Columnists

All things must come to pass. In some cases, it’s good because you want bad things to pass, but in too many cases it’s the good things that come to pass before you’re ready to let go.Right now we have a couple good things about to pass. One is short-term and satisfied the urge to have a good time eating with friends and family mid-week. The other satisfied a never-ending need for a leader and volunteer to help make and keep the community that place we’re all proud of and want to be.The first item that will pass is the Moveable Feast. It will end July 26 after eight consecutive weeks of providing a place for the community to gather and dine at an alternative location downtown.Going to the Moveable Feast nights were a lot of fun, filled with variety and new things. Next year’s events are being considered now so we can take comfort in knowing it will likely return just as good as ever. But for now, go out and enjoy it while you can.I hope you have developed a taste for the healthy habit of taking a mid-week mental break from your own kitchen—which includes all that cleaning. No reason for that to pass now…What will be passing and not returning is the ongoing leadership and volunteer work of Kathy Sullivan (no not the Historic Society Kathy Sullivan). Kathy’s just fine, but she will be leaving us to enjoy her retirement a little closer to family in the place where she grew up, Philadelphia.Right here is where I insert the old phrase, “Her absence will create a vacuum.” There will be a void like a sinkhole that will need many volunteers to fill.Kathy was the “universal volunteer.” She was involved with so many local nonprofit organizations and community efforts that I hear her going away parties are stacked up until well after she has left.The Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce recognized Sullivan this year as the Volunteer of the Year. I don’t think there was ever a doubt that she would one day be the Volunteer of the Year, but little did we know it would be so soon.She will be honored for her work well into the future, her impact was notable and lack of presence will be noticeable across so much of the community. Another community will undoubtedly be getting a volunteer army of one. I hope they know how to utilize her well and appreciate her like we do.Kathy was also a leader. I got to know her leadership as the practical thinking strong board member of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association.Sometimes on the leading edge of pushing to accomplish what was considered best for the downtown, she was also one who was willing to reign in an idea whose wings might have needed some clipping. A leader does that. We count on our leaders to make the future a better place for the majority, and Kathy helped remind us of that time after time.Kathy will be missed in many ways as a volunteer, leader and friend to so many. Kathy, enjoy a great long life helping another community be its best.I wonder if they have a Moveable Feast in Philly…?John McKay is president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, chair of the city planning commission and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance.

It’s the fifth of July, and it’s been a long and slow moving morning. Yesterday was the Fourth of July, and as a proud Morgan Hillan I enjoyed much of what our community and its hard working volunteers put together for us on this special holiday.I went to the July 3 Family Music Fest and saw Monterey Road filled with people of all ages out having a good time on a beautiful summer evening. This event is a huge undertaking by the Independence Day Celebrations organization, which started earlier that afternoon with the Patriotic Sing. The Family Music Fest fills the streets with tables and chairs, tents, bandstands and food trucks. It was all nice and tidy in time for the July 4 festivities, which includes the greatest Fourth of July parade in the region.The Music Fest also filled the streets with what has to be the best behaved group of people out having a good time. Most of these folks are from our community. For an event with adult beverages and a big crowd, we have to be proud of how well we celebrate together.I thought I got an early start on the Fourth, but by 9:30 the Freedom Run had been completed and the Freedom Fest cruise (rolling car show) was already underway.It was one of the nicest days I’ve ever seen for the July 4Parade. Not too warm and not too cool which was unusual for me. I’m used to roasting a bit.As usual, the parade was everything we expected and it set the tone for the rest of the Fourth of July. If you haven’t been out to the parade you just have to go next year.After the parade, the downtown clears out and becomes a virtual ghost town. There must be a way to keep some of the crowd—which numbers in the tens of thousands—busy downtown or nearby as we wait for the fireworks display. People are out with their families and friends having a good time, so this is a huge missed opportunity. Sounds like a project for someone out there.I have yet another project for someone out there…Every Fourth of July many of us sequester our pets in some quiet corner of the house so they won’t freak out at the Freedom Fest fireworks display, which we are also well known for. We love the planned fireworks and make this sacrifice for our pets’ well-being.What we can’t plan for are all of the illegal fireworks which startle our pets days before and after the Fourth.The evening of the Fourth, our dogs were fine through the official fireworks show as we cranked up the volume on the movie we watched with the house closed tight as a drum. The dogs were restless, but seemed fine.Then those idiots with those illegal fireworks got going all around us. I don’t know if these are alcohol fueled or stupidity fueled, but we need to do something about these inconsiderate scofflaws.I don’t know what these people were thinking with the dry hillsides all around us just waiting for a spark to send flames running across our open spaces. Seriously, this is just idiotic.Aside from the fire threat, what those fireworks do to our pets really angers me right now. I was up most of the night as one of our dogs would react to all of the nearby fireworks. Even after they stopped, she just couldn’t relax.Seeing what it did to one of my dogs, and my sleep, I am ready for some drastic measures. How do we fix this? I’m ready for some action.I really enjoyed my July 4 events, but the most vivid memory is of my dog huddled under the bed just shaking. I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore. How about you?John McKay is president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, chair of the city planning commission and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance. He can be contacted at [email protected].

