Columnists

Super Bowl 50! Claimed to be the biggest single sporting event in the whole wide world, it officially landed in the Bay Area last week. “Stay out of San Francisco” is the word from the people that spend a lot of time there, and expect some big crowds in Santa Clara and San Jose too. This may be a real good time to take advantage of what we have right here.The Super Bowl Host Committee (the all controlling organization promoting the event) has put strict guidelines on what anyone can do with the name “Super Bowl,” so you might see some creative ways of expressing a connection to the big show without saying it.One example is the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley “Super Barrel” Tasting event this Saturday. That has to win the award for the most creative connection to the big event. The wine association did a wonderful job of putting together something special for wine aficionados who will have an opportunity to taste varietals still aging in the barrel. I keep hearing things like how much more fruit you can taste in the young wines and how some wineries are offering wine futures based upon the tastings. Taste a wine and if you like it, try to stake out a claim on a case or two. Ask about it.With the Super Bowl also came an opportunity by the Host Committee to help us get some playful items added to our community. There were a couple of grant opportunities offered that city staff took advantage of and parlayed into some new features in and around the downtown.On Monday a decorated crosswalk was highlighted at the north side of the intersection at Dunne Avenue and Monterey Road. You’ve got to go and see this. Some of the region’s most notable animals are represented, interspersed with grape vines. This whimsical and amusing artwork met the grant’s requirement that a) it be installed by Super Bowl day and b) it be fun. I understand that it was a heck of a push but it is there for all to see right now. Please just try to pay attention while doing so since you may be tempted to stop and take it in.Also unveiled Monday was an example of new wayfinding signage in the downtown. These aren’t just some signs hanging on non-descript posts; they are real pieces of art. The sign posts are very classy and made mostly of wood with directional pointers that indicate where you can go and maybe change your state of mind with directions to “Bright Future”, “Scrumptiousness” and “Divine Dining.”The youth of our community helped with the directions and I hope we can take their lead and follow them. These wayfinding signs also meet that requirement to be fun.Maybe we can learn something from the criteria for these grants: have more fun.Please get out and spend time in the downtown, in all of our city’s fine shopping opportunities, and hit the wineries too. Just get out and enjoy the incredible weather we’re going to have for the next week before the skies open up again.John McKay is a Morgan Hill resident, city planning commissioner, Vice President of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance.

I’m writing this from my makeshift office, located on the lower level of our home where we’re holed up during a remodel project.About every 10 years or so I steel myself and plunge headlong into a project that holds the potential to make me very happy or very frustrated. Twenty years ago we remodeled the kitchen in our first home. It was a fixer upper in a pleasant neighborhood that would become more desirable by the time we finished.That first kitchen put the finishing touch on a home that would become the springboard to a home in Morgan Hill. The draw to move to Morgan Hill was so strong that we never lived in that home when it was truly complete. Some form of construction was underway until we moved out and it went on the market.That remodel, laden with sweat equity and increased neighborhood desirability, made us very happy as it not only resulted in a great yield on investment but it got us here.The second remodel was actually one I did for my parents in their home in Mountain View 10 years later. We used a contractor that I had known for many years and had done most of the work on that first kitchen remodel which went reasonably well. But my mother’s remodel was fraught with strain from the beginning and it went very badly. We had to enlist an attorney to get the project finished after it was abandoned.Thinking back, there were signs that this relationship wasn’t going right even before we started. It was a reminder that if things aren’t going well while trying to get the job under contract, it probably isn’t going to get any better once you’re on the hook.So we found another house that was a borderline fixer-upper about three years back. We knew we would have to replace the kitchen and the extensive decking at the time. We finally made the commitment to do it now, another 10 years after that last miserable project.A huge part of any construction project is the team you put together; this was reinforced by my parent’s remodel. For some this is the hardest part of a project, but it is key to success.I recently retired from commercial construction. Even with that background, I find it tough to find a good contractor. Good news is that we have a few right here in Morgan Hill and the surrounding area.We knew one local contractor who we felt very good about and our beliefs were verified by checking the online reviews and talking to others.It took some time to get it all the details just right but we are now happily sequestered on our lower level listening to the sounds of progress above. We are still picking out the stuff like tile and faucets and sinks and such and we are happy knowing that we have a plan that we are really enthusiastic about.There is no moral to the story except spend the time to get the details worked out before you start, pick the right contractor and, of course, use a local contractor.John McKay is a Morgan Hill resident, city planning commissioner and president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association. He can be reached at [email protected].