Columnists

There comes a time in every woman's life when she is called “Ma'am.” For some of us (ahem, me) that time comes early. Much, much earlier than any of us expect (again, that would be me).

Fifty Years Ago this spring will mark the beginning of an astounding march towards Live Oak’s very first Football Championship clinched in a dramatic last game of the season mud bowl 13-0 victory over San Lorenzo High School on November, 14th, 1965.  While I was hiking last year with my good buddy and old teammate of that team Kim Moreno, we noted the 50 year anniversary would be upon us soon and that our ancient march towards that football championship in 1965 had actually begun 3 years earlier when Dr. Howard Nicholson, Superintendent of our huge rural school district, hired Darrell Guthrie as an English, Math, PE teacher and Head Football Coach. When Coach Guthrie assumed the football helm in 1963, Live Oak played in the Mission Trail Athletic league (MTAL) where the terms used to describe Live Oak Football was “the Live Oak Acorns were the perennial league doormats” winning only one league game for the entire decade of fielding a football team. Morgan Hill, then with a growing population of almost 4000, was the smallest town in the league with the football power houses of the day usually being Carmel, King City, San Lorenzo and Pacific Grove. Even our neighboring town of Gilroy, with our arch rival the Mustangs, was twice the size of Morgan Hill in those days.

Gorgeous time of year Indian Summer is in the Hayes Valley in San Martin where the PGA Golf professionals show up to play each fall in early October. Crisp CordeValle Golf Resort mornings yield to sunshiny warm afternoons at the Frys.Com Open. The views are as soothing as a Fred Couple’s swing. It’s a walk in a natural park interrupted by occasional roars from the happy crowd, announcements on the first tee … please welcome our 11:22 a.m. pairing … Two-time major champion Angel Cabrera from Argentina … and next to tee off 1997 British Open Champion Justin Leonard from Dallas, Texas ... and bellows from the beer-for-birdies bunch at the pavilion aside the 17th green.

Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve is big and rugged. From Los Gatos and Lexington Reservoir to the north down to Mt. Umunhum and beyond, this 17,400-acre preserve rides the crest of the Santa Cruz mountains that overlook San Jose and the entire south bay.

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].

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get in trouble for what I say. A lot of times I think it’s because of what I don’t say, because generally when I’m in trouble I didn’t mean what got me there.Sound familiar?Frequently, I’ll start to make a comment and before I finish, someone else takes it and runs with it. You know it’s never the same when you try to corral that conversation and finish your statement. It always feels like you’re changing your comment or being wishy washy. Makes me crazy, probably makes me sound crazy too.Like most people, I get asked questions about how I feel about things or what I know about something. I always try to be straightforward in what I say, but sometimes I think it might be better in the long run to taking the heat for politely walking away.I will often say something, but then realize that there is a whole conversation of conditions about what I said behind the comment. And then there’s the added dimension of not knowing if you might just ignite a debate when you weren’t looking for one.An example of that situation is being asked, “How do you feel about the growth in Morgan Hill?” This has come up with more frequency these days, and I have found that I rarely get it right. The reason I give includes a lot of background information, an exhaustive analysis of that information, and then I use that to inform my conclusion. But I have yet to find a person who is hopelessly interested in what I have say, or I have little enough sympathy for a human being to launch it on them.It’s times like those that remind me I’ve got to learn how to redirect the conversation. Ever notice how some politicians are terrible at redirection and others are masterful? One seems awfully guilty of something and the other a brilliant orator who knew better about where the conversation should be headed.Maybe that’s not the best example… Still, I could learn a thing or two about redirecting.I also think about what we say to our friends, but probably more importantly what we say to people we don’t know or don’t know well. Your friends tend to understand where you’re coming from, but others will take your comments at face value without further confirmation.Too often, I’ve heard someone repeat a rumor or state a blatant falsehood at a gathering or public setting. This is especially egregious when they are uttered by people that are respected because, well, they’re respected by others. People who are respected tend to be trusted, and that’s why respected people need to be the most honest (sorry if you feel like I’ve focused on you because you’re respected). Their words can affect many so if you’re respected, so maybe it’s best to have good information before passing it on. By the way, it only takes one other person to be respected.I promise to always be honest with you, or maybe we’ll just talk about something else.So in the process of writing this I have probably upset someone, please give me a chance to explain myself…John McKay is president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, a city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance. He can be reached at [email protected].

Meetings galore – not just the regularly scheduled meetings, but cooperative meetings alive with the energy of new faces and fresh ideas – the kind of meetings you don’t want to take a break from because you’ll miss something.