ACCORDING TO AN ANNEXATION "AGREEMENT" (Not one residence agreed to anything. It was a proposal by the neighbors for annexation. The council "agreed" to annexing our area.)INCORPORATING OUR FORMERLY SANTA CLARA COUNTY NEIGBORHOOD INTO THE CITY IN 1984, WE ARE ONLY ENTITLED TO "MAINTENANCE SERVICES [WHICH] WILL BE COMENSURATE WITH EXISTING IMPROVEMENTS."
ALSO, WHEN THE ANNEXATION PROPOSAL WAS SIGNED, ACCORDING TO THE CITY IT WAS "AGREED" THAT THE "PROPERTIES BEING ANNEXED WILL NOT BE IMPOSED WITH ANY COSTS FOR IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS UNLESS AND UNTIL THE ENTIRE AREA IS UPGRADED THROUGH ASSESSMENT DISTRICT PROCEEDINGS."
DARRELL MACKIE, A CIVIL ENGINEER WITH THE CITY OF SANTA CLARA WAS KIND ENOUGH TO FOLLOW UP WITH ME ON THIS ISSUE AND GOT ME THE COPY OF THE ORIGINAL ANNEXATION "AGREEMENT." (AS THE CITY CALLS IT.) I MET WITH HIM AND TWO OTHER GENTLEMEN, (THOMAS SUPAN, PRINCIPAL ENGINEER SPECIAL PROJECTS DIVISION, AND ROGER S. LEE STREET/STORM MAINT. SUPERINTENDENT) FROM THE CITY ON APRIL 4, 2002, TO REVIEW WHAT "MAINTENANCE COMMENSURATE WITH EXISTING IMPROVEMENTS" MEANT AS IT RELATED TO OUR STREET.
I ACTUALLY WALKED WITH ALL OF THEM UP HENRY TO FOREST AND DOWN TO DORCICH, REVIEWING ITS DISREPAIR. THEY ALL CONCURRED THAT THE STREETS WERE NOT IN THE BEST OF SHAPE, BUT THE BEST THEY COULD DO ON OUR TYPE OF STREETS, WAS TO COLD PATCH THEM. (WE HAVE MACADAM TYPE STREETS - PLEASE GO HERE IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macadam)SEE THE PICTURE TO THE RIGHT OF A MACADAM STREET BEING CONSTRUCTED CIRCA 1940'S.
THESE GENTLEMEN SAID, HOWEVER, THEY WERE GOING TO REVIEW OUR STREETS MORE CLOSELY, PARTICULARLY AFTER THE 2002 CITY WIDE CLEAN UP.
THEY ALSO HAD SAID THEY WOULD PREPARE A PAPER ADVISING THE NEIGHBORHOOD REGARDING OUR STREET MAINTENANCE, BUT THE CITY MANAGER WROTE ME A LETTER INSTEAD. IN IT SHE SAID THEY WOULD DO A BETTER JOB ON REPAIRING OUR STREETS, BUT THEY STILL ARE NOT GOING TO RESURFACE.
THEY DO PAY FOR A CREW TO COME OUT EVERY YEAR TO FIX THE POTHOLES AND CRACKS BY WHAT THEY CALL THE "COLD PATCH" METHOD. I HAVE WATCHED THEM DO THEIR SO CALLED COLD PATCH AND IT DOES NOT CONFORM TO ANY STREET REPAIR STANDARDS I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND REGARDING PROPER COLD PATCH APPLICATIONS. SANTA CLARA CREWS COME OUT TO OUR STREETS AND THROW DOWN SOME COLD ASPHALT FROM THE BACK OF A DUMP TRUCK, WITHOUT FIRST CLEANING OUT THE POTHOLES AND THEN THEY JUST RUN OVER IT WITH THE TRUCK TIRES OF THE DUMP TRUCK IN A LAME ATTEMPT TO TAMP IT DOWN. IT USUALLY BREAKS OUT AGAIN IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS. I GUESS THE CITY HAS FIGURED THIS IS CHEAPER!
HENRY HAS TO WIN SOME KIND OF AWARD FOR THE BIGGEST POTHOLES IN A RESIDENTIAL STREET IN SANTA CLARA. WE HAVE WEEDS GROWING THROUGH THE ASPHALT TOO. IS THAT NORMAL ON YOUR STREET? IT IS STRANGE THOUGH, WE HAVE CURRENT AND FORMER CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO LIVE ON MACADAM STREETS AND THE CITY HAS FOUND THE BUDGET TO RESURFACE THEIR STREETS.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT STREET PHOTOS AND NORTH HENRY POTHOLES PICTURE PAGE LINKS. FEEL FREE TO COPY AND FORWARD TO YOUR CITY COUNCIL.
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