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IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
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May 9, 2014
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Bocce park heads toward finish line TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
HANK STRATFORD
MAYOR’S CORNER
It takes courage to own up to actions Several years ago, while I was stopped at the intersection of Cowell Road and Treat Boulevard, a school bus slowly passed me as it made a left turn on to Treat. As the bus passed I heard something hit my back window followed by the sound of shattering glass. Knowing that the projectile came from the bus I began following it down Treat. As I was driving behind the bus I could see different heads pop up and
See Mayor, page 9
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
THE IPSEN FAMILY BOCCE PARK, CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION ON THE GRAVEL LOT AT THE CORNER OF OAK AND MAIN STREETS, is expected to bring some much needed customers to the downtown during the week when things are pretty quiet. The city hopes the park and the infusion of people will help generate developer interest in the vacant parcels on Main Street and Oak Streets.
As the dust flies, anticipation builds for the opening of the Ipsen Family Bocce Park set for early June. The four court park is a joint effort between the Clayton Business and Community Association and Kent and “Skip” Ipsen, founders of Skipolini’s Pizza, with the CBCA funding the $175,000 construction costs on Ipsen’s vacant lot at the corner of Main and Oak Streets. The CBCA will operate and manage the park after it opens in June. Construction of the park is in tandem with Skipolini’s major kitchen and patio remodel. The idea of a bocce park has been percolating in the Clayton community for the better part of a decade. In 2008, plans for a park on the city owned land adjacent to City Hall bombed when estimated construction costs topped $1 million. But bocce lovers are nothing if not tenacious.
See Bocce Park, page 4
Concord: Culturally diverse but still connected (Editor’s Note:) This is the second in a series on the growth and development of Concord. In this issue, we look at who lives in Concord; the people and lifestyle. Next, we’ll look at where people live and why. JOHN JACKSON & TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
Pete Cruz/Clayton Pioneer
CONCORD’S CULTURALLY RICH TEXTURE is reflected in celebrations like last Sunday’s Annual Diversity Spring (Baisakhi) Festival in Todos Santos Plaza, which featured dancers from The Tianjin Children's Palace. Here, dancers practice on the grass, preparing for their performance.
Market and concerts wait for nothing, not even the solstice The calendar says summer begins at the summer solstice on June 21. But, Clayton keeps its own calendar. Here, summer will begin on Saturday, May 10 when the Farmers Market opens and The Grove starts rockin’ with the first of the summer concerts featuring Mike Amaral’s California Beach Boys.
Turn to page 4 for more on this summer’s events
What’s Inside Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
In 1834, Don Salvio Pacheco received an 18,000-acre land grant from the Mexican govern-
ment, which owned California at the time. Thirty years later, he and Francisco Galindo, his sonin-law, created a little town right in the middle of the rancho, calling it Todos Santos. To populate their town, they enticed settlers from nearby Pacheco to come to Todos Santos by giving them free land. Concord city councilman Edi Birsan calls this “affirmative action by the Mexicans to get the white guys here.” Within months, the town’s
name magically changed to Concord and the demographic journey began. Today that small town is the largest city in Contra Costa County boasting a thriving and lively scene that is filled with diversity and opportunity. ETHNIC AND CULTURAL CHANGES The town has also taken on a cultural mix that is both Concord’s greatest strength and its biggest challenge.
Sit for 20 minutes on any afternoon in Todos Santos Plaza. Within earshot, one can pick up five or six different languages. The city is home to a wide array of ethnic groups that bond because of culture, not geography, creating a challenge for a city trying to build a strong community identity. Concord’s explosive growth has come since WWII. After the war, people came because
See Diversity, page 6
High school, Little League field turf issues challenging for most needy user High school's softball showcase bumps Challenger program games JAY BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer
In recent years a growing stress between the users competing for time on the fields has frayed nerves, resulted in Title IX complaints. Last month's incident has been extensively reported and debated in social media and local blogs with the two “sides” having very different perspectives on what happened that Sunday afternoon, when the CVLL Challenger program was moved onto a single field during the 2-4 p.m. time slot they had reserved to host games for five teams, including two from outside their league.
A growing tension between users of Clayton Valley Charter High School's baseball and softball fields boiled over recently when a weekend high school girls softball recruiting program bumped the local little league’s scheduled Challenger program to one small field on Sunday, April 13. CVCHS has three baseball and softball fields off Academy Road that have served Clayton Valley Little League for 40 years, as well as the high school and a See Little League, page 12 club softball program. Community Calendar . . . . .14 Concord City Beat . . . . . . . . .5 Concord News . . . . . . . . . . .5 Design and Décor . . . . . . . .17 Directory of Advertisers . . . . .7 Fit with Levity . . . . . . . . . . .15
Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 MDES Reporter . . . . . . . . . . .8 Performing Arts . . . . . . . . . .16 Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Pine Hollow Reporter . . . . . .8 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Jay Bedecarre photo
MANAGER ALAN HATCHER (left) is one of the founders of the Clayton Valley Little League Challenger Division. In the 1990s he relocated from the East Coast and brought a love for the Challenger program with him after he first was exposed when asked to umpire a Challenger game and “was hooked.” Raymond Butler of Concord, Christine Butler mother. Between/behind them is Kat Kreft (sitting on her walker) with her father Brian Kreft, both live in Clayton.
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Sports Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Teen Reads . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Weather Words . . . . . . . . . .12
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