Public Services

By Althea Polanski

There are many needs facing the City of Milpitas over the next several years including a new expanded library and a new centralized senior center.

The current Senior Center was a quick fix for our Seniors. It has been a city hall, public school, post office, library, etc. It was converted to meet the immediate needs of the Seniors without a long-term vision. The City Council recently appointed a sub-committee of the Council to review the needs of the seniors and what may be done to provide them the services they deserve and need.

I am committed to finding the resources to provide our growing senior population with a new, modern, centralized senior center to include adult day care, kitchen facilities, medical clinic, accessible transportation and eventually additional senior housing.

Through my experience implementing a $64.7 million dollar capital school improvement projects since 1996, I will be ready to take on these challenges. As promised in 1996, the projects promised to the citizens of Milpitas have been accomplished on time and within budget. Through leverging our resources, another $33 million dollars in improvements were accomplished. The current renovations at the Milpitas High School Athletic Fields is being financed by $3 million dollars of interest money. If we do not utilize the interest money for improvements, we must return the money.

I will bring a unique prospective to the City Council in contrast to the other candidates. As an elected official for almost 19 years, I have been managing a budget of $68 million dollars, 870 employees, negotiating employee contracts and managing capital projects.