May 4, 2005

WGNA general meeting scheduled for May 10

The Willow Glen Neighborhood Association (WGNA) will hold the first of its two general meetings for 2005 on Tuesday May 10 at 7 p.m. at the Willow Glen United Methodist Church on Minnesota at Newport. Everyone is invited.

The meeting’s featured topic is Common Neighborhood Complaints and Concerns. That topic will be divided into separate areas. The first subtopic is airport noise and expansion and will feature Ed Shikada, deputy city manager and the incoming airport director, Bill Sherry.

The second subtopic features the city’s planning department and will concern building code enforcement issues and private parking regulations. The final subtopic deals with parking, including public street parking regulations, non-operational and abandoned vehicle procedures and how to contact city parking officials.

City Councilmember Ken Yeager will discuss Willow Glen and District 6 issues and concerns.

The slate of WGNA officers for the next two years is:
—President: Ed Rast
—First vice president: Ellen Santomauro
—Second vice president: Jim Spence
—Secretary: Carol Rossebo
—Treasurer: Joan Bohnett

The following members have been named to be WGNA’s board of directors: Larry Ames, Harvey Darnell (who is new to the board), Hugh Graham and Charley Luckhardt. The nominating committee, to select next year’s slate of candidates is Jim Gardner (chair), Kris Cunningham, Sharon Fierro, Vern Ladd and Lynn Repetsky Matt Hall and Sharon Fierro are leaving the board.

As per the bylaws, the incoming president is to appoint between two and four additional members to the WGNA Board.  Rast intends to appoint Helen Solinski and Margaret Hardy in recognition of their years of experience on the Board.

The April board meeting featured a visit by four members of the San Jose Police Department’s Sex Crimes Unit. The officers discussed their responsibilities and answered questions about their duties. The sergeant and four officers on the staff audit and monitor the Meagan’s Law database.

Out of the 2,400 registered sex offenders in San Jose, about 95 live in the 95125 zip code. In addition, out of the total registered only 21 are high risk and none of them are living in the Willow Glen area. The remaining offenders are classed as serious and minor.

Several of those attending asked what they should do if they were at a playground and someone suspicious was hanging around and acting suspicious. The officers suggested calling 911 so that they could evaluate the person and the circumstances.

In addition, they suggested other things that people can do to ensure their own and their children’s safety. Check out the Web and Megan’s Law at sjpd.org or call 277-4290 with any questions about any one person. The officers are available Monday through Thursday from noon to 10 p.m. If they are not in, leave a message.

The meeting continued with other information including secondary units, the Glen Willow Apartments fire and a stabbing at Willow and Meridian on April 13 that was an altercation between two men. One man received minor stab wounds, while the other overreacted, according to a police representative.  

Other discussion items included the fact that the former Del Monte area had been discarded as a possible spot for the mayor’s baseball stadium. Talk of the Willow

Glen Business and Profes-sional Associ-ation combining with WGNA to reinstitute Found-ers’ Day in 2006 appears to be on track, although nothing as yet has been decided. Discussion also covered continued problems with the Alano Club, where neighbors had asked that noise be eliminated from the back patio on Sunday mornings and late in the evening. WGNA is working with Yeager’s office and code enforcement to close the club’s back patio to eliminate the noise.