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November 8, 2013
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SMD scores big win with historic Curry Canyon Ranch purchase TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
JULIE PIERCE
MAYOR’S CORNER
Caldecott’s fourth bore ready for action After years of planning, leveraging local resources, and construction, I am proud to announce we are in the final days of our countdown to the opening of the Caldecott fourth bore tunnel. Barring last-minute changes between this writing and publishing this column, the tunnel will open to traffic in less than 10 days; sometime during the weekend of Nov. 16. Through collaborative management by Caltrans and our Contra Costa Transportation Authority, the tunnel will be open ahead of schedule and within the original budget, both significant achievements. State Route 24 currently carries about 160,000 vehicles daily through the three existing tunnels. Traffic congestion is experienced in the peak and off-peak directions. The new fourth bore will relieve congestion in the noncommute direction by permanently dedicating two bores to westbound traffic and two to eastbound traffic. This will eliminate the need to reverse traffic direction in the center bore twice a day to accommodate morning and evening commute traffic, and add greater predictability on weekends. The new tunnel has sophisticated fire-life-safety systems and intelligent technology and is designed to reopen to emergency traffic within 72 hours of a major earthquake. A state-of-the-art Operations and Maintenance Control building is under construction. The new facility will be the “nerve center” for the four Caldecott tunnels, as well as the Webster-Posey tubes in Alameda County. Your voter-approved Contra Costa Measure J sales tax dollars contributed $120.6 million to the $417 million total cost of the new
See Mayor page 18
Scott Hein
DESCRIBED BY SAVE MOUNT DIABLO AS “THE HEART OF MT. DIABLO,” CURRY CANYON RANCH INCLUDES MORE THAN A MILE of sandstone cliffs and wind caves. The $7.2 million, 1,100-acre property is the largest acquisition in the history of SMD and will ultimately be sold to the state of California to add to Mt. Diablo State Park.
Community welcomes home crash victim TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
CLAYTON MAYOR JULIE PIERCE CELEBRATES with crash victim Mark Tomaszewski (right) and his brother John Tomaszewski at a “home from the hospital” picnic and hike on Oct. 26.
A Brentwood man critically injured in a June 27 crash in front of City Hall was released from the hospital last week and celebrated with co-workers, firstresponders, family and friends at a picnic in Castle Rock Park. Mark Tomaszewski, 51, suffered head trauma, serious internal injuries and multiple broken bones when he was hit head-on by an alleged drunk driver who witnesses say was texting at the time of the crash. A smiling Tomaszewski, who doesn’t remember anything of the crash, said he has been “blown away” by the “unbelievable” community support following the crash. “He is making a remarkable
recovery,” says his brother, John. “He just wasn’t going to give in. Mark just keeps going.” Tomaszewski, a surgical tech at the Sequoia Surgical Center in Walnut Creek, was headed east on Clayton Road about 5:40 p.m. on June 27, when a Toyota Corolla driven by Jessica Mercurio, 21, crossed over the median and hit him head-on. Witnesses say she had been drinking at the Clayton Club. Toxicology reports show her blood alcohol level at more than three times the legal limit. According to sources close to the case, Mercurio spent some time in a residential alcohol treatment facility after the crash. She is scheduled for arraignment in Superior Court on Dec. 9 at 8:30 a.m. on charges of felony DUI causing serious injury. She faces up to eight years in prison.
New MDUSD supe ready to tackle tough issues PEGGY SPEAR Clayton Pioneer
DR. NELLIE MEYER
Dr. Nellie Meyer has one goal in her new job: she wants to ensure that every classroom in Mt. Diablo Unified School district is somewhere she would be proud to send her own daughter.
What’s Inside Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Behind the Badge . . . . . . . . .6 Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
It’s a big task for the new MDUSD superintendent, who took over in September, just in time to guide the district of 50plus schools through some rough waters, including implementing a new core curriculum, dealing with a nasty teacher sex abuse case, and ongoing issues of trust between the district, its
employees, parents and the group Meyer calls the most important, the students. It is perhaps the breadth of the district — its size and diversity — that is seen as the biggest problem among parents, yet Meyer says it’s that quality that lured her from her job as deputy superintendent of school sup-
Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Community Calendar . . . . .16 Concord City Beat . . . . . . . .6 Design and Décor . . . . . . . .19 Directory of Advertisers . . . . .5 Doctor’s Orders . . . . . . . . . . .9 DVMS Reporter . . . . . . . . . .8
Fashion Over 50 . . . . . . . . .20 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Holiday Shopping Guide . . .10 Letters to the Editor . . . . . . .7 Mind Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Performing Arts . . . . . . . . . .17
port services for San Diego Unified School District, to one of the biggest districts in the Bay Area, and one of the most problematic. “This is a huge challenge for me,” she said in an interview with the Pioneer. “My goal is to
See Meyer page 6 Police Activity Report . . . . . .6 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Sports Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Teen Reads . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Voyage of the Eagle . . . . . . .8 Weather Words . . . . . . . . . .20
More than 1,000 acres of pristine open space – the “heart” of Mt. Diablo – has been added to the protected lands owned and managed by Save Mount Diablo in one of the organization's most important land acquisitions in its history. Seth Adams, lands program director for SMD, surprised audiences at a Wednesday night event at the Lesher Center with the announcement that the organization had purchased the historic 1,080-acre Curry Canyon Ranch from Ettore and Geraldine Bertagnolli for $7.2 million. The acquisition is the biggest in both cost and size in the organization’s 43-year history of aggressively protecting open space from development. It has been a top priority acquisition for the past 25 years. See Curry
Canyon page 3
Veterans deserve more than just one day
CARLIE BEESON
PINE HOLLOW REPORTER Veteran’s Day is an occasion to celebrate and thank military personnel for all of their hard, dangerous and unforgettable work to protect our country. On average, about two military members die trying to save another’s life every day. When I see a member of the Armed Forces in uniform, I say to myself, “Wow! I actually get to see someone who is making a difference in the world.” I am joyful to see that they are back home, safe and with their loved ones. I feel proud to know that I could meet someone who would give up their life so I could live a better one. See Veterans
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