Loyal readers of the Morgan Hill Times and its sister publications might have noticed that the newspapers’ newsstand vending machines scattered around town are gone. But there’s no need to worry, as the newsracks have been replaced by brand-new machines placed in centralized locations in and around downtown Morgan Hill.
The new public newsstands can be found at three locations: on Third Street across from the Third Street Garage plaza; next to the old train depot/Jonty’s Vietnamese Eatery, 17300 Depot Street; and in front of the post office, 16600 Monterey Road.
These racks also offer the Metro and South Valley Magazine each week.
The price of the Times —$1 in change—has not changed. In addition to the public newsstands, the Times can be purchased at select grocery and convenience stores throughout town. And, as always, readers can sign up for an annual home delivery subscription.
The removal of the old public newsracks and upgrade to new ones is the result of a program approved by the Morgan Hill City Council to limit the disorganized presence of aging, broken and often empty newspaper machines owned by a variety of regional publications. A September city staff report notes that as of June, there were 39 individual newsracks—owned by 16 different publications—in 10 different areas in Morgan Hill. Fifteen of these were “empty or abandoned,” and only two of the publications maintain an active business license in Morgan Hill.
City staff claim the previous abundance of newsracks in some locations created congestion or obstacles on public sidewalks, resulting in the potential for safety issues.
The purpose of the Newsrack Consolidation Program is “to eliminate sidewalk clutter and improve safety,” according to city staff.
“The newsrack program will allow the city to better manage what happens in the public right-of-way,” reads the September report to the council, which approved the program unanimously.
The program does not regulate newsracks located on private property. Those located at the three areas listed above are owned by the City of Morgan Hill, and publishers must pay a fee and conform to the city’s business guidelines in order to maintain a space at any of the new racks.
To subscribe to the Morgan Hill Times and have the newspaper delivered to your home each week, call (408) 842-2327.
