VTA provides more than 25 million trips a year
By Robert Airoldi
Robert Airoldi
We got word from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority that it has been named the Outstanding Public Transportation System among “large” transit agencies throughout North America. This top industry award from the American Public Transportation Association honors a public transportation system member which has demonstrated achievement in efficiency and effectiveness among agencies providing more than 15 million but fewer than 50 million annual passenger trips. VTA provides more than 25 million trips a year for bus, light rail and paratransit in Santa Clara County.
“Every employee, from our maintenance workers, bus and light rail operators, middle managers, administrators, and executives, have worked extremely hard and been resilient during the past three years,” said VTA General Manager/CEO Carolyn Gonot in a press release.
The award recognizes VTA’s excellence amid unprecedented challenges during 2021 and 2022, continuing to provide essential service during COVID-19 and making significant strides in restoring service to pre-pandemic levels, after emerging from a traumatic shooting attack and a crippling cyber-attack in the spring 2021.
By the end of 2021, pandemic-impacted bus service was restored to 91 percent of pre-pandemic levels, while light rail service was at 75 percent. Success is attributed to the network redesign, which focused on high-frequency service throughout the day. Ridership growth is also a significant achievement with steady major increases during the past three years.
“VTA provides one of the most critical services our local government can offer, the ability to get people where they need to go,” said Board Chair and Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez.
We also got good news from Action Day Schools, a leading provider of high-quality education in Silicon Valley for more than 55 years. They acquired Tinker School, 17535 Del Monte Ave., marking a significant milestone as it is the first new school opened by Action Day Schools in 20 years.
The new school, Action Day Schools-Morgan Hill, will offer a comprehensive range of educational programs, including an infant center and preschool through pre-kindergarten.
“We are thrilled to be part of the Morgan Hill community and look forward to welcoming families to our new location,” said Cathy Jelic, president and partner at Action Day Schools. “Our mission has always been to provide exceptional educational experiences that nurture the whole child.”
The new Morgan Hill campus will feature state-of-the-art facilities designed to inspire curiosity and creativity, along with a caring and experienced staff, passionate about early childhood education.
For more information about the new Morgan Hill location and enrollment opportunities, please visit www.actiondayschools.com or call (408) 244-1968.
There’s some good news coming from the city as they announced they are embarking on the 2024 Pavement Rehabilitation Project that will address the city’s pavement rehab needs. Work will take place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. through various neighborhoods and continue through October.
Once pavement work is completed, crews will start utility raising operation, striping, and other miscellaneous work. Weekly updates and additional information are available at www.morganhill.ca.gov/2327/The-Scoop.
Rotary Club of Morgan Hill has announced it will fund $20,000 in grants to local nonprofits that support the Morgan Hill community. The application deadline is Sept. 30. Rotary seeks nonprofit organizations that have unfunded needs for specific items, generally between $250 and $1,500. Last year’s grants supported a wide range of activities, including medical supplies to free clinics, funds to support the unhoused, meals for seniors, a summer reading program for elementary students, child car seats, support for the arts, local historical preservation, dementia awareness and education, animal rescue and rehabilitation services for endangered wildlife.
Online applications and further details are at www.surveymonkey.com/r/RotaryGrantDueBySept3024.
Details are available at www.morganhillrotary.org.
U.S. News and World Report’s 2024-25 Best Hospitals listing has ranked Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s Rehabilitation Center as the 6th in the country and the best in California. Additionally, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center was designated as “high performing” in treating patients dealing with stroke, heart failure, pneumonia and hip fracture. SCVMC is a part of Santa Clara Valley Healthcare, the County of Santa Clara’s public hospital system.
“This incredible honor is a direct result of the talent and teamwork provided by our physicians, nurses, therapists, psychologists, social workers, case managers, and other staff working to deliver the best possible care for our patients,” said Paul E. Lorenz, chief executive officer for Santa Clara Valley Healthcare.
The rankings evaluate more than 4,500 hospitals nationwide based on each hospital’s performance using a variety of measures such as survival rates, complication rates, patient experience and level of nursing care.
