🚀 go-pugleaf

Hello,

Here is an update on CalTrans' plans re the Saratoga Gap Station.

I heard today, from a contact in a position to know who wishes 
to remain anonymous, that the closing date for the Saratoga Gap 
CalTrans station is January.

The timing (the middle of winter) is ideal. The new officials are 
not in office, and the current ones are moving on or retiring.
Fred Keeley has done all he can for now, which was to contact 
Bruce McPhereson.

As you may be aware, CalTrans has been shrinking dramatically 
over the past several years. The districts have been redrawn 
several times and responsibility for Hiways 35 and 9 have moved 
from Santa Cruz to Foster City and, most recently, to San Luis 
Obispo.  The District managers were to have closed a station at 
Monterey, but chose instead to close the Station farthest away 
from SLO, thinking that a small constituency far away would be 
easier to handle.

This makes no real sense for the following reasons:
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The station is on State land and costs nothing.

The equipment will be moved down the hill to Santa Cruz to an 
already cramped yard.

In times of snow or slides, the plows will have to drive up the hill and contend with traffic waiting 
for the road to be cleared.

Response time will be slower due to the fact that the current 
crew live in the San Lorenzo Valley and can get there in 20 minutes.
After January they will drive down to Santa Cruz and then back up.

Problems on lower Hiway 9 will affect the commute on upper Hiway 9.

There is no plan to reduce the size of the crew responsible for 
South Skyline and 9.


The reasons that DO make sense for the closure are:
---------------------------------------------------
There is a fund of allocated money for the renovation of the 
buildings, and infrastructure at Saratoga Gap. This fund will 
be freed for use in more southern parts of the District.

Mangement is far away and probably doesn't really know how much 
the crews' quick response is valued by regular Summit drivers. 

The 5th District Director in San Luis Obispo is Ken Nelson.
He can be reached at 805 549-3127.

The Director of Transportation in Sacrmento is James Van Lobensels
and he can be reached at: 916 654-5267

I would also write Santa Clara and Santa Cruz county officials, 
your State Assembly Person and your State Senator. 

Fred Keeley (currently 5th District Supervisor - soon to be Assemblyman)

Asked Bruce McPhereson to get involved. The following letter was the reply.

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 
50 HIGUERA STREET SAN LUIS OBISPO CA 93401-5415 
TELEPHONE: (806) 549-3111 TDD (806) 549-3255 
INTERNET http //www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/

    Honorable Fred Keeley Supervisor, 
    Fifth District 701 Ocean Street Santa Cruz, California 9S060-4069
              
    Dear Supervisor Keeley.
    Assemblyman Bruce McPherson has asked me to respond to you directly regarding possible closure of 
    the Saratoga Gap Caltrans Maintenance Yard in the Santa Cruz mountains. The concerns are from your 
    constituents and are relative to being able to reach, and sand the road in a timely manner during 
    the winter months.

    I am sure you are aware that Caltrans, as well as other State Departments, is striving to implement 
    efficiencies by reducing personnel; centralizing certain departments, and consolidating facilities. 
    In keeping with this philosophy, a study and review of all Maintenance facilities in the State has 
    been completed. Smaller stations have been consolidated into larger stations where it can be shown 
    that no reduction in maintenance service or time response will result.

    Such is the case with the Saratoga Gap Station. When a major storm occurs during the winter season, 
    snow plowing and sanding of the affected highways on the summit will be done in a more timely 
manner 
    it we do not have the equipment in the Saratoga Gap yard. If the snow plows and truck sanders are 
in 
    the Saratoga Gap yard on the summit, we will not be able to access them if the roads are closed due 
    to snow until we plow the roads into the station with equipment from below. we do not have 
employees 
    that reside at the Saratoga Gap facility. Also, when major storms are anticipated, we will keep 
crews 
    working and patrolling the critical areas to prevent a buildup of snow and resultant closure.
 
    By closing this station we will operate more efficiently out of a larger facility at Santa Cruz 
since 
    we do a lot of loaning and borrowing of equipment and personnel between crews. This also eliminates 
    the need to build a new station at Saratoga Gap to replace the old out dated facility which was 
    scheduled in our future building program at a cost of 1.2 million dollars.
 
    Consolidating the crews into one existing station in Santa Cruz and closing Saratoga Gap will not 
    reduce the maintenance services and response time and will save over one million dollars for new 
    construction.

    I hope this adequately addresses the concerns of your constituents. If you have further questions 
    please call Orville Morgan, Chief of Maintenance and Operations, at (805) 549-3281

    Sincerely
    Ken Nelson District Director  
    (805) 549-3127
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Thanks,

Gary Starkweather







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_____________________________________________________________________
Gary Starkweather                                   gstark@cruzio.com  
Santa Cruz Mountains On-line Guide         http://www.hiway9.com/~slv
SGO Technologies Inc.			           http://www.sgo.com