Memorial Da Remembran y ce Monday, May
10 a.m. on Main 25 Street
Speakers, music
, JROTC rifle te am FREE event sp onsored by VFW Post 1525 and Korean W ar Veterans Cha pter 264
IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
May 15, 2015
925.672.0500
WWII exhibit celebrates 70th Anniversary of war’s end CLAYTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY Special to the Pioneer
DAVE SHUEY
MAYOR’S CORNER Downtown property not selling; city may consider mixed use “For Sale, attractive downtown parcel nestled in charming western town nestled at base of Mt. Diablo. Perfect for…?” Many of you know that the City of Clayton owns the largest remaining parcel of vacant land downtown. This parcel is part of and covered by our Downtown specific plan and is zoned for retail development. It is part of the vision first set down decades ago, but has never been developed. It is now being marketed by Transwestern brokers and, despite their best efforts, a buyer/developer has not yet emerged for the hoped for retail use.
See Mayor, page 8
Pete Barra
VETERANS OF VFW POST 1575 PROUDLY POST THE COLORS AT THE OPENING of the Clayton Historical Society’s special exhibit to mark the end of WWII. The exhibit will remain on display through Veterans Day.
May 8, 1945 was a day for celebrating the end of World War II in Europe, called V-E Day ever since. The joy was short-lived when Americans quickly remembered that there was still a brutal war going on in the Pacific Theater. Fortunately, less than four months later, V-J Day (Victory in Japan) was declared and the world rejoiced. Seventy years to the day, on May 8, 2015, the Clayton Historical Society Museum hosted a celebration of its own as they honored and remembered the veterans of WWII with the grand opening of the newest special exhibit, WWII. Local veterans attended the opening, which was held from 7 until 9 p.m. on V-E Day. A color guard kicked off the evening and the “Star Spangled Banner” was performed by Clayton soprano, Mechele Fong. The guests of honor were the first to see the exhibit, which is made up of mementoes from the war and the home front and
See WWII Exhibit, page 9
City to cut water usage by 40% PEGGY SPEAR Clayton Pioneer
Get ready, Clayton. Brown is the “in” color for summer, at least for lawn and turf. Residents and communities across the state are mandated to cut their water usage by at least 25 percent this summer, the fourth year of a historic drought. The City of Clayton is no exception, as they are cutting back water usage a whopping 40 percent from 2013 levels, said City Manager Gary Napper. “The state’s extended drought represents a serious challenge for all in California and requires each resident and property owner in Clayton to prioritize one’s water consumption habits,” he said. “For the city, our 40-43 percent reduction in water usage, in comparison to the 25 percent reduction assigned residential users, necessitates staff evaluate which water-dependent assets and facilities are the more essential to retain and operate.”
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
TAKE A GOOD LONG LOOK—THIS IS A SIGHT CLAYTONIANS WON’T SEE FOR AWHILE. The Clayton fountain has gone dry and will stay that way indefinitely, another casualty of the drought and the governor’s mandate to cut water use by 40 percent. Drinking fountains in the parks and the new water feature in The Grove are also turned off to meet cutback requirements.
For example, he said, landscaped plants and specimen trees will be the targets of the city’s limited outdoor irrigation
at the sacrifice of lawn and turf. The two-days per week outdoor irrigation constraint imposed on residents by the Contra
Costa Water District last month also applies to the city and “we’ll undoubtedly see visual stress to trees and plants as the
hot summer days set in.” “It is no longer ‘business as usual’” he said. Clayton residents will undoubtedly see the stress on lawns and turf, but some areas, such as The Grove Park and some downtown areas, are served by well water, and can be watered three times a week. The main area that will be affected, according to Clayton’s Maintenance Supervisor Mark Janney, is the Community Park and fields, which will only be watered twice a week. “They won’t look so great,” he said. Historically, Janney said, the city uses about 300,000-400,000 gallons per day, but it has been cutting back that usage in recent years due to the drought. So cutting nearly half of that will definitely impact what the residents
See Water Cuts, page 9
Book a date at the Farmers’ Market
What’s Inside Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Community Calendar . . . . .16 Directory of Advertisers . . . .7 School News . . . . . . . . . . .10 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Mayor Dave Shuey, tossed out the first cabbage of the season Saturday to mark the opening of the Clayton Farmers’ Market. Back for a second year is the growing cookbook exchange that will gradually expand to include gardening, composting and produce books. Bring your books and “leave one, take one.” It’s a bit early in the season, but several local farms were on hand with cherries, strawber-
ries and the last of the season’s asparagus. In the coming weeks, look for locally-sourced honeycombs, fresh cut floand the ultimate comfort food, chicken n’ waffles. All Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association farmers’ markets accept WICFMNP (Woman, Infants, and Children Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program) coupons and CalFresh EBT.
See Market, page 5
MAYOR DAVE SHUEY (center) assisted by his children Catherine and Bennett (each end) were joined by Farmers’ Market staff and fellow council members Julie Pierce and Keith Hayden at the opening of the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market last Saturday.
MDUSD board president injects more controversy into Charter saga JAY BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer
Mt. Diablo Unified School District board president C h e r y l H a n s e n thrust herself MDUSD BOARD PRESIDENT into the midCHERYL HANSEN dle of the year-long Clayton Valley Charter High School controversy when she sent a letter and two emails to the Contra Costa County Office of Education urging the county to revoke the charter and immediately return Clayton Valley to MDUSD because of “incompetent, corrupt and dysfunctional” administration and board. Hansen said she was writing as a “long-time public educator and Clayton resident,” yet signed her Feb. 25 letter as President, Mt. Diablo United School Board. Clayton Valley was granted charter school status for the 2012-13 school year after charter leaders went to the county when the MDUSD board refused to approve their charter application. Hansen points out she was the only Mt. Diablo district board member to vote in favor of the CVCHS proposal in 2011. In the past six months Hansen was pulled into the charter school controversy because her boyfriend Bud Beemer, a retired school
See Hansen, page 8
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