On June 2, I had the opportunity to spend some time with visionaries. Not the type of visionaries that change a community or the landscape you live in—although I guess ones I’m talking about can do that too—but the kind that provides previously unimagined conveniences and change how we live and function.I have to admit that I may initially think about some of our local folks when I think about that kind of visionary. But my mind typically goes north to all of the innovation that has made Silicon Valley what it is today, which is not just a place but a way of thinking and behaving.That way of thinking just changed a bit for me after attending the first ”Morgan Hill Disrupt Forum.” This was a day where the focus was on innovation and how to bring more of those that innovate to Morgan Hill.Let’s make no mistake that there are already great innovators here right now. We have a visionary that dreams of hydrogen power for all, a company that has brought the technology of Formula 1 to human powered bicycles and one that protects the grey matter between our ears if we fall off that two-wheeled technology. But I don’t feel the buzz of innovation.I grew up on the Peninsula and worked building high tech facilities. In that environment, the buzz of innovation was everywhere. In a coffee shop, cafeteria, park bench, meeting room—there was all of this palpable energy that there was something happening or about to happen.I sensed that buzz in the room at the Morgan Hill Disrupt Forum. Please forgive me if there is already a buzz of innovation in town and I’m just missing it (spend some time with Mike Cox and you’ll feel that energy around him like a force field). But it was fantastic for me to see the focus on it that day.The group who worked to put that event together should be lauded for their vision too. As mentioned, I usually think of Silicon Valley as the place of innovation. Well, we are a part of Silicon Valley and the organizers brought in one of those people that makes a living recognizing innovation and trends, and has mountains of statistics to prove we lead the world in innovation: Russell Hancock.Hancock is the president of Joint Venture Silicon Valley. I’ve seen him speak on several occasions at the State of the Valley Conference. The man has his fingers on the pulse of innovation and trends in the Valley, and he was here June 2 stumping for innovation to take a more prominent role in our economic development.For some time, there has been a discussion amongst our local visionaries about being that friendly and encouraging place for those willing to take the chance to succeed, or fail, on a dream—to create an incubator for innovators. The seeds of innovation were already here with our cadre of established innovators. Maybe openly promoting Morgan Hill as a place friendly to innovation will act as a catalyst and fertilizer to push us to be known as the new home for innovation.Let innovation grow in a place known for its fertile fields.John McKay is president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance. He can be contacted at [email protected].

