Community

A statue of 14-year-old Tara Romero, a Morgan Hill resident who died in a drive-by shooting more than four years ago, will adorn city grounds as a permanent reminder of the impact of violence, urging local youth and other passersby to commit to a peaceful environment.Romero’s father Joseph Romero commissioned the statue titled “Never Forgotten.” It will stand about six feet tall and depict the teen’s likeness, with butterflies floating from her outstretched hand. The City Council voted unanimously Dec. 16 to place the statue, which will be complete by the end of January 2016, at the “Demonstration Garden” at the Peak Avenue civic center campus, between City Hall and council chambers. The garden area is currently under development, and is expected to be completed by February 2016.A plaque attached to the base of the bronze statue will provide an explanation similar to the following, which appeared in a Dec. 16 city staff report presented to the City Council: “On November 4, 2011, there was an attack on 5 school kids ... EVERYONE'S CHILD, Tara Alish Romero died that night. This statue of her is a reminder to our community to live in Peace and Harmony longed for in the community of Morgan Hill, California.”Tara Romero was a freshman at Sobrato High School at the time of the shooting, which took place near the intersection of Cosmo and Del Monte avenues. Three other teens—Romero’s friends and classmates—were injured by the gunfire.Joseph Romero commissioned the $33,000 statue, financed largely out of his own pocket, after the city’s Library, Culture and Arts approved the concept in 2012. The statue, created by artist David Spellerberg, is almost complete.Romero preferred the LCAC’s alternate location for the statue, outside the Community and Cultural Center. While the council went with city staff’s preferred location at the civic center campus, Romero said he’s happy the city has embraced the public art piece.“I don’t see a problem with it as long as the statue is prominently displayed,” Romero said after the Dec. 16 council meeting. “I’m glad the city wants something permanently displayed to give them and the community hope that we live in a peaceful (environment), and not the violence that occurred that night.”Romero added that he is working on acquiring donations of materials for the statue’s base, as well as lighting that will illuminate the artwork at nighttime.Councilmembers briefly discussed the location alternatives before approving the site Dec. 16, after Romero voiced his preference for the CCC during public comments. They said both the CCC or Demo Garden would be ideal, but they ultimately trusted in the LCAC’s recommendation.“For me, it’s almost a flip of a coin,” said Mayor Pro Temp Richard Constantine. “But I agree with (LCAC), for the fact that the demo garden is going to be a better place for quiet reflection.”Five suspects remain in custody for the Nov. 4, 2011 shooting that left Tara Romero dead. The alleged gang members are charged with murder and attempted murder, and are accused of carrying out the shooting for the benefit of a criminal street gang, according to authorities.The next hearing for the five suspects is Dec. 29 at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose, said Joseph Romero, who has been frustrated with the slow pace of justice since his daughter’s death more than four years ago.

The Library, Culture and Arts Commission and local residents Dec. 18 unveiled “Dear Family,” the newest installment of public art decorating downtown Morgan Hill.Created by Gilroy artist Evelyn Davis, the piece consists of three bronze sculptures resembling a “family” of deer grazing in the median of Monterey Road just south of Third Street.Davis said the title of the piece is a reference not only to the black-tailed deer that roam the hills—and sometimes the downtown streets—but also to the human families of Morgan Hill.“I feel Morgan Hill is a great place to raise a family, for people because of the home-town atmosphere, the surrounding countryside, the activities and the recreational facilities; and for deer because there is such a richness of landscape surrounding our city with forage and waterways and protected areas,” Davis said.She added the art piece is a “classic bronze installation,” made in the “lost wax” process that has been in use for thousands of years. “It will only increase in value as art, but it is worthless to anyone who might want to steal it because it cannot be reycled or sold,” Davis said.Davis won a “mini-grant” from the city of Morgan Hill to create the piece. The city grant program back in January offered up to $91,000 for a total of 12 public art pieces to decorate downtown Morgan Hill as the city enacts its “placemaking investment strategy.” That strategy, which includes about half a dozen construction projects under way downtown, seeks to revitalize the neighborhood with upgraded infrastructure and new development in order to attract more visitors and improve traffic safety, according to city staff.Most of the 12 art projects created with the assistance of the city grants were temporary and intended to be displayed during construction of various properties and streets.Four of the art pieces, including “Dear Family,” will remain in their current locations as permanent art. These permanent pieces, originally proposed by the artists, highlight Morgan Hill’s natural features and surroundings, according to city staff.Other downtown art pieces created by city funding include:—a steel art display by Helen Lessick in the Community Garden on Butterfield Boulevard;—a mosaic sculpture of grapes by Peter Hazel on the southeast corner of Third Street and Monterey Road;—a wine country themed mosaic, also by Hazel, outside the Community and Cultural Center.The art pieces and construction projects are funded primarily by Redevelopment Agency bond proceeds left over from 2008 and 2009.

