YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa
Vol. 9, No. 29
Including Surrounding Communities
www.thepress.net
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July 17, 2009
Tree removal penalty considered Answering
THIS WEEK
by Dave Roberts Staff Writer
In early 2007, workers using bulldozers and other heavy equipment showed up on Knox Lane in Oakley and began chopping down and removing 162 trees on the 15-acre property owned by Discovery Builders to make room for houses in Cedarwood Estates. The event would have been unexceptional but for the fact that the developer failed get a city permit to remove the trees. Six of the 14 largest trees, known as heritage trees, were chopped down: two Italian stones, two red gums and two Monterey pines. Since then the land, across the street from four homes on Knox Lane, has been mostly barren – little more than dirt, weeds and signs reading “No trespassing, no dumping, violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” “This has left a neighborhood adjacent to this with quite a blighted condition,” said Councilwoman Pat Anderson at Tuesday night’s council meeting. “The de-
Photo by Dave Roberts
The future site of Cedarwood Estates on Knox Lane has been denuded of trees by Discovery Builders without city permission, and will likely remain so for two or three years. scription was it was like a bomb had hit it and they were gone. I’m sure it’s been difficult for the neighbors.” The council was discussing the trees in connection with Discovery Builders’ request to build 34 houses on that land. The council agreed to rezone the property to allow up to 2.3 houses per acre,
but it postponed taking action on the developer’s request to subdivide the land and remove the remaining eight heritage trees. The deforestation of Knox Lane without city approval was not an intentional act, according to Jackie Seeno, representing Discovery Builders. “We had a miscommunication,” she told the
council. “It was a terrible disconnect in our office between our land development department and the guys out in the field. There were a number of trees that were removed before we obtained those permits.” She said the company would comply with a requirement to pay to the city the appraised value of the heritage trees. She also proposed planting an extra tree on each of the 34 lots in Cedarwood Estates, providing three trees on most lots and four trees on corner lots for a total of 95 trees. Anderson said she appreciates the offer to add an extra tree to the lots and that she understands how a communication problem can happen. But she’s also interested in more punitive measures as a warning to developers. “I’m not trying to be overzealous on this, but at the same time I want to send a message that this can’t happen ever again,” she said. An arborist will provide an estimate of the value of the six heritage trees that were removed, a
Study: new regulations will increase costs to residents, businesses by Dave Roberts Staff Writer The Antioch City Council recently agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the city in an effort to stop global warming, getting out ahead of state mandates that will also affect Brentwood, Oakley and un-
see Goals page 22A
The Brentwood Press and Publishing Corporation has earned four awards in the National Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper and Better Newspaper Advertising contests. The Press picked up a Third Place award for Best Editorial for a piece written by Editor Rick Lemyre about letters to the editor and the First Amendment. Columnist Ger Erickson’s piece about the effects on air quality and breathing of the California wildfire season of 2008 earned an honorable mention for Best Serious
A national ad campaign rewarded a local school’s early-to-rise attitude with a shopping spree for its students.
Page 9A
Staking out the sloughs Boating safety enforcement will be stepped up on Delta waterways this weekend.
Page 17A
These guys never say die
see Penalty page 22A
Antioch adopts Press picks up greenhouse goals national awards incorporated far East County – mandates that critics say will greatly increase costs to residents and businesses while doing little to change the planet’s climate. Before unanimously voting on June 23 to approve the CO2 emission reduction goals, the council was told by the city’s Climate and Energy Assistant Nicholas Tagas that if nothing is done to stop global warming, Knightsen, Discovery Bay and eastern Oakley will be underwater by 2059. In addition, 60 to 80 percent of the Sierra snowpack will disappear, the Delta will increase in salinity and
the Bell
Column. On the advertising side, the paper’s Best of Antioch publication earned a First Place award for Best Sales Promotion Section. Our Fall/Winter Wedding Planner picked up a Third Place award in the same category. “I’m ecstatic that we’re once again being recognized nationally for all the hard work our fantastic team has done,” said Publisher Greg Robinson. The Press, which publishes weekly newspapers in see Awards page 22A
Fast finds! Search the business directory. Shopping, dining ... anything you need. Find it in the business directory at www.thepress.net. See page 11A.
When these state champs take the field, can the Mercy Rule be far behind?
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INSIDE Business ...........................11A Calendar ..........................19B Classifieds ........................12B Cop Logs ..........................16A Entertainment ................19B Food .................................10B Health & Beauty ............... 8B Milestones .......................20A Opinion ...........................15A Outdoors ...........................6A Sports ................................. 1B Talk About Town ..............5A WebExtras! ....................... 1B
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A