PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190
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www.claytonpioneer.com
September 22, 2006
925.672.0500
Clayton ready for downtown rebirth
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m eras my ed nt of ns,
IT’S YOUR PAPER
TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
DAVE SHUEY
MAYOR’S CORNER Firehouse tribute a moving memorial I want to thank our local firefighters for the stirring and wonderful tribute to 9/11 and firefighters in g eneral that they do every year on the front la wn of the firehouse. Too often, our memories fade and we forget the past. This yearly tribute reminds us about the threats w e face in the w orld and the need to remain vigilant. More impor tantly, it ser ves to reminds us ho w v aluable life is and who the real heroes in life are (Hint: It is not Barry Bonds). Great job guys , and I hope you keep it up year after year as our own eternal flame. Quick quiz: What is the most talked-about item in this ma yor’s column? And the answ er is: Recycling. I kno w some of you are sick of me talking about recycling. On the other hand, I have heard from many of you (Yes, I swear I ha ve heard from more than one person) that y ou ha ve changed your ways and are recycling more. However, for some reason, our total recycling rates are static or down in some months . Some people don’t like my phrase: “Is your brown can bigger than your blue can?” but that doesn’t really matter as long as eac h of us makes a strong er effor t to increase our recycling and decrease our trash. End of sermon (for this column). Now, I ha ve a few ma yoral See Mayor, page A8
Corrections
In the last issue , Clayton’s incorporation date w as incorrectly stated as 1974 in both the Mayor’s Corner and the George Abbot obituar y. The City w as incorporated in 1964. Also, council candidate , Hank Stratford’ s first name is Ross, not Russ.
What’s Inside SECTION A
Around Town . . . . . . . . . . .A2 Upcoming Events . . . . . . . .A4 Classified and Directory of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A4 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A6 Letters to the Editor . . . . . .A6 At the Movies . . . . . . . . . . . .A8 Financial Sense . . . . . . . . . . .A9 School News . . . . . . . . . . . .A10 Food for Thought . . . . . . .A11 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . .A12 Tea for You . . . . . . . . . . . . .A13 Theater Review . . . . . . . . . .A13
If all g oes as hoped, downtown Cla yton will become a bustling little burg in the next couple of years. Several projects are in the w orks that will bring both people and money to the downtown area. A major k ey to this revitalization is the proposed one acre “Grove P ark” at the cor ner of Main and Marsh Creek. When voters g o to the polls in
November, they will decide the fate of the long-a waited park once and for all. In 2000, Clayton voters gave a big “thumbs up” to the park, but a bigger “thumbs down” on a companion measure whic h would ha ve funded the operation and maintenance. In 2004, operation and maintenance funding w as included in the $365 ann ual tax proposed b y Measure M to renew the Landscape Maintenance District whic h is
ed by a tiered parcel tax. A full one third of the park maintenance and operation will be paid for b y Cla yton businesses and the rest by residents. Businesses in the do wntown core area will pay $221.05 annually per quar ter acre . The tax drops to $96.92 per quarter acre for businesses outside the core area suc h as Safew ay (whic h owns their o wn proper ty) and the Clayton Station. Residents will pay $16.39. The measure ties any
increases to the Consumer Price Index with a 3 percent cap. “Worst case is that it increased three percent ev ery year,” said City Manag er Gar y Napper, “that’s still only $21.37 a year.” Downtown businesses appear to be wholehear tedly behind the new proposal. Anise Maamari of La V eranda sa ys “we’ve been w aiting for fi ve years for the park. We’ll do whatever needs to be done to See Rebirth, page A7
Canine companions give life to the disabled JILL BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer
When Cla yton resident Kathy Carr was admitted to the hospital recently, her dog Seila moped around the house lik e a lost soul. “She didn’t know what to do,” Carr says. So Seila tag ged alongside Kathy’s husband, Gary, looking for someone to lo ve and something to do. When Car r retur ned home , Seila couldn ’t w ait to g et bac k to w ork – doing what she w as trained to do as a ser vice dog. Seila hails from Canine Companions for Inde pendence (CCI), a non-profit org anization headquar tered in Santa Rosa. She became Carr’s devoted guardian just fi ve months ago. Carr suffers from m ultiple sclerosis, a disease that attac ks the central ner vous system – specifically the brain, spinal cord and optic ner ves. Her disease is slowly progressing, causing problems with m uscle control, strength and balance . Carr uses a w alker and cane to g et around during the day and relies on her faithful companion, Seila, to help k eep her acti ve and independent. If Carr drops her glasses , Seila retrieves them. If a phone rings across the room, on command Seila will fetc h the phone so Carr can answer the call. The 2 ½-year-old lab mix opens and shuts cabinet doors and responds to a total of 50 commands. “She’s an amazing animal, ”
