By Khalida Sarwari
Downtown renovations, public safety, the Highway 85 expansion project and coyotes dominated the discussion at a recent meeting between Saratoga city officials and residents.
Held on June 1, the Saratoga City Council’s annual joint meeting with homeowner and neighborhood associations drew about 50 residents to West Valley College to share news about various happenings in their neighborhoods and receive updates on local projects.
Some residents noted that coyotes still remain an issue in certain neighborhoods.
Cheriel Jensen, who represents the Quito Road Association, expressed concern about the levels of fluoride in the water. Councilman Howard Miller assured her that the San Jose Water Company “promised me we’d have the best-tasting water in the Valley, but unfortunately it’s two years away.”
Miller also raised the topic of Highway 85, encouraging folks to “not stop complaining.”
“I have seen the final design, and our concerns were accommodated,” he said. “If they touch the freeway, there’s funding to do noise abatement on the freeway. So I’m highly optimistic.”
Community development director Erwin Ordonez provided an update on the Village Plan and shared the results of a recently completed outreach campaign
in which 951 residents and 27 Village businesses and property owners participated. Through a survey and poll, they found that most people are either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the city’s downtown. People reported the same level of satisfaction with the city’s efforts in providing services to residents.
Ordonez said the results suggest that while people favored the Village’s existing scale of development, small- town charm, historic character and views of the hills, they said there is room for improvement in the areas of parking and circulation, street activity such as outdoor dining and the use of public plazas, and the choice of retail and restaurants.
Rick Sung, captain of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s West Valley substation, gave a presentation on deterring crime. The most effective deterrents to burglaries, which re- main a persistent problem in Saratoga, are alarm systems, surveillance camera systems and watchdogs, he said. He also praised Neighborhood Watch, saying that the program benefits both the community and law enforcement because it enables residents to help officers fight crime.
Sung advised against direct involvement in incidents, recommending that residents “observe and report only.” He also encouraged residents to visit crimereports.com, a website that has a comprehensive listing of criminal activity in each city 24 hours after it occurs.
While some residents brought complaints and concerns, others exuded gratitude for getting to call Saratoga home.
“Thank God I live in Saratoga,” said Jim Foley, who represents the San Marcos Homeowner’s Association.
