Uncategorized

No new swimming pools in town and a strict limit on when homeowners can water their lawns are part of Morgan Hill’s new watering restrictions, but some residents think the new rules don’t go far enough to combat the effects of an historic statewide drought.And just this week, a state water regulator reported that Morgan Hill is among the cities that might be required to cut as much 35 percent of its water use from 2013 levels.The Morgan Hill City Council declared a “level 2” water shortage at the April 1 meeting. Along with this declaration comes new watering restrictions including a prohibition on filling and refilling swimming pools and washing vehicles with drinkable water. The restrictions go into effect April 11.Some who spoke at a public hearing just before the council adopted the new measures April 1 think the city is not doing enough to preserve water by allowing new residential construction to continue at its current pace.“It does not make sense that the city would punish existing residents while continuing to allow new connections for residents that are not even here yet,” said Morgan Hill resident Glenn Ritter, referring to hundreds of new homes under construction or permitted for construction in the city limits. “Level 2 (restrictions) should require a moratorium of all new connections and the city should take fair and prudent action.”However, only a “level 3” declaration by the city would allow the council to eliminate new home construction, according to city staff.The state is in the fourth year of an “unprecedented drought,” resulting in steadily increasing restrictions in communities throughout the state since early 2014, according to a city staff report.In April 2014, the council declared a “level 1” water shortage, which limits outdoor landscape watering to three days per week (or one day in the winter); requires property owners to repair leaks and water system malfunctions within 72 hours; and prohibits watering pavement or hard surfaces in most cases.These are in addition to permanent city watering restrictions, including limits on watering durations, no excessive water flow or runoff and limits on washing vehicles.The level 2 restrictions include these permanent rules and the level 1 limits, plus the following:• Watering of lawns, landscaping or other vegetation with potable water is limited to two days per week from April to October, and one day per week from November to March;• As of April 11, odd-numbered addresses in Morgan Hill may only water lawns on Mondays and Thursdays, while even-numbered addresses may water on Tuesdays and Fridays only;• Irrigation is allowed before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m.;• Obligations to repair leaks, breaks and malfunctions within 48 hours;• Washing cars is prohibited except at commercial facilities that recycle water (all commercial car washes in Morgan Hill use recycled water);• Swimming pools and outdoor spas may be refilled up to one foot; initial filling of residential swimming pools, outdoor spas, ornamental lakes or ponds is prohibited.The level 2 restrictions will effectively eliminate new swimming pool construction in Morgan Hill while the restrictions are in place, according to Morgan Hill Program Administrator Anthony Eulo.A staff report presented to the council showed that available local water supplies—including city wells fed by the groundwater basin—have shrunk significantly due to the drought. This supply is typically supplemented by sources outside the Bay Area, which are also diminishing.The groundwater level at the city’s Nordstrom well, for example, has dropped from 135 feet below the ground surface in 2011, to a projected 203 feet in 2015, according to Public Works Director Karl Bjarke.Saving statewideEven if new residential construction became banned in Morgan Hill, that would not affect the overall water supply if surrounding cities continue to allow growth at current or increasing levels, explained Community Development Director Andrew Crabtree. Developers who planned to build in Morgan Hill would simply take their projects to the south if the city declared a construction moratorium.“There’s a lot of things we can do with new development to minimize (the drought’s) impact,” Crabtree said.On April 7, the State Water Resources Control Board’s monthly report of daily per capita water consumption showed that by this measure, consumption is on the rise in Morgan Hill. City customers in February consumed about 71 gallons per capita per day, which is on the rise from 63 in January and 60 in December 2014.Statewide, the water conservation rate for February was a “dismal” 2.8 percent as compared to the same month in 2013, according to the state water board. As a result, the regulators are planning to implement a “sliding scale” mandatory rate cut, requiring the biggest water wasting cities and retailers to conserve at a higher rate than those who have shown a more impressive water-conserving history.That means the city of Morgan Hill actually has to cut its water usage by 35 percent, according to the regulators.“We will be continuing to work hard and work with the community to save water and reduct the amount of water we use,” Eulo said. “The goal was 30 percent (set) by the water district, and now (as of April 7) we have a little bit higher goal, and a higher mandate.”

