Tuesday, March 6, 2012
The Los Gatos Town Council unanimously adopts vision for development of land next to Los Gatos Boulevard and a set of guiding principles for use of old library building at the Civic Center.
The Los Gatos Town Council voted unanimously Monday evening to approve a set of guiding principles for the use of the old library building that stress the facility should add to the quality of life of its residents and be synergetic with other Civic Center uses. The guidelines were established by a Council ad-hoc committee made up of Vice Mayor Barbara Spector and Councilmember Diane McNutt to establish the best use of the 47-year-old building and the process for how community organizations could apply to use it as a gathering place. According to the staff report prepared by Town Manager Greg Larson, the two-story library building, built in 1965, is approximately 11,900 square feet. In the report, the town says it needs office space for …
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Sumbul Ali-Karamali, author of The Muslim Next Door, will speak March 16 at the History Club of Los Gatos.
Silicon Valley Reads comes to Los Gatos on Friday, March 16 for “Tea and Talk” with Sumbul Ali-Karamali, the author of The Muslim Next Door. The free event, co-sponsored by Friends of Los Gatos Library, is scheduled for 10-11:30 a.m. at the History Club of Los Gatos, 123 Los Gatos Blvd. Refreshments will be served. Ali-Karamali will be interviewed on stage by Dale Bryant, executive editor of Silicon Valley Community Newspapers, followed by questions from the audience. Guests will then continue the book discussion at their tables with their book clubs or other individual readers. Reservations are requested by March 14 to events@friendsoflglibrary.org or call 408-399-5700. This is one of more than 100 free community events offered …
Monday, February 27, 2012
Councilwoman Diane McNutt and Vice Mayor Barbara Spector form subcommittee to draft vision statement for huge swath of land in north Los Gatos.
A new vision statement for the huge swath of land north of town that has come to be known as the North 40 has began taking shape thanks to the creation of a subcommittee made up of Gatos Councilwoman Diane McNutt and Vice Mayor Barbara Spector. The subcommittee was formed after the Council held a study session Feb. 13 and voted, at the urging of Mayor Steve Rice, to have the women help figure out what perhaps will be one of the most important land-use decisions in town history. The land is located on Los Gatos Boulevard and is privately owned by walnut orchardist Tom Yuki and other parties who plan to develop it with the help of London-based Grosvenor Americas. It's bounded roughly by Los Gatos Boulevard to the east, Highway 85 to the …
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Iconic dive bar on Los Gatos Boulevard is brought into compliance with town code.
After being "illegal," sort-of-speak, for about two decades, The Boulevard Tavern finally has a permit to operate as a bar now that the Los Gatos Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday evening to bring it into compliance. With Councilmember Steven Leonardis absent due to a family vacation, the Council voted 4-0 to give the owners of the land, where the watering hole operates, a so-called "conditional-use permit." The Tavern, 15043 Los Gatos Blvd., also avoided periodic permit review as had been suggested. “Our permits run with the land, not with the business, and it doesn’t seem fair to impose the subsequent review on the property owners,” said Councilmember Diane McNutt. “There are safety nets in place and we don’t need the extra …
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Singers led by Calvary Church of Los Gatos chorister Andrew Ford delight crowd with gospel tune 'This Little Light of Mine,' makes grand opening 'memorable moment.'
A flash mob singing the melody of Harry Dixon Loes' famous children's song This Little Light of Mine surprised the about 800 people who braved a drizzly and cold Saturday morning to witness the grand opening of the new Los Gatos Public Library. The heartfelt performance, which improvised the key words to the song to "this library of ours, we're gonna let it shine," brought tears to many in the audience gathered in front of the facility and was led by soloist Justine Lauren and joined flash-mob style by about 40 singers. The song's choice fit perfectly with the $18.4 million, 30,000-square-foot, two-story building's "beacon of light" architectural design theme and the town's “Jubilee Year” celebration theme of "It's Time to Shine." Los …
Monday, January 30, 2012
The Los Gatos Town Council sets strategic goals for next two years Saturday during annual council retreat.
