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IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
September 25, 2009
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Save Mount Diablo stakes its claim on Viera North Peak JULIE PIERCE
MAYOR’S CORNER Seeking feedback on Grove concerts The days are getting shorter and fall weather is on its way – we hope! The kids have settled in at school and we enjoyed our last Concert in The Grove last Saturday. It was another beautiful evening in Clayton. As I sat watching the sun set on Mt Diablo, I couldn’t help but think how lucky we all are to live in such a beautiful place and how the concerts have provided another opportunity to bring our community together. I’d like to thank everyone who worked so hard this year to present the Concerts in The Grove series. This year’s concert series cost of $22,000 was sponsored financially by the Clayton
See Mayor, page 6
Photo courtesy of Save Mt. Diablo
THE 165-ACRE VIERA FAMILY RANCH on Mt. Diablo’s North Peak has been purchased by Save Mt. Diablo for preservation as parkland. SMD will depend on private donations to fund the $800,000 needed to complete the acquisition, outlined in red in the photo. ANDRÉ GENSBURGER Clayton Pioneer
Save Mount Diablo fulfilled a 38-year-old wish by purchasing the 165-acre Viera North Peak parcel, formerly known as
the Viera Family Ranchland, on Sept. 4. Viera is located on the eastern slopes of North Peak and crossed by Perkins Canyon. The plot comes complete with two creeks that ultimately flow
into Marsh Creek. “We’re moving quickly in spite of the state’s budget crisis,” said Ron Brown, executive director for Save Mount Diablo (SMD). The property is described as
high elevation with views that stretch more than 200 miles. The selling price was $975,000. A down payment of $175,000 came from the Mary Bowerman Fund, SMD’s cofounder and botanist.
Redevelopment Agency reels under latest state grab TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
The state’s desperate grab of local tax monies to close their $26 billion budget gap will cost the city of Clayton over $2 million this year, severely crip-
pling the agency’s downtown revitalization plans. When the dust finally settled, the hit to the Redevelopment Agency was $1.9 million, with another $139,195 in property tax revenues “borrowed” from the
general fund. The final number was nearly four times what was expected, says city staffer, Laura Hoffmeister. The RDA collects $3.35 million in tax revenues and pays out $2.6 in debt service, leaving a little under $750,000 to spend
on economic development. The state seizure is 250 percent of that.. “This is outright theft,” says City Manager Gary Napper. “There is no constitutional basis for this seizure and no obligation to pay it back.”
To meet the obligation, the RDA will borrow $592,412 from the Affordable Housing Fund in a one-time loan that must be repaid in five years.
See Revenue, page 7
This amount, as well as the balance, needs to be paid by March 4. SMD plans a range of fundraising activities. “We are very excited about
See Viera Ranch, page 13
Rattlesnake bite seriously injures Clayton man JAY BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer
Friends walk – and walk – for breast cancer awareness TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
SUPPORTING FAMILY AND FRIENDS both living with and lost to breast cancer motivates Stephanie Zukowski, Jeanne Emry and Patty Foster to keep going while they train for their 60 mile, three-day walk in November.
What’s Inside Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Church News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
This year, an estimated 192,370 American women, roughly 1 in 8, will hear the dreaded diagnosis “you have breast cancer.” Of those, 40,170 women will die of the disease – leaving big holes in too many lives to count. In October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, women and men will be walking and talking to increase awareness and raise money for breast cancer issues, especially the need for early detection. Breast cancer rates have been steadily declining since 1999, even in the Bay Area – where the rate is among the highest in the world. But ask anyone who has seen cancer slam into a mother, sister, daughter or friend and they will tell you that, declining or not,
it’s still too many. When she was 16, Jeanne Emry lost her mother to breast cancer. The loss still seems fresh for the 51-year-old Clayton woman. Every time the disease touches someone close to her, she feels the pain all over again. When a close friend was diagnosed in 2003, a desire to “do something” motivated Emry to sign up for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for Breast Cancer. She walked 60 miles and raised $11,000 for research. She was hooked. “I cried when I crossed the finish line,” she recalls. “I just kept thinking, ‘Mom, I did it.’ ” This year, Emry will walk for the fifth time. She’ll be joined by Patty Foster of Clayton and Stephanie Zukowski of Concord. It will be the first 60-mile event for See Breast Cancer, page 12
The quick actions of a crew from Contra Costa Fire Protection District Engine 11 probably saved the life of 84year-old Lowell Hoelmer after he was bitten by a large rattlesnake in his Herriman Court garage Sept. 1 in Clayton. Hoelmer’s wife, LaVon, is quick to credit the emergency
See Snake Bite, page 6
LOWELL HOELMER
Community Calendar . . . . . . . . .15
Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Deal With It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Movie Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Safety Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Theatre Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Directory of Advertisers . . . . . . . . .5
Obituary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
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Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . .2