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Donated LAH pathway link to make life easier for 4-H riders
New pathway near Central Drive cuts out 2-mile detour
By Shobha Rao - November 2, 2000Town Crier Staff Writer
In a world that can be so hostile, filled with lawsuits, takeovers and tyrants, goodness still abounds.
Just ask LeeAnne Kraus, manager of Westwind Barn. Kraus said, about a year ago, the pathway link between the back of Westwind Barn and Central Drive was closed off, due to a dispute involving the town and various neighbors.
"Though this was not catastrophic," Kraus said, "you had to travel an extra two miles, through Byrne Preserve and the Artemis-Ginzton Trail, to make that link. It was disappointing because we used that closed link for the 4-H Riding Program, which is run by the Westwind Riding Institute."
Because of the older horses and the special needs of the handicapped children involved in the program, the two-mile detour could not be used, she said.
That's when Jim and Lee Patmore, who live adjacent to the closed Central Drive pathway link, donated a pathway easement that was parallel to the original link. This once again opened up the connection for the 4-H Riding Program participants.
Lee Patmore said Councilwoman Elayne Dauber "suggested that it was a huge loss to the community to not have this pathway, and suggested that we replace it."
This past spring, the Patmores took up Dauber's suggestion and donated a pathway easement along the edge of their property. The new easement is approximately 50 feet long and 15 feet from the old path.
The Patmores even paid to clear the poison oak that grew along the easement, since the town couldn't afford the $10,000 price tag.
Kraus said the staff and children of Westwind Barn "really appreciate" the new link, which is once again used regularly by the riding program.
The Patmores, who have lived in Los Altos Hills since 1971, shy away from even nominal recognition. Lee Patmore is a software consultant and Jim is a retired software engineer. They have two grown sons, one of whom lives next door to them with his own family.