YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 20, No. 34
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Great Wolf going to Manteca
August 24, 2018
The Legend Of Murrieta
It’s a dog’s life
by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
Brentwood’s hope for a Great Wolf Lodge opening in the city has sunk. Great Wolf Resorts Inc., the nation’s largest indoor water-park resort company, recently announced it will build a 500-room, 29-acre facility in Manteca, on Daniels Street and State Route 120, in the city’s Family Entertainment Zone. “The strong support from the local community and government, along with the overall family-friendly nature of Manteca, made this a perfect location for a Great Wolf Lodge,” said Murray Hennessy, Great Wolf Resorts Inc. chief executive officer. “We’re looking forward to being a part of the community and contributing to its continued growth.” see Wolf page 26
Local resident is making a movie about infamous bandit Joaquin Murrieta. Page 5
Sprucing Up School Sites Photo by Tony Kukulich
M
yrtle, a pit bull owned by Deanne Perkinson of Brentwood, takes a break after the parade at the sixth annual Bark in the Park held in City Park in Brentwood, Saturday, Aug. 18. To view more photos, visit www.thepress.net/multimedia/slideshows
Elected fire board filled without election by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
When the elected East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Board takes over at the end of this year, the most notable change will be the number of board members, not the faces filling the seats. Only five candidates, four of whom already serve on the current appointed board, filed to fill the five-member governing body, alleviating the need for a November election. Newcomer Carrie Nash, a development director for the nonprofit White Pony Express, will join current appointed board members Brian Oftedal, Adam Langro, Stephen Smith and Joe Young on the elected board later this year.
“ All of us will answer to the voters again in two years or four years, and I expect them to hold us accountable for what we’ve been able to achieve in that time.
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Brian Oftedal, board president “I am not surprised (more residents didn’t seek board seats),” Smith said. “It is really easy to sit back and criticize elected officials, but few critics are willing to put themselves forward to do the actual work of dealing with the issues.” Eight prospective candidates pulled papers – the step prior to officially filing for election – and only two of these, Nash and Michael Burkholder, aren’t current
NOW HIRING
board members. “I was actually surprised that any noncurrent board members pulled papers,” said Young. “In the future, I believe it will be difficult to get enough qualified candidates to fill the slate and actually have an election.” Nash said she strives to be involved in her community and knows it will take a collective effort to solve the district’s challenges. “I believe my organizational
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leadership, community relations and fiscal management skills will diversify the board and enable it to improve the quality of emergency services in our region,” she said. Sweeping changes to the board’s structure have been in the works ever since the passage of Measure N in November 2016 approved the transition from an appointed to an elected at-large board. An approved follow-up measure in March reduced the number of future elected board members from nine to five. The transition from an appointed to an elected board has cost the district about $500,000 thus far, but an additional $250,000 would have been spent see Fire page 26
West Nile Virus www.thepress.net/news/webextras
West Nile virus has been detected in horses in Sacramento, Kern and Placer counties.
Measure B funds are adding a variety of improvements to Brentwood schools. Page 4
Liberty Takes Season Opener
Lions kick off football season with a bang, winning 35-10 against Vacaville. Page 17 Calendar................................27 Classifieds.............................21 Cop Logs................................25 Education ..............................4 Entertainment.......................9 Food..........................................8 Milestones............................12 Opinion..................................11 Pets...........................................6 Sports.....................................17
Delta Updates
www.thepress.net/news/press_releases
Assemblymember Frazier addresses state water contract postponements.