From left to right is Mayor Chuck Reed, member Ron Wilson, Treasurer Bob Heldt, Vice President Mike Kalashian, AV & Website Mgmt Committee chairperson, Sunny Wagstaff; former President Pier Maggiani, Secretary Patricia Wagstaff, President Linda Wilson, District 10 Councilperson Nancy Pyle.
On Tuesday, Nov. 29th, Mayor Chuck Reed and the San Jose City Council awarded a formal commendation to the Martin-Fontana Parks Association for their work in the TJ Martin and Jeffrey Fontana Parks. Since forming a nonprofit organization eighteen months ago, MFPA has worked to stop the wholesale removal of 140 shade trees by PG&E under transmission lines, restore areas of the parks where most of the tree removal has already occurred, and enhance areas which were never fully landscaped.
To date, only seventeen mature trees have been removed by PG&E, and Tree #13, the stately oak in Fontana Park, continues to offer shade to those who pass under its branches as they walk through the park. MFPA successfully petitioned the City to proclaim a grove of multi-trunked oaks near The Villas as a “Heritage Grove”, and has planted over 240 trees and shrubs in park areas with the approval of the City and PG&E.
MFPA thanks the City of San Jose for this recognition. We also thank our District #10 Council member Nancy Pyle for recommending MFPA for this honor. Our members, donors, and volunteers will continue to work to make our parks a neighborhood treasure for years to come.
For a video of the award ceremony click here. See what the Almaden Times Weekly had to say.
MARTIN-FONTANA PARKS ASSOCIATION 
Posted by Norma Campbell on December 1, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Just proves the power of the People to solve most anything and to win. Those trees should stand and more added tothem. I do not live in your area but come to enjoy your park frequestly.
Keep up the great work. Norma Campbell, Campbell, Ca
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Posted by Martin-Fontana Park Association on December 31, 2011 at 10:49 am
Greetings Linda!
We read in the Almaden Times about your group’s commendation from the S.J. City Council. KUDOS!! http://www.mercurynews.com/almaden/ci_19558754
Congratulations to all of you on your hard work to beautify this park. You should all be very proud!
Besides OCF’s ongoing assistance over the years, I hope our advocacy to help save trees and to fight for mitigation funding helped a bit. GIven our mission, OCF stood firm that doing all possible to save the trees should come first, with talk of mitigation funding only later. I was always so proud of watching you fight to save the trees, too. I know this years-long effort was extremely time-consuming and stressful for all, but I think that together we established an important precedent.
As in past years, you can count on OCF to raise funds and work hard on your behalf in order to help beautify Martin-Fontana Park, in addition to the dozens of other parks throughout San José!
Please pass on our congratulations to the entire group!
Happy Holidays! from
Rhonda & the OCF Team
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