YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 18, No. 34
READ NEWS YOU CAN TRUST AT WWW.THEPRESS.NET!
ECCFPD Cleaning up for Dune Day pitches in for station
August 24, 2018
The Legend Of Murrieta
by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) will transfer $1.9 million in excess operating funds to the City of Oakley to cover higher-thanexpected construction costs for a fire station at the corner of East Cypress Road and Summer Lake Drive. The city had planned to construct a fire station using $3.1 million, which was garnered in a 2017 settlement with Shea Homes after the builder failed to build a station by the time 600 homes were built in the Summer Lakes development near East Cypress and Bethel Island roads, as promised. But district-initiated design changes and rising construction costs left the city short of funds. The city will reimburse the district from future Fire Facilities Impact Fees see Station page 26
Local resident is making a movie about infamous bandit Joaquin Murrieta. Page 5
Sprucing Up School Sites Photo by Tony Kukulich
E
ast Bay Regional Parks Intern Brett Walsh is coordinating this weekend’s Dune Day at Big Break Visitor Center at the Delta, in Oakley. The event is Saturday, Aug. 25, from 8 to 11 a.m. Volunteers will remove non-native plants from a remnant dune in preparation for the planting of native vegetation in the fall. This is the second Dune Day of the summer and is a great way to learn something new and help with the restoration of Oakley’s natural heritage. The program is free and drop-ins are welcome. For more information, call 510-544-3050. The Big Break Visitor Center is located at 69 Big Break Road.
Great Wolf Lodge going to Manteca “ We gave it everything we could without
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 waterpark resort company, recently announced it will build a 500room, 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
putting the city at risk and approached it all along with great interest but without being desperate.
” Gus Vina, Brentwood city manager
Resorts Inc. chief executive officer. “We’re looking forward to being a part of the community and contributing to its continued growth.” Great Wolf operates locations in the U.S. and Canada that feature indoor water parks, hotels, family entertainment centers, restaurants, retail stores and meeting rooms for confer-
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ences and seminars. Brentwood City Manager Gus Vina admitted that he is disappointed Great Wolf chose Manteca over Brentwood but noted that the city did its best to entice the resort giant. “We gave it everything we could without putting the city at risk and approached it all along with great interest but without
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being desperate,” he said. Great Wolf began publicly exploring Brentwood in mid2016, motivating the city to later spend $34,000 on feasibility and economic analysis for the potential project, which would have paid dividends for the city. Had Brentwood been chosen, it was expected that a 50acre, 500- to 800-room resort would have been built between Lone Tree Way and Sand Creek Road off Highway 4, generating 800 permanent jobs and $6 million annually for the city in transient-occupancy taxes, the small fee given to the city anytime a hotel room is rented. The facilsee Wolf 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.