Public Funding Problem
Dear Editor,
I read in the Morgan Hill Times that Community Solutions does not have enough money to fund the El Toro Youth Center.
The article stated that Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate is helping the youth center by looking into making Catholic Charities its umbrella organization.
In the Morgan Hill Times I read that the city cannot afford to maintain the parks. But public money was allocated to construct and operate a very large dog park.
We have used millions of public dollars to build a large Community Recreation Center. I understand, though, that without great public discussion purpose was changed. Using the new purpose the building’s program was contracted out to the Young Men’s Christian Association to operate and make a profit. The formulation of the plan to let the YMCA operate the building was designed while, as I understand, members of the council were serving on the board of the Young Men’s Christian Association and/or contributing to the organization. I doubt that the YMCA contract is providing for the building’s major repair or replacement.
Our Morgan Hill youth can play in the athletic center if they can “contribute” $70 per month to help the YMCA make a profit. I have read that nation wide the YMCA makes about $3 billion per year.
Our elected officials have decided to contribute $95,000 to the Morgan Hill Downtown Association and $50,000 to the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce. These establishments apparently represent “great community need.”
I cannot believe that even one of these free enterprise merchants would want the city to give them public money that could be spent on a youth center, a recreation center, or a park.
I have tended to believe that our tax dollars are collected to promote public services that private businesses cannot effectively provide.
Why are we not providing for all our city’s young people – the rich and the poor? If we invest in our Morgan Hill youth then they together will be our good future.
Staten Johnston, Morgan Hill
Move Music Series
Dear Editor,
I’m with the Kiwanis Club and have helped to close off the street on Friday night for the past five years for the Friday Night Music Series.
While BookSmart was on Monterey, it was a very popular place for families to come downtown, have dinner, or just come have ice cream, etc. at BookSmart. Owner Brad Jones and varied employees have always been there for the closing of the street and the tear down at the end of the night.
This year, with BookSmart down the street, Jones still shows up, often with an employee or more and assists in the closing of the street and the re-opening at the end of the night. Thank you.
I’ve been told that the downtown association had asked via personal contact and/or direct correspondence as to whether the music should be downtown at the present location or moved to the parking lot of the Chamber of Commerce and BookSmart. I’ve also been told that the businesses responded that they wanted it to remain where it’s always been and that each of the downtown merchants would be down to assist in the closing of the street and the tear down. To date, Jones shows up every week, and a couple times the husband of the clothing store’s owner, Violet, has shown up. Thank you.
With this in mind, I think it’s really appropriate that we ask the Chamber of Commerce to change the location of the music series to the parking lot of Depot and Second streets, as this would be easier for the opening and the closing of the night; patrons would once again have the ice cream parlor at BookSmart to enjoy with their families and it would take some of the burden off the people who give up their
Friday nights to give pleasure to our wonderful people of Morgan Hill.
Also, attendance is down this year and that may very well have to do with the loss of BookSmart and their ice cream parlor, which, I believe has been a part of families’ Friday night out with the kids!
Judi Chain, Kiwanis Club
