MAKE ROOM FOR SENIORS
“Many of my senior citizen friends and I are concerned about having very little room designated for the senior exercise classes at the new Centennial Recreation Center. We have been moved around from room to room, none of which are large enough for the 25 of us that are in the class to safely exercise. We were promised the gym, and then promptly moved out. I would remind the staff there that many of us are charter members of the Recreation Center.”
RED PHONE
The Red Phone spoke with Malcolm Myers, the associate executive director for the newly opened Centennial Recreation Center. Myers admits that your group has been moved around a bit, and that the staff was surprised at the popularity of the class which has grown from 20 to as many as 50 participants at any one time. The gymnasium will have to be the official meeting place for the senior exercise class for the immediate future. Myers’ staff is looking into different solutions to the problem, one of which may be to split the class into more easily manageable class sizes. They are also considering using the teen center area. This room is larger than the senior activity room that didn’t work out too well previously for the class.
The Centennial Recreation Center is going through its early growing pains and asks you to bear with them as they get this problem straightened out.
DAM CONSTRUCTION
“I would like to know what is going on with all the construction and drilling on the face of Anderson Dam lately. Just curious as to what it’s all about.”
RED PHONE
Thanks for the question, caller. The work being done at Anderson Dam is not construction, but involves the installation of piezometers, scientific equipment to help monitor any movement or pressure changes within the soil at the face of the dam during future earthquakes.
The drilling you observed is the process of taking core samples of earth to check if the dam was constructed using transition zones back in the early 1950s. These zones are layers of different materials used when the dam was constructed to resist movement and shifting of the berm.
Mike DiMarco, the spokesman for the Santa Clara County Water District informs us that the work has been going on for the past three weeks and will take another week or so to complete. This process involves a joint effort with the Division of Dam Safety and the Federal Agency Regulatory Commission. Anderson is not the only focus of this work. Calero, Almaden and Lexington dams will be undergoing the same seismic safety research.
THAT’S ONE UGLY MARQUEE
“I am wondering why the school district is not doing anything about the outdated and rundown marquee on the Britton Middle School campus, right across the street from Donuts and Things. People driving on Monterey Road have noticed, and I have had several conversations with people concerning this sign. Last time I looked, there was a reference to May 2005 on it. I can’t imagine it would be too much to get the thing taken down or replaced.”
RED PHONE
Bonnie Tognazzini, deputy superintendent of the Morgan Hill Unified School District, says the district has recently become aware of this problem and, although they have been setting aside some funds to rectify this situation, no bids have been solicited for repair or replacement of the sign that advertises coming events for the school. There has been some discussion about replacing the marquee with a digital version, but the cost of this idea also has to be considered before any action can be taken.
Let’s hear your concerns about things happening around town or right there in your own neighborhood. Keep those calls coming in! Contact Red Phone at (408) 779-4106, ext. 206, or e-mail re******@*************es.com. Remember to leave a name and phone number when you call or e-mail. The Red Phone will not publish this information and will only use it for verification purposes.
