PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190
IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
July 21, 2006
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...and the walls came a tumblin’ down DAVE SHUEY
MAYOR’S CORNER Fun time awaits all down at City Hall I w as sta ying at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Y osemite a few w eeks bac k and happened to o verhear a con versation between tw o couples . Coincidentally, they w ere talking about the Pioneer. They all said how they loved the paper (shameless plug, but I might need a fa vor one da y), but one woman said she just did not get the mayor’s column. She said that it seemed the ma yor was always making inside jok es or references and she just did not get it. Of course, I was dismayed, but then I realized she w as right. What is the moral of this story (or wh y is he w asting my time with this)? Quit eavesdropping on con versations or y ou See Mayor, page A8
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
DEMOLITION
BEGAN LAST WEEK
TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
With dust and r ubble flying, the first w alls of the old Claretian Seminar y came do wn last w eek as bulldozers beg an preparing the land for 24 new
on the Claretian Seminary on Regency Drive to make way for 24 luxury homes. luxury homes. The bo xy, angular building, constructed in 1965 b y the Claretian Missionaries as a training center for y oung priests never produced a single priest for the order. The building, called an “eyesore” by some and “holy
ground” by others has been vacant since the mid-80s , although it has seen periodic use as a retreat house. Since the early sev enties, there have been many proposals for the proper ty, including a church, a militar y academy and an inter national boarding
school. Each project either failed to raise the needed funds for dev elopment or met with resistance by the neighbors over traffic and noise issues. In 2003, Lemke Construction purc hased the 24 acres known as Seminary Hill to build 24 luxur y homes with an
average lot size of 13,000 square feet. Six of the lots will be almost a full acre—big enough for horses . The homes will be as larg e as 4500 square feet and will sell in the $1 million range. “The actual price will See Seminary, page A11
Program gives teens a front seat view of police work While there are signs of wealth throughout Clayton – fr om the granite counter tops to the BMWs , the city itself is low-budget. The staffs at City Hall, the librar y and the Police Department all rely on volunteers to help keep things running smoothly. In the J une 16, the Pioneer look ed at some of the local r esidents who “clock in” down at City Hall. In last issue, we focused on the multitudes that conver ge on the librar y to pitch in on a w eekly basis. In this issue, we take a look at the teens w ho, through the Explor er program, answer the call to ser vice with the P olice Department. In talking with these volunteers, a common theme rings thr ough – it’s all about making this gr eat community we live in even better. BEV BRITTON Clayton Pioneer
Lauren Gehring is quic k to recall her first experience as an Explorer with the Cla yton Police Department. “I saw a dead body,” the 19year-old reports calmly during a ride-along last w eek with Officer Sean McNamara. “It wasn’t even my first ridealong,” she adds . “I w as g oing to get my uniform.”
What’s Inside SECTION A
Besides the hear t attack victim, she has w atched as a postoperative patient ho vered near death and has par ticipated in an all-night search and rescue with bloodhounds. She also has ridden along with suspects to the Concord and Mar tinez jails and Juvenile Hall. And she k eeps coming bac k for more. “Fear is not something I often think about, ” she sa ys. “It’s exciting to g et to see ho w
the officers react while on calls.” Seven local teens cur rently participate in the free career guidance prog ram, which is affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America. Each Explorer mak es a commitment of 16 v olunteer hours a month, and the Clayton department pa ys for their uniforms. “Their main role is to provide suppor t ser vices, such as helping out at comm unity events,” says Chief Dan
Lawrence. “We show them how to direct traffic, how to act on a ride-along, how to stand b y a barricade or at the scene of an accident so they remain safe and how to ha ve a commanding presence.” They also meet with the officers in c harge every two w eeks to learn about police w ork. Sgt. Scott Dansie and Officer Ric h Enea Jr. recently took o ver the project from Sgt. Tim O’Hara. “The next meeting will be about aspects of car searc hes,” Enea sa ys. “We will plant fak e evidence and they g o out and try to find it. Then they w ould write a report.” See Teens, page A10
At casual car show, it’s all about relaxing in the sun BEV BRITTON Clayton Pioneer
Around Town . . . . . . . . . . .A2 Theater Review . . . . . . . . . . .A4 Directory of Advertisers . . .A5 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A6 Food for Thought . . . . . . . .A7 Movie Reviews . . . . . . . . . . .A9 Your Health . . . . . . . . . . . .A10 EcoFocus . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A11 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . .A12
SECTION B
Hiker’s Haven . . . . . . . . . . . .B1 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2 Just My Opinion . . . . . . . . . .B6 Pet Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B7 Community Calendar . . . . . .B8 School News . . . . . . . . . . . . .B9 Church News . . . . . . . . . . .B10 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . .B10 Dining Around . . . . . . . . . .B11 Crossword Puzzle . . . . . . . .B11 Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B12
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
AS PART OF HER POLICE TRAINING, Explorer Lauren Gehring prepares for a ride-along with Clayton Officer Sean McNamara on July 11. Gehring usually stays with the officer for at least eight hours.
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
FOR CLAYTON RESIDENT STEVE SLINGERLAND, the Wednesday night car show is more about hanging with his friends than showing off his 1975 Plymouth Duster.
If it’s W ednesday and it’ s summer, expect to see Cla yton resident Stev e Sling erland and his buddies dri ving their classic cars to downtown Clayton. After parking them in the Community Churc h lot, they head o ver to Skipolini’ s for pizza and beer , with bac kground m usic blasted b y DJ Don Vogel, aka “The Colonel.” Vogel fields requests from his collection of hits mainly from the ’50s and ’60s . He’s actually broadcasting the m usic live on W CAR, 104.9 FM. “It’s a very small station broadcast in the area – three bloc ks at the outside,” he says. Slingerland has been coming to the casual car sho w since it
was launched 12 summers ag o. “I lik e being outdoors and everyone is so friendly ,” Slingerland sa ys. “You don ’t even ha ve to bring a friend – everyone here is so nice . And the music’s not bad either.” He keeps an eye on his 1975 Supercharged red Plymouth Duster from his seat on the patio at Skip’s. He used to hang out by the car to answ er questions from passers-by, but those days are long g one. “When y ou first g et a car , you’re all ex cited and y ou want to sit there and have people ask you the same questions o ver and o ver,” Slingerland sa ys. “But now, we all sit here and the cars just sit over there.” According to Skip’s manager See Car Show, page A13