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IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
May 21, 2004
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Oakhurst hill continues to slide BY TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
Property owners in the Oakhurst Geological Hazard Abatement District (GHAD) were notified last week that the ground in the large open space area between Kelok Way and Golden Eagle Place has slipped nearly an inch in the past 13 months. The GHAD Newsletter
JULIE PIERCE
MAYOR’S CORNER
Cities strike “deal” with governor Last month, thanks to many of you, the League of California Cities turned in petitions with over 1.1 million signatures to qualify our LOCAL (Leave Our Community Assets Local) initiative to protect and secure local funding against state raids without first getting your (voter) approval. Our measure that I wrote about in the February 23 issue of this paper [see the article at www.claytonpioneer.com] will be on the ballot this November. The efforts of our coalition got the attention of Governor Schwarzenegger. He knows all about people power! Thursday, May 13, the cities, counties, special districts and
See Mayor, page 14
outlined the findings of Berlogar Geotechnical Consultants, which suggest a “slow landslide movement northward...approximately 30 feet below the surface of Golden Eagle Place and involving a part of the slope.” According to City Engineer, Rick Angrisani, this movement appears to be at the base of a larger pre-existing landslide,
which was repaired by the developers during the grading of the site prior to the construction of the Oakhurst homes. As part of an ongoing geological monitoring of the area, Berlogar installed two inclinometers to measure ground movement; one is in the pavement on Kelok Way and the other is in the open space down the slope behind 8004 and 8008
Kelok Way and midway between Golden Eagle Place and the mid-slope bench. Measurements over the past 13 months indicated no noticeable movement in the inclinometer located in the pavement. However a 0.9 inch offset, approximately 55 feet below the surface, was noted in the inclinometer located in the slope area. Berlogar indicated
that slippage may be occurring in a 700 foot long, 300 foot wide area of the slope. According to the Berlogar report, it may be that only part of this area is moving, or this area could be part of a larger area that is moving. It is also possible that the area involved could enlarge and “encompass areas that are presently not moving.” and Berlogar recom-
Clayton’s secret gardens revealed By all accounts, the Clayton Historical Society’s 12th Annual Clayton Gardens Tour was a smashing success. Everything and everyone cooperated to make the two day event one to remember. Both days dawned bright and sunny. Blue skies and big puffy white clouds set the stage for the six garden delights. The tour began in Concord at the home of Bill and Jean Andrewsen with roses, roses and more roses. The magnificent terraces and pool at the Morgan Territory home of Roy and Melanie Alarcon (R&M Pool and Patio) were next. A mile or so down the road in Curry Canyon, is the lovely new/old (seven year old) Victorian home of Mike and Laurie Rose, where native toyon trees live in perfect harmony with classi-
cal topiaries. Then it was back into town to Glenn and Candy Fagerlin’s “Backyard Wildlife Habitat,” (so designated by the National Wildlife Federation) where a pond full of coy basked happily in all the attention. Just a short jog over a hill or two, the hillside garden, pool and spa belonging to Kevin and Judy Roberts, is a marvel of vision and engineering. The day was warm and the last garden provided a shady respite in Joe Swicegood’s half acre of redwood, cedar and sequoia trees on Mitchell Canyon Road. Over 700 toured the six gardens this year, according to Ticket Chairperson, Sally Turner, and many of them stopped at the home of Don
BY TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
Elaine Shingleton was recently honored by the City of Concord for a lifetime of caring for others. Shingleton, an oncology nurse at Mt. Diablo Medical Center and a long time Clayton resident received the Lifelong Achievement Award from the City of Concord’s Human Relations Commission on April 17, recognizing nearly 30 years of volunteer service.
