Residents of the Almaden Winery:

This is to let you know that the Almaden Winery Neighborhood Association has scheduled it's next meeting for Wed, Sep 6th, 7:00 PM, at the Almaden Winery Community Center Building - 2 story building at the south end of the park. This is a reschedule of the Aug 3rd meeting, which unfortunately I had to cancel at the last minute due to a business trip. The "Pizza Social" will begin about 6:45 PM, so if you are running late from work, dinner will be there for you!

It has been many months since we have had a meeting so I am sure there are many neighborhood issues on your mind. In fact, there are several issues that will be covered:

1. The issue of the Chambertin/Blossom Hill intersection will be the major topic of discussion. There has been much community interest of late. The City has reviewed planning documents and has communicated back to us. Here is an excerpt of the communication:

"Our office has been working with Planning, Public Works, and the Department of Transportation (DOT) regarding the traffic signal at the intersection of Chambertin Drive and Blossom Hill Road.  The Almaden Winery Community has been seeking to go straight (heading north) through the intersection, which currently only allows right or left turns.

Reports back from Public Works and DOT have let us know that both departments are comfortable with the modification being proposed by AWNA if:
-  The required striping, signing, and signal head modifications are funded by AWNA;
-  A community process is executed which outlines the proposal; and
-  The City can obtain consensus from the adjacent communities.

On a procedural level, the AWNA must file a Planned Development Permit Amendment to remove the restriction."

City of San Jose representatives will be present to speak to us about this and to answer questions. We are going to need some folks to step up to help drive this forward. One person has already volunteered to help out, but we'll need perhaps 1 or 2 more. So, if you want to know more about this issue and to drive for change, you have to come to the meeting.

2. The Park Committee needs an injection of new blood! Several members, yours included, just cannot devote the time any longer. We have about $1400 in grant money left over that has not yet been spent because we don't have someone to manage the grant project. The details of the project are already spelled out. We just need someone or perhaps a couple of folks to help lead this effort. Note - this can involve coordinating community volunteers to complete the work or it can mean that someone is hired to do the work. We've always dreamed about doing more in the park too! Here is your chance to lay the foundation for moving this forward.

3. We did not have a summer picnic this summer - mainly due to the fact the those who have volunteered in the past are no longer able to commit their time. But there appears to be some interest in still having a picnic, and the thought is to have it in September. Perhaps, Sep 16 or 23. This actually is a better idea than past years since it won't be so hot this time of the year. A few folks have expressed an interest in volunteering, but we will need more volunteers. This item will be on the agenda.

4. Halloween Party and Parade - since the fall season is approaching, we'll need to gather volunteers to coordinate our annual activity as well.

5. I plan to put out a newsletter next week some time, so if you would like to submit an article, please send it to me as soon as you can. You might have noticed that we have not published a newsletter in quite a while. Well, we are looking for someone to coordinate this activity as well! You don't need to be a desktop publishing "Wiz" to apply!


You might have sensed there is a running theme here..... neighborhood volunteerism! For more than 10 years, this community has grown and accomplished so many things through the efforts of so many fine people. I think it fair to say that some folks have run out of gas or have developed other interests or priorities. Some have even moved away. Therefore, to keep our neighborhood moving forward, replacement volunteers need to step forward. Our neighborhood isn't just like any other neighborhood. We are
special in that we're sort of secluded with a central park and we have a special closeness about ourselves. There is much more we can do  - especially in the park

This email distribution list reaches about 180 people. There are 360 homes. So if you receive this email, share it with a friend or neighbor. When you come to the meeting, bring a friend! Finally, look for the newsletter next week. It'll contain some of the above but will have more things too. The paper copy is intended to reach the entire neighborhood. Finally, if you get this email forwarded to you and wish to be added to my distribution list, let me know.

Thank you very much and I look forward to seeing you.
Mike

Michael Kubiniec
President, Almaden Winery Neighborhood Association