Community

City staff is asking community members to fill out an online survey to help in the process to update the city’s Master Plans for Parks, Recreation, Trails and Bikeways.The survey is available at mhparksplan.com. Residents can also sign up for email notifications regarding future workshops and meetings related to the planning process.The Master Plan update will develop a blueprint for future City planning and development in the areas of parks, recreation, trails and bikeways.“The City of Morgan Hill is committed to creating a plan that aligns with local needs, preferences and priorities—and community input will be integral to this process,” the Sept. 3 announcement states.The city has hired MIG, Inc. as consultants to undertake the process, which is expected to run through Sept. 2016 when it will reach the City Council for final review.For more information, contact Chris Ghione at [email protected] or (408) 782-9154.

Give your used belongings that you don’t need anymore a “second chance” at a series of garage sales, recycling and donation events throughout South County starting Sept. 12.The annual Second Chance Week starts with the citywide Gilroy Garage Sale Sept. 12 and 13. It ends with a similar weekend event in Morgan Hill Sept. 19 and 20, according to city staff.“Each day of the week is dedicated to making people aware of different ways to reduce, reuse and recycle,” said Morgan Hill Environmental Services Assistant Andi Borowski.Events include:—Universal Waste Awareness day Sept. 14: Properly dispose of consumer electronics, batteries, fluorescent lighting and other devices that contain mercury. Locations include Johnson Lumber and Ace Hardware in Morgan Hill; Westside Recycling, 16290 Railroad Ave. in Morgan Hill, and Pacific Recycling, 5895 Obata Way in Gilroy; and the Santa Clara County HHW program for mercury containing devices (call 408-299-7300 for details).—Freecycle Day Sept. 15: Freecycle helps reduce waste by connecting people who are throwing away unwanted items with others seeking the same items. There are freecycle groups in both Morgan Hill and Gilroy. Visit trashnothing.com and click “Join Now” to sign up.—Donate Coats for Kids and Adults Too Day Sept. 16: Bring your children’s gently used coats to the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Road, or Gilroy City Hall, 7351 Rosanna Street. The coats will be donated to underprivileged children and their parents, according to city staff.—Second Sight Day Sept. 17: Bring your old eyeglasses to Gilroy City Hall or the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center. The Lions Club will give your eyeglasses a second chance to serve someone less fortunate.—Recycle your Cycle Day Sept. 18: Do you have a used bicycle to donate? Drop it off at the Morgan Hill Corp Yard, 100 Edes Court, or Sunshine Bikes in Gilroy, 311 First Street. Bicycles for children and adults will be accepted. Donors are asked to donate bicycles that are functional and can be easily repaired by a mechanic, free of rust or corrosion and clean enough that you would accept it as a gift.To register your garage sale for either of the Gilroy or Morgan Hill garage sale weekends, visit secondchanceweek.com. Applications are due no later than Sept. 4 for the Gilroy garage sales, and no later than Sept. 11 for Morgan Hill participants.A full list of participating garage sales will also be posted on the website before the events.Second Chance Week is sponsored by the cities of Morgan Hill and Gilroy, as well as Santa Clara County. For more information call (408) 310-4169.

The 26th annual Taste of Morgan Hill food, music and art festival will take place at its usual downtown location Sept. 26 and 27.Taking place on Monterey Road from Dunne to Main Avenue, the two-day festival sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce will feature live entertainment, a variety of cuisine, scores of arts and crafts vendors, as well as beer and wine. The event will also include a quilt show inside the Community and Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Road, and a classic car show on the southern end of town.With construction of numerous downtown streets in the process, festival organizers are forced to make some changes to the entertainment schedule. But construction activity will not be a hindrance to festival attendees, according to Chamber Chair Rich Firato.“The city and contractors have assured the Chamber of Commerce that the streets will be available and ready to go, so we’re moving ahead,” Firato said.This year, the Taste of Morgan Hill will not feature any large stages for music performances as it has in the past. Instead, solo performers will play music on designated street corners throughout the festival grounds, Firato added. A DJ will also play in front of the festival’s main beer and wine tent.“There will be music throughout the whole event,” Firato said.An exception is Saturday night, Sept. 26, when two bands will entertain crowds at the Downtown Amphitheater, located next to the Community and Cultural Center. Starting at 5:30 p.m., rhythm and blues act The All Star Band will play on the stage. They will be followed by Entourge from 8 to 10 p.m.“It’s just another great night to be out in Morgan Hill on a Saturday night,” Firato said.Admission is free. The festival takes place 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 26, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 27.

Local restaurants’ food safety compliance records are now available with a swipe of a finger with the launch of the County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health’s new SCCDineOutApp for Apple iOS devices.

The heat is back on in South County this week with triple digit forecasts set through Saturday, according to Forecaster Steve Anderson of the National Weather Service.

Apartments for rent are few and far between within the Morgan Hill city limits, and those that do become available cost an arm and a leg as an overwhelming demand for a limited number of rental units drives up monthly payments.

Up on stage for their first official gig at GVA Cafe in downtown Morgan Hill, four local neighborhood kids—calling themselves Antique Radio—performed as one in front of a crowd of family and friends.

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Aug. 25 to adopt a resolution to to keep trains carrying millions of gallons of crude oil out of Santa Clara County.

Anderson Lake County Park in Morgan Hill was one of five locations selected for the Pianos in Parks: Bach to Nature II from Sept. 5 through Oct. 5, according to an Aug. 31 release from Santa Clara County Parks.

Give your used belongings that you don’t need anymore a “second chance” at a series of garage sales, recycling and donation events throughout South County starting Sept. 12.