Red Phone was ringing again this week as it moves to its new
publishing dates. Find the Crimson Crusader every Wednesday and
Saturday in the Hollister Free Lance. Got a problem that needs
solving, a question needing an answer, our a comment to share? Call
the Red Phone. Always listening, always online, always available at
635-9219.
Red Phone was ringing again this week as it moves to its new publishing dates. Find the Crimson Crusader every Wednesday and Saturday in the Hollister Free Lance. Got a problem that needs solving, a question needing an answer, our a comment to share? Call the Red Phone. Always listening, always online, always available at 635-9219.
More construction complaints
Red phone’s first caller has a complaint for the city and a paving project planned for next week.
“I can’t wait for the construction downtown to come to a halt. Not only are the sidewalks all torn up, but the concrete molds sit empty for days before the trucks come to pour the concrete and the caution tape ribboning the sidewalks off is usually blowing around in the street. The worst part is I’ve seen some areas torn up, fixed, then torn up again. When they put the new sidewalk in by my office, they poured a line of asphalt along it and now I see the city has a paving project next week on the same street. It seems like some of this work is redundant.”
Red Phone called Hollister Mayor Tony Bruscia about the downtown project and he said there have been some slip-ups along the way that have caused delays. However, he also said some of the problems have been with the contractors, not the city’s planning.
“There are different contractors doing the work and coordinating all of them is difficult at best some times. We’re trying to avoid being redundant, but the contractors have been redundant as well. They’ve put some things in and torn them out, at their expense.”
City officials say the work on the San Benito Street portion of the beautification project should be done within a couple of weeks. Hopefully, everything will be back to normal and prettier than ever.
Proud to be players?
Another caller questions why local casino investors don’t reveal their identities.
“I was just reading your article ‘Tribe Touts Casino Deal’ and find it interesting that, once again, a group of people is hiding behind anonymity. Are they ashamed of what they’re doing or do they know that local people know they just want to make money out of it. I find it interesting because we’ve gone through this already with anonymity of a lawsuit against a supervisor and Measure G, etc. Are people ashamed, if they have money and they want to develop something and they want us behind it but they won’t say who they are? Surely, if they are proud of something you’re only too pleased to let people know who you are.”
Since the article was published, the Free Lance has learned the investment group includes Sal Rubino, the former co-owner of San Jose-based Valley View Packing Co. and Gilroy businessmen Pat Ansuini and Joseph Giacalone. There are investment groups called Game Won and Game Too involved also. A lawyer working on the casino has said there are other investors, but has declined to name them.
