DISTRICT 4 NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS #90    

 

August 31, 2004 –Lincoln Court Groundbreaking, Art & Soul Festival, Measure Y, Scooter Bill Needs Letters, Montclair Flea Market, More Back-to-School Activities, & Laurel/Redwood Heights Picnic

 

1.       Lincoln Court Ground Breaking, Wednesday, September 1, Noon-2 p.m.

2.       Art & Soul This Labor Day Weekend-Downtown at City Center

3.       Slow Down…Schools Back in Session:  Sign Volunteers Needed

4.       Measure Y:  City Violence Prevention & Community Safety Initiative

5.       Cal Trans Work on Highway 13

6.       Scooter Bill Passes Legislature, Needs Letter to Governor

7.       Escher Drive Clean Up

8.       Merriewood Stairs Clean-Up

9.       Back–to-School Activities

10.  Flower Drum Song Opens This Weekend at Woodminster, Closes on September 12

11.  Montclair Lion’s Club’s Annual Ultimate Garage Sale, Saturday, September 11, Montclair Park

12.  Laurel/Redwood Heights Annual Community Picnic, Saturday, September 18, Avenue Terrace Park, from Noon – 3:30 p.m.

13.  Illegal Dumping and Vegetation Management

14.  Office Hours & Voter Registration

 

 

                                Artist’s rendition of the New Lincoln Court.

1.                Lincoln Court Ground Breaking:   Join us, the Mayor, neighbors, and the Dimond Improvement Association in celebrating the ground breaking of the new Lincoln Courts Senior Apartments from Noon to 2 pm today (corner of Lincoln & MacArthur Blvd.)   After the closure of the Hillcrest Motel last year, neighborhood crime dropped by nearly 40 percent and the entire Dimond district is going through revitalization.  This fight inspired our sponsorship of the City’s new Nuisance Ordinance, giving the city the tools and coordination to take on more nuisance properties throughout the City. 

   Thanks to amazing teamwork by the Domus team, the neighbors, and city staff we are breaking ground on this 82 unit model senior housing project in record time, before the anniversary of the demolition Hillcrest Hotel. The project was developed by Domus Development in partnership with Self-Help for the Elderly and designed by YHLA Architects.

 

2.                Celebrate Oakland’s Art & Soul:  Bring friends and family to Civic Center this weekend—Friday, Saturday and Sunday—to the 4th Annual Art & Soul Festival. $5 at the door, under 17 free. There’ll be food, music, dancing and great fun—60 bands on 4 BIG stages, featuring Los Lobos, Tony Toni Tone, Norman Brown, Presidents of the United States of America, Mindy Smith and more! Expanded Family Fun Zone, Artisan Row, World Dance Festival, Oakland Literature Expo and Exotic Foods. For details, http://www.artandsouloakland.com/main/

 

 

3.                Live Near a School?  Help Us Slow Down Traffic for School

Live near a school or on a major street (Thornhill, Mountain, Ascot, J. Miller, Lincoln, 35th Ave, High Street)?  We and the Montclair Safety and Improvement Council have a limited number of these signs and need volunteers to help us display these signs for the first weeks of school.  Please contact at 238-7004 or by return email.

 

 

 

4.                Cal Trans Work on Median Guard Rails:  Live near a freeway?  Cal Trans is working on replacing the guard rails in the median strips on Highway 13 right now.  Their Public Information officials say they will be working in Oakland until next spring. In order to minimize disruption most of the work is taking place at night. In addition, in some separate projects, they are thinning and removing the more flammable vegetation in an effort to avoid the “fire ladder effect” that allowed the firestorm to so quickly cross the freeway in 1992.

 

5.                Measure Y:  City Violence Prevention & Community Safety Initiative:  The City initiative that will increase the police force by 63 officers, end the rotating closures of neighborhood fire stations and paramedic services, and provide violence prevention services has been designated the letter “Y.”  For a quick fact sheet on Measure Y.

 

6.                Scooter Bill Passes, Awaits the Governor’s Signature:  The Chan Bill AB 1878  passed both houses and awaits the Governor’s Signature.  The bill would require a driver’s permit for operation of the scooters and would ban the modification of scooters to increase noise.   Send letters of support to:

 

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Attn. Legislative Secretary

State Capitol, First Floor

Sacramento, CA  95814

Fax # is 916.327.1009

 

7.                Abandoned Vehicles/Debris Removed from Escher Drive; For years, debris and abandoned vehicles have dotted the hill and creek below Esher Drive. But  thanks to the cooperative efforts of local residents, the Shepherd Canyon Homeowners Association, and the City’s Public Works and Tree Division, Escher Drive is no longer the local dumping ground. Special thanks to David Lonestore, Public Works Supervisor, for helping to remove the cars; Dan Gallagher of the Tree Division for providing staff to help remove the debris on the hillside, and to Senior Supervisor Dale Smith and his staff for helping to haul the debris away.  The area still has some lighter debris that will require volunteer assistance.

