Saratoga Voice » Community

Saratoga History

Rick Bonetti — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:08:33 +0000

Wikipedia offers the following brief history of Saratoga, CA:

The European settlement of what is now Saratoga occurred in 1848, when William Campbell (father of Benjamin Campbell, the founder of nearby Campbell, California) constructed a sawmill about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) southeast of the present downtown area. An early map noted the area as Campbell’s Gap. In 1851, Martin McCarthy, who had leased the mill, built a toll road down to the Santa Clara Valley and founded what is now Saratoga as McCarthysville. The toll gate was located at the present day intersection of Big Basin Way and 3rd St., giving the town its first widely used name: Toll Gate. In 1867 the town received a post office under the name of McCarthysville.

Industry soon sprang up: at its height the town had a furniture factory, grist mill, tannery, and a paper factory. To commemorate this newfound productivity, the town was renamed yet again in 1863, this time as Bank Mills. In the 1850′s Jud Caldwell discovered springs which were called Pacific Congress Springs because the water had a mineral content similar to Congress Springs, in Saratoga Springs, New York. In 1865, the town received its final name, Saratoga, after the city in New York. At the same time, a resort hotel called Congress Hall was constructed at the springs, named after the famous resort Congress Hall at Saratoga Springs, New York. California’s Congress Hall attracted tourists to the area until it burned down in 1903.

Saratoga then became quietly agricultural, along with much of the rest of the valley. A few vineyards and orchards from this period remain today. After World War II, the town quickly became urbanized, and it incorporated in 1956, mostly to avoid being annexed to San Jose. A slogan during the campaign to incorporate the city of Saratoga was “Keep it rural,” according to historian Willys I. Peck. Today the city serves as a bedroom community for upper-middle class Silicon Valley tech workers.

For more local history, visit the Saratoga Historical Foundation website.

Rick Bonetti | APR Referral Network | 408-857-8800 | DRE #01237009

Parks in Saratoga, CA Add Value to Neighborhoods

Rick Bonetti — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 01:23:22 +0000

Click>here for a link to a map of parks in Saratoga, CA.

Rick Bonetti | APR Referral Network | 408-857-8800 | DRE #01237009

Give The Gift of Life

Rick Bonetti — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 14:19:56 +0000

Give Blood in Saratoga, CA at the Stanford Blood Center Bloodmobile on Sunday, November 21, 2010 from 8:30 AM to 1 PM at Saratoga Presbyterian Church, 20455 Herriman Ave., Saratoga, CA 95070. Sign up by going to their website.

On October 1, 2010 I gave blood at the Stanford Blood Center – a small act in comparison to Dennis Briskin who was being honored the same day for 300 blood donations!

I did the math quickly and at first, I didn’t know how he did it because blood donations are regulated by the FDA and I knew they would only allow people to donate whole blood once every 56 days. At 6 times a year that would take 50 years! Then I found out that if you only donate platelets (also know as and RBC donation) by Automated Blood Collection (ABC)/Apheresis you could do so every two weeks because they return your red blood cells. The process takes longer (about an hour and a half), but most donors feel even better and after a normal red blood cell donation.

Dennis have been donating regularly since about 1979 and “ABC/Apheresis has become his thing.” Only 39% of the general population are eligible to donate blood, and fewer than 5% of those eligible actually donate.! Dennis does it because he knows the need and the hope it gives to patients in need.

Our daughter Jill Whitney had a bone marrow transplant in May, 2010 and is still going to Stanford’s Infusion Treatment Area (ITA) three times a week. She received two units of red blood Wednesday plus platelets; yesterday afternoon she received platelets again. It is a long slow process of recovery, but knowing people are praying for her and seeing the compassion of donors such as Dennis gives her the courage to face each new day with hope. Last week she received the good news that her blood is now free from the MDS abnormality she had before the BMT.

Stanford Blood Center provides hope for the future: teaching tomorrow’s leaders in transfusion medicine, researching to unlock mysteries inherent in blood, and connecting donors to patients every day. Call 650-723-7831 or 888-723-7831 (toll free) today and make an appointment to give the gift of life.

Saratoga’s Swinging Spring Sale

Rick Bonetti — Mon, 17 May 2010 22:08:37 +0000

Whether you swing a tennis racket or a golf club, joining Saratoga Country Club, a private membership club, located on approximately 100 acres in the secluded foothills at 21990Â Prospect Rd., Saratoga, CA 95070, is now more attractive because of their Spring Sale.

