The Crimson Crusader has been taking advantage of the great weather we’ve been having by visiting even more trouble spots for our callers. Send me out on more adventures…it keeps me in shape. The Red Phone can be reached at 779-4106, ext. 206.
HAVE I WASTED MY MONEY?
“I am interested in finding out if the ‘Le Bistro’ restaurant which closed recently, is going to open up again. In June, I bought a $75 gift certificate to give as a present, using cash to pay for it. If I had used my charge card, perhaps I would have some recourse for getting my money back. Can you find out what plans this restaurant has, if any, for reopening?”
RED PHONE
The Crimson Crusader got in touch with Lucias Nevejans, the owner of the LeBistro restaurant, which closed at the end of June. She is now in the long process of finding a location for a new restaurant in Gilroy. She hopes to open her new place in October in the building that used to be the Old Gilroy Hotel on Monterey Road between Sixth and Seventh streets.
Lucias sent out numerous emails over the last few months to her gift certificate holders and regular customers announcing her closing of LeBistro. She assures us that all certificates, except those issued by Hamdey or Chef Mohammed (previous partners), will be honored at her new establishment once opened.
ABANDONED FIELD A FIRE HAZARD
“Need your help again. Due to the Tennant Avenue widening project, there is now an unoccupied piece of property on Tennant Avenue between The Garden apartments and Higginbottom’s Floors new location. My concern is that the property is overrun with dry brush posing a fire hazard to the buildings around it (my backyard is adjacent to this property).Â
“Could you find out who is responsible for the maintenance of this property so we can get this field disced as it used to be when the property was occupied? Your help is greatly appreciated!”
RED PHONE
The Crimson Crusader does see some potential for fire hazard with the overgrown weeds up against the wooden fences in this empty lot. The house that used to be on the lot was vacated and torn down, making us take an extra step in finding out who now owns the property.
The best way to begin getting fire hazards such as these rectified is to call the owner and alert him to the situation…he may not even know there is a problem. You can get the current property owner’s name by logging onto the County Assesor’s Web site at www.scc-assessor.org. You will need to know either the address of the property or its parcel number, which can be found at the city planner’s office.
If this course of action doesn’t get you satisfaction, then the County Fire Department should be notified. The number is (408) 378-4010 or you can leave a voice message by calling (800) 800-1793.
Chris Morgan, public information officer for the California Department of Forestry, informs us the fire department will determine if the complaint is valid. If the situation is found to present a fire danger, the owner is notified and given a certain amount of time to clear the weeds and brush, and if not complied with, a crew is sent out to do the work and the owner is billed.
The County Fire Department’s Brush Abatement Program is in full swing and has been since April, focusing especially on dangerous hillside areas. The county is broken up into sections on a map, and the program enforcement starts in one section and moves on to the next, making this huge job a bit easier than taking on the entire county at one time.
How is your property’s maintenance? Fire-safe? Good. Let’s all be real safe out there this fire season and don’t become a statistic.
