YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa
Vol. 11, No. 42
Including Surrounding Communities
www.thepress.net
Civic center gets final green light by Rick Lemyre Staff Writer
It might have been the mightiest October storm in history that raged through Brentwood on Tuesday, but the talk in the city Council Chambers during the deluge was more about “the perfect storm.” On a 3-2 vote, with Councilmen Erick Stonebarger and Brandon Richey dissenting, the City Council voted to award the construction of the new downtown civic center to Lathrop Construction of Benicia, sell the bonds to pay for it and give the order to commence work. “It’s the right time to move forward,” said Councilman Chris Becnel. He praised city staff for many years of hard work and enduring a ride on an “emotional roller coaster” as the decade long effort to build the project moved along. “I just want to say thank you,” he said, his own voice cracking with emotion. “This is a perfect storm,” said Mayor Bob Taylor, echoing the term used by Chamber of Commerce CEO Harry York to describe the coming together of
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October 16, 2009
THIS WEEK
Creep-out calendar
Dust off your coffins and tune up your broomsticks. You’ll find our lineup of East County Halloween events a real scream.
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Patriotic procession World War II veterans will be front and center at a stirring East County parade on Nov. 11, Veterans Day. An artist’s rendering of the new Brentwood civic center, which received final approval Tuesday. Construction is set to begin next month. low construction rates and low interest rates rarely seen separately, let alone simultaneously. Lathrop’s winning bid was $28.5
million. Estimates had pegged the expected cost at about $44 million. Staff declined to speculate about the interest rates for
the bond issue, but the market has recently hit record lows and see Greenlight page 18A
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Pats indulge passing fancy
Concern over project’s impacts on Highway 4 by Dave Roberts Staff Writer A plan to construct more than 12,000 houses, apartments and condos along with more than 6 million square feet of shopping centers and business parks on the old Concord Naval Weapons Station property has East County residents and officials concerned it will significantly worsen traffic congestion on Highway 4. “If East County does not act together and the Naval Weapons Station (development) comes on line in five years, there is no bond money and there will be no improvements on that section of highway,” Antioch resident Terry Ramus said to East County officials at the last Transplan meeting. “Right now you back up on Willow Pass every morning – even during a down economy. If the economy comes back, we will not be able to get out of East County to get to work. East County needs to take a position on it.” The Antioch City Council on Tuesday agreed to join with other East County cities and the county to write a letter expressing concerns about the planned development and urging that adequate measures be put
“ If the economy comes back, we will not be able to get out of East County to work. East County needs to take a position on it.
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Antioch resident Terry Ramus in place to lessen the traffic impacts from the new residents and businesses that might move into the 5,000-acre site on the other side of the hill to Central County. Antioch Mayor Jim Davis has also spoken at one of the Concord planning meetings for the project. “I stated then that I am concerned about the impacts on Highway 4 with a major subdivision or cluster of homes and villages,” he said. “If that dumps onto Highway 4 without mitigation, then traffic in East County (will worsen). “We have been trying to get BART out here and Highway 4 widened for the last 25 years. We are starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. And here we see possible impacts of gridlock at the top of Willow
Pass for everybody. “I think we need to speak up. I think we can throw our wrench in it and make sure they will mitigate for Antioch, Oakley and Highway 4. I am not opposed to the development and their being able to plan their own land. But when it impacts Highway 4, it impacts us.” The weapons station project is not yet a done deal. It’s currently in the draft environmental impact report (EIR) stage; a final EIR is expected next spring. The draft EIR confirms that traffic will worsen on Highway 4 east of the weapons station property if either of two projects is built out by 2030. The preferred alternative of clustered villages devotes half of the property to parks, recreation and open space. It would accommodate up to 12,272 residential units and 6.2 million square feet of commercial and retail space. The other possible project, known as the Concentration and Conservation Alternative, places most of the housing, retail and commercial development north of Willow Pass Road. It would accommodate up see Impacts page 18A
Heritage volleyballers know the kill is a thrill, but what sets it up is precision passing.
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INSIDE Calendar ..........................27B Classifieds ........................16B Cop Logs ..........................12A Entertainment ................13B Food .................................14B Health & Beauty .............11B Milestones .......................10B Opinion ...........................13A Sports ................................. 1B WebExtras! ....................... 1B
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A