Clayto Cleans n April Up 27, 9 a S a ve
IT’S YOUR PAPER March 29, 2013
www.claytonpioneer.com
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City H all BBQ lunch Courtyard for v at 11 olunteers :30
Daffodil Hill blooms again
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Concord chooses Valerie Barone as city manager PEGGY SPEAR Clayton Pioneer
JULIE PIERCE
Valerie Barone can trace her leadership philosophy to a small hillside town in the Philippines. It was there several decades ago when the new Concord City Manager, then a Peace Corps volunteer, learned the importance of community.
MAYOR’S CORNER
A lesson in how our city works
Diablo View Middle School held their annual Career Day a couple weeks ago. I was asked to attend and speak about what the mayor does. I think some of the students were disappointed that the mayor doesn’t make the laws and can’t just order something done. We held a mock-meeting and our agenda included discussion of the roles of council members and the rotational office of the mayor. We talked at length about the role of volunteers in our community and how instrumental they have been in helping us obtain many of our prized amenities, including our library, Clayton Community Park and playfields, Clayton Community Gym, Diablo View Middle School and The Grove Park.
See Mayor, page 3
VALERIE BARONE
Nicole Hackett
A COMMUNITY-WIDE LANDSCAPING EFFORT of the city’s gateway at Marsh Creek and Clayton Roads is paying off this month with the return of the daffodils – a sure sign that spring has arrived. The $60,000 project nurtured by the Clayton Valley Garden Club and financed by the city of Concord and a grant from the Clayton Business and Community Association was completed last fall when the Garden Club planted more than 200 daffodil bulbs, a tradition that began sometime around 2000 and gave the hill its nickname.
“In any endeavor, you need to get everyone involved to have true success,” she says. “It was vital when working
See Barone, page 2
Clayton Valley legend Bob Thomason calls it a career JAY BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer
“It’s not often someone can return to your alma mater where you played, coach 25 years and retire with your dad [and mom] watching your final game in the NCAA Tournament.” CBS basketball commentator Tim Brando made that statement last Fri-
day near the end of the University of the Pacific game against Miami as UOP coach and former Clayton Valley High School star Bob Thomason was coaching his final game. UOP lost to #2 seed Miami 78-49 but that did little to take the luster off Thomason as he bowed out following a distinguished career, having taken
Pacific to five NCAA Tournaments and winning more games than any coach in his conference history. Thomason’s basketball career began on the Clayton Valley Elementary playground (current site of Kings Valley School). He was in fourth grade when he made the fifth grade team and played in the Concord
Recreation Department league for three years “for Mr. Clark with our games on Saturdays at Clayton Valley.” He continued playing at El Dorado Intermediate. He entered high school in 1963, three years before Concord High School opened so he
See Thomason, page 10
As weather warms up so does interest in downtown commercial development TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
Photo courtesy University of Pacific Athletic Department
BOB THOMASON COMPLETED HIS 25TH AND FINAL SEASON as men’s basketball head coach at his alma mater, the University of the Pacific, by cutting down the nets after his Tigers won the Big West Conference tournament earlier this month, earning them a fifth bid to the NCAA Tournament in Thomason’s quarter century in charge. Thomason left CVHS in 1967 with a fistful of school records and a pair of league championships.
What’s Inside
Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Car Tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Commercial development in downtown Clayton has been at a standstill since 2008, when real estate values plummeted, the economy tanked and the few projects that were in the works dried up. In a lousy economy with skyrocketing unemployment and the banks’ chokehold on credit, no one had any money to invest in a new business or and potential customers had little money to spend on “stuff.” But, that’s about to change.
See Downtown, page 8
Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Community Calendar . . . . .14 Design and Décor . . . . . . . .15 Directory of Advertisers . . . . .5
THE CITY OF CLAYTON IS GETTING CLOSE TO A DEAL with a commercial developer to build the Creekside Terrace project on Oak Street. The 7,200 square foot building will house retail businesses at street level with apartments upstairs. Since the building is under 8,000 square feet, the city will waive onsite parking requirement allowing customers to use public parking. Fashion Over 50 . . . . . . . . .17 Food for Thought . . . . . . . .16 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
PHMS Reporter . . . . . . . . . .9 Pioneer Photo Album . . . . .17 Pocket Parenting (NEW) . . .8 Police Report . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Speaking of Sports (NEW) .11 Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190