A pedestrian was struck and killed by an impaired motorist who tried to flee the scene of the fatal accident in south Morgan Hill April 5, according to police.About 6:50 p.m. April 5, Morgan Hill police responded to a traffic collision on Tennant Avenue near the intersection of Juan Hernandez Drive, according to a press release from MHPD.During the initial investigation, officers learned an off-duty MHPD officer witnessed the collision and followed the suspect vehicle as it failed to stop at the scene of the accident, police said. The off-duty officer followed the suspect and detained him near his home in Morgan Hill. Police later determined the motorist was driving under the influence of alcohol.While at the scene of the collision, officers learned the suspect vehicle was traveling westbound on Tennant Avenue from U.S. 101, police said.As the suspect vehicle approached Juan Hernandez Drive, the vehicle drifted to the right shoulder of the roadway and collided into the rear of a parked vehicle, according to police. At the time of the impact, the driver of the parked vehicle was standing to the rear of his car while his juvenile passenger was inside the car. After the collision, the suspect driver continued traveling westbound on Tennant Avenue, then northbound on Juan Hernandez Drive where he was later detained.Responding officers and EMS personnel rendered first aid to the pedestrian victim, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.The Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office identified the deceased victim as Alberto Sanchez, 37 of Gilroy.The victim’s juvenile passenger was transported to a local trauma center by paramedics and later released to a family member, authorities said.The driver of the suspect vehicle was under the influence of alcohol and arrested on suspicion of DUI, police said. The suspect, Edgar Benitez Martinez of Morgan Hill, was booked at Santa Clara County Jail.Anyone who witnessed this collision can contact MHPD Sgt. Bill Norman at (408) 779-2101 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District will lead an open house and public hearing on groundwater production and proposed rate hikes for South County customers April 16 at Morgan Hill City Council Chambers.The district, which supplies wholesale drinking water to retailers and municipalities such as the city of Morgan Hill, has proposed increasing groundwater charges by up to 13.8 percent for the 2015-16 fiscal year. The current groundwater charge for municipal and industrial users is $319 per acre foot, and district staff has proposed raising that to a maximum of $363 per acre foot for 2015-16.An acre foot of water is enough to supply a family of five for two years with drinking and household water.The maximum proposed rate assumes another dry year in the current, ongoing historic statewide drought, according to SCVWD staff. Santa Clara County groundwater supplies depend largely on imported water and rainfall, both of which have fallen dramatically since the drought started more than three years ago.Sources throughout the state, from which SCVWD imports about 26 percent of its total groundwater supply, are drying up, according to district staff. As a result, SCVWD anticipates spending about $4 million in extra costs in South County to “secure imported water supply, support water conservation rebate efforts, conduct aggressive water conservation outreach and develop future purified water supplies.”For agricultural water users, SCVWD has proposed increasing rates from $19.14 (current) to $21.79 (2015-16) per acre foot.“A smooth series of water rate increases had been a part of our long-range planning to address much needed water supply infrastructure investments,” SCVWD CEO Beau Goldie said in a press release. “However, the historic drought has resulted in urgent expenditures that are essential to continue providing a reliable water supply, maintaining a healthy groundwater basin, avoiding the serious consequences of groundwater overdrafting, and avoiding land subsidence and saltwater intrusion.”An open house at the Morgan Hill Chambers, 17565 Peak Ave., will take place 6 p.m. April 16, with a public hearing and presentation at 7 p.m.

Pintello Comedy Theater pros Jayson Stebbins and Denee Lewis Bohnsack get together to bring in playwright Jack Neary’s gentle and funny “First Night,” an amusing bit of witty theater. The two carry the production under the deft direction of Whitney Pintello.

Jerry and Judy Ross never planned to own their own Morgan Hill winery.

The same day Gov. Jerry Brown issued the first-ever statewide mandatory water reductions, the Morgan Hill City Council approved new local restrictions in response to the historic ongoing drought.The council declared a “level 2” water shortage at the April 1 meeting. Along with this declaration comes new watering restrictions including a prohibition on filling and refilling swimming pools and washing vehicles with potable water.The entire state of California is in the fourth year of an “unprecedented drought,” resulting in steadily increasing restrictions in communities throughout the state since early 2014, according to a city staff report.In April 2014, the council declared a “level 1” water shortage, which limits outdoor landscape watering to three days per week (or one day in the winter); requires property owners to repair leaks and water system malfunctions within 72 hours; and prohibits watering pavement or hard surfaces in most cases.These are in addition to permanent city watering restrictions, including limits on watering durations, no excessive water flow or runoff and limits on washing vehicles.The level 2 restrictions include these permanent rules and the level 1 limits, plus the following:—Watering of lawns, landscaping or other vegetation with potable water is limited to two days per week from April to October, and one day per week from November to March;—Obligations to repair leaks, breaks and malfunctions within 48 hours;—Washing cars is prohibited except at commercial facilities that recycle water (all commercial car washes in Morgan Hill use recycled water);—Filling and refilling (more than one foot) of residential pools is prohibited; filling of ornamental lakes or ponds is prohibited except as needed to maintain aquatic life.The level 2 restrictions will effectively eliminate new swimming pool construction in Morgan Hill while the restrictions are in place, according to Morgan Hill Program Administrator Anthony Eulo.A staff report presented to the council showed that available local water supplies—including city wells fed by the groundwater basin—have shrunk significantly due to the drought. This supply is typically supplemented by sources outside the Bay Area, which are also diminishing.The city’s new restrictions were implemented the same day that Brown, standing on a dry, grassy hill top on the edge of the Sierra Mountain range that is normally covered with snow in April, issued mandatory water reductions in cities and towns across California.Water providers are now required to figure out how to reduce consumption by 25 percent from 2013 levels, or else face fines, according to the governor’s office.The governor’s plan also calls on local water suppliers, such as the Santa Clara Valley Water District, to adjust their rate schedules with “conservation pricing” to discourage water waste, according to the governor’s office.The new conservation plan announced by Brown also includes:—Replacing 50 million square feet of lawns throughout the state with drought tolerant landscaping, in partnership with local governments;—Creating a temporary, statewide rebate program to replace old appliances with more efficient devices;—Requiring campuses, golf courses, cemeteries and other large-scale landscaping to cut their water use;—Prohibiting new homes and developments from irrigating with potable water unless they use drip irrigations systems.Agricultural water users will also be required to report more information about their water use to state authorities, and could be fined if they fail to do so, according to Brown’s office.Since the city implemented level 1 drought restrictions a year ago, local customers have cut water consumption by 20 percent, according to city staff. That’s in line with the state and water district’s previous call for a 20 percent voluntary reduction, and a higher percentage cut than any other city in Santa Clara County.Check back for updates to this developing story. 

