MEMORIAL DAY – WHO PAYS? I see the Memorial Day ceremony is
coming up again on Monday. I know that Eddie Bowers always puts
this on (Veterans
’ Day too) and never asks for money or help. I think it’s about
time the community helped this committed Vietnam vet out. How can I
contribute?
MEMORIAL DAY – WHO PAYS?
I see the Memorial Day ceremony is coming up again on Monday. I know that Eddie Bowers always puts this on (Veterans’ Day too) and never asks for money or help. I think it’s about time the community helped this committed Vietnam vet out. How can I contribute?
Wow. Thank you very much for asking. Eddie is a wonderful guy and does the community such a service, it is a shame nobody’s asked about this before. Red Phone called him up and after some hemming and hawing around – Eddie is a very modest guy – he said he wouldn’t turn away any checks or folding money that people wanted to give him at the ceremony. There might even be a collection box (but that’s our idea, not Eddie’s.) It costs Eddie about $200 a year to buy flags and cover printing – and he is retired now.
And for those who are thinking about attending, show up at 9am Monday at the Veterans’ Memorial, Monterey Road at First Street, downtown and help honor our veterans.
AQUATICS SWIM TIMES
My gripe is with the prices and summer scheduling of the “community pool.” Last year was perfect – lap swim was available from 5-7pm. Now this year, if I want to swim laps I have to join the Master’s Program at $30. I was told this is coached swimming but I could swim. The price has increased $12 a month with limited access to the pool. What “community” exactly was this pool intended for, given that my taxes went into building it?
Prices at the Aquatics Center have gone up this year as the city tries to balance what people can reasonably pay with making the center as self-supporting as possible. Residents do need to know that while our Redevelopment Agency taxes built the aquatics center, it needs to pay for maintenance and operations with fees and rentals. RDA funds cannot be used for this purpose.
Aquatics supervisor Aaron Himelson said he tried to streamline the number and kinds of passes since they were too confusing last year.
“We haven’t eliminated opportunities, but have clarified what passes do,” Himelson said.
The masters program offers more time to swim than last year and – this is new – swimmers don’t have to share with recreational swimmers, a cause for former complaints. The coach is on deck most of the time, giving feedback or leaving you alone, as you wish.
Because of insurance concerns – there may not be a lifeguard present during master’s swims – everyone who swims then must be a member of the program, hence the $30 fee. Insurance comes with the fee. Other programs cost a lot more, he said but if you stay for seven months you get your $30 back as a discount on the monthly swim fee of $45.
The adult lap time is 2-4pm and is different from the masters swim. Himelson said there is more, not less, time to swim laps this year.
More aquatics details: www.mhaquaticscenter.com or 782-2134.
Cut weeds, avert fire
While getting onto northbound U.S. 101 from Dunne Avenue recently I noticed weeds nearly as high as my car on both sides of the road. The fire danger may not be real high yet, but a few more days in the high 80s and low 90s will dry out those weeds real fast. Plus, it’s unsightly. What’s going on? Who’s supposed to mow it? When will it be done?
Caltrans spokeswoman Brigetta Smith, who works out of Oakland, acknowledges that her agency is responsible for mowing the weeds. She noted that there are many miles of areas along Bay Area highways that need a spring trim. Last week she promised to get back to Red Phone on where Morgan Hill is on the work schedule. Maybe Smith’s out on a mower since she hasn’t called back.
n The Red Phone sounds off Saturday in The Times. Hey readers: Remember to leave a name and number when you call or send e-mail. The Red Phone won’t publish this information – it will only be used if verification is necessary. If you call in about a problem with a streetlight or suggestion for a turn signal, please give the intersection street names. It makes it easier for the Red Phone to report the problems or offer the city suggestions.
We invite you to contact us 24/7 to ask questions, report a complaint, give us a tip, offer an amusing tale of the short variety or just want people to know about something to do with Morgan Hill and the surrounding territory. We’ll check it out and have the answer in an upcoming column. Have a question about the paper? A complaint about garbage on the city street? A compliment about your good neighbor?
Leave us a message on the Red Phone at 779-4106, x206.
And for you Red Phone fanatics stuck at work and not able to pick up the phone and comment? Well, do we have a solution for you! Now you can sneak onto www.morganhilltimes.com, click the Red Phone icon and quietly e-mail your comments. Or e-mail direct to re******@*************es.com
