City Beat
Historic Museum
Goes Green
In an effort to conserve water and with the help
of the California Department of Water Resources
Water-Energy grant program, the Gilroy Historical
Museum is getting a makeover by replacing grass
with drought tolerant landscaping! The turf has
already been removed and City crews have begun
the process of creating two feature areas around
an antique soap pot and millstones. Interestingly,
prior to 1842, the soap pot or large iron cauldron
was used on a whaling ship to render whale blub-
ber into oil. Records suggest that this is the same
cauldron purchased by Thomas Larken and Jose
Maria Sanchez in 1842 to produce soap at what
is now called Soap Lake, southeast of Gilroy. John
Gilroy and others used it to render fat from cattle
and boil it with the alkali waters of the lake to make
soap, which was then used in trade for manufactured
goods. Also moved were two millstones, which were
used in a local flour mill. Now that these items are
in place, a California Conversation Corps crew will
follow up with new drought resistant planting for the
landscaping. Residents are invited to come by and
see the new look anytime! And for a tour inside the
museum, please stop by during museum hours. The
Museum is located at 195 5th Street.
Museum Hours:
Tuesday and Thursday 10 am - 5 pm
Tuesday and Thursday (November - January)
10 am - 4 pm
1st Saturday of the month 10 am - 2 pm
City Crews Moving
the Soap Pot to its
New Home at the
Front of the Museum.
Inset: Millstone Used
by a Local Flour Mill
Silicon Valley Green Energy
Rolls Out to Residents
Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) is a new non-profit, public
agency, formed in spring 2016 by twelve South Bay communities,
including Gilroy, to source clean electricity on our behalf at costs
below PG&E’s comparative generation rates.
Enrollment for SVCE is automatic and will take place in two
phases – April and July 2017. You will know when you’re enrolled
when you receive notices in the mail. You will get two before
enrollment, and two after.
Customers with existing PG&E accounts are automatically
enrolled in SVCE’s GreenStart electric generation service, which is
100% carbon-free. The energy is sourced from 50% renewables
such as wind and solar, and 50% from large hydro. For a small
premium, residents may also choose to upgrade to GreenPrime to
receive 100% renewable and 100% carbon-free power. Getting
100% renewable energy for your home only costs an extra $3 -$5
per month for a typical residential customer. Customers may also
opt out to remain with PG&E’s bundled service.
SVCE will be hosting 4 community meetings in Gilroy to inform
residents of the program and to answer any questions.
April 30 – 7 pm: Council Chambers at 7351 Rosanna St
May 2 – 10 am: Gilroy Senior Center at 7371 Hanna St
May 18 – 7 pm: Eliot Elementary School at 475 Old Gilroy Street
(Spanish Translation Provided)
May 30 – 7 pm: Luigi Elementary