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Remaking Rengstorff Park WISH LIST FOR UPGRADES INCLUDES NEW POOL, TEEN CENTER, ‘SPRAYGROUND’ By Daniel DeBolt
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MICHELLE LE
Sebija Haxhicani passes the ball as Orlando Gomez Delgadillo reaches up to block it at a rugby demonstration at Bubb School on Sept. 15.
On the ball: youth rugby takes off By Nick Veronin
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t the end of last year, Paul Lynch set out to create the largest youth rugby league in California. This year, according to his estimates, he will likely reach that goal. Lynch, a native of Belfast, Ireland who grew up playing rugby, said he has signed up about 100 participants for the second season of his American Youth Rugby League. Add the 75 players that will be merging with his new league from an extant association in Los Gatos, and Lynch is halfway there. If he gets 350 participants, he said he will have the largest youth rugby organization in the
state. Because enrollment only just began, Lynch is confident he will reach that number. “There’s not enough youth rugby in our area,” said Lynch, who lives in Mountain View. He explained that there are more rugby leagues in the North Bay and East Bay, and that until now, parents had to drive long distances if their youngsters were interested in playing the sport — which is often described as a combination of football and soccer. Lynch said the league, which he co-founded with fellow rugby enthusiast Tom Trill, is not only growing in numbers, but that the players have also come a long way in just one year. This year
he feels his league will be ready to participate in a tournament held in the Sacramento area. To conclude the season, Lynch plans to take all of the league’s teams — he hopes for 20 squads of about 15 players each — to the tournament. He said rugby is a fun sport that is easy to learn and not as dangerous as people often think. The younger participants in his league play touch or flag rugby, for starters. But even when the kids get into full-contact play, he said injuries are not too common. That’s because players are penalized for above-the-waist tackles and are instructed to tackle by the legs and from the side, instead of head on. V
Incumbents rack up endorsements BUT CHALLENGERS DECIDE NOT TO SEEK ENDORSEMENTS AT ALL By Daniel DeBolt
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s the three incumbents for City Council rake in endorsements from community leaders and groups like the Sierra Club and the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce, their opponents have decided to forgo the practice altogether. Google employees Dan Waylonis and Aaron Jabbari, as well as longtime resident Greg David, have all decided that endorsements won’t
be a part of their campaign strategy. Not one of the three council candidates has a list of endorsements online. “I am not actively seeking endorsements. I won’t be in anyone’s pocket,” said David in an e-mail. Waylonis and Jabbari did not respond to request for comments for this story, but Waylonis had previously mentioned that he wasn’t seeking any endorsements. Meanwhile, incumbent Margaret
Abe-Koga has the highest number of endorsements, including eight political organizations, over four-dozen elected officials and dozens of residents and community leaders. She is the only candidate to obtain an endorsement from either the Firefighters Association or Police Officers Association, which she did earlier this summer. She is also the only candidate who applied for them. Abe-Koga said See ENDORSEMENTS, page 6
bout 60 residents had a rare opportunity to collectively imagine a major revamp of Rengstorff Park in Mountain View. There were nearly as many ideas as there were attendees at the workshop held Sept. 24 at the Senior Center, but a few stood out when participants were asked to place colored dots next to potential new features for the park. A water feature was by far the most popular, either as a piece of public art or as a “sprayground” for children to play in. “A sprayground is a great way to bring people together and is well liked by the kids,” is
Rengstorff Park is already a place of much activity in a relatively small space. how one group of participants pitched the idea. The purpose of the meeting is to gather input for a new “master plan” to redevelop the entire park, which was built in 1959 and is one of the city’s three largest parks. It is unlikely that the park’s new Senior Center and Child Care Center will be touched, but there are numerous older structures in the park such as the city’s 1962 Community Center, that the council would like to find the money to replace, as well as the Rengstorff Pool, and the skate park. The Rock Church property at 263 Escuela Avenue was recently purchased by the city and will also be included in the park’s master plan. One group of a dozen frequent park users participated via a Spanish translator. Some said they were concerned with safety in the park. “There are still some groups who get together and they are not friendly for the families,” said one resident through a translator. Another pointed out that there isn’t enough light for a nighttime walk in the park. “We need more bathrooms,” said another.
After some small group discussions, several groups said they hoped for a teen center, which is possible at the Rock Church property. A teen center was supposed to be built along with the city’s new senior center, but a lack of funds has put it on the backburner for many years. Some said they wanted a “multigenerational” center, which could be used by adults when teens were in school or not using it. A neighbor said she was scared of plans to heavily use the church property and hopes for a quiet “Zen garden” there instead. Other clearly popular features for a new Rengstorff Park include more public art and a place to watch outdoor movies. “I find it interesting that 92 percent of our blue dots are in activities,” said one participant. “Parks are activities for a lot of See RENGSTORFF, page 10
Teachers OK salary freeze By Nick Veronin
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eachers and staff of the local high school district have agreed to forego salary increases for two years. The pay freeze, together with a change in retirement benefits for some staff members, will help the Mountain View Los Altos high school district save money, officials said. At its Sept. 13 meeting, the high school board approved salary freezes for teachers and school staff represented by the California School Employees Association. The teachers union and the local chapter of the CSEA went along with the district’s plan, which ensures that salaries will not increase for employees represented by either union until the 2011-2012 school year at the earliest. “Our whole goal is to maintain the current salaries and benefits, avoid furlough days and possible layoffs,” said See FREEZE, page 11
OCTOBER 1, 2010 ■ MOUNTAIN VIEW VOICE ■
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