Numerous police officers responded to a report of a possible robbery, and ended up arresting a wanted felon at Vineyard Town Center Thursday afternoon, according to authorities.

The city of Morgan Hill is getting closer to developing the former Simple Beverages site in the downtown, as local businesses are working together to devise a temporary recreational use for the property in the meantime.Two developers met the city’s March 20 deadline to submit proposals for the .63-acre property at the corner of Monterey Road and Third Street, according to Assistant City Manager Leslie Little. The two developers— Environmental Planning and Development Company (partnering with Imwalle Properties) and Weston Miles Architects (partnering with Leal Vineyards)—have already qualified through a previous selection process to build on former Redevelopment Agency “opportunity sites” in accordance with the city’s plans.Charles Weston of Weston Miles Architects, which is located downtown, said his company and Leal Vineyards have proposed building a four-story structure with a restaurant on the ground floor with “lots of outdoor seating.” Upper floors would consist of a 36-room hotel and spa, and banquet facilities.The Morgan Hill Downtown Specific Plan, established before the RDA purchased the liquor store and a number of other properties in 2008 and 2009, call for “construction of a high quality project utilizing a long-term ground lease or any other acceptable financing/business structure,” according to a city staff report.The city hopes to forge a “public/private partnership” with the winning developer to build and maintain a mixed-use project with retail or dining on the ground floor, perhaps with residential and office use upstairs.The city intends to remain the owner of the property, once it completes a purchase of the site that currently houses a vacant building and parking lots. In February, the city council voted to purchase the property at a cost of $525,000, to be funded by a loan from city housing funds. City officials plan to repay the housing funds with revenues from whatever ends up being built on the liquor store site, including lease payments and event revenues.The city’s purchase price for the liquor store site was determined by a bid from another qualified developer—Lone Star Development—that was submitted earlier this year. That developer only wanted to hold onto the property until the market improved. But city officials see the property as being too crucial to the overall improvement of the downtown to let it sit there for an undetermined number of years.Lone Star’s purchase bid was thus rejected by the council, and the developer did not submit a proposal to build on the site and enter into a partnership with the city.‘Pop-up’ recreationThe liquor store property won’t remain just a “dreary” parking lot and empty building until it is developed if downtown businesses have their way, according to Morgan Hill Downtown Association Manager Raquel Crowell.The city and MHDA plan to build a temporary “pop-up” park on the site, incorporating public art projects funded by the city’s “mini-grant” program and other recreation elements, Crowell said.Amenities proposed for this project include a bicycle “fix-it” station, a vintage map of California bicycle routes, fitness stations, benches made out of recycled propane tanks, a hydration station, shade structures and artificial grass.“The goal is to create a more pedestrian friendly downtown,” Crowell said. “One thing we’ve been hearing is people would like to see more events geared toward families in the downtown. Families could come down on their bikes and make a pit stop” at the pop-up park.A specific timeline for construction of the park is not yet established, but planners will continue working on the details in the coming weeks, Crowell said.The liquor store property—along with other downtown sites and assets owned by the RDA before the state closed the agency in 2012—is currently held in a trust controlled by local public agencies and the state.The purchase remains in the process of post-RDA approvals that must ultimately pass the muster of the state Department of Finance, Little said.City staff is currently studying the proposals from EPD/Imwalle and Weston Miles/Leal, Little said. They hope to present a recommended proposal to the council for approval in May.The city is also still in the process of working out deals with two developers interested in improving two other downtown properties crucial to the city’s long-term revitalization plans, Little said. One of these is with City Ventures to build 50-plus condominiums and up to 40,000 square feet of new retail space on the Downtown Mall/Granada Theater property. The other is a sale of the Royal Clothier/Tryst site at Second Street and Monterey Road to Lone Star, who plans to make “modest” improvements to the commercial space.The city is also negotiating with City Ventures on a more complicated transaction of the BookSmart Shopping Center property, located on Depot Street between Second and Third streets, Little added. City Ventures has proposed purchasing that property and building 24 townhomes with ground-floor retail facing Depot and Third streets.These three concepts were also approved by the council in February. The parties were given 60 days to negotiate deals with the city, which could include subsidies to City Ventures for their likely requirement to pay “prevailing wages” on the Downtown Mall project.

Pedestrian hit by vehicle