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Published on 05/11/1998 All articles from this issue

Letters to the Editor

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Montecito school an irreplaceable treasure

Have you ever been to the Montecito School? It is a fairyland for children and parents. The 35-year-old preschool is on Grant Road. The school yard has several large California oaks on the property. It is magical to visit.

Recently I took my 3-year-old daughter to visit the preschool. She is normally a very shy child and has trouble leaving my side. On the visit to Montecito, she obviously felt very comfortable. She left my side to follow her friend in and out of classrooms, into the bunny house to pet the rabbits, standing outside the chicken house talking with the hens and boosting herself up on the swing to enjoy a ride next to her child guide.

I just heard that the property may be sold and the preschool will be no more. The talk is that the property is being sold to build more houses.

The school enriches 350 preschoolers each year. Does Los Altos and the surrounding community need more lovely homes or does it need an oasis for its young children both present and future? Montecito is unique; once lost it will never be replaced.

Maureen Jaquette-StuarLos Altos

Different perspectives of off-road pathways

We had to spend tens of thousands of dollars in making improvements on the easements for our pathway, which literally runs right through our back yard. We then had to spend thousands of dollars on legal fees and three years of our time to obtain a variance to erect a fence to mitigate the invasion of our security and privacy by this pathway. Our experience with the Pathways Committee, and in fact the town council (with one notable exception), was horrific. Ironically, we experienced far more resentment than acceptance as new townspeople by members of the Pathways Committee. These individuals are overtly resentful of new property owners despite the fact that they welcome the influx of tax dollars and the enhancement of property values that enable them to enjoy their homesteads at a fraction of the cost. These off-road pathways are an egregious invasion of some of the most cherished American ideals of the right to privacy and security.

For those individuals who do not have such pathways, it would be appropriate to ask them if they even care about (rather than resent) the existence of such pathways. It is my long-held belief that most people do not care about these pathways for two very simple reasons. One, they do not use them, and two, their personal privacy has not been violated by one.

Dominick A. Curatola, M.D.Los Altos Hills

I would like to explain to the residents of Los Altos Hills what the majority of the Town Council are doing to protect the off road pathways system.

In 1996 the council adopted a revised pathways element to the town's general plan. The complete text of this element can be read on the town's Website at www. losaltosonline.com/lah or obtained at Town Hall.

The next step the council wishes to undertake is a review of the master pathway map adopted in 1981. This 17-year- old map shows existing and future plans for off-road paths. It is this map that determines whether or not requests for dedication of right-of-ways will be made at the time of development of a piece of property.

We decided to undertake the review by looking at one section of town at a time, publishing a map of the area showing existing and modifications of the off-road system recommended to us by the Pathways Committee and giving this information to the residents of that area and notice of the time that the council would consider changes to the 1981 map.

The first hearing resulted in considerable neighborhood input and council adoption of an updated Master Pathways Plan for this neighborhood. Some path proposals were modified, others deleted and one was added.

The second neighborhood was much more difficult. The hearing was not so much on the merits of a particular path but on the concept of off-road paths.

The recently adopted Pathways Element of the general plan was really being challenged. This plan supports a system of off-road paths that connect neighborhoods and schools. The council took no action after the hearing on this neighborhood and is searching for a less controversial way to proceed with this review, one which concentrates on the merits of each path.

The Los Altos Hills Civic Association in its April newsletter attacks the very concept of off-road paths. This has alarmed residents who support the plan and at the May 6 Council meeting a petition in support of off- road paths signed by over 300 residents was filed.

It is most unfortunate that a process of review and update had been turned into an effort to destroy. The system remains incomplete. Implementation of a town-wide path system and the individual paths within it is a long-term process that will take many years to accomplish. The pathway system will literally be a gift that one generation of town residents provides to the next.

I hope we can soon return to a time of reasoned and constructive debate about this important element of our town.

Bill SiegelLos Altos Hills

More thanks to city crews

The residents of Alicia Way wish to express appreciation to the Public Works Department of the City of Los Altos for its prompt, efficient, and courteous assistance in our time of need.

The tornado that hit us May 4 left us with downed trees, wind- damaged homes, debris everywhere and power outages.

By dawn the next morning, a Dumpster had been delivered, tree service workers were already on the job and PG&E was busy making repairs.

By 8:30 a.m. our power was restored, the street and driveways cleared and a work force was engaged in picking up and clearing disheveled structures from front and back yards.

Bill and Reba Nye, Jack and Bobbie Huston, Al Hertzog, Karl and Karen Townsend, Doug and Kathy Klein, Genevieve Celestre, Wei-Kong and Chiou-Sheng Chia, and Albert Gounod Sr.Los Altos