Right now I’m nursing a memory with a poor substitute: dinner leftovers from the past weekend. But I’m comforted knowing that next week I’ll get what I’m missing right now—tasty morsels delivered hot and fresh from a mobile kitchen parked on Third Street.Yes, it will be Wednesday, June 7, and I’ll be sitting on an upturned red 5-gallon bucket with about 1,000 other foodies in front of the Third Street Plaza. The Moveable Feast is back!It doesn’t get much easier to join in the fun. Park in the Downtown Parking Garage and walk out into the Third Street Plaza. Just beyond will be a string of food trucks surrounded by fans of the diverse range of cuisines being offered. Maybe we can start to get some of the feasters used to parking in the VTA Parking lot across the railroad tracks too…The feedback I’ve heard from the community about the gourmet food trucks has been overwhelmingly positive, usually followed quickly by the universal question, “When will they return?”Short answer is next week.It seems that most of the residents I’ve heard from like the Moveable Feast trucks on Wednesdays, but how about the downtown businesses and the residents?That’s a mixed bag, but still mostly positive.A few businesses do not support the Moveable Feast events at all, but that’s a small number. Some don’t feel they benefit, but still support it in light of the exposure brought to the downtown. Others experience a benefit and are happy these events take place. This last group is a small number that we hope will continue to grow this year. By the way, this is from a business survey undertaken by the committee that brought you the Moveable Feast trial last year.I am obviously a huge supporter of Moveable Feast on Wednesdays but I’m just hoping you end up downtown eating and hanging out.I hope you, your family and friends come downtown on Wednesdays and find that something special at one of the gourmet food trucks. But maybe you won’t. Maybe the lines are too long, you’re not in the mood for what’s being offered that week, or you run into some friends and decide it would be nice to sit down and be served. Maybe you just walked past a restaurant and saw the most incredible plate of barbeque and your stomach just changed your mind for you.So I want to tell everyone that the Moveable Feast is coming but I also want to say that the rest of your favorite restaurants are here too. Maybe make Wednesday night the night where you commit to trying something new, whether it be a different food truck or a different restaurant. Can you say you’ve been to all of our downtown restaurants?Consider that a challenge.Give the kitchen a break on Wednesdays and get out and eat. It doesn’t have to be downtown (that would be nice though)—just get out and enjoy yourself on hump day. The rest of the week will feel a lot shorter. I promise.   Please dine out and shop often.John McKay is president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance and a city commissioner. He can be reached at [email protected].

I recently had the opportunity to take a walk to the top of the future downtown “Hilltop Trail/Park” location. This walk, by the way, is not just a mere stroll; it takes some effort and will break a sweat on most. It certainly did for me.We took the walk to see the location of two new planned slides at the top of the prominent downtown hill where we were also rewarded with an incredible view across Morgan Hill. The “slides with a view” are bound to be a huge hit and I think will become a signature feature of the downtown.Earlier the group had walked through the future “Creek Park” along the West Little Llagas Creek. There should be plaques at the pedestrian bridge over West Little Llagas Creek and at the “slides with a view” honoring the support of the parks by the Rotary Club of Morgan Hill—support in the tune of $100,000 to be exact.That support by the Rotary Club mirrors the support of these parks by the entire community.We have not built a new park in many, many years, and in one year we are about to have three new parks. These new parks are going to serve the downtown area that, with proper planning, will add many new residents over the years that will live in higher density developments typical of the most urban environment in a community like ours, the downtown. These developments typically don’t have a lot of open space, so I feel the entire downtown, and these parks, will become the open space for these residents.We will also have the “Depot Park,” which is designed to focus on children’s play where the yells and screams of children playing will be just down the road from our downtown businesses—close but not too close. It will be a park with safe places for children to run, jump and fall like children do, and play features to climb on and feed young imaginations. It will also have a restroom!The “Creek Park,” just behind Ladera Grill restaurant, will be a more passive park where you can enjoy a rural feel right in the downtown, with some nice play features for children but also some adult amenities. There will be trails to entice you to walk around and learn more about riparian habitat and see local art, possibly while digesting a recent meal. Of course there will be picnic benches, where some takeout food would taste particularly good in a park setting. During the winter and spring we might see children return to see the pollywogs and newts around the creek.From the Creek Park you can head right up Third Street (now one way) to the Hilltop Trail/Park. This park will encourage a higher level of activity and it will be just perfect—a place to hike, jog and work out at a series of fitness stations. This park will feature trails, views, and picnic areas in addition to the aforementioned slides.We will have something for everyone in our new parks and I hope everyone spends some time in these wonderfully planned additions to our community.Editor's note: The Morgan Hill City Council at the May 17 meeting officially named the parks Nob Hill Trail Park, Railroad Park and Third Street Creek Park. John McKay is president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance. He can be reached at [email protected].

