Presidents’ Day Essay Contest see page A5
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JANUARY 13, 2006
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New CVHS security cameras do their job TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
The security cameras recently installed at Clayton Valley High School have already proved their worth, says Melinda Moore, president of the Parent Faculty Club (PFC). Late on the night of Jan. 2, the driver of a Toyota 4Runner rammed three gates in an effort
to gain access to the athletic field. According to Officer Mike Foley of the Concord PD, when the ramming failed to break the chains holding the gates, the vandals went around to the back of the campus and entered through an open access area and headed for the softball field. They then ran figure eights around the muddy field causing serious damage to the turf.
What the driver didn’t know, however, was that the new security cameras captured him ramming the gates. According to Foley, the quality of the pictures was very good, enabling police to identify and locate the vehicle and the driver. Under questioning, the driver admitted to ramming a gate, said Foley. “He (the driver) said he wanted to get into the blacktop area so he could
ride his skateboard.” Foley has referred the case to the District Attorney for prosecution. The school has been plagued with escalating vandalism for the past several years. Over this last Memorial Day Weekend, a 20year-old CVHS alumnus cut the eagle out of the logo on the football field, causing several thousand dollars in damage to the newly installed artificial turf.
And just a few days before the security cameras were installed, vandals severely damaged the batting cages on the athletic field. Fed up with the costly destruction, the PFC, led by Moore, appealed to the community for a security system. “The school district wouldn’t pay for it, so we had to raise the money ourselves,” said Moore. She was jubilant at the news of
the system’s success. Cost of the $40,000 system was covered by donations from parents, community members and a $15,000 contribution from the Clayton Business and Community Association. Foley has high praise for the system. “If it weren’t for the video cameras this guy likely would have gotten away,” he said.
Fifteen new classrooms at MDES Headline stories of almost ready for moving day 2005 MEASURE M DEFEATED A ballot measure to renew Clayton’s Landscape Assessment District failed miserably in the November special election. After nearly two years of research and planning, the Landscape Committee took the issue to the voters, confident that it would get the two-thirds vote necessary to hike the annual landscape assessment to $365. The measure got less than 43 percent of the vote. The current Assessment District sunsets in 2007. Unless renewed next year, funds for landscape maintenance will dry up in 2007. The increased assessment would have provided for stepped up maintenance standards, upgrading of the irrigation system and enough money for the operation of the proposed downtown park.
DAVE SHUEY
MAYOR’S CORNER Caring volunteers, staff are the keys to a great city It is a pleasure to be able to write this message to you as mayor of our great city. I want to thank the rest of the council for electing me as mayor and thank all of you who voted for me to be on the council. I will do my best for you and the city. During the coming year, I will be writing this column to update you on what is going on with the city locally and at the county and state levels. So sometimes this message may be boring, but I swear that is the content and not me. I ask anyone who has a specific question to email me at shuey@rankinlaw.com and, if appropriate, I will answer it here so everyone gets the information. Or, if you believe that a citizen or group should get recognition for something they have done, please send me that information and I will try to include them. Since this is my first message and it is the season to give thanks, I would like to recognize
See Mayor, page A6
What’s inside SECTION A Around Town . . . . . . . . . .A2 Classifieds and Directory of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . .A5 Letters to the Editor . . . . .A7 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . .A8 Financial Sense . . . . . . . . . .A8 So, Anyway . . . . . . . . . . . .A10 Music Notes . . . . . . . . . . .A10 Sharing History . . . . . . . .A11 School News . . . . . . . . . . .A12 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . .A13
SECTION B Hiker’s Haven . . . . . . . . . . .B1 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2 EcoFocus (new) . . . . . . . . .B4 Movie Review . . . . . . . . . . .B4 Dining Around . . . . . . . . . .B5 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . .B6 Paws and Claws . . . . . . . . .B7 Crossword Puzzle . . . . . . .B7 Community Calendar . . . . .B8 Upcoming Events . . . . . . . .B8 Church News . . . . . . . . . . .B9 Your Health . . . . . . . . . . . .B9 Food for Thought . . . . . .B10
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
As new classrooms near completion, Principal Linda Hutcherson and Vice Principal Anne Eggleston stand ready to lend a hand, if necessary, to speed construction along.
JILL BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer
The New Year brings big changes for the Mt. Diablo Elementary School Campus as Measure C construction comes to a close. If all goes as planned, students and teachers will move into new classrooms in early March, leaving behind the makeshift portables that housed
them since last spring, according to Vice Principal Anne Eggleston. “It’s a double-edged sword,” says Principal Linda Hutcherson for teachers to have to move one more time. But she admits the move is well worth the wait and inconvenience. “It took my breath away,” she says when she first stepped into the new classrooms, especially those facing Clayton Road. “The
views of the hills are beautiful,” she said. One year ago, the elementary school campus became part of a district-wide remodeling project that was approved by the voters in a 2002 Measure C Bond Election. More than $250 million was allocated in General Obligation bonds to pay for school improvement projects. The district-wide project is
scheduled for completion in 2007. Under the direction of construction management team of VANIR/3DI, The MDES campus has undergone major construction work during the past year. “It went very well,” says Assistant Superintendent of
See Classrooms, page A6
Clayton rings in new year at the gym JILL BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer
The rains stopped and the sky cleared just in time to provide a dry spell for revelers at this Year’s New Year’s Eve event in Clayton. Once again the community gym bustled with activity from the smell of burgers and hot dogs to the squeals of young children speeding down the giant slide. This was the third year that the city of Clayton in conjunction with the YMCA put on an alcohol-free New Year’s Eve celebration with games, contests, hockey competitions, soccer, basketball, a movie room and crafts for little fingers like the hat decorating contest.
See New Year, page A2
Photos by Jill Bedecarré/Clayton Pioneer
A long, multi-colored silk canopy kept children busy as they hid and dove under the myriad of colors.
BUSINESS LICENSE TAX The City’s efforts to enforce the business license tax law by hiring an outside company to conduct an audit raised the ire of more than a few business owners and Realtors. Complaining of what some described as “Gestapo like tactics” businesses railed against the auditors’ requests for income tax returns and vendor lists. Since the city had not been aggressively enforcing the business license tax, some felt that the heavy penalties imposed for prior non-compliance were excessive and overly punitive. Realtors, who were required to have a business license if they listed or sold any property in Clayton regardless of where their offices were, waged an organized resistance to the enforcement through the Contra Costa Realtors Association (CCRA). The council stood firm in their intent to go ahead with the audit and enforcement. However, they did agree to meet with the CCRA to consider their recommendations for an apportionment policy for determining Realtors’ income earned in Clayton. BOCCE BALL After many hours of public testimony before the Planning Commission from angry residents who insisted that bocce
See Stories, page A4