 

8.                Lower Merriewood Stairs Cleaned: Many thanks to Montclair residents Jim Dexter, Sallie and Dick Olsen, Robert Shaw, Dale Dinter and Larry Struck for cleaning the Merriewood Stairs. They trimmed the trees and bushes above and beside the stairs; raked the stairs to remove large and small vegetation; swept the stairs to remove dirt and grit and then powerwashed the entire set of stairs. Now Merriewood neighbors have a quick and safe way to get to the Thornhill shopping area and to take their kids to school and exit the hill in emergencies. This is one of the successful projects of the Montclair Safey & Improvement Council (MSIC). Jim Dexter chairs MSIC’s Pedestrian Safety Committee, which is also working with the city on improving safety around each of our public schools in the Montclair area.

 

 

9.                Back-to-School Activities:  Oakland Public Schools reopen the day after Labor Day this year, Tuesday, September 7. Registration is occurring at local schools for new and returning students this week and next. Meanwhile, volunteers are still needed at District 4 as our neighborhood schools prepare for the new school year.  Even if you don’t have children attending a particular school, extra hands are always appreciated:

 

Saturday, September 4  9 a.m –5 p.m.--  Completing the painting of hallways at the New Tilden School, 4551 Steele Street. Contact Joslin Johnson, Principal at Joslin.johnson@secmail.ousd.k12.ca.us

 

Saturday, September 18, 9 a.m.–5 p.m--Fruitvale Pre-School, 3208 Boston Avenue at Harold. Contact Garrett Dempsey, Assemblywoman Wilma Chan’s Office, 286-1670 ext.  22 or Garrett.Dempsey@asm.ca.gov

 

 

 

Fruitvale Presbyterian & Team Oakland Youth clean & prepare the New Tilden (Swett) School.  Sue Piper and neighbors.

 

New School at Tilden continues to recruit for Grades K & 1:  This parent comment on the Laurel Neighbors listserv says it all -  “I was just talking to my son's Pre-K teacher - she said the Tilden School kindergarten teacher, who will now be at the Swett School next door, is credentialed in both Special Ed and regular kindergarten, and will be running an integrated kindergarten - inclusive of special ed kids in a mainstream classroom.

 

Integrated classrooms with credentialed Special Ed teachers have a track record on the East Coast of offering some of the best possible teaching environments to "typical" kids (that's p.c. talk for 'normal') as well as special needs students.

 

With so many other desirable public schools running long waiting lists, the Swett School's kindergarten and first grade openings are a real opportunity forall neighborhood parents concerned about their kids' options for school. Your dreamer, your explorer, your curious wanderer will thrive in the care of a teacher trained in many modalities of learning.  Spread the word! “

 

 

10.           New Flower Drum Song Opens This Weekend at Woodminster:

               

September 3, 4, 5, 9, 10,   11, 12
Woodminster Amphitheater, 8 p.m.  My friends promise me this is a new version, without the 1950’s stereotypes written by award winning Asian American playwright David Henry Hwang.  It’s the last production of the year.  Enjoy the work on the Cascades, the playground, and the planned new gardens while you’re there. Contact for tickets:

http://www.woodminster.com

510-531-9597

 

 

11.           Montclair Lion’s Club Flea Market, Saturday, September 11: Mark your calendar now for Saturday, September 11 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. for bargains galore when the Montclair Lion’s Club hosts its annual Ultimate Garage Sale.  This year, the Montclair Safety Improvement Council (MSIC) will have several booths with representatives from the City’s CORE program (Citizens of Oakland Respond to Emergencies), Home Alert, and their own safety and beautification teams. There will be children’s activities and lots of BARGAINS! For details, contact Mike Kilian at 238-7609. Our office will be holding its office hours at the fair—so look for Richard Cowan and Sue Piper, as I will be in China on a mission to strengthen trade and other ties with our sister city Dalian.

 

 

12.           Laurel/Redwood Heights Annual Community Picnic—Saturday, September 18, Noon to 3:3 p.m.: Join us at Avenue Terrace Park, 4369 Bennett Place at the annual Laurel/Redwood Heights Annual Community Picnic. There will be entertainment with a live band, kids games, magician and great food. The event is  co-sponsored by the Redwood Heights Improvement Association, Laurel Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council, Laurel Merchants Association and our District 4 Council Office. 

 

 

13.           Don’t Be a Party to Illegal Dumping: Every day we get reports of illegal dumping.  For those of  you  still working on creating your 30-foot defensible space around your home, as required by the Wildfire Prevention Assessment District, please avoid becoming a party to illegal dumping.  By requiring your contractor to present you with the receipt from the Davis Street Transfer Station before you pay, you can ensure that your green waste is being properly disposed.

 

14.           Office Hours & Voter Registration, October 18 is the Deadline for the November Election: Office hours continue to be held at the Laurel District Office, 4173 MacArthur Blvd. 2nd Floor on Wednesdays 4-6 p.m. On Thursdays 4-6 at the Dimond Police Substation at Safeway.   On most Saturdays, we can be found at the Albertson’s in the Laurel from 10 until Noon.  Office hours will be held in Montclair on September 11 in Montclair Park during the Montclair Lion’s Annual Flea Market.   We will be registering voters at our office hours.  If you have moved or are a new voter, you can get an application on line at:  http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/votereg1.html   Absentee applications are available at:  http://www.co.alameda.ca.us/rov/absentee.pdf

 

 

JEAN QUAN

Council Member, District 4

City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza

Oakland, CA 94612

510 238-7004, 986-2765 fax

www.jeanquan.org