Facilities include a par 68 NCGA-rated golf course, driving range, practice greens with bunkers, six tennis courts, junior Olympic-sized swimming pool, fitness center, locker rooms and a full-service restaurant and lounge with a panoramic view of the Santa Clara Valley.

As customary with most private country clubs, the membership holds 100% ownership interest in the land and all improvements. There are currently two categories of membership authorized, 308 full-golf and 172 social-tennis. Both categories of membership hold a proprietary interest by stock ownership.

Here are the Spring Sale incentives:

Golf Memberships - $13,600. Their welcome package (valued at $1,780) includes two complimentary dinners per month for one year and a golf or tennis lesson package plus a one-year golf cart lease.
Tennis-Social Membership – $4,800. This welcome package (vaued at $1,040) includes two complimentary dinners per month for one year and a golf or tennis lesson package.
Financing - your membership purchase may be financed over two years with zero interest. Visa, MasterCard and Discover credit cards are also accepted for deposit and financing.

For more information contact Joe Callan, General Manager 408-253-0340.

Know someone who is thinking about buying or selling a home in Silicon Valley? Call Rick Bonetti for a referral to just the right Realtor.

Rick Bonetti | APR Referral Network | 408-857-8800 | DRE #01237009

Saratoga Idol 2010 Auditions on April 17th

Rick Bonetti — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:18:07 +0000

Saratoga Rotary is again hosting the search for this year’s Saratoga Idol – someone in Santa Clara County with special local talent who may win $1000.

Applications were due last Saturday, April 10, 2010 andÂ were open to applicants of any age and any talent and any geographic location.

Auditions will be held Saturday, April 17th at The Forum Retirement Community in Cupertino.

Winners will be announced Sunday, May 2 on the main stage at the Rotary Art Show.

Rick Bonetti | Alain Pinel Realtors | 408-857-8800

We Need A Village To Age In Place At Home In Saratoga

Rick Bonetti — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:53:32 +0000

Some homeowners aged 50+ or better want a more maintenance/worry-free lifestyle and proactively sense when the time is right to sell their home and move to a townhome or retirement home. Perhaps the first step for people in their 60′s and 70′s is to buy a single level townhouse (rare in Silicon Valley); as a Realtor, I know the local inventory of townhomes for sale and can help you. Or maybe some of my readers have friends who moved to Saratoga Retirement Community when they were in the 80′s, who say they “love it and wished they had moved there when they were younger.”

In my previous blog post I identified several very attractive continuing care retirement communities (CCRC’s) in Saratoga and Los Gatos. But they have a waiting list and they might not be exactly what you want or can afford. As a Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) I offer many free resources to help make the right retirement choice and a good move – let’s talk – call me for no-obligation help in figuring out the next step. If an aging residents’ care needs are more involved I can refer eldercare scouts or doctors who provide specialized geriatric relocation evaluations and relocation services.

There are actually lots of non-institutional housing options for aging persons, but the majority of people seem to want to age in place in their existing home as long as they can, until they can no longer manage by themselves. We have roots in our community andÂ there’s no place like our home in Saratoga, Monte Sereno or Los Gatos. But there’s something missing in the West Valley that would make aging in place such an improved option – it’s the Village concept (not to be confused with The Villages in east San Jose). Let me explain.

Last week, I attended a seminar about concierge services and the Village concept – a new model of supportive communities for elders. Â Villages like Avenidas Village in Palo Alto and San Francisco Village are grassroots, membership-based, nonprofit organizations that provide support and community to residents who wish to remain in their own home as they age. They are self-governing and self-supporting organizations that are designed and implemented by those who will lead and use them. They are not facilities-focused (like a typical senior center), they are organizations that have activities for its members in various locations throughout a city.

Village membership organizations are a relatively new idea. The first Village in the U.S. was established in 2001 by the Beacon Hill Village in Boston. Today, here are currently 48 fully operational villages in the United States and over 100 communities now developing the Village model. Avenidas was formed in 2007 and San Francisco Village in 2009. NCB Capital Impact and The SCAN Foundation are providing support to those forming Villages in California.

