Community

Commuters on U.S. 101 through Morgan Hill will gain relief from the cracks and potholes on the freeway by this fall, but until then overnight roadwork is likely to slow down traffic.The California Department of Transportation will begin the maintenance project Wednesday, May 18, according to Caltrans spokesman Bernard Walik. The project will consist of grinding the existing concrete pavement and replacing damaged concrete slabs on U.S. 101 in Morgan Hill and San Jose.The project is intended to replace the severely damaged broken concrete sections and resurface the existing asphalt concrete pavement on the freeway’s mainline, according to Walik. The project will also replace crash cushions, install metal beam guardrails and modify traffic loop detectors at various locations.The work should be completed by the end of October.Work will be performed Monday through Thursday nights from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning, and on Fridays from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following Saturday.The project will require various freeway lane and ramp closures, but Caltrans will always provide at least one open lane in either direction of travel and never close two consecutive ramps, Walik said. Noise will be inevitable during the project, but it will be kept “within approved construction noise limits.”Caltrans officials say the project will improve the quality of travel for motorists on U.S. 101 and extend the service life of the existing driving surface.Signage is in place to warn and assist motorists traveling through the area, and drivers are urged to use caution while moving through the work zone.

The 37th annual Mushroom Mardi Gras food, art and wine festival will take place Memorial Weekend, May 28 and 29 in downtown Morgan Hill.

A $524.4 million budget was adopted by the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors May 10 for the coming fiscal year.

As Morgan Hill continues to grow and embrace the latest in high technology and other commercial pursuits, there remains a small—yet vital—slice of town that predates the city’s founding, to which a dedicated group of volunteers is intent on preserving for future generations.

Santa Clara County’s Animal Shelter in San Martin is searching for new foster homes for 131 kittens in need of life-saving care and feeding.Each year, the shelter cares for hundreds of kittens who are strays, brought in by residents or abandoned by their mothers and in need of maternal care and bottle feeding.“Our animal shelter relies on the generosity of community members to help nurture kittens through their first few weeks of life, and to an age where they can be adopted into loving, permanent homes,” said District 1 County Supervisor Mike Wasserman. “We hope that individuals and families who have time this summer, will volunteer to care for these young kittens.”In 2015, 610 animals, mostly kittens, were cared for by 101 foster homes that are part of the shelter’s Foster Care Program, according to the May 11 press release. The program enables the shelter to take care of a large number of stray kittens brought in by Animal Control or the public, as the kittens need to be bottle fed as often as a human baby.Kittens are placed into foster care as early newborns, and in groups of two up to six kittens. They are fostered from one to eight weeks, usually until they are 7-8 weeks old at which point kittens can be spayed or neutered before adoption.The shelter supports its foster families with supplies, food and veterinary care, in exchange for their care of the animals.“We welcome volunteers 18 years or older who love animals to participate in our foster care program,” said Lisa Jenkins, Interim Animal Care and Control Manager. “Providing a temporary home for an underage kitten or other animal during the early stage of its life can be a fulfilling experience.”For more information, call (408) 686-3900 or visit sccgov.org.

Morgan Hill Unified School District will once again operate the Seamless Summer Feeding Program, which supplies free lunches to children up to age 18 during the summer months.

Community members are invited to attend a public forum to hear from three finalists for the top leadership position at Gavilan College, according to a press release from the school.

More than 1,000 wine drinkers visiting from throughout the South Bay and farther took over downtown Morgan Hill’s streets April 30, glasses in hand, for the ninth annual Wine Stroll.The event, organized by the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, aims to spotlight Santa Clara Valley wineries and local merchants and restaurants, while providing ticket holders with a fun experience in the company of family and friends both old and new. For the first time this year, the Wine Stroll featured arts and crafts vendors—a total of 11 who set up on Third Street, according to MHDA Vice President Kathy Sullivan.Early attendees of the Wine Stroll, which took place throughout the afternoon, were mostly local, with one exception being Fernando Delsotto of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Delsotto, a software engineer, is in California for work, and his friends invited him to join them at the Wine Stroll.“I’m just getting to know the wines from California,” said Delsotto, who described those featured Saturday as “very good.”Local couple Louise and Darryl Brothers said they have fallen in love with Morgan Hill and the surrounding wineries since they moved here about two years ago.“We’re here to support the community and the local wineries, and the restaurants. We’ve got good weather, good wine, good people. What more do you want?” Darryl Brothers said.Mark Knisley of “beautiful San Martin” is a frequent attendee of the Wine Stroll. This year’s event was at least his fifth consecutive annual Wine Stroll, he estimated. He showed up downtown April 30 by himself with a ticket, but quickly ran into some friends.“You see people you haven’t seen in awhile. You get to see what new stores are here, that maybe weren’t here a year ago, and you meet up with friends,” Knisley listed the reasons why he enjoys the Wine Stroll. He said Clos La Chance winery is his favorite in the region.Sullivan described the Wine Stroll as “very successful” with no unfortunate incidents reported. She added that this year, organizers added more tasting stops, which helped disperse the crowds. A total of 24 different wineries from Santa Clara County set up tasting stations at different restaurants and shops downtown.The MHDA Wine Stroll takes place the fourth Saturday of April every year.

A memorial service in celebration of the life of former Morgan Hill Mayor Dennis Kennedy will take place 10 a.m. April 30 at St. Catherine Catholic Church, 17400 Peak Ave.