Shingleton, 56, is a youthful, no-nonsense grandmother with sparkling eyes and a quick smile. She is an active member of St. Bonaventure’s Catholic Church where she is involved in prison ministry. She currently volunteers her time with “Kids and the Power of Work” (KAPOW), a national organization which introduces students to career awareness through lessons taught by business volunteers in the classroom. She is president of the board of trustees of
See GHAD, page 14
Village Market plans to re-open
TAMARA STEINER/CLAYTON PIONEER
GARDEN GATE (above) leads to front of the Rose Victorian in Curry Canyon. At right, lazy dry creek in the front yard of the Andrewsen’s Concord home.
and Marie Schell for an oldfashioned Victorian garden party. Turner estimates that more than 120 volunteers contributed to the success of the event. She anticipates that net proceeds from this year’s tour will top $12,000. All the funds go to support the Clayton Museum.
Shingleton honored for her service to others
ELAINE SHINGLETON received the Lifetime Achievement Award from City of Concord’s Human Relations Commission
mends that the GHAD continue to monitor the area. The only way to stop the land from moving is to go in with structural reinforcements the cost of which is estimated to be between $8 and $12 million. Funding of the repairs would require the voters to approve a bond issue. In anticipation of possible
“Wingz to Fly,” a fledgling nonprofit which helps to prepare foster teens for self sufficiency when they turn 18 and no longer receive county support. “Everything I do, I see as a ministry,” said Shingleton from her office on the oncology floor at Mt. Diablo Hospital where she is the Director of Medical Patient Care Units. “I love my work, here. I’ve had several special encounters with patients that really deepened and touched my faith.” Her approach to nursing is holistic. She sees the whole patient—heart and soul. A few years ago, she engineered a wedding on the oncology floor. “The bride’s mother was here with just a very short time to live.” So, Shingleton, with the help of her staff, found an empty four-bed room, ordered a wedding cake and arranged for a limousine. Shortly after the wedding, the bride’s mother died. “She would never have made it to the wed-
ding day,” she said. Shingleton first volunteered to help people in pain in 1976 when, after a short period of training, she became a telephone counselor with Contact Care Center in Lafayette. “I talked with many interesting people,” she recalls, “and I knew that I was making a difference.”
“Everything I do, I see as a ministry,” Elaine Shingleton No stranger to troubled times, herself, in 1989 Shingleton lost her first grandchild in infancy from congenital heart problems. In 1994, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, hardly missing a day of work through her chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Then in 2001, after nursing him through
his own two year battle with cancer, Shingleton lost her beloved grandson, Christofer, 11. Coworkers from every department at Mt. Diablo Hospital donated countless vacation hours, making it possible for her to stay home to care for him. Through all the tough times, Shingleton has had the support of many. “God knows how we would have gotten through all that without community support,” she said. “Helping others is just a way to give back all that we’ve been given.” Shingleton was nominated for the award by Candy Negrete of Clayton, who writes “With all of her activities, what is significant is that she gives a personal touch. She is about people, not institutions.” This dedicated nurse sits on the Board of the American Cancer Society of East Contra Costa County, the California East Bay Oncology Nursing
Work to renovate the fire damaged Village Market may begin as soon as mid June reports owner Sam Sandhu. The store was badly damaged in an early morning fire on January 15. Vic Johnson of Greenspan Insurance Adjusters, estimates losses from the fire will be about $400,000. Johnson was on site last week completing the final estimates and plans to rebuild. When the architects have reviewed the plans, Sandhu will apply for the building permits. Plans for the store include a new deli and some outdoor seating. “We hope to work with the city to make some outdoor seating next to the park,” said Sandhu. The second story may be built out as apartments or as offices. Responding to reports that he might be moving to another location, Sandhu replied “No, not true. I love this town. I bought a house here. My daughter bought a house here. This is where I want to have my business.” According to Randy Champion, chief fire inspector for Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, the cause of the fire is still under investigation. Society and Hospice and Palliative Care of Contra Costa County and serves on the Nursing Committee for the Bay Area Tumor Institute, all organizations dedicated to research and improvement of the quality of life for cancer patients. She and husband Art have been married for 29 years and live in Dana Hills. They have six grown children.
Pioneer Territory is growing Beginning with this issue, Pioneer Territory is expanding into Concord. We now mail to those carrier routes that border Clayton. We welcome all our new readers. We hope you enjoy the paper.