Archive for the ‘Santa Clara Valley Water District’ Category
12 Sep
Who will be at our Heart of the Park event?
Almaden Valley Public Safety Net
Birds of Our Parks
California Native Plant Tour/Society
District 10 City Council Office
Friends of Guadalupe Oak Grove Park
Handmade Almaden Market
Master Gardeners of Santa Clara Valley
MFPA membership, raffle, & refreshment tables
Party by Alina Face Painting
San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services
Volunteer Unit SJPD Crime Prevention Ice Cream Truck
30 Jan
VIDEO: Project Beautility: beautifying utility boxes
In a partnership with the City of San José, the water district sponsored the painting of 12 murals. Six local artists adorned the utility vaults at the Jeffrey Fontana Park and TJ Martin Park in Almaden Valley that provide access to one of the most important water pipelines in our region.
Check out the video:
*The Martin-Fontana Parks Association (MFPA) had been interested in having murals painted on them to make them a more beautiful part of the park, instead of the boring concrete ‘blocks’ that they are.
14 Dec
Don’t forget your MFPA is a tax-exempt organization
Our membership fees are only
$20 per individual or $35 per family per year
Martin-Fontana Parks Association needs your support. 2018 proved to be a milestone for our nonprofit group. We finally have written agreements that will allow us to hire contractors using MFPA funds to complete those projects the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services cannot budget. The Five Islands project was completed with the construction of a decomposed granite pathway. MFPA invested $9,000 of your membership donations for this task. The last step will be the installation of informational signage about the native plants. Currently, Larry Sasscer & Richard Grialou are working on repairing the fence along Meridian at TJ Martin Park,
Richard Grialou & Larry Sasscer work on the fence
and exploring the possibilities of replacing a section of turf near the dog park. All 12 of the water vaults in TJ Martin & Jeffrey Fontana Parks have become works of art thanks to some great artists, District 10 Councilmember Johnny Khamis, Michael Ogilvie, San Jose’s Director of Public Art for the Office of Cultural Affairs, and the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD).
Our members’ support helped convince the City that our parks need better maintenance. This has led to some new additions to the maintenance staff and more work being done in TJ Martin and Jeffrey Fontana parks. However, after years of cutbacks in the budget and manpower, park users and supporters will need to continue to advocate for better park services.
Lastly, we have continued our dialogue with PG&E regarding the preservation of our parks most precious resource; our trees. In 2010 MFPA was formed to save the park trees from being removed by them. Today we negotiate annually to protect our trees. Your Membership affirms our community’s intent to PG&E that we are serious about them being respectful of these priceless resources. So far we have been consistently successful getting them to agree to prune rather than remove these trees.
That’s why your membership is sorely needed. We hope you will take this opportunity to become a member by filling out a membership form and mailing it to us with your check or you may choose to use Pay Pal at our website: https://martinfontanaparksassociation.blog/membership-3/. Your renewal is valid for one year. You may also choose to become a sponsor, with a family membership included in a sponsorship of $100 or more. All membership and sponsorship donations are tax-deductible. We are a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
With your support we will continue to advocate making our parks a better experience for all. We value your membership and thank you for helping to make a difference in our neighborhood! Please email us at SaveOurParkTrees@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns.
8 Dec
“BEAUTILITY” – The Art in our two Parks has been completed.
Now it’s time for you to come out and take the tour:
The folks who made it all happen. Thanks so much for adding more beauty to our two parks.
9 Nov
Celebrating Beautility
Councilmember Johnny Khamis
has announced in his Nov. 2018 newsletter the following :
“Join us on Saturday, December 8th, at 8:30 AM, for an early morning celebration of the completion of the Beautility water vault painting project – a project to beautify local utility infrastructure in TJ Martin and Jeffrey Fontana Parks.
There are twelve concrete block structures, called water vaults, throughout both parks, stretching from Almaden Expressway to Coleman Road. The Martin-Fontana Parks Association (MFPA) was interested in having murals painted on them to make them a more beautiful part of the park, instead of the boring concrete ‘blocks’ that they are. My team and I looked carefully through the District 10 Parks budget and found that there was funding available in the line item for Park Art. We proposed the idea to Michael Ogilvie, Director of Public Art for the City’s Office of Cultural Affairs, who was immediately excited about the project. He worked closely with our partners at the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD), the owners of the vaults, to get all the permissions and permitting required, and posted a Request for Proposal, seeking artists to paint the murals. A Review Panel was convened, which included community members, and six artists were selected, each given two vaults to paint. A grant was provided by the Water District to cover the cost of permitting, and the project moved forward.
Working out all the details and moving parts took many months, and we are excited to finally be able to celebrate the completion of this beautification effort. We are grateful to Michael for all the work he did to make this possible and those he partnered with here at the City, the Water District, and the MFPA to bring this special project to fruition. He found some amazing artists who have all done a fantastic job!
For the celebration on December 8th, we will be meeting near the dog park on Golden Oak Way at 8:30 AM. Several of the vaults are visible nearby, and a map will be provided to show the locations of all the vaults, along with the names of the artists. Guests are encouraged to walk through the park to view these lovely works of art.
This event will happen rain or shine. Canopies will be available should we be blessed with rain. Coffee and donuts will also be available.”
9 Nov
Another Art Box completed in Jeffrey Fontana Park
Thanks to Artist, Megan Stevens (http://www.meganstevens.com/), we have another beautiful addition to our park.
Chloe, the dog in the photo, wonders what’s going on.
From this ugly block in front of Tree 13 to this beauty.
Our thanks to Michael Ogilvie, the City of San José Director of Public Art, Santa Clara County Water District & Councilmember, Johnny Khamis for making this project possible.
4 Dec
Pipeline Maintenance Project has started
Replacement Water Valve?
So have you been wondering what those strange objects wrapped in heavy black plastic are? Well, according to a Nov. notice posted on Nextdoor from the Santa Clara Valley Water District, pipeline maintenance has begun. “As part of our work to keep your water safe and reliable, the Santa Clara Valley Water District will work on a nearly 12-mile stretch of pipeline from Calero Reservoir in South San Jose to the Vasona Pump Plant in Los Gatos, a six-month maintenance project that started this month.”
“We expect operations to be back to normal by the end of February, 2018.” So don’t be surprised to see lots of activity around those large concrete blocks in Jeffrey Fontana and TJ Martin Parks.
If you have any questions about the operation, please call Water Resources Supervisor Jerry Sparkman at 408-630-3254.
Hard at work near Tree 13
Not far from the Dog Park
MARTIN-FONTANA PARKS ASSOCIATION 