Budget adjustments, the creation of a business improvement district, the re-use of the old library building and the process for crafting a vision statement for the North 40 Specific Plan were among the top priorities of the Los Gatos Town Council Saturday morning as it gathered for its annual retreat at the Los Gatos Police Operations Building. According to a memo prepared by Town Manager Greg Larson, the Council holds a half-day retreat early in the year to review strategic goals and budget priorities for the next two years. Larson and Mayor Steve Rice, who serves on the Council Finance Committee, presented the council with a list of $12 million worth of potential budget adjustments, each around $100,000 that were rank ordered by and …
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Town is in the process of developing a Sustainability Plan.
Practicality, funding and compliance with state legislation were the main concerns of the Los Gatos Town Council as it held a special study session Monday afternoon to develop a Sustainability Plan as directed by the 2020 General Plan. Consultants Joanna Jensen and Nicole Vermilion, of Berkeley-based The Planning Center DC&E, presented nine different town operation measures for the plan and gave council members a chance to weigh in on each. “The purpose of this meeting is to present a laundry list of measures to the council,” said Los Gatos Town Manager Greg Larson. “We want to know which measures are worthy and which are not so we can take them off our plate and focus on the ones that are.” Council members Joe Pirzynski and Diane McNutt …
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Meeting on Nov. 21 will decide who will be town's next mayor and vice mayor.
Los Gatos Vice Mayor Steve Rice is facing harsh criticism from some community members and fellow council members upset that he's openly stated he intends to bypass Councilwoman Barbara Spector for the body's second-in-command position when he becomes the town's nominal head next Monday. On Nov. 21, the Los Gatos Town Council, under the leadership of current Los Gatos Mayor Joe Pirzynski, will consider Rice's sure nomination for the mayor's job and his vice mayoral nomination, which some speculate will not be Spector based on statements Rice has made to Spector herself and the Los Gatos Weekly-Times. Community advocate Jonathan Knowles wrote to this publication this week and said: "I agree that to bypass Barbara Spector is unconscionable. I…
Monday, November 7, 2011
Los Gatos Community Foundation hosts CATillion Gala to support local scholarships, nonprofit grants and community improvement projects.
About $30,000 were raised Saturday evening for local scholarships, nonprofit grants and community improvement projects during the seventh annual Los Gatos Community Foundation's CATillion Gala at La Rinconada Country Club. According to LGCF Executive Director Sharon Childs, the organization has raised $200,000 for such purposes during the past six years. Some of the money's beneficiaries include the Auxiliary of Good Samaritan Hospital, a nonprofit organization that created ACCESS, or A Caring Community of Education, Services and Support, to help families of infants born prematurely or with special needs who face many challenges. Foundation President Janice McCabe presented Los Gatos Councilwoman Diane McNutt with the President's Award for…
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Council also adopts master plan for youth sports park at Monday's meeting.
By a 3-2 vote, a split Los Gatos Town Council voted to rezone the former Honda dealership site on Los Gatos Boulevard to demolish the existing buildings in anticipation of 22 single-family residences. Mayor Joe Pirzynski, Vice-Mayor Steve Rice and Councilmember Diane McNutt voted in favor of rezoning while Councilmembers Barbara Spector and Steve Leonardis voted against. San Jose-based builder Robson Homes is proposing to build 22 detached single-unit homes on the 1.9-acre lot at 16213 Los Gatos Blvd. while promising to build a below-market priced home on the lot as well as off site, but nearby. The Honda dealership relocated in 2009 and continued to run its car maintenance and service station on the site until fall 2010. The lot has been …
Toni Blackstock
8:07 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Since there is no longer a book store in Los Gatos I'd like to see at least a portion of the old Library used as a bookstore run by the Friends of the Library. more ›