Our first Red Phone call came from a Hollister woman who wanted
to know why the city’s finance department wasn’t returning her
phone calls. The woman said she had left messages, but that no one
had gotten back to her.
Our first Red Phone call came from a Hollister woman who wanted to know why the city’s finance department wasn’t returning her phone calls. The woman said she had left messages, but that no one had gotten back to her.
The Crimson Crusader called the finance department Tuesday at about 11am. No one answered the phone, but our hero left a message. On Wednesday Hollister’s director of administrative services, Robert Galvan, returned the Crimson Crusader’s call.
Galvan said the finance department was working hard to make sure every call was answered and every message was returned.
“We’re trying to pick up the phone as quick as we can,” he said. “We check messages – we’ll get back to you.”
Galvan said the phones are ringing constantly and finance department staffers are working very hard. He said the department is looking at other options to deal with steady stream of phone calls. In the meantime, he encouraged callers to leave messages and be patient.
“The customers come first,” he said.
hazardous limbs
Our next Red Phone caller, a local man, asked the Crimson Crusader to get something done about dead branches hanging from three large eucalyptus trees over Lone Tree Road about a half-mile from Fairview Road in San Benito County. Our caller said he was worried that the dead branches were going to fall on passing motorists.
The Crimson Crusader dialed up the San Benito County Public Works Department and notified office assistant Cindy Cecena of the potentially dangerous dead tree limbs hanging over the road. Cecena said she would notify work crews of the problem with proper haste on Friday.
When will it begin?
Our next Red Phone caller, a Hollister man, asked the Crimson Crusader when work was scheduled to begin on the Highway 25 bypass.
Ho, ho, ho, dear caller, that’s a good question.
According to the latest report on the project from the San Benito Council of Governments, construction is slated to begin May 1. That being duly noted, the Crimson Crusader is volunteering to personally spend 10 hours picking up trash and roadway debris along the bypass upon its completion if construction actually commences on May 1.
So, friendly COG staffers and board members, write this down and record this friendly wager. Our hero has never cancelled on a bet and has no intention to do so on this one.
Hearing of the Crimson Crusader’s pledge, COG board member Anthony Botelho, has taken up the other side of this gentlemanly wager. Botelho agreed to spend 10 hours of his own time picking up trash and debris along the bypass if construction doesn’t actually begin on May 1.
So, dearest readers, there you have it.
Red Phone on Hold
The Crimson Crusader vowed to follow through on a series of complaints lodged by local residents about the rough railroad crossing on Third Street in Hollister. Our hero called Union Pacific’s regional public affairs director, Mark Davis, in an attempt to find out what the railroad company was doing about this problem.
Davis said he had previously notified staff of the rough crossing, but told our hero Friday that he had no new information. However, he has promised to get back to the Crimson Crusader as soon as he knows if and when the crossing will be repaired. The Crimson Crusader will check in with Davis again next week.
This issue was first brought to our hero’s attention – and to the railroad’s – on Jan. 17. Union Pacific has kept the Crimson Crusader on hold, as it were, for 31 days.