Hundreds of locals and visitors lined up outside CineLux Tennant Station movie theaters hours before the first Dec. 17 screenings of the latest installment of the storied and wildly popular “Star Wars” franchise.Some spectators, who have been anticipating the opening of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” for months, were eager to show off their fandom by dressing up as the film’s fictional rebel leaders, dark side antagonists or wookie friends.The film, directed by J.J. Abrams, continues to show on three screens at CineLux Tennant Station. The earliest weekend screenings take place at 11:55 a.m., and the latest show is at 10:15 p.m. At least one of the theaters is showing “Star Wars” in 3D.For more information or to purchase tickets to a film in advance, visit cineluxtheatres.com, or stop by the theater at 750 Tennant Ave.

With weather experts predicting a strong El Nino winter approaching, the city of Morgan Hill reminds residents that now is the time to ensure they and their property are prepared for strong rain storms ahead.

Celebrate the upcoming 50th NFL Super Bowl with a “Morgan Hill Loves SB50” party at Outdoor Sports Center, 16500 Condit Road, Saturday, Jan. 9. This date is a postponement of the same event previously scheduled for an earlier date.Organizers previously said it would be held at Sobrato, but switched back to the soccer fields.The fun includes live entertainment from the Hitsville Soul Sisters, games, a photo booth and refreshments. The party goes from 4 to 6:30 p.m.Admission and parking are free.Registration is requested. Register by visiting morganhilloutdoorsportscenter.com/sb50.htm.And in a once-in-a-generation chance to show Morgan Hill’s Super Bowl spirit, residents will be able to participate in the creation of a giant light display on the OSC’s soccer fields. Participants, friends and neighbors will hold their gold-lit cell phone screens to the sky, spelling out “MORGAN HILL LOVES SB50.” An aerial photograph will be taken of the display at just the right moment, according to a press release.Super Bowl 50 will be played Feb. 7, 2016 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Morgan Hill is represented on the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee, a nonprofit that acts as a liaison between the NFL and communities expected to be impacted by the Super Bowl.More than 150,000 visitors and 1 million people altogether in the Bay Area will participate in some form of Super Bowl-related activities the week leading up to the NFL’s biggest stage.

Child Advocates of Silicon Valley has been awarded a $10,000.00 grant from the eBay Foundation Corporate Advised Fund at Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

“Everything is the same,” said the grief-stricken older brother of an 18-year-old Ann Sobrato High School alumnus who is in a medically-induced coma at Stanford Medical Center—the same state he has been in since early August.

Droves of families began forming a line outside the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center Dec. 11 as much as two hours before the Cathedral of Faith’s fifth annual holiday extravaganza was scheduled to begin.

Trail Dust BBQ will host Berkeley’s renowned sour beer company The Rare Barrel and esteemed Capitola brewery Sante Adairius for a beer tasting event billed as “Funk N Dank” from 2-6 p.m. Dec. 19.

Twenty-two members of the local Boys & Girls Club of Silicon Valley made a special Dec. 10 visit to the headquarters of Morgan Hill-based Specialized Bicycle Components, where employees guided them on a campus tour and treated their guests to some holiday craft-making.