Letters: Cutting animal control officer will cost more in the long run

Dear Editor, This is in response to Evon Dumesnil’s letter to
the editor, dated July 5, 2011, regarding the axing of Morgan
Hill’s animal control officer position.
Cutting animal control officer will cost more in the long run

Dear Editor,

This is in response to Evon Dumesnil’s letter to the editor, dated July 5, 2011, regarding the axing of Morgan Hill’s animal control officer position.

I completely agree with Ms. Dumesnil that the decision to lay off Animal Control officer Daniel Pina by Morgan Hill City Council members is not a viable solution to the city’s economic challenges. 

I urge all concerned citizens to attend the next City Council meeting scheduled for Wednesday at City Hall and request the council rescind their vote and reinstate Pina’s position.

The decision to pile the responsibilities of an animal control officer onto our already over-worked police officers, is a disaster waiting to happen. How can we expect them to respond to and thoroughly investigate all reports of animal cruelty? How can we expect them to follow up on the numerous pending cases of animal cruelty while working to ensure that those who are guilty are prosecuted?  

Without a dedicated animal control officer in Morgan Hill to track and capture potentially dangerous animals at large, I fear that it is just a matter of time before someone gets attacked – or worse. 

While I realize that times are tough and budgets need to be cut, I hope that City Council members consider the end result of their actions. Eliminating the animal control officer position may get them what they want in the short run, but it will wind up costing us far more in the long run.

The City Council meeting details are available at www.morgan-hill.ca.gov/Calendar.aspx

If you cannot attend, you can also call, write, fax, or email City Manager Ed Tewes, Mayor Steve Tate, and council members.

Call 779-7259 or write or visit: 17555 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037.

– Ed Tewes, City Manager at ci*********@mo********.gov, call 779-7271 or fax 779-1592.

– Mayor Steve Tate, at st********@mo********.gov.

– Rich Constantine, at ri**************@mo********.gov.

– Larry Carr, at la********@mo********.gov

– Marilyn Librers, at ma*************@mo********.gov.

– Gordon Siebert, at go************@mo********.gov.

Sondra Alexandre, Morgan Hill

Anderson Dam is not St. Francis Dam and will not fail in that way

Dear Editor,

Columnist Martin Cheek made some valuable observations in his recent column on dam safety. Though our local dams are very different than St. Francis Dam which failed in 1928, what we have learned from such tragedies helps us avoid similar catastrophic failures in the future. Public safety is the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s top concern. The district is using 80 years of engineering and seismic learning to evaluate the dams built to the standard of the time to ensure the public’s safety and a reliable supply of water.

Dozens of California dams have seismic stability concerns, and many of them need to be retrofitted. Addressing the issues at Anderson Dam is a high priority, precisely because of the large population that lives below the dam.

Our understanding of dam safety and earthquake faults in our region has advanced significantly since Anderson Dam was built in the 1950s. The engineering world has learned a lot from dam failures, and we now know more about the various earthquake faults that crisscross our region. As a result, we have a better understanding of our dams’ potential vulnerabilities, and now have the opportunity to assure that they comply with modern dam safety standards.

A dam failure could be catastrophic. That’s why the water district is keeping the storage at Anderson Dam at a safe level. We are wasting no time in initiating the process to plan, design and build a project that will protect the public, and preserve our ability to use the full capacity of the reservoir for water supply. An accurate estimate of costs to won’t be available until a comprehensive solution is developed and the project has finished the planning phase.

Regarding the St. Francis Dam tragedy, our situation is different. Anderson is an earthen dam built from clay, soil and rock, while the St. Francis Dam was a concrete gravity-arch dam. Earthen dams do not break like St. Francis Dam did; they slump. Anderson Dam is a much more malleable earth embankment that met the standards for design and construction at the time it was built.

