Route 87 closed for 16 months
A portion of northbound Route 87 will be closed effective Monday, Sept. 12, for the construction of a carpool lane. The highway will be closed between San Carlos and Julian streets in San Jose for about 16 months. During construction, traffic will be detoured to an alternate road that runs parallel and immediately east of 87. Brandi Hall, spokeswoman for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, promised Friday that drivers will see little inconvenience.
“We are expecting some congestion initially because of the change, but there’s no loss of capacity,” Hall said. For alternate route information, visit http://www.vta.org/highways/87 _ mainline_closure.html.
Work on city’s new Indoor
Recreation Center Progressing
Work on the indoor recreation center, which is slated to open Sept. 5, 2006, is on schedule and within the budget, according to a monthly report by city staff.
The report, approved by the City Council in August, stated the contractor has begun erecting the concrete block walls, and a good portion of the\ underground utilities has been completed. The parking lot will be “winterized” later in the month. Other expected major activities this month include the completion of storm drain installation and footings poured at the natatorium. Fine grading of the parking lot and drives will also be started.
The new indoor recreation facility, which will be located on West Edmundson Avenue, will consist of a gymnasium, natatorium, fitness room, aerobics room, and senior and youth community use areas. The project started in May of this year and is estimated to be completed by August of 2006. West Coast Contractors, Inc. was awarded the contract for construction of the facility.
morgan hill Community
Foundation Needs Volunteers
The Morgan Hill Community Foundation, which has just celebrated its third year of funding community programs, is looking for board members to lead the organization in its ongoing efforts to benefit Morgan Hill. The foundation is a public charity that in its first three years has made 24 grants to 21 local organizations. Board members are needed to attend monthly meetings during their two-year term. The board is comprised of subcommittees including fundraising, marketing and public relations, finance, governance and grants. Volunteers are welcome to serve on ad hoc committees for events and programs and on the grants committee without joining the board of directors. Clerical, database and Web maintenance skills are also needed.
For more information about the foundation and the board of directors, contact Dave Reisenaur at (408) 595-3938 or visit the Web site at www.morganhillcommunityfoundation.org.
City joins Silicon Valley High-Speed Rail Coalition membership
Upon the recommendation of the Regional Planning and Transportation Council sub-committee, the Morgan Hill City Council in late August decided to join the Silicon Valley High-Speed Rail Coalition and authorized the mayor to support the group.
The coalition supports the construction of a high-speed rail line connecting northern and southern California with an alignment that traverses Pacheco Pass and connects to the Bay area through Gilroy an Morgan Hill.
The California High Speed Rail Authority, the body in charge of planning, designing and operating a state-of-the-art, high-speed train system, is also considering routes entering the Bay area north of San Jose. The coalition opposes any route other than through Pacheco Pass.
The coalition’s plan to use the Pacheco Pass is in line with the council’s support for a southern alignment into the Bay Area.
The coalition is composed of elected officials, agencies and organizations mainly in Santa Clara County. The city was invited this summer to join the coalition by representatives of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, one of the coalition’s primary advocates.