says Carr, who depends on Seila not only for da y-to-day assistance but for the constant companionship. Carr also k eeps busy reinforcing Seila’ s training on a daily basis. Before she applied to CCI, Carr was slowly losing her selfworth. A career w oman in a CPA fir m for almost 20 years , she was forced to quit her job as her disease prog ressed. “It w as my definition,” she says of her work, which ev entually led to Carr being in c harge of the firm’s comm unication de partment. Carr super vised her o wn staff and tra veled frequently . “Not being able to w ork w as difficult. All m y self-worth w as wrapped up in my job.” Carr filled the void by volunteering for an MS suppor t group in Oakland and a local Meals on W heels prog ram. When she could no long er volunteer, she felt helpless. “I am a people-oriented person, and socializing w as becoming difficult for me . I was feeling lik e I had nothing to offer , that I was a burden,” she recalls. “I would lie in bed and cr y.” Despite the fact that her husband w as “so suppor tive and so non-judgmental, ” Carr felt isolated. In response to a friend’s request, she applied to CCI for a dog and was accepted for the tw o-week team training course at the national headquarters in Santa Rosa. During those two w eeks, Carr w orked with about six dogs and ev entually was matched with Seila. Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
See Canine, page A7
Kathy Carr looks to service dog, Seila, for companionship as much as for assistance.
Knights honor Enea for community ser vice TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
SECTION B
Hiker’s Haven . . . . . . . . . . . .B1 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2 Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B4 Community Calendar . . . . . .B5 Dining Around . . . . . . . . . . .B6 Crossword Puzzle . . . . . . . . .B6 Eco Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B7 Music Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . .B7 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B7 Church News . . . . . . . . . . . .B8 Pet Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B9 Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B10
due to sunset next year. Measure M w ent do wn in f lames and with it went the park. The City already has the $1.3 million needed to build the park but, until there is a guaranteed source of funding for operation, maintenance and re placements, the City Council has steadfastly refused to mo ve ahead with construction. In the No vember election, the park measure will be on the ballot as Measure O. If it passes, park maintenance will be fund-
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
From left: Knights of Columbus Field Agent Brian Oliver, Clayton Police Chief Dan Lawrence and honored Clayton officer Rich Enea Jr.
With his slight build and youthful face, he may look like a college kid, but don’t be fooled. Clayton Officer Ric hard Enea Jr. is a barracuda when it comes to drunk drivers. With more than 100 DUI arrests to his credit in his shor t 2 ½ years on the Cla yton force, Enea is the de partment’s “highest producer,” says Police Chief Dan Lawrence. The Knights of Columbus honored Enea, 26, earlier this month for his outstanding service to the comm unity. He w as nominated by his peers for the award, which w as presented b y
Lawrence. “He has recently made some very good arrests on suspicious persons driving around Cla yton during the v ery early mor ning hours,” said La wrence. “These people frequently w ere dri ving stolen vehicles, involved in burglaries and w ere people on parole with w arrants for their arrest. “As a result of his productivity and his friendly personality ,” Lawrence contin ued, “he w as voted by his peers to be Clayton Police Department’s best officer at present.” Law enforcement is in Enea’s blood. His father , Sgt. See Enea, page A4
Sports Editor Needed
The Pioneer is looking for a new Sports Editor. This is a paid position requiring approximately 10-15 hours per issue (twice a month.) The successful candidate will be thoroughly plug ged in to the Cla yton area spor ts scene, preferably be a Clayton resident and will ha ve g ood writing skills. A computer and a high comfor t lev el with email and Word are necessary. Send a co ver letter with y our qualifications and a writing sample (a couple of paragraphs is fine) to tamara@claytonpioneer.com. Put Sports Editor in the subject line . Call 672-0500 for more information.