The following received thumbs up and down from the Free Lance
editorial board.
THUMBS UP: For Liz Sparling who will be the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce’s next executive director. Sparling’s enthusiasm and two and a half years of experience as the executive director of the Hollister Downtown Association – where she worked diligently on the recently-completed beautification project and was an ambassador for downtown businesses – make her a natural to take the Chamber’s helm. Kudos to the Chamber for making a solid choice to represent the county’s businesses.
THUMBS DOWN: For the ongoing problems in finding a way to build the new sewer plant that would lift the Hollister building moratorium. We know the city is working on it, but it’s unwelcome news that they still need to find a way to dispose of the treated water coming out of the plant. The reason the hold up is so frustrating is because Hollister’s economy is suffering as a result of businesses not being able to build or expand.
THUMBS UP: For Bistro 427, a new French restaurant in the heart of Hollister. The Richard family, originally from Normandy in France, took their can-do attitude and opened a plush restaurant on San Benito Street that will offer another culinary choice for Hollister’s gourmands and anyone else, of course, who loves good food. It’s a welcome addition that should strengthen downtown’s appeal.
THUMBS UP: For the California Public Utilities Commission and Free Lance readers, who got the Union Pacific Railroad to fix those bumpy tracks on Highway 25. You know, the ones responsible for busted flywheels, traffic jams and many a spilled cup of coffee? Readers complained loudly and often about the notorious tracks to the Free Lance Red Phone column. Their pleas for action were heard, and the CPUC ordered the railroad to fix them by May 17. That’s welcome news because the tracks were a safety hazard and a pain in the rear for anyone driving to and from Hollister.
THUMBS DOWN: For the testimony before Congress of major league baseball players on the subject of steroid use. Great sluggers take the Fifth … it’s such a shame with baseball season right around the corner. Congress should quit pussyfooting around. Either baseball agrees to a stringent testing program along the lines of the current Olympic program or the anti-trust exemption is history.
