28 Oct
October 28th of this year will mark 19 years since Officer Fontana was killed in the line of duty in 2001 by a gunshot from a suspicious motorist on whom he had just initiated a vehicle stop for a follow-up criminal investigation.
The photo above was from a 2014 Memorial held in Jeffrey Fontana Park that was attended by family and friends.
22 Oct
Following the new County and State orders and guidance, the City of San José’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services is taking a phased approach to reopening over 290 playgrounds and exercise equipment beginning on Friday, October 23.
Those who choose to use the newly opened amenities must follow all posted signage as well as County Public Health Orders. Guidelines for use include washing or sanitizing your hands before and after using playground/exercise equipment; wearing face coverings at all times; keeping a six-foot distance from those outside of your household; staying home if anyone in the household is ill; not sharing personal items or toys; and sanitizing equipment before and after use with EPA approved disinfectants as the equipment is not sanitized.
Parents and caretakers are responsible for ensuring that their children are playing safe and following all of the rules. Do your part to protect your family and others against COVID-19 by following these guidelines. The City of San José will continue to monitor our parks and facilities to ensure the safety and wellness of our community.
San Jose’s 13 dog parks will open on Tuesday, June 9. Residents and their four-legged friends who choose to use the reopened dog parks must follow all posted signage and abide by all Santa Clara County Public Health Orders and conditions. This includes staying home if you or your pet are sick, and not entering a dog park if you can’t stay six feet away from others.
Dog park visitors must stay out of closed areas and not share recreational equipment with others. A face covering is required unless you meet the exemptions in the County Health Officer’s Critical Guidance on Face Coverings. Water fountains remain closed until further notice, please bring your own water.
19 Oct
Volunteers from #beautifulday spent the day cleaning and beautifying the park ranger station at Almaden lake and Almaden Expressway
and updating and improving the Learning Center at the City of San Jose Corporation Yard.
Thanks to the hundreds of volunteers from #westgatechurch #beautifulday.
To view all their projects, visit https://beautifulday.org and click on 2020 Projects.
14 Oct
T J Martin Park neighbors, with back yards adjacent to the park from Burchell Avenue to Weimar Avenue, woke up to the sounds of chain saws, trucks and heavy equipment at 8:30 am the morning of Thursday, Oct. 8.
After years of allowing the growth of weeds, volunteer tree sprouts, and dense brush build-up, the fence line area was in for a good grooming! A strike team from Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS) brought workers and equipment to clear out the large area that had become a dumping ground for litter, and a nocturnal meeting place for partying.
The large mountain of mulch, deposited three years ago, was moved to the Fleet St. rose garden where MFPA member, Larry Sasscer, spread it among the roses and native plants to deter weed growth and hold in moisture. Tree canopies were lifted to provide an easy sight line down the fence line while shrubs were pruned or removed to enhance the area.
The PRNS team worked from 8:30 am to noon clearing out and cleaning up the former nuisance area which had been left to grow wild for the last ten years. Martin-Fontana Parks Association brought the blighted area to the attention of PRNS, and thanks them for their hard work and effort they made to clean it up. Now it is once again an area of TJ Martin Park where walkers can enjoy the variety of birds and native plants along the fence line.
*Thanks to our MFPA President, Linda Wilson, for the story and photos
14 Oct
| On November 7th, 2020 from 9AM – 8PM, Our City Forest will be hosting the Breathe Easy! Walk-a-thon, a social distancing event! Let us all walk for the trees and appreciate what the trees provide for us by enjoying the trees outside! Biking is welcomed and any other form of activity as long as you and any other friends and family you bring are outside for the trees! Participants in our Breathe Easy! Walk-a-thon are encouraged to send photos with trees and post them on social media using #walkfortrees or #bikefortrees. Anyone who participates is welcome to contribute any amount of money for Our City Forest’s mission of creating a greener and healthier space throughout Silicon Valley! We will also be holding a raffle during this event for participants! How it works to participate in our raffle for a succulent garden prize: 1. Fill in our participation form below 2. Donate $25+ for our Breathe Easy! T-shirt (donate once participation form has been completed) 3. Take a selfie with any tree from your walk anywhere and post it on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter using the hashtag #walkfortrees or #bikefortrees and tag Our City Forest On November 13th, we will announce the winner of our succulent garden prize through our social media and contact the winner! To sign up for our event now, please fill out our participation form listed below: |
12 Oct
The City of San José Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department is hiring a full-time gardener to plan and execute landscaping operations and maintain our outdoors spaces healthy and beautiful. To apply, please complete an application by visiting bit.ly/sjgardenerjob. The application deadline is Tuesday, October 13. If you have questions, please email dominique.voelker@sanjoseca.gov
8 Oct
October 17-18 is Beautiful Day 2020! Since its inception in 2004, Beautiful Day has sought to invest in communities with simple, direct, and unyielding kindness. Each work project is an act of no-strings-attached service for those who are otherwise unable to help themselves. I have been honored to have Beautiful Day operating in District 10 and to have participated in many of their projects over the years. You can participate in this year’s projects as a volunteer!
This year, they have 21 projects spread throughout Santa Clara County. Two of them are in District 10, in the Almaden area. The first is a wall painting project at Coleman and Almaden Expressway, that will also involve putting down weed barrier. The second is updating and improving the Learning Center at the City of San Jose Corporation Yard at Almaden Expressway and McAbee/Winfield.
To sign up for the Almaden/Coleman project, please click here. This project can utilize volunteers ages 14 and up.
To view all their projects, including the Learning Center near Almaden Lake, visit https://beautifulday.org and click on 2020 Projects.
MARTIN-FONTANA PARKS ASSOCIATION 