Fron Adv t Page ertis ing
It Wo rks
Put y our ‘ stick & lis y no ten t te’ h o the ere Call phon Clay e rin 925- ton Pioneer g. 6
72-0
500
IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
July 25, 2014
925.672.0500
Clayton’s first Fitness Fair and 5k run to be an annual event HANK STRATFORD
MAYOR’S CORNER
Keeping Clayton’s streets, homes safe Here is a brief update on public safety in Clayton. Our police department is fully staffed. Officers Borman, Wayne and Fragga are progressing nicely through their field training. Once field training is completed each officer will be able to fill a work shift, which will relieve some of the pressure on our fully trained officers. In the meantime, Chief Chris Thorsen continues to saddle up and patrol during the day. For nearly two decades our police department, along with the majority of police departments around the country, has used Ford’s Crown Victoria Police Interceptor as its patrol car. In
See Mayor, page 3
Julie Pierce
CLAYTON SAW ITS FIRST 5K RUN AT CLAYTON COMMUNITY PARK LAST SATURDAY. The event included a Fitness Fair with Zumba demonstrations by Kaia Fitness and CPR instruction by CERT volunteers.
More than 300 adults and kids– some in strollers–gathered in the early morning at the Clayton Community Park last Saturday for the town’s first 5K Run and Fitness Fair. The turnout far surpassed expectations for Girl Scout Sarah Owen who is organized the event for her Gold Award. The event was free, but required a donation for the Contra Costa and Solano County Food Bank. By 8 a.m., volunteers had collected at least eight barrels of food and more donations were coming. The first ten to finish received a pat on the back and a water bottle. Surprising even her parents, 11-year-old Emma Coflin finished among the top ten. “She was running along way back with her mom,” said dad Dan Coflin. “Then she suddenly took off.” One of the requirements for the award is to organize a community event that will be ongoing, said Owen. Sharon Cuff, whose company Calex was one of the major sponsors, has agreed to organize next year’s run.
Concord’s downtown plan targets business, housing PEGGY SPEAR Clayton Pioneer
It’s a Tuesday night in downtown Concord, and things are hoppin’. A couple hundred people lounge in Todos Santos Plaza listening to a blues band, coupled
Mercurio pleads guilty to felony DUI TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
A 22-year-old Clayton woman, charged with a felony DUI after hitting and critically injuring a motorcyclist last year appeared in a Martinez courtroom last week where she changed her plea from not guilty to guilty and was sentenced to three years in state prison. Jessica Mercurio, then 21, was driving with a blood alcohol nearly four times the legal limit on June 27, 2013, when she lost control of her Toyota Corolla on Clayton Road at the Oak Street ramp. She jumped the median, crossing into the eastbound lane where she hit 51-year-old Mark Tomaszewski head on before crashing into a light pole in front of Clayton City Hall. Witnesses at
with the sounds of children laughing in the playground. Food Trucks from Off-the-Grid line Salvio Street, while patrons of local restaurants – including the new Hop Grenade taproom — pack outdoor seating areas. The Tuesday Night Blues series has become a trendy event in July, second only to the wildly popular Thursday Night Music and Market series, which draws thousands to the area around the plaza, and it’s no secret why. “The quality of the entertainment, coupled with the restaurants and businesses, make
downtown Concord a great place to be,” says John Montagh, the city’s Economic Development and Housing Manager. And if the city has its way, this will be the norm for decades to come. The city council last month adopted the Downtown Specific Plan, which will direct growth and development in the blocks in and around the historic plaza. The plan envisions a district as bustling, transit-oriented, urban space serving as both a magnet of activity for the city, as well as a more regional commuter hub for central Contra
Costa County. It has a good start, Montagh says, if only because the plaza anchors the downtown, and much of the city’s events and activities are held there. And not only do Concord residents flock to downtown, it’s pulling fans from neighboring communities as well. “We come every Thursday night,” says Walnut Creek resident Sandi Hollander. “We love just hanging out in the plaza with friends, listening to music. It’s become ‘the thing’ to do during the summer.”
Lighting Ceremony in DecemVIBRANT DOWNTOWN But it’s not just in the summer ber. Downtown Concord has months that Todos Santos Plaza become an attractive place to be, hosts activities. year round.” “Downtown Concord has She says that “with more peobecome more vibrant than ple living downtown moving here ever,” says Concord planning from other parts of the Bay Area, commissioner Carlyn Obringer. the demand for interesting, speShe attributes that to a number cialty places to eat and drink is of things. “There is practically growing.” She points to the sucalways something going on, cess of La Sen Bistro, Naan-nfrom the Winter Brews Festival Curry, Ravioli’s, E.J. Phair Conin January, to the AAUW-Con- cord Alehouse, The Pig & The cord Art and Wine (and Beer!) Pickle, The Hop Grenade and Walk the day before Mother’s Sweet Tart. “The addition of Day, to the summer Music and Market events, to the Tree See Downtown Plan, page 5
Fire district staffs up as Station 11 reopening set for Dec. 1 EMILY WRIGHT Correspondent
For the first time in twoand-a-half years, new recruits attending the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Academy had an opportunity to experience a full-scale simulation training, complete with fire engines and heavy equipment, at a parking garage in Concord. On Friday July 18, the city of Concord allowed the academy to temporarily shut down the upper floors of the parking structure at the corner of Salvio and Colfax streets so the soon-to-be firefighters
See Mercurio, page 4
could practice techniques with more space than the 25-by-25 foot training tower area they usually have. There was also the added benefit of experience out in the community and in a new environment. “It doesn’t have a fire or smoke, but it does have a training tower with a smaller set up. It gets us into a realistic situation, dealing with traffic, and people,” Brent Boling, a firefighter academy instructor, explained. “The main goal is just more hands on training for the new recruits. We try to prepare them for the possibilities from day one.”
See CCCFPD, page 3
What’s Inside Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Community Calendar . . . . .12 Concord City News . . . . . . . .5 Food for Thought . . . . . . . .14
Photo: Emily Wright
THE UPPER FLOORS OF CONCORD’S SALVIO ST. PARKING GARAGE served as training grounds last week for CCCFPD firefighters-in-training as they learned to manage the fire hose in a multi-story structure fire scenario. Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 MDES Correspondent . . . . . .6 Performing Arts . . . . . . . . . .13 Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Pioneer Photo Album . . . . .15
Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Sports Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Teen Reads . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Underfoot (NEW) . . . . . . . .16
Like us on
Postal Customer ECRWSS PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA 94517 PERMIT 190