AROUND PLEASANTON
Gina Piper 925.200.0202 Gina@GinaPiper.com BY JEB BING
As economy picks up, so does city spending
Chip Car Key
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fter a three-year hiatus, spending on municipal projects and improvements is back on the list of priorities for the Pleasanton City Council. At its June 4 meeting, the council approved a two-year work plan that includes millions dollars of “high priority” projects, ending an austere capital improvements program that stopped after the $10 million Firehouse Arts Center was built in 2010. With the economy improving and tax revenue picking up, the council’s first project will be another phase of improvements to the city-owned Bernal Community Park, where $15 million lighted baseball fields and an adjoining children’s play area were added, also in 2010. Now more will be spent on sports fields, some lighted, for soccer, lacrosse, junior football and, yes, more baseball diamonds. This time, the improvements, authorized as part of a voter referendum, will include a woodlands area, riparian habitat and landscaping along a meandering creek that runs through the site. The project, when completed, will cost an estimated $15.8 million with part of the funding to come from a Bernal Community Park Reserve that the city government maintained during the recession when sales and property tax revenue tapered off. Another $810,000 would be available from a Capital Improvement Program reserve, also maintained by the city. City Manager Nelson Fialho said he expects to receive another $3.2 million from the East Bay Regional Park District through funds approved by voters when they passed the district’s Measure W bond issue. That would still leave a funding gap of more than $5 million which could be raised through a combination of fee assessments for users of the sports fields, contributions from sports organizations, corporate sponsors and a community fundraiser similar to the one that raised more than $1 million for the Firehouse Arts Center. Last year, the council approved a schematic plan for the second phase of the park which, 12 years after the land was given to the city by several developers in exchange for permits to build homes on the rest of the property, remains undeveloped except for the baseball fields. Another costly project on the council’s 22-page list of priorities
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View of Pleasanton Ridge makes this Little League baseball field at Bernal Community Park “the dream park of the Bay,” an out-of-town coach said.
is the redevelopment of senior living facilities at Kottinger Place and Pleasanton Gardens with new buildings and more apartments. These aging, subsidized, affordable homes for qualified older residents will be torn down in phases over the next two years and replaced with larger, upgraded apartment buildings that will accommodate nearly twice as many who live there now. The redevelopment proposal goes back 10 years and gained ground last year as the economy improved. A predevelopment agreement has now been granted to Foster City-based MidPeninsula Housing, the developer, owner and manager of more than 90 senior communities. MidPen, as the company is called, has been meeting with the Kottinger Place Redevelopment Task Force to determine project priorities. MidPen is now preparing a site plan for a new Kottinger Place development between Kottinger Drive and Vineyard Avenue, and including the aging Regalia House that will also be razed. Current development estimates for the two sites range from $59 million to $62.8 million with a city contribution from its senior housing fund of $8.2 million. New housing on both sites will be largely single story units with far more kitchen, bathroom and closet space than the units now have and with upgrades in electricity and plumbing, including air conditioning. Some of the buildings on what is now the Kottinger Place site will be two stories in height with a few rising to three stories, with elevators. When completed, the apartments will accommodate 189 tenants. Some projects are already under way, including renovations at the Dolores Bengtson Aquatic Center, which should be completed this summer, and the extension of Stoneridge Drive to El Charro Road, which should open late this fall. N
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Food allergies, particularly in children, are clearly on the rise. According to Dr. Hugh Sampson, a food allergy specialist at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in N.Y. “We are certain that in the future the number of food allergies are going to increase.” Many food allergies are classified as “hidden” allergies due to the fact that an individual may be consuming a food, often times on a daily basis that they have no idea they are allergic to. Frequently, symptoms such as stomach aches, irritable bowel syndrome, acid reflux, indigestion, heartburn, excessive gas and bloating are directly related to food allergies. Additionally, conditions such as migraine headaches, chronic sinusitis, post nasal drip, rashes, eczema, chronic fatigue, ADD/ADHD, mood swings and difficulty losing weight in many cases can be caused by food allergies. Fortunately, a new, advanced method of treating allergies is now available in the United States. Developed over a ten year period in Australia, a new technology called Advanced Allergy Therapeutics (AAT) is giving new hope to millions of allergy sufferers. AAT is a holistic, alternative method of treating allergies of all kinds including not only food allergies, but airborne allergens such as pollens, grasses, weeds, trees, molds, dust and dust mites as well as pet/animal/insect allergies, chemical sensitivities and physical contactants. Both the testing and treatments are 100% pain free and non-invasive, and is the ideal choice for those who would prefer not to take drugs, use steroidal inhalers and sprays or go through years of allergy shots. Children especially appreciate the AAT approach over the traditional medical procedures that involve piercing the skin. AAT is safe and effective for people of all ages including infants and produces zero side effects. AAT is now available in Pleasanton near Stoneridge Mall at Allergy Relief Centers, office of James W. Stalker, DC. Doctor Stalker is offering the initial consultation and complete testing protocol, normally a fee of $125, for only $25 for anyone who would like to experience relief from their allergies without using drugs or shots. A limited number of appointments are available, so call 925243-7168 today. For more information please visit AllergyReliefCenters. com and for the latest up to date info on allergies visit facebook.com/ allergyreliefcenters.
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Seniors from Amador Valley High School perform “Musical Mash-Up” in sign language at school’s Class of 2013 baccalaureate, held last Sunday at Cornerstone Fellowship in Livermore. Seniors at Amador and Foothill high schools graduate today. Photo by Jeb Bing. Cover design by Kristin Herman. Vol. XIV, Number 20 Pleasanton WeeklyÊUÊJune 14, 2013ÊU Page 3