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IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
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June 14, 2013
Parents fume over day care closure PEGGY SPEAR Clayton Pioneer
JULIE PIERCE
MAYOR’S CORNER ‘Family Fair’ highlights summer events School is out and summer fun is in full swing. Mark the date on your calendar: Saturday June 29, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. It’s time for a “Clayton Family Fair & Picnic” in The Grove Park. Bring the whole family and a picnic dinner or grab take-out from one of our local restaurants and join us for an evening of fun. There will be live local musicians in the gazebo, and all games and activities are free, including balloon animals, face painting, craft booths and a show by the fabulous Clayton Bikes Stunt team from 6 to 7 p.m.
See Mayor, page 9
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
THE MARSH CREEK ROAD KINDERCARE CENTER WILL CLOSE ITS DOORS ON JUNE 14 leaving parents to scramble for daycare with only four weeks notice. The corporate-owned center is one of two in Clayton, but parents were told at a May 22 meeting that there may not be room for all the transfers at the Main Street facility.
A nasty battle between a large corporation and Clayton residents came to a head in, of all places, a preschool play lot recently, as parents of the Marsh Creek KinderCare facility fought to keep their beloved preschool and after-care program open. On May 17, KinderCare, which operates two childcare centers in Clayton, announced it was closing the Marsh Creek site, formerly the Clayton Children’s Center, on June 14. The news was greeted with a storm of protests from many of the 45 student’s parents, angry over the short time allowed for transition, as well as the fact that the company should zero-in on “their” center. “It makes no sense,” said parent Dave Moss at a May 22 meeting held at the school which was attended by more than 30 parents as well as
See Day Care, page 13
Cities draw the line with graffiti vandals In rough-and-tumble PEGGY SPEAR Clayton Pioneer
You know you’re doing something right when graffiti artists start tagging about you. At least that’s Ed Moore’s take on things, as one of the small group of two or three Concord city employees who tackle the relentless problem of cleaning up more than 500,000 square feet of graffiti each year in Con-
tra Costa’s largest city. Graffiti is a common blight across public and private properties in Concord, whether it’s gangrelated tagging, teenage hijinks or the occasional artistic statement. But even sleepy little Clayton has its share of graffiti and vandalism, especially during the summer months when school is out, says Mayor Julie Pierce. And it’s a headache, both
financially and from a quality of life perspective. “In Clayton, we have a Graffiti Prevention and Abatement Ordinance,” Pierce says. “It’s our policy to try to clean up graffiti found on public property within 24 hours of our awareness of its existence.” Still, if graffiti is on private property – say a fence or the side of a garage – it is up to the prop-
erty to clean it up, according to Clayton Police Chief Chris Thorsen. Thorsen says that Clayton’s vandalism and graffiti problems aren’t nearly as bad as in other communities where he’s worked, and that’s a reflection of how much the residents here care about their city.
market, Pioneer blazes new trails
See Graffiti, page 4
Concord’s historic Masonic Temple makes moves to recapture lost glory PEGGY SPEAR Clayton Pioneer
Pete Cruz/Clayton Pioneer
IN A TESTAMENT TO PERSISTENCE AND PRESSURE, the old Masonic Temple sits on its new site next to the splendid Galindo House on Clayton Rd. The building was moved from its original Galindo St. lot on May 25. When the move is complete, the building will house the Concord Museum and Resource Center.
What’s Inside Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Behind the Badge . . . . . . . . .6 Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Car Tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Community Calendar . . . . .16 Design and Décor . . . . . . . .19 Directory of Advertisers . . . . .5 DVMS Reporter . . . . . . . . .14
Thanks to the tireless efforts of some local historians, Concord’s once-and-future dance hall will again be open for business when the Concord Masonic Temple becomes the Concord History Museum and Resource Center sometime in the next few years. All it took was a decade of planning, a lawsuit, an economic downturn, a $1 sale and the latest effort – moving the actual Galindo Street building across Clayton Road. Early in the morning on Saturday, May 25, construction crews moved the 85-foot-long by 50-foot-wide temple, weighing almost 300 tons, 1,200 feet to its new site.
See Temple, page 6 Fashion Over 50 . . . . . . . . .17 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Golf Tips (NEW) . . . . . . . . .11 Mind Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Performing Arts . . . . . . . . . .18 Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
MEET THE NEW PIONEERS: In Concord, the Clayton Pioneer is delivered the old-fashioned way – by two crews of carriers walking the routes. Pictured here are John Leite, owner of ABC Direct Home Delivery, Frank Gallegos, supervisor and Carlos Molino, route walker. To meet the second crew, see page 4. DENISEN HARTLOVE Clayton Pioneer
Proving wrong doomsayers’ rumors that print journalism is dead, the Clayton Pioneer newspaper recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, with the City Council naming May as Clayton Pioneer month. The proclamation noted that “the Clayton Pioneer is the “go-to” newspaper in Clayton providing reliable and unparalleled professional coverage of local community, government, and school news and events.” Readership of the community newspaper has grown consistently over the years, beginning with 5,400 homes in Clayton in Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Speaking of Sports . . . . . . .12 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Sports Shorts . . . . . . . . . . .12 Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Teen Read (NEW) . . . . . . .14
2003. Three years ago, the paper expanded its free delivery service to Concord – adding 7,200 in the 94521 zip code. This month, the circulation is further increased with delivery to 2,500 additional homes in the 94518 zip code. With budgets chopped by corporate number crunchers, many of the bigger news corporations – Bay Area News Group, for instance, and CNN.com– have been forced to cut editorial staffs, and simply don’t have the manpower available to offer more than a cursory glance at the issues of the areas they aim to serve.
See Newspaper, page 4
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