Published in the Jan. 7 – 23, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life

With every new year comes exciting new opportunities and challenges for Morgan Hill. We have no doubt in the 365 days of 2015, all residents will receive their share of heartaches and triumphs, some which will get into the pages of newspapers, most of which will go unnoticed except for the parties involved.

Although we can’t look into the future and tell you with any degree of certainty what might happen in the next 12 months, we can suggest what some of the major news events might be over this span of time.

One thing we can safely say is that Morgan Hill residents know how to enjoy themselves. We’ll almost certainly have fun at various community events such as the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce’s Friday Night Music Series, the Taste of Morgan Hill, the Mushroom Mardi Gras, the Fourth of July Freedom Fest events and the downtown Holiday of Lights Parade.

We look forward to the various gala dinners such as the Celebrate Morgan Hill event where various members of the community will receive recognition for all they do to make the various aspects of our city and its schools even better. Other annual events that we look forward to in 2015 include the LEAD event by Leadership Morgan Hill where a local leader will be honored, the Cops & Robbers Ball put on by the Community Law Enforcement Foundation, and the Philanthropy Night event where volunteers from various South Valley nonprofit organizations will receive accolades from the Morgan Hill Community Foundation for the time they put into helping these groups serve their mission.

On an optimistic note, we see Morgan Hill in 2015 leading the way toward making the entire South Valley region more collaborative in its cultural and commercial endeavors. This is being signaled by the choice of the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce to invite Mark Turner, the CEO/President of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce, to emcee February’s Celebrate Morgan Hill gala at the Community & Cultural Center.

Continuing the theme of actions to create a more regional culture in the South Valley, we predict that in 2015 the Wine Trail, which opened in 2014 and winds through 28 miles of South Valley rural roads, will help to introduce many people to the region’s vineyards and wine-making families. We hope this year more wine lovers, lured by marketing related to the Wine Trail, will journey to Morgan Hill and use it as a starting point to explore the region’s excellent wineries, helping to bring fame to the southern area of Santa Clara Valley for its wine-growing agricultural business.

We also predict that arts and entertainment will continue to increase in popularity in our downtown and help to add to Morgan Hill’s reputation for a high quality of life. With its various family-friendly shows produced at the Community Playhouse during the years, the South Valley Civic Theater has proven itself as a premiere drama and musical entertainment venue. The Poppy Jasper Film Festival will be held in the spring of 2015. Organizers plan to show domestic and foreign films in the Granada Theater, and our hope is that the festival will grow to the point where it brings in more than a thousand film lovers to discover Morgan Hill’s charming downtown and enjoy its many restaurants and boutiques.

Of questionable concern for 2015 is the fate of the Saint Louise Regional Hospital. The uncertainty of the hospital’s future is based on the decision of California State Attorney General Kamala Harris in approving its sale to Prime Healthcare Services. If she does not choose to sign-off on the deal and no alternative buyer can be found, we fear the Daughters of Charity will file for bankruptcy and the South Valley will no longer have a hospital to serve its citizens.

On a more positive note, the city will embark on two projects aimed at making downtown more attractive. Construction on a parking garage will begin in early 2015 and in early February, the city will conduct a six-month experiment reducing the lanes on Monterey Road from two lanes to one lane in each direction.

It’s still a long way off for us to celebrate the switch over to 2016, but whatever might come in the New Year, we wish all the best for you and your family in the coming 12 months.