Cheers to the Chamber of Commerce for putting on one heck of a party honoring six individuals for their contributions.
Eunice Kim, a Live Oak High School senior and Student of the Year, was a classy example of what our students can achieve when given the support to do so; Steve Kinsella, Gavilan College president and Educator of the Year, thanked the staff and students for helping Gavilan make it through tough financial times and encouraged the public to contact their state legislatures to ensure funding for education becomes a priority; Jan Dean, who works for Legal Shield in Morgan Hill and is Volunteer of the Year, said she joined Rotary to expand her business but found her niche in volunteering, which she’d done for more than 40 years; David Ray Domenichini, owner of D.R. Domenichini Construction and Business of the Year, joined the Morgan Hill Historical Society and has helped keep the Morgan Hill House in shape; Mario Banuelos, a geographic systems specialist for the city of San Jose and Man of the Year, helped start the Morgan Hill Community Foundation, a nonprofit that encourages charitable efforts; and Loritta Bonfante Johnson, a retired kindergarten teacher and Woman of the Year, sits on a laundry list of boards. Congratulations to all.
Jeers to the bureaucracy that require developers to pay twice for the same inspection. Developers are required by the state to hire independent inspectors to carry out a “stormwater pollution prevention plan” inspection at a fee of $800. They are also required by the city to provide the same plan.
“That should be sufficient. The city shouldn’t have to reinspect what an independent third party” has already done, said Dick Oliver, president of Dividend Homes. City Manager Ed Tewes said the city is shackled by federal and state mandates that make it difficult to avoid the repetitive and duplicative services.
Here’s to someone trying to get past the difficult part and make it easier for builders.
Cheers to the nearly 100 competitors – some from as far away as New York and Virginia – who challenged themselves at Saturday’s sixth annual Silicon Valley Puzzle Fest, and the dozens who participated in workshops. And, cheers to the organizers and more than 50 volunteers who made the two-day event that raises money for the Morgan Hill Library Foundation a resounding success. For more information about Silicon Valley Puzzle Fest, visit www.svpuzzle.org or email in**@sv******.org. For more information about the Morgan Hill Library Foundation, visit www.mhlf.org.
Cheers to the film “Time Freak” which was shown at last year’s Poppy Jasper Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar under the short film-live category.
The eleven-and-a-half minute film, by Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey, won the Poppy Jasper Film Festival’s science fiction category for 2011.
We look forward to watching the Academy of Awards ceremony Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood.
Â
