NO BUTTERFIELD CONNECTION?
“There is construction going on in the field between Butterfield Boulevard and E. Central Avenue. Does this mean Central Avenue will finally go through and connect to Butterfield? Thanks.”
RED PHONE
Drivers’ inability to get through to Butterfield Boulevard from E. Central Avenue has been a sore spot for a lot of our readers for quite some time. This subject was touched on in a previous Red Phone column when we were advised by the Morgan Hill planning office that if a private contractor started development in this area, hooking up these two roads would seem the logical thing to do, but the city had no immediate plans concerning this work.
Well, now it is finally happening. Delco Builders, out of Pleasant Hill, has received approval for a 39-unit multi-family housing development called Viento for this area. The developer is already at work leveling the ground and starting the necessary work to connect E. Central Avenue with Butterfield Boulevard and extend Calle Viento through the development and eventually connect that road to Butterfield Boulevard as well.
Morgan HIll’s assistant planner Heather Phillips told the Red Phone that Delco Builders has until mid-May to secure the necessary permits for the housing units and that phase of construction could start in June.
WHAT’S GOING UP?
“Do you know what the framework is in the field at the corner of W. Edmundson and Dewitt avenues? It doesn’t look like the beginning of a normal structure.”
RED PHONE
The Red Phone has received four phone calls and an e-mail concerning what is being built in the field at this intersection, but when we arrived at the corner of W. Edmundson and DeWitt avenues to investigate, all the lumber that had been reported sticking up out of the ground was stacked neatly on the ground and the temporary orange fencing material was rolled up nearby. So whatever this structure was, it is no longer there. It may well be the mystery of the century, but if it starts up again, we’ll be right there to check it out.
PUT ON YOUR THINKING
HELMETS
“It always surprises me the number of children I see riding their bikes to school not wearing helmets. One day I decided to take a look at the bike rack at the school and noticed only very few helmets locked up to bikes. Either they are putting the helmets in their backpacks (which I highly doubt since I can’t even get my child to bring a lunch) or the bike riders are not wearing helmets. Isn’t it against the law for a child to ride a bike without a helmet?”
RED PHONE
Any person under the age of 18 operating a bicycle must wear a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet that meets the standards of either the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
After some investigation we learned that kids riding without helmets is a problem not only in our community, but all over California. From our research we’ve concluded the problem here must be ignorance. If parents knew the dangers faced by their children as they ride without helmets they would insist their children wear them.
In California, 22,441 people were severely injured and 619 killed in bicycle-related crashes between 1996 and 2000.
To battle a possible lack of knowledge, we’re rolling out the education options for you. Everyone from the Morgan Hill Police Department to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is concerned about the problem.
The police offer services to educate parents, students and teachers about bicycle helmets and bicycle safety. The police also hold occasional bike rodeos where they round up kids, parents and bike safety information into one good time. Morgan Hill police Cmdr. Joe Sampson admits it’s been more than a year since the department has put on a bike rodeo due to staffing problems, but is hoping to bring this event back to the community through the use of the police bicycle unit.
The state has implemented the Bicycle Safety Head Injury Prevention Program, which is “putting helmets on heads and helping to make biking in California safe and fun,” according to the governor’s office. They’ve not only put together informational packages, but also found a way to help parents in financial straits. They’ve developed strategies to get recycled bicycle helmets to low-income families. Sunshine Bicycles in Gilroy has stepped up on the local end of that program and distributes helmets at their shop.
Let’s do our part in keeping bicycling safe and fun. Remember, the best way to get ideas into young people’s heads isn’t by telling them, it’s by showing them. Let’s always wear our helmets.
For more information on bike safety and organized
biking events and trips, visit www.dhs.ca.gov/epic/bike/default.htm.
The Crimson Crusader is always searching for more opportunities to be of service to the loyal readers of the Morgan Hill Times. Please call to report your problems, concerns and issues.
Contact us at (408) 779-4106, ext. 206, or e-mail re******@*************es.com. Remember to leave a name and phone number when you call or e-mail. The Red Phone will not publish this information and will only use it for verification purposes.
