News
LAH water, fire districts working to make pipes, tanks more quake-proof
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- Written by Ellie Van Houtte - Staff Writer/ellievh@latc.com
Engineer Joubin Pakpour enters the Neary No. 2 Tank, above, scheduled for retrofits
Nestled on a plot of land in Los Altos Hills with a picturesque view of San Francisco Bay, the 3-million-gallon Neary No. 2 Tank – the size of a football field and approximately 6 feet high – sits empty in anticipation of seismic retrofits.
As part of the $2.7 million Neary Tank Utilization Project, the Purissima Hills Water District and the Los Altos Hills County Fire District are upgrading infrastructure and preparing the community for emergencies – including the possibility of a catastrophic earthquake. Although the town’s current water storage capacity and pressure have been deemed adequate for day-to-day use, building codes and emergency preparedness needs have changed significantly since the town’s first tank, Neary No. 1, was installed in the 1960s.
Woodland Plaza needs more southern exposure, merchants say
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- Written by Los Altos Town Crier Staff - Town Crier Staff Report
Mike Mansch of Alotta’s Deli & Catering suggests placing a prominent sign at a Grant Road intersection to help direct customers to Woodland Plaza.
Mike Mansch has spent most of his life living and working in south Los Altos. He remembers drumming up business as a shoeshine boy outside one of the businesses at Loyola Corners as far back as 1968. He has run his own business, Alotta’s Deli & Catering, at Woodland Plaza since 1985.
Benefiting from a long view of the area’s history, Mansch has seen how a lack of exposure has caused numerous businesses to close, especially after the installation of Foothill Expressway diverted drive-by traffic from Grant Road. He’d like to see the city of Los Altos erect more prominent, effective signage that better defines and attracts visitors to the area.
Loyola Bridge renovations scheduled for June start
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- Written by Los Altos Town Crier Staff - Town Crier Staff Report
After more than a decade of review, the Loyola Corners Bridge is slated for a summer revamp. The rendering of a revamped Loyola Corners Bridge shows columns to support the expansion of the roadway. Construction is slated to begin in June and finish by September.
The long-awaited renovation of the Loyola Corners Bridge may be just around the corner, according to a Santa Clara County engineer.
County project manager Amir Douraghy told the Town Crier last week that upgrades to the bridge – first outlined in the 2003 Comprehensive County Expressway Planning Study – are expected to begin sometime in June and require approximately 100 workdays. Douraghy estimated that work on the bridge, which spans Foothill Expressway and connects the Loyola Corners retail district to residential areas west of the expressway, should be completed by the end of September.
Stanford "Dish" parking proposal draws concerns
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- Written by Ellie Van Houtte - Staff Writer/ellievh@latc.com
The Los Altos Hills City Council objected to a joint city of Palo Alto and Stanford University proposal to add parking to the Stanford Perimeter Trail – more commonly known as the “Dish.”
Following a presentation by the town’s Traffic Safety Committee Thursday, councilmembers voted unanimously to send letters to the city of Palo Alto, Stanford University and Santa Clara County challenging the current proposal and urging consideration of alternative Coyote Hill Road parking locations.
Construction update: Following First Street
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- Written by Los Altos Town Crier Staff - Town Crier Staff Report
A crew continues work on the mixed-use project at the corner of First and Main streets in downtown Los Altos.
As welders fuse beams together to complete the exterior skeletons of major First Street construction projects, the corridor might seem foreign to someone making a return visit to downtown Los Altos after a yearlong hiatus.
In part because of the dry winter, all projects are currently on schedule. Beginning in summer, shoppers pushing carts through a new Safeway, families enjoying dinner at First and Main streets and moving vans hauling furniture into new condominiums and offices should begin replacing cranes and work crews.
Valentine's special: sewer work and other traffic constrictions
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- Written by Eliza Ridgeway
Two municipal projects will slow traffic in parts of Los Altos this weekend.
The Fremont Avenue bridge closes to vehicles for one day Saturday (Feb. 15), with the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. closure stretching from Hazelaar Way to Miramonte Avenue.
Sewer work causes traffic snarls
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- Written by Ellie Van Houtte - Staff Writer/ellievh@latc.com
Traffic backs up on Springer Road, above, due to a sewer repair project.
Local residents traveling along Springer Road and Cuesta Drive experienced traffic backups and detours last week as contractors assembled a sewer bypass pumping station on Springer.
Work on Phase 2 of the three-phase sewer main repair and replacement project coordinated by the city of Los Altos is scheduled through today.
