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February 13, 2015
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Vets honored at Camellia Tea TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
DAVE SHUEY
MAYOR’S CORNER
Busy season with Grove upgrades, new planning commissioner You might think that with the weather we are getting the last couple of years that we don’t have seasons anymore, but that is far from the truth. Why, as we speak, Councilmember Howard Geller is working hard to line up yet another great spring and summer season of Music in the Park. That is right, before you know it, it will be May and we will be hearing music downtown. In that same vein, our city maintenance staff is doing its own gearing up. Signs are up to inform you of the closure of The Grove park playground for replacement of the resilient play surface. We get so much use for this playground that it is just darn worn out and needs replacement. Work is scheduled to start on Monday, Feb. 9 with removal of the floor panels on the play equipment and tear-out of the old surface. We are going to work as fast as possible, but the closure of the playground might last through Friday, Feb. 27 depending on the weather conditions, and frankly I think we
See Mayor, page 4
Photo Tamara Steiner
WWII VETERANS WERE THE HONORED GUESTS at the Clayton Historical Society’s Annual Camellia Tea last Sunday. From left: Martin Easton, U.S. Navy Flight Officer Trainee; Jauire Welsh, Navy Yoeman 2nd Class; Rob Plaisted U.S. Navy Photographers Mate, 2nd Class,; Bob Hoyer, U.S. Army Infantry Engineer; Warren Miller, U.S. Navy, Electrician Mate, 3rd Class.
History truly came alive last Sunday as The Clayton Historical Society honored 10 local World War II veterans at the 38th Annual Camellia Tea held at the Clayton Museum. Attendees shared stories, recollections and historic photographs at the annual event. Among the honored guests was Rod Plaisted who was a young Photographer’s Mate Second Class in the U.S. Navy when Joe Rosenthal took his famous photograph of “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.” Plaisted processed that photo and six others taken in sequence. “We knew right away it was an historic picture,” said Plaisted, who had one of the original prints with him at the tea. Although he was clearly part of that history making photo, he never met Rosenthal. In fact, he avoided him, fearing Rosenthal would question him about the war.
See Camellia Tea, page 3
Station 11 reopens with grand celebration PEGGY SPEAR Clayton Pioneer
The Clayton community threw a huge welcome home bash for Fire Station 11 at a celebration Jan. 31, complete with honored dignitaries, scout troops, a community safety fair and, of course, a barbecue.
Luckily, there were plenty of firefighters on hand to douse any errant flames from the barbecue. The station officially reopened Jan. 16, nearly two years after budget cuts shuttered Clayton’s only fire station. It was one of seven stations closed by the county
Mt. Diablo closes park area where peregrine falcons nest JOHN T. MILLER Correspondent
pixshark.com
EVEN AFTER GIVING BIRTH TO THEIR YOUNG, called eyasses, the peregrine falcon is easily frightened. The parents can be scared off from the nest and may never return.
For the first time ever, a corner of Mt. Diablo State Park will be closed to the public for six months so that peregrine falcons can nest in peace in the region. Pine Canyon, which includes the area known as “Castle Rock,” closed on Feb. 1 and will remain off-limits until July 31 so that the territorial and highly sensitive raptors, a “highly protected species,” will not be disturbed during their important nesting season. The main access to Castle Rock is through Foothill Regional Park, which prompted East Bay Regional Parks to work with the State Parks system to bring about the closure. The peregrine falcons are not
after a 2012 bond measure to help fund the Contra Costa Consolidated Fire Protection District failed. During the past two years, it was staffed parttime by firefighters from Station 22 in Crystyl Ranch. Station 11 is the first to reopen after many Clayton residents, aided by Supervisor Karen Mitchoff ’s office, lobbied that the area needed fire protection services in town and with such close proximity to Mount Diablo. An improving economy and a federal SAFER grant helped fund the reopening. The grand celebration featured a presentation and posting of colors by local Girl Scout Troops 33195 and 30905, Boy Scout Troop 484 and the Firefighters of Contra Costa Honor Guard. There were remarks by Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, Mitchoff, CCCFPD Chief Jeff Carmen, International Association of Firefighters 1230 President Vince Wells, as well as by Mayor David Shuey and Clayton City Councilman Jim Diaz, who both helped lead the efforts to reopen the station. The afternoon also featured a safety fair with CPR training, child fingerprinting, bicycle safety presentations, an open house, and a ladder art display put together by students in Mt. Diablo Elementary School teacher Alexandra Pike’s second grade class.
Jennifer Jay
THANKS TO A RECOVERING ECONOMY and an infusion of money from a federal SAFER grant, the flag once again flies over Clayton’s Station 11, closed for two years for lack of money. The community turned out in force to celebrate with a bang-up barbeque party on January 31. Fire Station 11 is staffed with three full-time firefighters — a captain, a fire engineer and a firefighter. It is a fulltime ALS (advanced life support) station with one member being a paramedic. It is also equipped with a wild land
response unit for fires up on Mount Diablo. Jennifer Jay contributed to this article.
For more photos from the celebration, turn to page 18
See Falcons, page 3
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