Big thanks after the storm
A great big thank you to the repairmen of PG&E, Cal Water and the tree service who, in less than 24 hours, had our power and water restored.
A giant stone pine tree fell across Camellia Way and took out two power poles and the water main before 10 a.m. on Feb. 1. They worked throughout the day and into the early hours of Feb. 2, and by sometime after 3 a.m., the job was completed.
Thank you to the police and fire department who stood by to keep us safe. Also, thank you to whomever delivered a case of bottled water to each of our front doors.
Sharon Stokes
Los Altos
Save the library art wall
The beloved and much used 57-foot art wall space at the Los Altos Main Library at 13 S. San Antonio Road is threatened to be cut down to 27 feet, three sections of 10 feet, 9 feet and 8 feet, with the scheduled “refresh” of the children’s library, as bookshelves are scheduled to be placed in front of the 29-foot section. On average, 825 citizens pass the art walls daily, and 100 artists exhibit every year, solo or in groups, with excellent sales, and no commission charged, so it is devastating to the art community.
Hopefully alternative spaces can be utilized for the new children’s shelves, and this longstanding asset to the community can be saved.
Karen Druker
Los Altos Hills
County Librarian Jennifer Weeks responds: In order to prioritize library services, we are adjusting shelving to make the collection more accessible and adding interactive spaces for little learners. The art wall will be relocated, and our team is working closely with the volunteer Karen Drucker to identify other areas to showcase the art. The evolution and priorities are always within the library’s mission to provide free resources for life-long learning.
Tiny Tots decision warrants input
I join other families and parents in Los Altos in strongly opposing the city manager’s plan to eliminate the current Tiny Tots and Kinder Prep program. Replacing this program with a privatized program would be a tremendous disservice to the children, teachers and community of Los Altos.
The current faculty, some of whom have been there for more than 10 years, are a phenomenal asset to the community. Their devotion to the program is all about the love of the kids, not the love of a paycheck. They have had a profound and positive impact on scores of city children. The kids form a valuable connection to the Los Altos community with trips to the library and police and fire station.
Demand for the program remains high and this year’s program had a waitlist for Kinder Prep. To risk losing these rare teachers is not only unfair in light of their many years of devoted and underpaid service, but also a poorly thought-out plan.
It has only been a few years since Kinder Prep moved into the Los Altos Community Center. It seems illogical to rapidly hand off this beautiful new community site that was publicly funded to a revenue generating private group that may have no local ties.
Perhaps most disheartening in this decision process is that the city manager felt that this decision was his alone to make without community input.
These resources and public funds should not be unilaterally reallocated to the private sector without robust community discussion.
Ashley Hawrylyshyn
(No address given)