At the core of the aging-in-community models are the benefits of choice, independence, a strong sense of community and greater physical well-being. The needs, interests, preferances of seniors are given priority because the initiatives are led by and for seniors themselves. They rely heavily on volunteers and mutual support – being community together.

State governments faced with budgetary pressures and affordable housing challenges may find that these affordable aging-in-community programs offer an opportunity to leverage ” social capital networks” to provide long term care services and decrease reliance on costly institutional settings. Women seem to “get” the idea of membership Villages easier than men – perhaps you are the exception?

The Village notion should be particularly attractive to the encore generation (aging baby boomers) who find the idea of growing older, senior centers and other seniors institutions like nursing homes abhorrent. My guess is that a slightly older generation in their 60′s, 70′s and early 80′s will pave the way creating local membership Villages, which boomers will think they invented.

I am excited about this new Village concept and would like to discuss it with anyone who will listen. Be sure to click on the underlined links above to get more information than this short blog post can provide. Call me or send me an email if you also think a local Seniors Concierge Village is a good idea and would like to become involved in starting a Village in the Saratoga or Los Gatos area.
If you would like to receive updates of my blog posts, please subscribe:

Rick Bonetti | Alain Pinel Realtors | Saratoga, CA | 408-857-8800 | rbonetti@apr.com

What’s With Those Red Saratoga Serves Signs?

Rick Bonetti — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:31:34 +0000

Driving the streets of Saratoga, CA you can’t help but notice a bunch of red signs at various places of worship – Christian, Jewish and Muslim. Check out the 18 photos on the Saratoga, CA Facebook page, and become a fan while you are at it.

Saratoga Serves is an interfaith initiative that occurs every Spring around mid-March. Prince of Peace Lutheran Church is offering shelter to homeless men that are supported by West Valley Community Services. There are food collection drives at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Congregation Beth David and Immanuel Lutheran Church. Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church is having a “Mission in Action” Day tomorrow, March 13th. Saratoga Federate is conducting an Orchard and Library Pathway Cleanup the following Saturday. Saratoga Presbyterian Church is sponsoring an Easter Egg Hunt in Wildwood Park on April 3rd.

Rick Bonetti | APR Referral Network | 408-857-8800 | DRE #01237009

Saratoga’s Unity In Community

Rick Bonetti — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:33:27 +0000

Do you know what our kids are doing?

This entire week, the students of Saratoga’s Redwood Middle School are celebrating Unity in Community. Tomorrow March 11, 2010, there will be a Heal The World Outdoor Assembly featuring the RMS Honor Chorus and the students’s Unity In Community chain. All Redwood Middle School homerooms will gather on the upper field to link together their UIC chain links. The entire school will also sing Heal the World with the RMS Honor Chorus.

Among the homeroom projects are:

Collecting used laptops for a learning center in South Africa, In Africa Shoes
Collecting blankets, towels and animal food for the Humane Society and San Jose Animal Shelter
Diaper drive for Sacred Heart Community Services
Collecting recyclable bottles and cans for the American Red Cross: Save The Bay
Making gifts for seniors at Our Lady of Fatima
School wide book drive for Friends of Saratoga Libraries
Collecting reading books for Developments in Literacy
Wii for Haiti during lunch One Dollar For Life: Haiti Fund
Natural Bridges beach clean up for Surfrider Foundation
Raising funds for Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF, Ronald McDonald House, The Nature Conservancy, Dorobo Fund for Tanzania and more…

Great work Redwood!

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Saratoga, CA Town Profile Video

Rick Bonetti — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:37:11 +0000

Localism Strengthens Saratoga, CA

Rick Bonetti — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 01:39:48 +0000

Localism is more than a wishful expression of a local chamber of commerce – it is an understanding that we all gain by supporting our communities.Â A recent article in Yes Magazine indicated that buying from independent retailers in communities with active “Buy Independent or Buy Local” campaigns reported an increase in 2009 holiday sales three times stronger (up three percent) than those in cities without such campaigns (up one percent).

The new Vision Statement for the City of Saratoga, CA emphasizes that Saratoga is a community where “the common good prevails” and it recognizes that “local commerce provides a vibrant presence in the Village and the other commercial areas”. Support our community and buy local!

Rick Bonetti | APR Referral Network | 408-857-8800 | DRE #01237009