MHT1916

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OF MORGAN HILL

2019

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★ THE ★ 2019 BEST OF

F

BEST OF BEST OF MORGAN GILROY COUNTY ★ HILL ★ 2019 2019

HILL

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VOTE FOR THE BEST BEST OF OF BEST GILROY SAN BENITO COUNTY

VOTE FOR THE BEST

Ballot on page 13

COUNCIL APPROVES CHURCH STREET REROUTE P2 | MOSQUE PLANS MOVE TO PLANNING COMMISSION P4 | LIVE OAK BASEBALL P15 2019 BEST OF

BEST OF

VOTE FOR THE BEST COUNTY

COUNTY ★ ★ ©

Ballot on page 13

$1 • Friday, April 19, 2019 • Vol. 126, No. 16 • morganhilltimes.com • Serving Morgan Hill since 1894

Business owners tackle A-Frame issues CHAMBER HOSTS TALKS BETWEEN BUSINESSES AND CITY Jaqueline McCool Reporter

➝ Signs, 10

Robert Eliason

A-Frame signs line the sidewalks in and around downtown Morgan Hill, advertising for business both in town and outside the city limits. These signs have been a point of controversy between business owners, the city and residents. In an effort to ease tensions, the Chamber of Commerce hosted a community discussion to get ideas and alleviate any confusion regarding the A-Frames. The city’s code doesn’t allow signage of any kind on the public right-of-way, but Morgan Hill Assistant Manager Leslie Little said the city doesn’t have the resources to continuously site businesses or remove signs. Chamber President John Horner said there have been conflicting messages between the city and business owners as to what is allowed and what is enforced. Because there are technically no signs allowed in the city, Horner said the meeting on April 10 served as a brainstorming session for ways to deal with the signs before they became “a lightning rod” issue. “How do we do things that are not only

SCIENCE MEETS ART Local brewmaster Ross Kelly, 30, of San Martin, stands inside his new Kelly Brewing Company — a brewery and taphouse—on Fourth Street in downtown Morgan Hill.

Serving up suds LOHS ALUMNUS BREWS UNIQUE BRAND OF BEERS Scott Forstner Reporter

After spending seven weeks in a Chicago hostel to study brewing science at the Siebel Institute

of Technology, then additional time learning abroad at Doemens Academy in Munich, Germany, Ross Kelly returned to South County determined to make his own mark. “I knew I wanted to open my own brewery,” said the 2006 Live Oak High School alumnus. “I

knew by the time I was 20, 21 years old that I wanted to do this. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for the last 10 years.” Kelly knew exactly where to turn and, with a soft opening in November 2018 followed by a grand opening in March 2019, he opened the doors of his

very own Kelly Brewing Company at 70 E. Fourth Street in Morgan Hill. “It was great. We were packed,” said the 30-year-old brewmaster and local business owner who grew up in San Martin. “It’s really cool to see people’s reactions to the beer we make.”

The 5,000 square foot brewery and taphouse— completely remodeled with the help of his father Dave Kelly and contractor Brandon Kuskie— also has an additional 1,400-square-foot outdoor patio area for live ➝ Kelly Brewing, 12

District mulls meeting broadcasts BOARD, STAFF UNDECIDED AFTER LATEST SURVEY Scott Forstner Reporter

Several iterations of Morgan Hill Unified School District’s Board of Education have requested information from district staff over the years about the possibility of broadcasting their meetings to improve public access.

While neither the board nor district staff are sold on it being a necessary measure, the latest discussion on the issue came last month when staff, following the board’s direction, offered a breakdown of what other local school districts do. “Over time, school boards have gone back and forth over this. We think there might be a need,” said board president Mary Patterson. “One question leads to another in my mind.”

Eighteen of 24 responding districts said they do not broadcast board meetings, according to a survey conducted by the district that was sent out in early March. Morgan Hill board meetings are sparsely attended unless there is an issue of interest before the board, such as the recent decision to offer marching band for physical education credit. Representatives of the employees groups, district staff and some other

activists routinely attend, along with high school civics students, who get class credits for attending and clear out after the first hour. It begs questions such as: Would others tune in for livestream broadcasts of meetings or watch video recordings after the fact? Do busy work or personal schedules prevent more from attending meetings that start at 6pm? (Notably, former trustee David Gerard’s wife used to record

meetings on her smartphone and post them on YouTube at no charge to the district.) School districts that do broadcast their meetings in one form or another (livestream, public access TV and/or recordings) are Cupertino, Los Altos, Mountain View-Whisman, Campbell, Milpitas and Palo Alto, according to the staff report. Costs, which include purchasing recording equipment, vary ➝ Video, 14

Over time, school boards have gone back and forth over this. We think there might be a need. One question leads to another in my mind.. —MARY PATTERSON


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