City Hall closed for the holidays
Morgan Hill City offices will be closed for holiday furlough Dec. 24 through Jan. 1, 2014. The Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center, located at 17000 Monterey Road, will be closed Dec. 23 through Jan. 3.
Anyone in need of assistance for water or sewer issues can call the Morgan Hill Police Department non-emergency line at (408) 779-2101.
Police and fire services will be available full-time during the holiday period.
Limited public works inspections, building inspections and emergency utility services will be available during the furlough, according to City staff.
City Manager Steve Rymer said the holiday furlough has become standard practice at City Hall dating back several years. City employees typically enjoy three paid holidays during the week, and most use some of their annual vacation leave for the rest of the week.
The week-long closure of City Hall is not instituted as a cost-cutting measure, Rymer said. It allows City staff to spend the holidays with family and friends, and it allows them to use their end-of-the-year vacation leave balance.
Employees who do not utilize any vacation time during that week and who are not working on the non-holiday days will not get paid for the days they don’t work.
AAUW announces speech contest for high school students
Morgan Hill AAUW will be giving all local high school students a chance to express their opinion on the topic “Women at the Top – Why Not?” in an upcoming speech competition.
Applications must be received by Dec. 18, with contestant elimination rounds (if necessary) and practice on Jan. 8, 2014. The final competition will be 7 p.m. Jan. 15 at the Villa Mira Monte house. Speeches can be no longer than five to six minutes.
The first place winner in the Morgan Hill speech competition will be entered in the state competition with the possibility of competing for a $1,500 prize.
Students who attend high school in Morgan Hill are eligible to sign up for the competition.
For more information contact Margaret McCann at
jm************@ao*.com
.
Great Giveaway scheduled for Dec. 21 and 22
Donations now being accepted for “free” shopping event for lower-income residents
With the winter holidays upon us, it’s time for another Great Giveaway, where Morgan Hill residents can help provide each other with basic necessities and even more luxurious items that can make the holidays brighter.
The Great Giveaway is a periodic – though not always annual – event organized by local residents in which their lower-income neighbors can “shop” for a weekend, for everything they might need, for free, according to organizer Elaine Hays.
This year’s Great Giveaway takes place Dec. 21 and 22, at a location to be announced.
The Great Giveaway relies on donations from residents with an abundance of resources who have more possessions than they need, Hays explained.
Hays started the Great Giveaway about seven years ago when she and her family were living in Jasmine Square Apartments – a residential complex on Monterey Road that serves mostly low-income residents. She noticed that many of her neighbors didn’t have basic items that most families have.
“I saw first-hand, going into my neighbors’ houses, they had no couches, a TV sitting on the floor, no kitchen table, and kids are doing their school work on the floor,” Hays said.
Hays eventually reached out to friends who had some items they weren’t using, and encouraged some more well heeled residents to donate items.
“Pretty soon, we had an entire community room at Jasmine Square filled with donations that were such a blessing,” Hays.
In previous Great Giveaways, lower-income residents have acquired furniture, bicycles, electronics, toys, clothing, linens, decorations, kitchen items and more, Hays said.
The event has a way of helping those who need and those who give, Hays said.
“The people that give have more than they need, and the people that receive have such basic needs that you and I can’t comprehend living like that,” Hays said.
To donate items or to volunteer for the Great Giveaway, call Elaine Hays at (408) 201-4043, or by e-mail at
ha********@gm***.com
.
