Published in the January 6 – 19, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life
Welcome to 2016. We at Morgan Hill Life see bright promise in the new year, especially when it comes to local activities in our community.
Among the issues this newspaper believes will be of particular interest is the development of the downtown district. After we moved our main office to the corner of First Street and Monterey Road last summer, we got a front row view of much of the construction during the past half year. The downtown is definitely a work in progress, and the delays and mess of construction as well as inconveniences to businesses and patrons have caused the development to be contentious among some. But we also see the promise of a better future for downtown commerce once the brand-new garage is open and the streets are put into a prime state.
We’re excited to see what developer Frank Leal, with the help of Morgan Hill’s Weston Miles Architects, has in store for the site of the old Downtown Mall and the iconic Granada Theater. The word is out that the successful businessman — who is well known for his Leal Winery in Hollister and his Willow Heights Mansion northwest of Morgan Hill — is going to make a spa-boutique hotel that will attract visitors from far away to enjoy the friendly ambiance of our downtown. This will no doubt help local restaurants and retail stores with incoming tourism dollars.
We also have been watching with high hopes the progress of the brand-new La Quinta Hotel now being built by StonePark Capital just east of U.S. 101 on Condit Road. Expected to be completed in the next month or so, the high-end hotel will help encourage more tourists to consider staying in the South Valley region and enjoy our excellent wineries dotting the Santa Clara Valley Wine Trail.
We at Morgan Hill Life decided to not just share what we hope will be good things for the new year but thought we might give our city’s elected officials an opportunity to share with citizens their view of the next 12 months. We invited all five city council members to share their top priority for 2016. Here are their unedited responses sent to us by email:
Mayor Steve Tate: Asking for a single highest priority goal for 2016 is really difficult. We’ve done so much in 2015 yet have so much left to do. So I will cheat a little on this and give you a generic-type answer. My goal would be to be as proud of our great city and all we will have accomplished at the end of 2016 as I am now of all we got done in 2015. And I know we learned a great deal this year that will really help us going forward, so I would add that I’ll even be more proud because we did it even better!
Marilyn Librers: I’m excited to see what lies ahead for Morgan Hill in 2016. We as a community have many projects and goals to accomplish this next year and all are very important. With that being said my priority is for us to finish our downtown and restore the retail base as a prosperous, thriving, happening hub for our citizens. The past year has been challenging and now we can look forward to a bright future. Street construction is almost complete along with our new parking garage. We have big plans for the reopening of the Granada Theater and some new restaurants are moving to town and let’s not forget the downtown parks that will be completed soon. I look forward to meeting you in Downtown Morgan Hill, a great place to call home!
Gordon Siebert: My priority for the year 2016 is to work with my City Council colleagues and staff to listen to our residents’ concerns about the city’s physical and financial condition and work cooperatively with all to sustain Morgan Hill for current and succeeding generations. By listening, we can learn what we as city leaders should do to keep our residents better informed, engaged and pleased to keep living in our wonderful city. I believe that residents who are engaged with us will have a common understanding of issues and concerns and will then embrace most of our decisions as we strive to improve Morgan Hill. On a more personal note, I wish all of our residents and business people a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.
Larry Carr: In addition to health and happiness, for 2016 my focus will be on building community. More than just the physical rebuilding of downtown, fixing potholes and streetscapes, but the building of community that requires leaders to be held to higher standards. Supporting students through a school system that helps everyone succeed and demonstrates ethical values that we expect of leaders and role models. Building a community that embraces our differences and builds upon the strengths we have together. Building a community that values the character of a small town while realizing and supporting the needs and challenges of a growing community. All that and let’s get the construction in downtown finished!
Rich Constantine: My top priorities for 2016 are to improve our RDCS, get the Upper Llagas Creek flood control completed, finalize an Ag Mitigation plan for the SEQ that will actually save Ag land, find a funding source for the Hale Ave. extension and infrastructure, enhance medical services, establish plans to have recycled water piped to the city, and make sure we have a voice in regional issues.
On a closing note, the year 2016 is a presidential election year so there will be much discussion about the various candidates the nation will decide upon to lead the country for a four-year term in the White House. But we also encourage citizens in the coming months to educate themselves through the media and in public meeting venues on city, school district and county issues and candidates. There are many issues about the members of the city council, school board, and county supervisors that we will be addressing in the pages of Morgan Hill Life. We hope to fulfill our obligation of the free press and give citizens who are interested in the quality of life in Morgan Hill the information they need to be actively engaged. The Nov. 8 election might seem a long ways off, but it’s important to take the time to consider the quality of the character of all the local candidates who choose to put their names on the ballot and, if elected, take up the responsibility of representing all the people in their constituency.
