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May 27, 2011
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Church’s ‘Story Poles’ set the framework for downtown project Public can review Clayton Community Church plan now through June 25
DAVE SHUEY
MAYOR’S CORNER Summer brings out the best–and worst–in Clayton
TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
Clayton is hopping as summer approaches! Our opening Music in the Park and Farmer’s Market were huge successes, and new stores are close to opening in Flora Square downtown. So remember, in today’s economy, shop Clayton first! EVERY POLE TELLS A STORY Questions and speculations abound as to the what and why of the giant erector set projects downtown. The real story is the wood frames downtown are “story poles” that the City asked the Clayton Community Church to put up as part of the environmental impact review of their proposed building plans. These poles are supposed to represent
See Mayor, page 8
TAMARA STEINER/CLAYTON PIONEER
RESPONDING TO A DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR CLAYTON COMMUNITY CHURCH’S APPLICATION for a four-building, 42,000 square foot complex on Main Street, the city asked the church to erect “story poles” to show the size, mass and height of the proposed project.
It’s unlikely that anyone passing by the Clayton Community Church property would not have noticed what looks like a Burning Man set or the start of a tent city. The criss-crossed two-byfours are “story poles,” and the first step in bringing the church’s application for a 42,000 square foot, four-building worship center before the planning commission and city council. The poles are designed to show the size, scale and mass of the project, says Clayton Community Development Director, David Woltering.
See Story Poles, page 16
Clayton matriarch City Council agrees to pay legal fees for dies after long illness CV petition to convert to charter school TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190
Eldora Hoyer, one of the principal players in the incorporation of the city of Clayton in 1964, died Sunday. She was 88. Her husband, Robert “Bob” Hoyer was Clayton’s first mayor. Hoyer was noted for her love of history and meticulous attention to detail. She was a founding member of the Clayton Historical Society and was instrumental in obtaining a grant to salvage, move and preserve the Joel Clayton home, now the Clayton Museum, to its present location on Main Street. Hoyer was active in civic affairs until her illness two years ago. She was a supporter and driving force behind the downtown Grove Park and was an original member of the Clayton Woman’s Club and a member of the CBCA. “She was the powerful matriarch,” says Mayor Dave Shuey. “She was the quiet power and you just knew, that at any moment, she could take control if needed.” “Eldora was a dynamic lady
TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
The city of Clayton put some “skin in the game” at the last city council meeting when the city council voted 4-1 to support the
ELDORA HOYER
whose passion for our community is visible everywhere we look,” says Councilwoman Julie Pierce. “I am honored to have known her as a mentor and as a dear friend.” Pierce says. “She would often call me and say, ‘Julie, I have an idea’ or ‘a thought about that.’” “I will dearly miss those calls and her sparkling blue eyes, her wonderful energy and lilting laughter. Her passing leaves a hole in my heart and that of our community.” A trained journalist, Hoyer was a frequent contributor to local newspapers including the Clayton Pioneer. She served in the US Navy from 1943 until 1946. In 1947, she married Bob. They bought their hillside property near downtown in 1956 and built the home where they would raise their three children. She is survived by her husband, sons Robert Jr. and Fred, and daughter Helen Hoyer Falcone. At Eldora Hoyer’s request, there are no services planned.
The financial support was
proposed by Mayor Dave Shuey who strongly supports the conversion effort and is working closely with the organizers. Shuey has five children in the public schools and a son who will be a freshman at CVHS next
year. “I obviously have a vested interest in this whole issue,” he admitted. To convert to a charter school, CVHS must withdraw
See Charter, page 8
Clayton teens honored with Jefferson Awards at Carondelet DENISEN HARTLOVE Clayton Pioneer
Who says teens are selfish and self absorbed? One look at Clayton teens Haley Morucci and Lauren Ipsen proves that the youngest members of our community often have the biggest hearts. Haley and Lauren, both students at Carondelet High School, are the most recent winners of the school’s prestigious Jefferson Awards for Public Service. Haley, 15, was recognized for her work on behalf of the Lazarex Cancer Foundation, an organization that became highly personal to her because of the help it gave her Uncle Dan before his death last January. Haley supported Lazarex –
What’s Inside Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
conversion of CVHS to a charter school with $8500 to help pay legal fees. The council had previously voted to support the conversion “in concept.”
Community Calendar . . . .13 Concert Schedule . . . . . . . .3 Directory of Advertisers . . . .5
an organization that provides financial assistance and help navigating the system of clinical trials to cancer patients – by selling bright-orange rubber bracelets that bear the motto “Hope, Dignity and Life.” She and her brother, Brad, also organized a fall festival, and the efforts have raised more than $7,000 for Lazarex, according to Haley’s mom Kim Morucci, a local realtor. “What really keeps me going,” Haley says, “is knowing the difference I can make for someone who wouldn’t otherwise have a chance. If the money I raise saves their life, why not push it to the extent you can to save several lives?”
See Jefferson, page 12
Food for Thought . . . . . . .18 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Letters to the Editor . . . . .16 Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
Lauren Ipsen and Haley Morucci were each honored for their community service with the prestigious Jefferson Award.
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