Cheers for Gavilan College in Hollister
The following events, organizations and individuals deserve either a Thumbs Up or a Thumbs down this week.
THUMBS UP: For Gavilan College, which selected an 85-acre parcel of land near the Hollister airport that eventually will become a full-service campus. The merits of that site surely will be hashed out, but it is great to see the return of Gavilan to Hollister where it got it’s start decades ago. Having an institution of higher education in our community will be a boon to our youth and to adults hungry for knowledge. And, it will bring an element of civic pride to our community.
THUMBS DOWN: For the latest fiery Highway 152 crash that took four lives. “Four people died in a fiery accident on Highway 152 west of the Don Pacheco Y…” read the story three days after Christmas. The people who lost their lives were from New York, but the tragedy, it seems, is no longer a hue and cry to fix the horribly dangerous highway from the Don Pacheco Y to the U.S. 101. The Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority and the politicians ignore the infamous traffic jams and the death and destruction on Highway 152. It’s time to re-focus on Highway 152 safety and get that extension built.
THUMBS UP: For Jim Sleznick and Barbara Nicorara, long-time community volunteers who were honored as Man and Woman of the Year by the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce for their good deed. Both have an extensive history of doing good works and have worked to improve health care, feed the hungry and serve seniors. It’s a richly-deserved award. Well done.
THUMBS DOWN: For the members of the San Juan Bautista City Council and city staff who went on a secret trip to Seattle in December to talk to the Economic Development Agency about a suspended $3.8 million grant to repair the city’s dilapidated water collection system. The city employees and council members refused to discuss the trip when questioned about it by Councilman Chuck Geiger. Only under pressure from the local press and the district attorney – who is investigating whether the city violated the state’s open meetings law in taking the trip – did the officials fess up to taking the trip. Now the council is scheduled to retroactively approve the travel expenses and receive a full report next week. It is poor form to operate in secret on a project that is so important to all the residents in the Mission City.
