Council agrees to fund a traffic study on street eyed by preschool

Safety concerns are fueling objections to school there

Faith Lutheran 'underutilized'

By Nathan R. Huff


Spencer Road resident Mark Hawkins and the council president of nearby Faith Lutheran Church, Glenn Shore, share common experiences, if not common views. Both have seen their own children hit by cars in the heavily trafficked neighborhood. Both also spoke at the Oct. 18 Town Council meeting, asking the council to study and mitigate the traffic problems afflicting the area. But the similarities end there.

While Hawkins pleaded with the council not to approve the permit for Mariposa Montessori to open its doors at the Faith Lutheran Church on Ferris Avenue, Shore expressed excitement at the idea of housing a Montessori preschool program in the underused church.

The Oct. 18 public hearing was the latest development in the effort by Mariposa Montessori to open a preschool in Los Gatos to fill the gap left by the closing of highly regarded Casa Maria Montessori School, which displaced 152 families.

But a number of residents living near the proposed Ferris Avenue site have voiced strong opposition to the introduction of anything that would increase traffic in the area.

Council members fell on different sides of the key issues surrounding the school--the seriousness of the school's impact on

neighborhood traffic, the area's need for another school, and whether or not it was a question of a "greater good." The council moved to go ahead with a traffic study of the area, a decision likely to placate both sides temporarily.

In the Planning Commission's original rejection of the Montessori application, it asked that the school pay for a traffic study, institute a mandatory parent carpool program and address noise issues. Mariposa board members said they could not afford the estimated $10,000 study, and appealed to the council since it alone has the authority to allocate funds for such projects.

Mayor Jan Hutchins remains one of the school's most vocal proponents. Recognizing residents' concern over traffic, he expressed optimism toward solving the problem, a willingness to spend some town money to do so, and a desire to see more preschools in town. While acknowledging that the traffic problem can be solved, Hutchins said the need for schools "outweighs even the significant neighborhood inconvenience of traffic."

Hutchins later said, "My inclination would be to have the school there regardless, but my colleagues felt the need to move sequentially."

One such colleague was Councilwoman Linda Lubeck, who doubts the Ferris Avenue site is the only possible school location.

"You never want to put all your eggs in one basket," Lubeck told the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, referring to the eight schools located in the general vicinity. "There's a lot of traffic there already. To exacerbate the problem when we haven't explored all the sites wouldn't be smart."

Cindy Acker, director of Mariposa Montessori and former member of the Governor's Task Force for Childcare, was doubtful that another site could be found.

"The only thing I can see us doing is checking to see if churches which previously said no have changed their mind, or if buildings have popped up that were previously unavailable," Acker said.

State criteria for school sites are extremely complex. Schools must exceed minimum ratios of space per child both inside and outside, meet fire and other safety regulations, and be located in compliant zoning areas.

President of the Mariposa Montessori board Joanne Varni believes the search will lead them back to Faith Lutheran, but in the meantime she is happy that the town is going ahead with the traffic study. "We were really encouraged and happy that the town understands the need and is willing to work with us," Varni said.

Some residents at the meeting were skeptical that traffic calming could ensure neighborhood safety. "Safety consideration is the driving force that brings me down here over and over," Hawkins told the council. Saying that the area's traffic problems went beyond peak-hour traffic, Hawkins asked that a very thorough study be done.

No council member seemed to have a problem with that. Hutchins told audience members that the town has been very conscious of putting away money since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Town Manager Dave Knapp said Los Gatos has close to $3.5 million in reserve for "economic insecurity." Measures paid for by these funds could mitigate traffic and allow for the school to open, the mayor said.

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