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September 2014
Serving Alamo and Diablo
Alamo’s Boulevard of Trees: a 25 Year Legacy of Beauty in Alamo By Sharon Burke
In downtown Alamo, more than 30 mature leafy Valley oaks and scarlet oaks adorn Danville Boulevard, providing a beautiful green canopy entry to our town and shade to our commercial area. Numerous studies have shown that trees planted in a downtown area enhance walkability, improve property values, enhance retail and restaurant sales, combat global warming, and provide a host of other benefits. But it wasn’t always so. Since Alamo is a county enclave, 30 years ago there was no master plan to plant trees or provide landscaping to relieve the concrete infrastructure. A volunteer committee changed all of that. Danville Boulevard was originally a stagecoach road, providing the main link from Martinez to San Jose. Around 1920, Danville Boulevard was tree lined by valley citizens as a memorial to Contra Costa soldiers lost in World War I. The trees grew into a lovely arching canopy that brought many visitors to the country to drive the beautiful boulevard in Alamo. Unfortunately, the trees were elms, and they gradually succumbed to Dutch Elm disease, with most of the trees disappearing by the 1970’s. In the 1980’s, Alamo community leader Brian Thiessen had the idea to replant the Boulevard canopy. His idea was to honor the 50 states by planting the 50 state tree species. A committee was formed which included Alamo residents, landscape architects, arborists, and garden club members. The state tree idea was soon abandoned when the arborists pointed out that some of those species would not do well in Alamo’s climate. Working with University of California Cooperative Extension Horticulture Advisor Douglas Hamilton, the committee selected nine species that would provide visual and seasonal interest, and size and shape diversity. They would also establish well in Alamo’s soil and climate, and would
Discovery Counseling Center: Building a Healthy Community
See Trees continued on page 28
By Jody Morgan
Serving Valley families for over 40 years, the Discovery Counseling Center (DCC), located at 115 Town & Country Drive in Danville, is a remarkable resource for affordable, high-quality mental health care. In addition to partnering with the San Ramon Valley United School District (SRVUSD) in a variety of innovative programs, DCC provides training in Mental Health First Aid and counseling for Seniors Citizens. Services at the clinic supplement school-based and community outreach offerings. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Friends of Discovery and generous grants from sponsors, DCC, a non-profit organization, is able to offer some programs free of charge, while keeping other fees modest. Staff includes over 40 licensed and pre-licensed therapists, social workers, and psychologists. DCC Executive Director Kathy Chiverton quotes National Institute of Mental Health research: “An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older – about one in four adults – suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.” Chiverton continues, “When you include families, neighbors, colleagues, you can see how the vast majority of Stacy Touhy teaches a Mental Health First Aid Class. Photo courtesy of us are impacted in some way by someone dealing with a mental health issue. As a com- DCC. munity we need to talk about mental health and become more aware of the support and resources available to those who face mental health issues.” Volume XIV - Number 9 Evolving over the past 25 years to fill District needs, the School Counseling Intervention Program (SCIP) now 3000F Danville Blvd. #117, provides guidance in all SRVUSD elementary schools. Research indicates fostering resilience by helping students deAlamo, CA 94507 velop self-esteem and master skills critical for coping with whatever challenges they face is the most effective way to Telephone (925) 405-NEWS, 405-6397 maintain safe, drug-free schools. DCC Fax (925) 406-0547 PRSRT STD counseling is available two days per U.S. Postage Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher week in 16 schools and once a week PAID Local Editor@yourmonthlypaper.com Permit 263 in the five smaller facilities. This shortSharon Burke ~ Writer Postal Customer Alamo CA opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do term intervention of 10-12 sessions can The not necessarily reflect that of Alamo Today. Alamo Today ECRWSS is not responsible for the content of any of the advertising
See Discovery cont. on page 34
herein, nor does publication imply endorsement.