The study we recently completed concluded that the dam could be damaged, causing slumping of up to 25 feet if the maximum credible earthquake were to occur. Only if the water level were 20 feet higher than the current storage restriction of 68 percent would there be a possibility that water could wash over the dam. Yes, that scenario would be catastrophic, but that is why the water level will be restricted until the dam is retrofitted.

As Mr. Cheek noted, the Division of Safety of Dams was created as a result of the St. Francis catastrophe. We are working closely with DSOD to minimize the chance of any dam failure.

In the next three years, we will continue the process of developing the best comprehensive solution to the problem, conduct the required environmental analysis and secure all project permits.

Throughout the process, we want you to be informed and involved. We will actively and regularly communicate with the community.

Don Gage, Santa Clara Valley Water District Board Chairman

Become a donor, save a life

Dear Editor,

In memory of our beloved, son, husband and father. “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.”

Craig Moreno passed away at 12:14 p.m. July 11 at Stanford hospital while valiantly waiting for the miracle of a second heart transplant. He was 39.

Born in Fresno, the only child of Jesse and Lois Moreno, Craig grew up in Morgan Hill. He attended Live Oak High School and played football. He graduated in 1990 and attended Monterey Peninsula College. In 1997, he graduated from San Jose City Cosmetology program.

In 2001, Craig contracted a virus that damaged his heart causing it to weaken and enlarge, a condition known as cardiomegaly. That same year he married the love of his life, Janine Fairhurst. In June 2003, their son Aiden was born, and Craig was placed on the transplant list. He received a new heart at Stanford University Medical Center on Aug. 17, 2003 when Aiden was 6 weeks old. He went on to lead a full, active life, humorously referring to himself as “The Tin Man” from “The Wizard of Oz.”

Craig worked as a stylist at Shear Color and Design in Morgan Hill for 13 years. He was involved in the community and his life was deeply rooted here. Craig had many, many friends and every one of them could tell you that his most important job and the greatest pleasure of his life was being a daddy to Aiden.

Craig loved motorcycles and was a passionate sports enthusiast. He hiked, played football, tennis, and snow and water skied. He enjoyed boxing and extreme sports like zip-lining. He was a gregarious and well-loved coach in Morgan Hill. When he was younger he coached girl’s softball. After Aiden was born, he coached in Orchard Valley Soccer, Morgan Hill Pony Baseball and the Raiders Pop Warner football league.

This spring Craig developed sudden symptoms of organ rejection. Doctors at Stanford began treatments desperately hoping to improve his condition. By June 14 he was hospitalized under 24-hour care in the CCU in need of a second heart transplant. In the final weeks of his life, the transplant team considered airlifting him to San Diego to bridge the wait for a new heart with an artificial heart implant, but his condition continued to deteriorate. Craig faced this battle against overwhelming odds with a courage and determination that inspired all of those around him. He passed away in peace, with his wife, mother, and 8-year-old son by his side. Craig believed in God and was ready to meet his maker. He wanted his friends and family to know that he never gave up the fight … only his body surrendered.

Craig is survived by his wife Janine, son Aiden and mother Lois Moreno. Uncles: Joe Martinez, Fred Martinez, Frank Martinez and Aunts: Marylou Martinez, Mary Martinez and Joy Thompson. He was preceded in death by his father Jesse Moreno.

The Moreno family would like to thank the Stanford Heart Transplant team and the many doctors and nurses who cared for Craig over the years at Stanford. We are overwhelmed and deeply grateful for the out pouring of support we have received from friends and loved ones, and the many wonderful efforts of the community at large to help our family. Thank you! As Craig would say: Be a donor and save a life; www.donatealifecalifornia.com.

Celebration of Life service to be held at the Morgan Hill Community Center, at 10 a.m. Friday. Funeral services are at Saint Catherine Church at 10 a.m. Monday. Arrangements by Johnson Funeral Home. Donations can be made to a college fund for Aiden. Checks payable to Aiden Moreno and sent to: Bank of the West, c/o Eva Thompson, 206 Tennant Station, Morgan Hill, CA 95037-5485.

J. Nunez, Morgan Hill