The following events, organizations and people deserve either a
Thumbs Up or a Thumbs Down this week:
THUMBS DOWN: California Transportation Commission staff failed to recommend funding this year for a much-needed highway improvement project that would widen U.S. Highway 101 south of Gilroy and build a new Highway 25 interchange. Both the interchange and the stretch of Highway 101 in question are in Santa Clara County, but thousands of Hollister residents use this route daily while commuting to and from their jobs. If there’s a silver lining it’s that the project remains on the short list for state Proposition 1B funding in 2008 and that regional transportation officials are aggressively continuing to work to convince the commission, which votes on the matter next week, to ignore the staff recommendation and OK funding this year.
THUMBS UP: The Franciscan Friars of California, the religious organization that owns and operates the St. Francis Retreat in San Juan Bautista, is pushing ahead with plans to rebuild from the ashes of the June 2006 fire that destroyed its historic retreat center. An engineering firm’s seismic assessment determined that it’s safe to rebuild on the original site. The friars received about $2.4 million in an insurance payout and are raising money to rebuild, which is expected to cost up to an additional $3 million. For now, fundraising is on hold while the friars focus on site engineering and planning work. The retreat hosts 6,000 to 7,000 visitors annually.
THUMBS DOWN: The San Benito County Juvenile Justice Commission has gone on something of a hiatus for lack of membership, a violation of state law. In 1999, the commission had 12 members but until recently, when two new members came on board, was down to only one. The Juvenile Justice Commission has an important job to do. It’s charged with oversight of Juvenile Hall and also is required to play a role in advising San Benito Superior Court in appointing a new head for the county Probation Department. Until the commission gets at least four more members, it can’t act in its required capacity.
THUMBS UP: Most 16-year-olds are eager to take a first spin behind the wheel of a sweet ride. Hollister resident Matt Miguel celebrated his 16th birthday last Saturday by taking a solo flight in a Cessna 150, earning his student pilot’s license. The teenager, who hopes to become a professional pilot, earned money to pay for flight lessons by mowing lawns and doing other odd jobs.
THUMBS UP: Two local bridges washed out by El Nino rains in 1998 appear on track for replacement. Work has already begun on the $5 million Nash Road bridge replacement project and is expected to be completed by Oct. 1. Work on the $9 million Hospital Road bridge project is expected to begin late this year or in early 2008. County Fire Marshal Jim Dellamonica said the new bridges will reduce emergency response times to areas served by the new bridges by several minutes.
