YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa
Vol. 7, No. 42
Including Surrounding Communities
www.thepress.net
CSD looks into Nature screams possible Brown Act violations by Ruth Roberts Staff Writer
The CSD Board will change the way it conducts some of its subcommittee meetings as a result of concerns over possible Brown Act violations. At issue are meetings of the town’s Community Center Subcommittee, which was formed about 10 years ago to work toward the construction of a public building by Discovery Bay’s primary developer, the Hofmann Company. The committee, comprised of numerous members since its inception, has met with county officials and developers for many years, but has not posted notices or provided agendas for its meetings, or given detailed reports about what has been discussed. In a recent newspaper story, CSD President Ray Tetreault was reported to have said that
the noticing and reporting requirements called for under the Brown Act, California’s openmeeting law, were not required because the committee is an ad hoc committee with a single, one-time-only purpose. However, according to California Newspaper Publishers Association advisory attorney Jim Ewert of the First Amendment Coalition, the committee is not an ad hoc group but a standing committee subject to the Brown Act. “It depends on the facts of the situation,” said Ewert. “If we’re talking about a committee that may exist for a year or two but meets infrequently with no fixed meeting schedule, then that would indicate it is not a standing committee and therefore not subject to the Brown Act.” Ewert added that the length of the
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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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CSD to pick a pair Photo by Stacey Chance
t doesn’t matter what the weather is – when you gotta go, you gotta go. Even as Tuesday’s storm raged across East County, Tom Judge of Discovery Bay was compelled to escort his dog Dock to do his dooty. The scene was captured by Stacey Chance and includes a not-so-happy Dock, a bundled-up Tom and an umbrella probably making its last sojourn.
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see CSD page 18A
The Community Services District Board will soon be appointing two citizens to fill two directors’ seats.
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Something to cheer about
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
The judges were far from bored on the Boardwalk by Brentwood’s Black Diamond All-Stars.
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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