We can all claim to be this or that but I never thought that I’d ever claim to be a marathoner.On Nov. 9, 2016, I became a marathoner along with six fellow members of the Morgan Hill Planning Commission and several city staff members.On Nov. 8, the voters of Morgan Hill had overwhelmingly approved Measure S, which meant that the Planning Commission had to immediately get to work crafting a competition manual representing the values and desires of the Morgan Hill community.This competition manual would be the document developers and builders of residential developments will use to indicate where they will build, what desirable amenities they will include, and how much they are willing to donate to worthy needs in the community. Points are available for things like creating open space and being environmentally prudent with our resources as well as making our new developments look nice and be comfortable places to live.Each competitor can commit to their version of what is best for Morgan Hill and. An objective system will be in place to determine which ones are the best by a points score. More desirable commitments equals more points you get, and that score could win you allocations (permission to build a single dwelling unit).This isn’t the first time this community would benefit from the residential development control system (RDCS) competition. We have benefitted from decades of this kind of development regulation. Each previous iteration of the RDCS competition manual was refined to reflect the values of the community at that time, and this one is no different.The new competition manual takes the voter-approved Measure S and embodies what the voters indicated they wanted. Things like a lower number of dwelling units allowed to be built and eliminating spikes in construction, like we’ve been seeing the past few years.The commission met 20 times to create the competition manual basically from scratch. The goal would be to create a new manual, not just a refinement of the last one, and streamline it to make it simpler.Over those 20 meetings we discussed and debated how the needs and wants of the community would be met. We debated and then debated again, sometimes to the point of frustration, yet we always kept our goal in mind and cooperated to the end.We got into the weeds. Repeatedly. But in those weeds were the details which now make up the new RDCS Competition Manual.So we didn’t get simpler, but I think we got a pretty good document that should achieve its goal of getting great projects for Morgan Hill.   The City Council will soon decide whether or not the new competition manual is ready for prime time but it’ll be in this fall’s competition that we’ll see if the first goal of the manual works in deciding who gets allocations.But the final test will be in the following years when we see if we get the kind of projects that this community wants. My money is on getting that great community.John McKay is president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance. He can be reached at [email protected].

Next week will be the culmination of months of work for a wonderful and committed group of volunteers. All this hard work will bear fruit April 23 to 29 in the Morgan Hill Downtown Association’s Wine & Food Week and the Wine Stroll.Most of you, hopefully, will recognize the Wine & Food Week as a week where wine and food take center stage, and the Wine Stroll as a fun way to taste some great local wines, shop, dine, and socialize—all in the wonderful setting that is our downtown.The Wine Stroll is a fundraiser for the Downtown Association and like so many other fundraisers, in our community known for giving, you get the benefit of helping a good cause while having fun.The Wine & Food Week and Wine Stroll are special to me because not only are they “fun-raisers,” but they’re also aimed at exposing more people to our restaurants and shops downtown, as well as the Santa Clara Valley wine region.We get to make the events all about our downtown, community and region and the lucky ticket holders are immersed in it.I’d like to provide a little insight into the Wine Stroll that I bet most of you never think about—why do our businesses and the wineries participate?For some, it’s obvious—exposure. People being in a great mood puts a different lens on their day, and the hope is these same people will see something they’ll want to revisit later, maybe come back to the downtown and wineries to re-create fun memories.Some of our downtown businesses actually lose money for the day because their regular customers will avoid the crowds. Most of these businesses are pragmatic and see the overall benefit that this kind of exposure brings to the downtown. Some of this is done just to support the Downtown Association.The wineries are the featured guests and are compensated for the wine they pour. But in most cases, the compensation doesn’t really cover their costs. Many of these wineries also look at the Wine Stroll as a marketing opportunity and want the exposure, but many do not feel that this exposure benefits them.Wineries would like their guests to pause, taste their wine and engage in conversation. Seeing close to 1,000 customers doesn’t leave a lot of opportunity to do any of those things. So a good number of the wineries are doing something that we greatly appreciate: they are participating in the Wine Stroll out of community spirit, a belief that we can all work together to make not only Morgan Hill but the region a destination for wine, food and shopping.And thus, besides the Wine Stroll on Saturday, April 29, we have a week of wine and food related events starting April 23.During Wine & Food Week you’ll find no corkage fees on local wines at many local restaurants, special food and wine pairings and complete winemaker dinners (wines specially paired with each unique course of the dinner).This is the week that the businesses and wineries really enjoy because of the personal contact and manageable customer numbers.  Please come out and have a good time and support your downtown all next week. For more information about these events, visit morganhilldowntown.org/.John McKay is a Morgan Hill resident, president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance. He can be reached at [email protected].

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].

