilarious, “take-a-chance” tale of love, laughter and friendship.
On the eve of her wedding, a young woman’s quest to discover her father’s identity brings three men from her mother’s past back to the Greek island they last visited 20 years ago.
After headstrong Sophie secretly reads her mother’s journals, she narrows down her father’s identity to three possibilities. The story heats up as Sophie, unbeknownst to Donna, invites all three men to her wedding.
Performances are 7 p.m. Jan. 27 and 2 p.m. Jan. 28, and a special sing-along performance is offered at 2 p.m. Jan. 29. Tickets are available at mms-mammamia.brownpapertickets.com. Adult tickets are $15; $10 for 18 and younger; all seats are reserved. Tickets for the sing-along performance are $20.
Santa Clara County Chief Probation Officer Laura Garnette will retire from her post later this month, ending a three-decade long career where she has spearheaded many significant reform efforts to help adult and juvenile probation clients break the cycle of incarceration. She will be replaced by Assistant Chief Probation Officer Nick Birchard, who starts his new role Jan. 23.
“During her tenure as chief probation officer, Garnette has made an indelible impact on our community,” said County Executive Jeffrey V. Smith.
Garnette has found it difficult to let go of her long career of service, but she called the appointment of Birchard as her successor a “gift that allows me to retire with full confidence about the department moving forward.”
She praised Birchard whom she has worked with for 12 years. “He has outstanding experience in every area of the department’s work, but more importantly, he is one of the most honest, highly principled people I have ever known,” she said.
Birchard has worked for the county department for more than 25 years.
“I am deeply honored to take on the position of chief probation officer because it not only aligns with my diverse work experience, but it also offers the opportunity to work closely with the community and county stakeholders to improve outcomes for clients and improve public safety,” he said.
