Tom Sandoval - 5/7 Verbal CommunicationsTown Council Meeting - 5/7/2024
Tom Sandoval - Board Director
Tim Takeuchi - Vice President
Belwood of Los Gatos Homes Association
100 Belwood Gateway, Los Gatos, CA 95032
Summary
The Belwood of Los Gatos Homes Association is a community of
homeowners located on the far east end of town, bordered by
Blossom Hill Rd. to the north, Belgatos Park to the south, Harwood
Rd. to the east and Westhill Dr. to the west. We're a community of
over 1,000 voters who have built a thriving community over the last
60+ years.
On September 30, 2023, the neighborhood monument at the entrance of
Blossom Hill Road and Belwood Gateway was irreparably damaged
after a vehicle ran headlong into it, knocking it off its foundation. The
driver fled the scene and it was reported that the truck had been stolen
(local report #23-1627). The Belwood HOA board of directors have been
working with the town to determine the best way to proceed. Ownership
of the monument has been our biggest question, as the monument sits
on public land in the middle of a public road that enters our public community. We have always
believed that the monument was the property of the town with good reason: the median strip and
trees are serviced by town vehicles and the irrigation lines are supplied by town water.
Areas of concern:
It came as a complete surprise to us that the Los Gatos Department of Parks and Public Works
did not have a record of the monument and more surprisingly, did not have a record of the median
strip where the monument has lived for decades, despite being supported by town resources. The
town department has the expectation that the Belwood HOA is responsible for all costs to rebuild the
monument, which includes build costs in addition to associated fees, permits and vendor expenses,
all without proof of ownership. We feel it is an unreasonable assumption to believe that this is solely a
Bewlwood community expense. The town is making this assumption without any prior knowledge of
the existence of either the monument or the median.
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Request
Belwood of Los Gatos Homes Association is a tight knit association of over 1,000 voters bringing
over 60 years of tradition and support to the underserved east end of the town of Los Gatos. We host
the Los Gatos Monte Sereno Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) on our property as a
free service to the town and provide other value added services to the Los Gatos community through
our swim team and cabana. The Belwood monument has been a long standing fixture, serving as a
welcome sign and a beacon to all those who enter the Belwood neighborhood and is a cherished and
valued asset to the community. We feel that it is unreasonable for the community to bear the entire
cost of this project to rebuild something that has been perceived to be part of the town infrastructure
for decades. We are seeking a partnership with the town to reestablish this community marker. It's
difficult to avoid the comparison that if this were to happen in the town center, this matter would be
resolved more quickly with facilitation through town bureaucracy as well as support in the
reconstruction of a recognized town landmark. We can't help but think that we are being treated
differently, despite the fact that we pay the same taxes yet are held to a different standard as those
who live in 95030. To lose this monument to bureaucracy and apathy would be losing a part of the
charm of the neighborhood and ultimately, that of the town.
Our request to the town of Los Gatos is to partner with the Belwood community to quickly rebuild,
waiving all associated fees and helping to cover the costs of this public monument. Further, we wish
to work on a joint plan to visually improve the town -owned land on which the monument resides to
provide a better, more aesthetically pleasing entrance for the Belwood community and for the town of
Los Gatos which this community serves. Together, we can demonstrate that we are both committed
to this idea by investing in our community on the east side of Los Gatos.
Thank you
Tom Sandoval, Board Director, Belwood of Los Gatos Homes Association
408-888-2129
Tim Takeuchi, Vice President, Belwood of Los Gatos Homes Association
408-613-5442
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