It’s that time of the year again, when we start to see the events on the horizon that many in the region look forward to year after year: the Spring Passport Weekend, Wine Stroll, Mushroom Mardi Gras and more…I have to suppose that most people have no idea how much advance planning and time goes into making sure we have the types of events that will bring people back every year.As an example, work on the Wine Stroll and the Wine and Food Week events starts about four months before the events, with weekly meetings on the schedule until the event happen.If the planning is successful, it should appear these events were a breeze to put together and there will be smiles all around as you enjoy the festivities.The first big event that I usually attend in the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley Spring Passport Weekend. This celebration is planned to kick off Friday, March 17, with a special night of fine wine tasting, and then continue on through the weekend.The Friday Night Passport kickoff is one of my favorite events at the Community and Cultural Center in Morgan Hill. It is an invitation only event for those that have a ticket for the entire Passport Weekend (don’t worry—you can purchase the Weekend Passes at the door).This year, 16 wineries will pour tastings Friday night, all in one location. Most of the people pouring will be the winemakers themselves. One of the main reasons for the creation of this event was to provide some of the wineries unable to participate in the entire weekend an opportunity to pour samplings of their hard work. Now this event is attracting other wineries who love the thought of being able to show off the fruits of their labor in the festive atmosphere that pervades this night.I can’t think of a better way for this Irishman to enjoy Saint Patrick’s Day than to spend it with about 200 friends enjoying fine wine.The rest of the weekend can be spent sampling wines at 23 different wineries throughout the Santa Clara Valley AVA. The AVA part stands for American Viticultural Area which means that perfect conditions for the growing of grapes and wines made from this fruit are unique to the Santa Clara Valley. And our local wineries take full advantage of these conditions. Their many awards over the years are only one testament to this.When you’re out on this Passport Weekend I hope you fully appreciate more than just the award winning wines. Stop and meet the people whose passion is not only to make great wines, but to provide you with fun and memorable experiences. Most every winemaker I’ve met has a unique story to tell. They love to tell those stories and talk about just about anything related to wine, including how a curry flavored chocolate pairs well with a red wine.This is a great way to kick off a new season of events in the South Valley, now get out and enjoy yourself.For more information about the Spring Passport Event, visit santaclarawines.com/passport.html.John McKay is president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance. This is a special edition of “Our Town,” timed to give extra notice for the upcoming Spring Passport Weekend, which takes place in South Santa Clara Valley March 17-19. The column will return March 24.

It seems that everyone is angry these days. For many, politics—from the national down to the local level—took on a more substantial and even dire note this last year.Selecting a president from two candidates who couldn’t be more different and the local residential growth control and City Council races fostered some uncomfortable discourse. Hostility became routine on the national level. We saw some of that creep into the local scene, which is unusual for us.I don’t have to say anything more about national politics—just go to any digital news outlet and you can see for yourself. In this case, I feel I must say digital because there is something happening virtually every few hours. If you are intently following the goings-on in Washington, a lot can happen before that morning newspaper shows up.At the local level, I have to say that starting last year, with the happenings of the Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Trustees, we have been exposed to new lows in our treatment of each other. Activities of some on the school board was almost like a preview of what we’re seeing in the White House right now. Threats of impeachment, news media exposure of comments made, attempts at censuring, public outcry, denials, obfuscation, shifting of blame, retractions, apologies, etc… Wow, that was unpleasant.I don’t know if it will be ongoing, but we have seen some of the unpleasant behaviors continue locally to this day.I was recently at a city council meeting where a respected member of the community chastised city staff and loudly pronounced that either they were lying or didn’t know who to contact on an issue that had generated some passionate feelings. I don’t remember seeing this kind of behavior before.I don’t think that kind of behavior belongs in Morgan Hill. This is not the Morgan Hill way, and I hope we all actively work to curb this kind of behavior in the public place.Last weekend, I got into it with a neighbor of mine. I was working in the driveway late Sunday when I heard a terrible blood curdling cry for help, which turned to a whimper and then a moan into oblivion. Of course I grabbed a flashlight and went to see what happened in my backyard. Through the trees I saw two sets of eyes and heard a loud guttural response. Not to be deterred, I focused the flashlight right on the eyes and let them know that I heard what had just happened. That was when a loud yell in my direction really got my attention and I started the scramble in the other direction.That loud yell was the snarl of a mature mountain lion, and I think I disturbed its dinner.Being the polite neighbor that I try to be, I promptly backed away and tried to allow him to eat in peace, until we went to get the video camera...Whether it’s paid staff, City Council, a commission, grocer, neighbor or mountain lion, let’s remember that we are all in this community together, and it is us who set and maintain the tone of behavior that is acceptable. There is no police enforcement of civility; that’s up to us. And remember to let your neighbors finish their meal before disturbing them.John McKay is president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance.