the almanac 09.07.2011 - section 1

T H E H O M E T O W N N E W S P A P E R F O R M E N L O P A R K , A T H E R T O N , P O R T O L A V A L L E Y A N D W O O D S I D E

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Rescuing the RescuersLocal responders to 9/11 reflect on 10-year anniversary Section 2

ALL-BOY: Ormondale School launches all-boy classes in third grade. Page 5

2 The Almanac September 7, 2011

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By Kate DalySpecial to the Almanac

As students head back to classes at Eastside Col-lege Preparatory School

in East Palo Alto this fall, so do close to 60 volunteers who come from all over the Peninsula every week to provide a vital layer of extra academic support. The goal at Eastside is to take local students in grades 6 through 12, and with-out charging them tuition, prepare them to become the first in their families to go to college. So far, in the 12 years the school has been graduating seniors, all of them have gone on to attend four-year colleges or universities, includ-ing Stanford, UCLA, Harvard and Yale, school officials say. There’s a wait list to get into Eastside, and a boarding option, but most of the students come from the immediate area. The student body is composed of Latinos, African Ameri-cans and Pacific Islanders. The school’s website, eastside.org, states that 80 percent of Eastside alumni are either in a four-year college now or have already

graduated in five years, whereas “nationally, only 11 percent of first-generation college students graduates within six years.” Many of the volunteers who help Eastside achieve its mission are retired, such as Susan Adams of Portola Valley. “It’s a wonderful place to spend time,” she says. “They don’t base (admission) on academic ability. They base it on desire.” Now in her 13th year working

with seventh- and eighth-grad-ers in the Middle School Read-ing Program, the former English major spends several mornings a week on campus. From 8 to 9:40 a.m., the students read books that track with what they read in social studies. “We help with higher order thinking skills and vocabulary,” she says. She finds the reading cur-riculum “well thought-out,” and filled with projects that are writing-based, such as creating a newspaper, a cartoon or a play.

The sessions are add-ons to the English classes taught by regular teachers. Board member and volunteer Lynn Winkle of Palo Alto devel-oped the curriculum. She’s on campus most days training and overseeing the readers. Ms. Winkle earned her MBA and started volunteering in the 1990s, tutoring high school stu-dents in her kids’ local school district. That’s when she real-

ized that “high school is too late” to catch up. She refocused her efforts on middle school after she met Stanford grad Chris Bischof, who was at that time involved in

an after-school program that offered basketball and tutor-ing to young students in East Palo Altto. He founded Eastside with eight students in 1996. The students first met in a park, and then moved into a portable. Now there are 280 students enrolled, with plans to grow that number to 320. The campus at 1041 Myrtle St. in East Palo Alto features a theater, music room, art and dance studios, gym, and

September 7, 2011 The Almanac 3

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C A L L I N G O N T H E A L M A N AC

UPFRONT

Almanac photo by Michelle Le

Teacher-volunteer Susan Adams of Portola Valley leads a critical thinking discussion at Eastside Prep. On her right are Te’Mesha Paxton (second from left) and Yesenia Garnica. Ms. Adams spends several mornings a week on campus.

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‘They don’t base (admission) on academic ability. They base it on desire.’

VOLUNTEER SUSAN ADAMS OF PORTOLA VALLEY


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By Sandy BrundageAlmanac Staff Writer

A relatively peaceful Menlo Park City Council dis-cussion about the draft

downtown plan on Aug. 30 was followed later that week by harsh criticism again targeting the plan’s fiscal impact analysis (FIA) and calling for its with-drawal. Educator Chuck Bernstein, who holds an MBA from Stan-ford University, asked the city to reject the FIA because of what he said were documented gross errors. “I am requesting that you formally reject the FIA as both erroneous and incomplete, and withdraw it from further public consideration until it can be revised and rewritten,” he said in a letter to the City Council on Friday, Sept. 2. “Based on the example that I have been able to explore below, it displays such

ignorance of basic economic principles as to call into ques-tion not only all the other find-ing in the analysis, but also the calculations performed by Stra-tegic Economics for the Specific Plan itself.” The example he cited involved the calculation of sales tax from retail sales expected to be generated by 2030 through implementation of the specific plan. The city had acknowl-edged the consultants forgot to subtract vacant space in their estimate, which then alerted Mr. Bernstein to other underlying potential mistakes. He said he’d also consulted two Stanford Graduate School of Business professors in his quest to clarify the method used to perform the calculations. Mr. Bernstein emphasized that by his calculations, the plan

would generate more revenue than reflected in the FIA. “I am not trying to attack the plan by delving into the numbers; I want to understand what the financial implications are,” he wrote. Rather than withdraw the report, Assistant City Manager Starla Jerome-Robinson said the city expects Strategic Economics to respond to the critique this week.

Council evaluation Earlier in the week, during its Aug. 30 meeting, the City Council evaluated the Caltrain station area and southeast El Camino Real portions of the specific plan in a comparatively tranquil fashion. Comparatively, because some interested parties raised objec-tions. Stanford University challenged the specific plan’s

By Renee BattiAlmanac News Editor

From the start, the third-graders at Portola Val-ley’s Ormondale School

set records. A larger-than-usual group when the children arrived at the school as kin-dergartners, the class was unusual in another way: The boys out-numbered the girls on a scale never seen before, at least in recent recollection, in the Portola Valley School District, according to Superintendent Tim Hanretty. Now, with about 20 students more than the other grade-level cohorts at Ormondale, the third-grade class is made up of 70 boys and 36 girls — a 66 to 34 percent ratio. With the start of the new school year, Ormondale is using a fresh approach to teaching the 106 students at that grade level:

When school began on Aug. 29, third-graders were divided into five classrooms, two of which were made up of boys only. The idea for the change to boys-only classrooms, and the decision to go forward with it, didn’t

happen over-night. Ormon-dale Principal Jennifer War-ren and the school’s teach-ers have pon-dered methods of better serv-ing students in “boy-heav y” classes from the beginning, Ms.

Warren said. “Year after year, a lot of little things have happened” to adjust teaching and supportive strate-gies, she said. But this year, with the backing of the school board, and with enough parents willing to have their sons in boys-only classes, the school created single-gender classes for the first time ever. “Parents had the option,” Ms. Warren said. “We would not have moved forward without (paren-

tal) consent.” Before the classes were launched, “there was a period of diving into the research” on sin-gle-gender classes, Ms. Warren said. Affected teachers and other staff members spent time with staff at the Town School for Boys in San Francisco, for example, picking up ideas and informa-tion that might help smooth the way for Ormondale teachers and administrators involved in the

new project. There is ample research point-ing to learning differences between boys and girls, and teachers of the all-boys classes are using methods that accommo-date some of the differences, Ms. Warren said. For example, she said, “boys need kinesthetic ways to learn. They need more move-ment breaks, opportunities to move around in the classrooms.” One example of accommodat-

ing this need for movement, she added, is to allow them to practice spelling exercises while skipping rope. Ms. Warren said the prepon-derance of boys in the third and other grade levels at the school has led staff to “look at our entire literacy library” in general, and offer changes in the third-grade classes in particular. For example,

M E N L O P A R K | A T H E R T O N | W O O D S I D E | P O R T O L A V A L L E Y


Michelle Le/The Almanac

Teacher Daphna Woolfe reviews grammar with third-grade students in her all-boys class at Ormondale School.

Where the boys are■ Ormondale School accommodates “boy-heavy” third-grade group with all-boy classes.

Before the all-boy classes were launched, ‘there was a period of diving into the research’ on single-gender classes,

said Ormondale Principal Jennifer Warren.

See BOYS, page 10

Bernstein calls for rejection of fiscal analysis New pitch made for sparing oak tree in North Fair Oaks DOWNTOWN PLAN

See DOWNTOWN, page 16


Four days ahead of a Sept. 6 deadline, the neighbors of a centuries-old heritage

oak tree called “Granny” in North Fair Oaks voted to send a new proposal for saving the tree to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) that appears to resolve the one issue standing between failure and success. In a press release, the coalition fighting to save Granny said that 85 percent of neighborhood residents, whose properties adjoin the SFPUC right-of-way at 827 15th Ave. where the tree lives, agreed to provide public access to the tree, a requirement imposed by the utilities com-mission. The commission initially

planned to kill the tree in May on short notice, which riled Granny’s fans. During the summer, the SFPUC asked the neighbors to form a nonprofit to handle maintenance, liabil-ity insurance, and public access should the commission decide to dig a $269,000 tunnel under the tree for a pipeline meant to carry water from Hetch Hetchy as part of a $4.6 billion seismic improvement project. After weeks of negotiations, the SFPUC sent a letter on Aug. 26 that gave the coalition until the day after Labor Day to provide a written proposal that would let the public access the tree site. “The agency stated previously that public access to the oak tree is a basic requirement before its

See GRANNY, page 16

student residences, in addition to classrooms, science labs and multi-media rooms. “There’s more interest and demand,” says Mr. Bischof, who is Eastside’s principal. “That’s why we’re so motivated to increase the student body. The big challenge is to raise scholar-ship support.” All students attend on full scholarships. Tuition is $17,000 a year per student. Foundations and corpora-tions contrib-ute to Eastside, but the school relies heavily on individual sponsors, who have the option to cover all or a portion of a tuition, and can choose how much they want to be involved with the students on a personal basis. Some students are three to five grade levels behind in basic skills, Mr. Bischof says. Eastside offers an extended school day (until 5 p.m.), mandatory sum-mer programs, and tutorial time. The aim is to not just educate the current crop of students, but to create “a profound ripple effect that influences siblings and the next generation,” he says. Volunteer Linda Winkle observes: “Many students live a life that isn’t orderly. The kids grow up in random situations and don’t learn in a linear fash-ion.” She’s always on the lookout for new volunteers at Eastside, “someone who is deeply inter-ested in learning and is highly literate.”

Outdoors Kimberly McMorrow of Woodside is the ultimate volun-teer. For eight years, the attorney has been working with students in the Middle School Reading Program one morning a week. Additionally, this mother of three leads classes of up to 68 students on field trips to Yosem-ite, Tahoe, Point Reyes and Half Moon Bay.

“In 2006 I saw that there was a need for an outdoor environ-mental education program,” she says. “These kids have a rigorous academic year. ... but a lot of the students don’t have really positive associations with the outdoors, like sleeping out-side. Most have never been to the beach or seen snow. These are such incredible things that everyone should be able to explore.” She organizes the food, logis-tics, teachers and community volunteers who help chaperone students on outings. She pro-

cured a grant from North Face, and has arranged to receive free camping and hiking gear as well as ski jack-ets, pants and gloves from Bay Area Wilder-ness Training, a nonprofit in Oakland.

It’s a lot of work, she says, but worthwhile. Teacher Darren Chan heads up the boys’ dorm and recently started a Boy Scouts troop at Eastside. Ms. McMorrow, her husband, John, and neighbor, Brad Miller, are all acting as scout leaders. Mr. Miller’s wife, Helen, has been active in the Middle School Reading Program for seven years, and goes on many of the field trips. The two families also host Eastside students for sleepovers, movies and pool parties. At the high school level, vol-unteers tutor students in small groups and one-on-one, mainly in math and science, according to Judy Wong-Chen, the student services coordinator. She is plan-ning to add a writing center this fall. “Because of volunteers we have extra mentorship opportuni-ties,” she says. “They know the students and want to do more, offering internships and net-working,” she says. Eastside has an alumni coor-dinator who helps keep track of those contacts and give graduates support in writing resumes and preparing for job interviews. Daisy Rodriguez and her younger brother, Michael, grew up in East Palo Alto, went to Woodside School, and then attended Eastside. She plans to graduate from Stanford in the spring and expresses gratitude that Eastside put in her touch with a mentor, a Stanford alum who lives in Palo Alto. Says Ms. Rodriguez: “She’s making sure I’m taking advantage of all the


N E W S

Volunteers make a difference

EASTSIDE continued from page 3

Kimberly McMorrow of Woodside is the ultimate volunteer. She leads class-es of up to 68 students

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Tara Rolle, formerly the assis-tant principal and director of admissions at Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward, is the new principal of St. Raymond, the K-8 Catholic school in Menlo Park. She took the post Aug. 1, suc-ceeding Sister Ann Bernard, who was principal at St. Raymond for 16 years. Born and raised in Atherton, Ms. Rolle received a doctorate in educational leadership, admin-istration and policy from Pep-perdine University in June 2011, a

master’s degree in educational leadership from Santa Clara University, and a bachelor of arts degree in theater edu-cation from UCLA. Among her challenges this year is to further integrate technology into classrooms and increase pro-fessional development of teach-ers, the school said in announc-ing her appointment.

“Catholic education is fun-damentally important because it aims to educate the whole student — heart and mind,” Ms. Rolle said in the announcement. “In a world where our children are being inundated with mes-sages that may or may not align with our values, creating a com-munity where we call ourselves back to compassion, kindness and service is imperative.” St. Raymond School, which has 245 students enrolled, is located at 1211 Santa Cruz Ave. in Menlo Park.


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PV councilman-elect Jeff Aalfs says he’ll uphold ‘nature trumps structure’ ethic

Tara Rolle named principal of St. Raymond School

■ Jeff Aalfs is one of two candidates for two seats.By Dave BoyceAlmanac Staff Writer

When it comes to the relationship between Portola

Valley’s landscape and its residences, the notion that buildings are to be subservient to the land is not merely a nice idea to Jeff Aalfs. The town has ordinances that bring this ethic to bear and they are the guideposts, he says. Mr. Aalfs, a p p o i n t e d by the Town Council to the Architectural & Site Con-trol Commis-sion (ASCC) in December 2008, is poised to join the council him-self in Decem-ber. He and i n c u m b e n t Ann Wengert are the only candidates for two open seats. “I think there’s a consistent balance — some would say tension — between the desires of some to develop and the town’s mission as stated in the general plan: to keep the built environment subservient to its surroundings,” he said in a brief biography provided to the Almanac. “With the ASCC, I have seen that balance maintained ... through extensive and some-times difficult discussions, with the general plan and ordi-

nances as the guideline: rule of law, not rule of man.” On the ASCC, Mr. Aalfs has had qualifications suitable for overseeing that balance. He is self-employed as a residen-tial energy consultant, help-ing homeowners and home designers comply with gov-ernment energy codes and improve efficiency in new and existing homes. Is Portola Valley’s green-house gas reduction plan worth pursuing, given the rapid expansion of Asia-

based coal-fired power plants and resulting emissions that essentially nullify reductions made in a small residential California community? A lot of energy is wasted in inefficient buildings, Mr. Aalfs replied. As for the skep-ticism over Asia’s impact, “I disagree with that,” he said in a telephone interview. “Innovations are going to come from places like Portola Valley. This is part of what I consider the town’s leadership role. Over the long haul, these things make a difference.”

Mr. Aalfs is a scientist, with a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from the University of California at Los Angeles and a doctorate in genetics from Harvard University. He did post-doctoral work at the medical school at Tufts University and worked at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, now part of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Corp. He worked as an entrepreneur in Palo Alto before getting involved in green building, he said. A husband and a father, with

two children, he swims regu-larly and plays softball in an adult league. “As a council member, I don’t have much of an agenda, other than to continue what I feel are the tra-ditions of Por-tola Valley,” he said in the bio. “I am looking forward to the opportunity to

work even more closely with the other members of Town Council to address the ongo-ing challenges that come to the town.” Asked about the illicit top-ping of 25 oaks in the 500 block of Portola Road in a sec-tion of field owned by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Mr. Aalfs not-ed that it is wrong for private citizens to be taking matters into their own hands like that without permission. “It seems obvious and yet it’s happened more than once,” he added. A

‘I think there’s a consistent balance — some would

say tension — between the desires of some to develop and the town’s mission as stated in the general plan: to keep the built environment subservient

to its surroundings.’JEFF AALFS

Tara Rolle

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By Jane KnoerleAlmanac Lifestyles Editor

Lutticken’s Deli, a fixture in West Menlo Park for 30 years, has had an “extreme make-

over.” The once-worn interior has been transformed with “okra” green walls with white crown molding and woodwork, handsome lighting, and comfortable seating areas. Wicker chairs are clustered before a cool “gel” fireplace, and black leather chairs and a couch are gathered around a wooden coffee table made by interior designer Michael Black. “I wanted to create a rustic, yet contemporary look,” says Mr. Black, noting two tables made from tree stumps. He has had experience in the restaurant business and as an interior designer in Los Angeles. “Everybody that comes in is just amazed,” says deli owner Bob Lutticken. The smart interior is appropriate for the deli’s new venture. After 5 p.m. it morphs into a wine bar. Looking for a niche where his store could fit into the expanding business along the Alameda, Mr. Lutticken brought up the wine bar concept to Mr. Black, a regular customer who designed the deli’s Web page. “Michael thought it was a great idea,” he says. Deli manager Judy Congdon, who has worked with Bob for 30 years, took over choosing the wines. “I’m no expert, but I know what I like,” she says. Working with a wine rep, she selected a large number of wines that sell by the glass from $6 to $12. There are also a number of beers. Domestic

sells for $3; micro for $4. Chimay Red from Belgium is $8. After 5, small plates are served, ranging from typical bar snacks such as nachos and chicken wings, to a cheese plate with baguette ($7). There are three kinds of panini ($8), sliders ($8), and four kinds of salads, including Caesar ($5); and a not-so-small plate of ribs with coleslaw ($9). There is also a kids’ menu. In the early evening, the wine

bar’s customers tend to be young families. The parents have a glass of wine, while the kids have a root beer or a snack. The families usually sit outside in an enclosed outdoor patio area with umbrella tables. Dogs are also welcome. Later the 20-to-30 crowd arrives, meeting for drinks and to watch TV on the large flat wall screen, which is always tuned to a sports event. “We see a lot of Stanford and Menlo College students,” says Mr.

Lutticken, “and we’re starting to see folks come in for meetings. Customers seem to appreciate having a place for conversation and the fact they don’t have to stand in line to order their food and drinks. “Bob was adamant on having table service,” says Mr. Black. The wine bar isn’t the only inno-vation at Lutticken’s. It now opens at 7 a.m., serving breakfast until mid-morning. “Prices are stuck in 1962,” says Mr. Lutticken. Bacon and eggs will set you back $2.75. The deli also has a coffee bar where you can order your favorite specialty coffee, latte or cappuccino. It isn’t unusual to see four con-struction workers eating lunch around the fireplace while ladies from Atherton occupy another nearby table, says Mr. Black. The deli’s transformation, begun

in May, is now completed. The building’s owner, Gary Souza, has also renovated the exterior with new stucco and paint. For many years, Gary’s parents, George and Jean Souza, had a neighborhood tavern where Lutticken’s now stands. The Alameda-Avy Avenue area, once known as University Heights, continues to attract new businesses that cater to the area’s affluent young families. Bob Lutticken hopes his wine bar fits into that trend, and he gives Michael Black credit for its transformation. “This is Michael’s baby,” he says.

Lutticken’s After 5 is open Monday through Saturday, 5-10 p.m., at 3535 Alameda de las Pulgas. 854-0291. (The deli opens at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast and coffee, and stays open during the day.) A


Kaygetsu, a seven-year-old Japanese restaurant in Menlo Park that made

Zagat’s top 10 list and has con-sistently made the San Francisco Chronicle’s list of best Bay Area restaurants, will shut its doors next month, according to the owners. “We feel like we’ve been run-ning non-stop and we need to stop now,” said co-owner Keiko Sakuma. “We have been very fortunate to have met so many wonderful people through Kaygetsu. It is truly a bittersweet moment for us as we’re saying goodbye to our

customers.” The building at 325 Sharon Park Drive in Sharon Heights won’t stand vacant, however. Tomonari and Keiko Mitsuno-bu plan to open Restaurant Mit-sunobu at the same spot as soon as the liquor license transfers, probably by the second week of October, according to Ms. Sakuma, who said the seasonal menu will feature “Japanese food with a California twist.” Current executive chef Shinichi Aoki will stay on. Neither will the Sakumas stand idle. “We’re retiring from the restaurant business, but we will still be working — we can’t afford to completely

retire yet,” Ms. Sakuma said.

Steakhouse As Kaygetsu prepares to close, yet another restaurant is getting ready to open. The owners of Left Bank plan to open a steak-house at the corner of University Drive and Santa Cruz Avenue, in the space that until recently housed Marche restaurant. The date for the grand open-ing “completely depends” on Menlo Park’s permit process, according to spokesman Tom Walton. Why Menlo Park? He said that after the city was select-ed for Left Bank in 1998, the owners came to enjoy the community, particularly events such as the Connois-seurs’ Marketplace.

After 5 p.m., the longtime deli is transformed into a wine bar, and small plates are served


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It’s wine time at Lutticken’s After 5

Almanac photos by Michelle Le

Owner Bob Lutticken is shown behind the counter at his new wine bar.

Kaygetsu restaurant prepares to say goodbye■ Two new restaurants opening in Menlo Park.

Comfortable seating in the lounge area is inviting to customers at Lutticken’s wine bar.

By Kate DalySpecial to the Almanac

A researcher who has spent the last three years study-ing mountain lions in

the Santa Cruz Mountains says that due to development, people pose a bigger threat to the ani-mals than the animals pose to people. Yiwei Wang, a doctoral stu-dent in environmental studies at U.C. Santa Cruz, spoke to about 50 people at Woodside’s Indepen-dence Hall on Aug. 25. She was invited to talk after numerous reports of mountain lion sightings in the area. Only six human fatalities involving mountain lions have been recorded in California since 1890, she said, and two were from contract-ing rabies. Yet, mountain lions still scare people because of the association with the days when grizzlies and wolves roamed the state, and hunters were paid $20 for each mountain lion pelt. Ms. Wang told how mountain lions — also called pumas, cou-gars and panthers — were hunt-ed on the East Coast to the point of extinction. In California, they became a “specially protected mammal” in the 1970s. Still “several hundred are killed a year for depredation,” she said. For example, some are shot if they go after livestock. Ms. Wang is working on the Bay Area Puma Project, a field

study that currently focuses on an area that extends from the border of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, down to Aptos and Soquel to the south, and to U.S. 101, Morgan Hill and Gil-roy to the east. She estimates 75 to 100 mountain lions are living in the study area. As of August, researchers have captured 26, tranquilized them, and outfitted them with track-ing devices to study their behav-

ior and patterns. The collars have GPS and accelerometers that provide continuous feed-back. Additionally, 50 camera traps have been set up to take pictures of wildlife in action. The goal is to find out how mountain lions are using the land developed by people, the effect of humans on males ver-sus females, and how mountain lions and other predators inter-act, she said. A few weeks ago one of the study animals was run over on Highway 17. “Several have been shot or poached, a couple hit by cars, a few died of natural causes; we’re probably down to 10 with functioning collars,” Ms. Wang said.

In general, mountain lions are solitary animals that sleep away a good part of the day in and under trees, then move around between dusk and dawn. As carnivores, Ms. Wang said, they will eat almost any animal, such as a pig, coyote, skunk or rat, but they prefer to dine on deer. A mountain lion eats an average of one deer per week. Females tend to weigh between 80 and 90 pounds, whereas adult males are heavier, usually between 120 and 140 pounds.

Females need about 25 to 30 square miles for their territory. Males cover 100 to 200 square miles and fight other males over turf. Ms. Wang described the study area as “a patchwork of developed areas and open spaces.” One out-growth of her work is

figuring out potential corridors for mountain lions to travel in, so they aren’t so fragmented and can still find mates and hunt for food. She said discussions are under way with Caltrans to pinpoint where culverts or overpasses would be beneficial so wildlife can get under or over Highway 17. The California Department of Fish and Game claims 85 to 90 percent of reported mountain lion sightings are false. In many cases, other animals, such as coyotes, bobcats or dogs, are mistakenly identified as moun-tain lions. Mountain lions “can see us,


N E W S

Allied Arts Guild Annual Gala — Tally Ho

Menlo Circus Club, Saturday September 10thFor more details, please see our website:

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ALLIED ARTS GUILD

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San Francisco and San Jose

f i lo l i

Tips on coexisting with mountain lions

Yiwei Wang, who spoke in Woodside, is working

on a field study of mountain lion behavior

in this area.

Mountain lions are solitary animals that sleep away a good part of the day in and under trees, then move around between dusk and dawn, says researcher Yiwei Wang.

Mountain lion researcher speaks in Woodside

See LIONS, page 12

Photo by Kate Daly


N E W S

whereas “Little House on the Prai-rie” by Laura Ingalls Wilder, which has a female protagonist, has been a staple for classroom reading, a switch to “Farmer Boy” has been made for third-grade boys. That book, written by the same author, has a male protagonist. Ms. Warren stressed that the changes for third-grade students are d e s i g n e d to serve the needs of both boys and girls. And, she added, much time, energy and thinking is being devoted to the first-time project to moni-tor its progress and results. The school’s counselor is involved on an ongoing basis, and is available as a resource for the teachers, she said. In addition, a research assistant has been brought in to collect data in all five third-grade classes so that when the district consid-ers whether to continue the class groupings in fourth and fifth grades, there will be solid infor-mation “to make a thoughtful recommendation to the board,” Ms. Warren said. Although this year’s third-grade class is the most “boy heavy” in the district, it merely reflects the high end of an aston-ishing trend. Ormondale’s stu-

dent body is currently 65 percent male, Ms. Warren said. Superintendent Hanretty not-ed that the district’s fourth- and fifth-grade classes reflect the boy-heavy trend. First- and sec-ond-grade classes are even more heavily male, he added, though not as much so as the record-breaking third-grade class. But whether this year’s kin-

d e r g a r t e n class, which Mr. Hanretty said is “fairly b a l a n c e d ” between boys and girls, indicates a reversal of the trend won’t be

known for some time to come.

Other all-boy classes? Although there are a num-ber of private schools that offer single-gender classes, the state Department of Education doesn’t track public schools that have such classes, according to Stephanie Papas, a department consultant. Ms. Papas said public schools are allowed to teach single-gen-der classes, with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the 1990s sup-porting that option. She noted that within the last 10 years, the federal education department also backed that option, though it emphasized that placement in a single-gender class must be voluntary. A

Ormondale School launches all-boy third-grade classes

‘Parents had the option. “We would not have moved forward without (parental)

consent.’

ORMONDALE PRINCIPAL JENNIFER WARREN

BOYS continued from page 5

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League of Women Voters meets The League of Women Vot-ers of South San Mateo County will hold its fall kickoff meet-ing at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, with Mark Church, chief elections officer in San Mateo

County. A continental breakfast will be served. The meeting is open to all. For information, contact Ellen Hope at (550) 839-8647 or [email protected].

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CITY OF PALO ALTO PRESENTS – 27TH ANNUAL

GOT OLD SHOES? Change someone’s world with a pair of your shoes. Bring your gently worn shoes to the Moonlight Run and they will be sent to Djibouti, Africa.

First aid service and chiropractic evaluations will be available.

SEX

LAST NAME

ADDRESS

CITY

T-SHIRT

Please make checks payable to: Palo Alto Weekly MOONLIGHT RUN and mail to: Palo Alto Weekly Moonlight Run, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302 • ONE ENTRY FORM PER PERSONCHECK ONE ON RACE DAY

(12 & under - include t-shirt size and $15)(If you are under 18, please read the instructions above)AGE

FIRST NAME

ZIP

M F

S M M LL XL PHONEYOUTH T-SHIRTS

WAIVER: In consideration of your accepting my entry, intending to be legally bound do hereby for myself, my heirs, executors and administrators, waive, and release any and all rights and claims that I may have against the persons and organizations affi liated with the run and sponsoring agencies, and the assignees for any and all injuries suffered by me while traveling to and from, and while participating in the Moonlight Run, or associated activities September 9, 2011. I further attest that I am physically fi t and suffi ciently trained for participation in this event.

SIGNATURE OF REGISTRANT (parent or guardian if under 18 years of age)must have this on Race Night

DATE AMOUNT

VISA/MASTERCARD

NAME ON CARD

SIGNATURE

EXP. DATE AMOUNT(PLEASE PRINT)

PHONE

EMAIL

XXL

STATE

5K WALK7:00 P.M.

10K RUN8:15 P.M.

5K RUN8:45 P.M.

(Note: all race communications is sent by email)

Flashlights/head lights recommended.

PALO ALTO WEEKLY MOONLIGHT RUN & WALK Friday, September 9, 2O11

Stanford

Bring printed form to race night

bring printed form to Race Night Registration

TIME & PLACE5K walk 7:00pm, 10K run 8:15pm, 5K run 8:45pm.

Race-night registration 6:00 to 8:00pm at City of Palo Alto Baylands Athletic Center, Embarcadero & Geng Roads (just

east of the Embarcadero Exit off Highway 101). Parking — go to PaloAltoOnline.com to check for specific parking locations.

COURSE 5K and 10K loop courses over Palo Alto Baylands levee, through the marshlands by the light of the Harvest Moon!

Course is flat, USAT&F certified (10k run only) on levee and paved roads. Water at all stops. Course map available

at www.PaloAltoOnline.com.

REGISTRATIONS & ENTRY FEE Pre-registration fee is $25 per entrant (postmarked by September 2, 2011) and includes a long-sleeve t-shirt.

Late/race-night registration is $30 and includes a shirt only while supplies last. Family package: Children 12 and under run free with a registered parent. A completed entry form for each child

must be submitted with adult registration. Please indicate on form and include $15 for t-shirt.

No confirmation of mail-in registration available. Registration also available online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com.

Refunds will not be issued for no-show registrations and t-shirts will not be held.

SPORTS TEAM/CLUBS:Pre-registration opportunity for organizations of 10 or more runners; e-mail [email protected].

MINORS: If not pre-registered Minors under 18 MUST bring signed parental/waiver form (below) on race night to participate.

DIVISIONS Age divisions: 9 & under; 10-12; 13-19; 20-29; 30-39; 40-49; 50-59; 60-69, and 70 & over with separate divisions for

male and female runners in each age group. Race timing provided for 5K and 10K runs only; not 5K walk.

COMPUTERIZED RESULTS by A Change of Pace Chip timing by A Change of Pace. Race results will be posted on the Internet at www.PaloAltoOnline.com by 11pm

race night. Registration forms must be filled out completely and correctly for results to be accurate.

Race organizers are not responsible for incorrect results caused by incomplete or incorrect registration forms. You

must register for the event you plan to participate in.

AWARDS/PRIZES/ENTERTAINMENT Top three finishers in each division. Prize giveaways and refreshments.

DJ Alan Waltz. Pre-race warmups by Noxcuses Fitness, Palo Alto

PALO ALTO GRAND PRIX Road Race Series — Moonlight Run, 9/9; Marsh Madness, 10/23; Home Run, 11/13, for

more information go to www.paloaltogp.org.

BENEFICIARY Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund. A holiday-giving fund to benefit Palo Alto area non-profits and charitable organizations.

In April 2011, 45 organizations received a total of $240,000 (from the 2010-2011 Holiday Fund.)

MORE INFORMATION Call (650) 463-4920, (650) 326-8210, email [email protected] or go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com.

For safety reasons, no dogs allowed on course for the 5K and 10K runs. They are welcome on the 5K walk only. No retractable

leashes! Please bring your own clean-up bag. Jogging strollers welcome in the 5K walk or at the back of either run.

PRE-

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CLOSED!


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but don’t want to be seen,” Ms. Wang said, pointing out that most encounters last less than two seconds. If you do see a mountain lion, she suggests: maintain eye contact but don’t approach it, run, or turn around. Instead look big, pick up children, make noise, throw rocks and sticks, and fight back if attacked. Her advice on coexisting with mountain lions is to be smart. Don’t run, hike or bike alone between dusk and dawn. Don’t leave small pets or children outside unattended, particularly at night. Don’t attract prey by leaving food out. Do deer-proof yards and protect livestock by putting them in secure enclo-sures.

Mountain lions can jump over 10-foot fences and leap up to 30 feet horizontally. Some nervous neighbors asked about keeping their horses safe. Ms. Wang said mountain lions don’t usually go after them because horses can defend themselves. Goats, on the other hand are a favorite treat, and should be put in sheds overnight. A couple of audience members asked if it’s safe to walk on trails with dogs, and she responded, “if they act aggressive they’ve been known to tree” mountain lions. Woodside Mayor Ron Rom-ines mentioned that county residents may sign up to receive mountain lion warnings by going to smcalert.info. A

Go to santacruzpumas.org for more on Ms. Wang’s work.

Coexisting with big catsLIONS continued from page 9

■ DA says deal was done in Menlo Park. By Patricia DeckerBay City News Service

Two men suspected of sell-ing an iPhone 4 prototype that was lost last year in a

Redwood City bar pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges in San Mateo County Superior Court on Sept. 1. Prosecutors from the county district attorney’s office have said that the deal was consum-mated at the Starbucks coffee shop at 3590 Alameda de las Pulgas in unincorporated Men-lo Park. Brian John Hogan, 22, and Sage Robert Wallower, 28, are suspected of selling the leaked phone to a techonology blog, Gawker Media’s Gizmodo, after it was found at the Gour-

met Haus Staudt restaurant on March 18, 2010. The men were each charged with one count of misappropria-tion of lost property after they allegedly arranged to sell the device for $5,000 to the blog, which then disassembled it and posted details about the proto-type on its website. The man who bought the phone, Jason Chen, was an edi-tor at Gizmodo at the time. To charge him with a crime, pros-

ecutors would have had to prove a) that he is not a journalist as defined by the state’s “shield” law, which protects a journalist from revealing sources for sto-ries; and b) that he was know-ingly in receipt of stolen prop-erty, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told the Almanac. Chief Deputy District Attor-ney Karen Guidotti said the two men did not appear in court Sept. 1 but that Mr. Hogan’s attorney, Jeffrey Bornstein, and

Mr. Wallower’s attorney, Eliza-beth Grossman, entered not-guilty pleas on their clients’ behalf. A pretrial conference was scheduled for Oct. 11 and a trial date was set for Nov. 28, Ms. Guidotti said. No charges were filed against Gizmodo employees. News reports surfaced Sept. 1 that an iPhone 5 prototype was recently lost by an Apple employee at a San Francisco bar. According to a CNET report, the phone was lost in late July at Cava 22, a restaurant and

bar in San Francisco’s Mission District. The article goes on to say that San Francisco police and Apple employees visited a home in Bernal Heights where the phone had apparently been traced. Apple spokesman Steve Dowl-ing said the company is declin-ing to comment on the matter. San Francisco police spokes-man Albie Esparza said he has not been able to find a record of a police report filed by the com-pany for its loss. He said Sept. 1 that police were awaiting a response from Apple. A


Almanac writer writes mystery Marie Wagner Krenz, who has written occasional “Woodside Memories” features for the Alma-nac over many years, has pub-lished a mystery novel, “Fear at Phantom Ship Lake.” Set in Lassen National Park in northeast-ern California, the novel tells the story of Carolyn Walker’s frightening experience at a small writers’ conference, where an attendee is found dead in Phan-tom Ship Lake. Then the mur-derer strikes again. Ms. Krenz says her love for the natural beauty of Woodside is reflected in her appreciation for the “spectacular glory of Lassen Park, which inspired the writing of this book.” Since 1918, members of the Krenz and Wagner families have spent summers and weekends at their Woodside home. Born in San Francisco, she attended Stanford University, and as a graduate, taught Span-ish to veterans returning from World War II. After teaching high school for a few years, she married and later discovered the pleasures of freelance writing. Since then she has contributed numerous columns to San Francisco and Bay Area newspapers, including the Almanac. “Fear at Phantom Ship Lake” is available at Kepler’s in Menlo Park, Orinda Books in Orinda, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or XLibris.

Two plead not guilty in iPhone leak case

Marie Krenz

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The San Mateo County His-tory Museum has begun offer-ing docent-guided tours to the public. The 60-minute tour begins at 10:30 am on the first Saturday of each month. Tours are free to members of the San Mateo County His-torical Association and to those who pay the museum’s general admission of $3 to $5. The museum is at 2200 Broad-way in Redwood City. Visit historysmc.org or call 299-0104 for more information

on the museum.

Carl Payne graduatesfrom Navy school Navy Seaman Apprentice Carl R. Payne, son of Elshebia N. Payne and a resident of Menlo Park, recently graduated from Operations Specialist School with honors. In Great Lakes, Illinois, he took a course at the Center for

Surface Combat System Unit, where he learned to operate surveillance and search radars, recognize and identify elec-tronic signals, control aircraft approach devices, and operate electronic navigation systems, the Navy said. These studies are designed to train operations specialists for duty in a shipboard combat information center or at a shore-based fleet training center. Seaman Payne, who graduated in 2010 from Menlo-Atherton High School, joined the Navy in December 2010.


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Finvola (Finny) Arney Finny Arney, a former resident of Menlo Park, died Aug. 21 in Tucson, Arizona. She was 86. Born in Ellensburg, Washing-ton, she and her family moved to California when she was young, and she remained there until moving to Tucson in 2001. After retiring in 1987, she served as a volunteer for the Peninsula Volunteers, the Menlo Park Police Depart-

ment, the Sheriff’s Office, the Woodside-Atherton Auxiliary, and the Cancer Discovery Shop. She enjoyed spending time with her friends and family, playing golf, traveling, read-ing, and completing crossword puzzles, the family said. Survivors include her four daughters, Sheryn Klein, Kath-lene Finvola Petretti, Missy Marsh, and Robin Eber; and seven grandchildren. She asked that no services be held.

OBITUARY

BRIEFS

Submitted by Wade Avery, Menlo School varsity water polo player

The South Peninsula Water Polo Club (SoPen), made up of high school water polo

players from Menlo School and other local high schools, hosted its 7th annual water polo clinic this past summer with members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula at the Menlo School pool. Instead of a focus on creating Division 1 athletes, this clinic is about teaching elementary and middle-school boys and girls about nutrition, motivation, and being their best. It is also a chance for the high school athletes to become teachers and mentors for a few days. “One of the best aspects of the clinic is that everybody gets to experience something new,” said Menlo senior Nick Goldman. “We become coaches and leaders and the kids get to try out being water polo players.” Most kids come to the clinic with little to no water polo experience. But, with the help of their coaches, the children are able to improve their swimming, learn how to pass and shoot the ball, and even run an offense. That is why the kids are shown how to eat healthful foods, stay active, and stay motivated through whatever challenges they endure. The SoPen philosophy of “Be Your Best” is applicable to many aspects of life and the coaches teach the kids how they can “be their best”

no matter what they are doing. “All of the SoPen players really take the idea of ‘being your best’ very seriously, so we felt like that was very important that we pass that philosophy on to the children we were training,” said Menlo senior Brad Haaland. When the kids are in the water, they are learning how to throw the ball, play defense, and tread water. When they are out of the pool, they are chatting with their coaches about their favorite book, a time they have tried and failed, and how to face challenges. At the end of the clinic, the campers were given a SoPen T-shirt and a certificate for their participation. A


N E W S

Clinic teaches youthmore than water poloMembers of Boys & Clubs participated

Photo by Marcus Jackson

Kids from the Menlo Park club of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Peninsula play at the Menlo School pool during the clinic.

CORRECTION

In the Back to School report in the Aug. 31 issue of the Alma-nac, we incorrectly identified Encinal as a grade K-3 school. Encinal is a K-5 school.

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N E W S

requirements for the vacant car lots it owns along southeast El Camino Real, while the coun-cil said the university needs to commit to developing the par-cels, particularly with a hotel that could help financially sup-port the specific plan’s imple-mentation. Others, including Richard Draeger of Draeger’s Super-markets, voiced concerns about replacing portions of parking plazas with mixed-use retail developments. Overall, the council’s prelimi-nary recommendations followed the tone set by the planning commissioners during a series of reviews held during the sum-mer.

Among the highlights: ■ Curb extensions, which allow sidewalk segments to spread into the street, providing a haven for pedestrians but an obstacle for bike and bus lanes, should be removed from the plan. ■ Increase safety by installing quad gates at the Ravenswood and Oak Grove Avenue railroad crossing that would prevent drivers from attempting to cross despite the warning signal. ■ Increase the upper-floor setback on Alma Avenue to 15 feet. Go to tinyurl.com/plan-163 to review all documents associated with the specific plan, including recommendations. The council also supported the Planning Commission’s request that the Finance Audit Committee prepare an executive

summary of the FIA. According to Assistant City Manager Starla Jerome-Robinson, the com-mittee will meet on Sept. 12 to compile the report. Mr. Bernstein said the com-mittee “should not waste its time on the present document.” Upcoming meetings of the council will focus on different areas of the draft plan: Down-town Menlo Park and the remainder of El Camino Real on Sept. 13, and the FIA along with public benefit during a last review on Sept. 20. Final ver-sions of both the specific plan and environmental impact report may start circulating by winter. A

Menlo City Council evaluates downtown planDOWNTOWN continued from page 5

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Commission could reasonably consider the additional public funds needed to tunnel under the tree and preserve it,” the SFPUC said in a written state-ment about the deadline. Guided by Assistant County Manager David Holland, San Mateo County stepped in to offer insurance and liability cov-erage if the residents could agree to the public access requirement. But during a meeting with the county on Aug. 15, a majority of the residents indicated they didn’t want to fulfill that condi-tion. However, the coalition some-how found a way to make public access palatable. According to spokesman Ron van Thiel, they expect a positive response from the SFPUC to the latest pro-posal.

Editor’s note: Due to the Labor Day holiday, this issue of the Almanac went to press on Fri-day, Sept. 2. Later news updates will be posted online.

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For the first time in 25 years my husband and I have no children in our house,

and it would not have happened without the help of our friends, relatives and neighbors. My daughters have always loved to tease their brother, our middle child, probably because he’s never been overly ambi-tious.

At one point Riley’s stated goal in life was to be a character at Disneyland, part-time, while sharing an apartment with five or six friends.

At the end of eighth grade, when assigned to write an essay that might be read on stage at graduation, Riley tried to write something that would never be chosen. His essay, comparing life to a bucket of friend chick-en, was too hilarious to not win, though. Riley was handed a bucket of fried chicken by the superintendent after he read it. For a few years in high school Riley wanted to go to Chico State, since he’d heard it was a party school. When admitted to Chico, however, he decided on San Francisco State instead, since his best friend since nurs-ery school would be there. Riley found a major he thought was easy, technical and professional writing, and graduated in four-and-a-half years. He moved back home the last semester. Riley didn’t get his driver’s license until he was 22, when he needed to commute to a summer internship. Six months after graduation, Riley found a paid internship as a technical writer, through the friend of a friend of his parents. Since there was no guarantee the job would last, Riley continued living at home for nearly a year until hired as a regular employee. He said he wanted his own place so he could have a faster Internet connection and a big screen television. And that’s when the village really came in handy. I asked a good friend, a real estate agent, if Riley could afford to buy a condo near his job in Sunny-vale by living at home another year. She asked how much of a loan he could qualify for; so my nephew, a loan broker in Oregon, began investigating. It turned out, thanks to the real estate collapse, Riley could actually buy a condo for about

what he’d pay for rent, with the money he’d already saved the last year as the down payment. The deal-breaker seemed to be, however, that since Riley had no credit history, a government-insured loan was all he qualified for and few condo complexes near his work qualified for those loans. But my nephew knew townhouses qualify on their own and Riley soon found a foreclosed one-bedroom townhouse only 10 minutes from his work to buy. As the close of escrow neared I posted Riley’s need for fur-niture on a local website. The response was overwhelming and within two weeks, Riley had been given a sectional sofa, floor lamps, TV stands, a dining set, ottoman, chairs, everything needed to furnish his kitchen, outdoor furniture and a propane grill, and even floor lamps. One trip to IKEA and one to Target completed his furnishings without over-drawing his bank account, with enough left over to buy a flat screen television. So thank you everyone for helping Riley find a job, find a loan, find a condo and fur-nish it, and move him in. We are a little lonely around here, but I know I have a nice place to visit in Santa Clara any time I want. A

Barbara Wood is a freelance writ-er, photographer and gardener from Woodside. Her column runs the third week of the month.


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DISPATCHES

from the home front

BARBARA WOOD

It takes a village to empty a nest


Tell Menlo Park what you want in a city manager — the city has posted an online

survey to ask residents what skills, experience, and attributes the suc-cessful applicant should have. Interim City Manager Glen Rojas retired on July 15, but remains on as a contractor through December or until the city hires a replace-ment. Go to menlopark.org to take the survey, which will stay online until Sept. 20. Residents can also comment during the City Council Tuesday night meetings on Sept. 13 and Sept. 20, or write recruitment firm Avery Associates at [email protected]. Of course, the ability to tell the council what you think about the new city manager — or the old one — will continue to be avail-able during public comment on Tuesday nights.

No council meeting There’s nothing like following up a holiday with a day off. The Menlo Park City Council has cancelled its meeting for Tuesday, Sept. 6. The council will next convene on Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 6 p.m. in council chambers at the Civic Center at 701 Laurel St. Starting an hour earlier than usual to allow public input on the hiring of a new city manager, the meeting is also expected to include discussion of portions of the downtown/El Camino Real specific plan.

Commission openings Two seats are opening on each of three commissions in Menlo Park. If you’ve ever dreamed of sitting on the Environmental Quality, Housing, or Transportation com-missions, here is your chance. The

deadline to apply is Sept. 20. Go to tinyurl.com/MPComm11 for more information and appli-cations. The terms run from appointment through April 30, 2015. Contact [email protected] or call 330-6625 to throw your hat in the ring.

Emergency wells As part of its plan to install two to three emergency water wells in Menlo Park, the city is holding a community meeting on Thursday, Sept. 8, to seek public input on possible locations. Go to tinyurl.com/3r49qjr to review the potential well sites. The wells would provide a backup water supply in the event of earth-quake or other disaster. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Menlo Park Senior Center at 100 Terminal Ave.

Reclaim closing Reclaim, a Menlo Park home furnishings and design store with an eco-friendly emphasis, will close once its remaining inventory is sold, probably by October, owner Bridget Biscotti Bradley said. “We loved working with our community and educating people about sustainable and healthy products for the home, and we appreciated the support of the community,” she said. “We’re sad to be closing but we enjoyed the experience and we have no regrets!” After nearly four years of run-ning Reclaim on Santa Cruz Ave-nue, Ms. Bradley said she will keep writing and editing home improve-ment and design books for Sunset Publishing, but has no plans to open another store. A


C O M M U N I T YADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

TOWN OF ATHERTON

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

HOOVER STREET CROSSWALK

PROJECT NO. 56011

Notice is hereby given that SEALED BIDS will be received at the offi ce of the City Clerk, 91 Ashfi eld Road, Atherton, California 94027, until 3:00 p.m. SEPTEMBER 21, 2011, at which time they will be publicly opened and read, for performing the following work:

LAYOUT OF WORK, SHOULDER WIDENING, UPGRADE CONCRETE CURB RAMP, INSTALLATION OF SIGNING AND STRIPING, AND INSTALLATION OF IN-PAVEMENT LIGHTED CROSSWALK ON VALPARAISO AVENUE AT HOOVER STREET.

The UDBE Contract Goal is 1.0% (percent)

The Engineer’s Estimate for the project is: $30,800

Per Section 6.01 of the Town of Atherton’s Standard Specifi cations, the General Contractor shall perform, with his own organization, work of a value amounting to not less than 50% of the total contract, excluding specialty items as indicated on the bid schedule.

Bids must be for the entire work, and shall be submitted in sealed envelopes clearly marked: “Bid of (Contractor) for HOOVER STREET CROSSWALK, Project No. 56011”, along with date and time of bid opening.

Plans and specifi cations may be obtained at the Town of Atherton’s website at www.ci.atherton.ca.us under Bid Solicitation at no cost. Additional important information is contained in Town of Atherton Standard Specifi cations, which are available on line at www.ci.atherton.ca.us/publicworks.html . Contractor shall be responsible for any addendums that may be posted on the Town’s website. No Planholders list shall be available.

Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in the form of cash, a cashier’s or certifi ed check or bid bond for not less than ten percent (10%) of the amount of the bid, as a guarantee that the bidder, if awarded the Contract, will fulfi ll the terms of the bid.

The Town of Atherton, The City, reserves the right to reject any or all bids; to make any awards or any rejections in what it alone considers to be in the best interest of the City, and waive any informalities or irregularities in the bids. The contract will be awarded, if at all, to the responsible bidder that submits the lowest responsive bid. [NOTE: If there are alternates in the bid, the City will need to state how the low bid will be determined, as required by PCC 20103.8.]

Bidders are hereby notifi ed that, pursuant to California Civil Code Sections 3247 and 3248 and Standard Specifi cations Section 3.02, the successful bidder will be required to provide payment and performance bonds in the amounts of 100% of the contract price.

Bidders are hereby notifi ed that provisions of California Labor Code regarding prevailing wages and apprentices are applicable to the work to be performed under this contract. Pursuant to Section 1773 et seq. the general prevailing wage rates have been determined by the Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations and appear in the California Prevailing Wage Rates. Copies are on fi le at the offi ce of the City Engineer and are available to interested parties upon request. The successful bidder shall post a copy of the wage rates at the job site.

The Contractor may elect to receive 100 percent of payments due under the contract, without retention of any portion of the payment by the Town of Atherton, by depositing securities of equivalent value to the retention amount in accordance with the provisions of Section 22300 of the California Public Contract Code.

All bidders shall be licensed under the provisions of the Business and Professions Code to do the type of work contemplated in the project. The City has determined that the Contractor shall possess a valid Class A license at the time the bid is submitted. Failure to possess the specifi ed license shall render the bid non-responsive.

Each bidder shall submit with this bid a statement setting forth his/her/its experience and qualifi cations. The statement shall be made on the forms provided by the Town and must accompany each bid. The three lowest bidders will be required to submit subcontractor’s experience and qualifi cations statements within 48 hours of the bid opening, on forms provided by the Town.

By submitting a bid in response to this advertisement for bids, the bidder shall be conclusively deemed to have read, understood and agreed with all of the information and materials contained in the bid documents, including but not limited to the construction contract, the standard specifi cations, the special provisions, the required nature and amount of insurance and the documentation evidencing said insurance.

Any questions regarding the project should be directed to David Huynh, Project Engineer, telephone: (650) 752-0555 or by written Requests for Information (RFI) to: Public Works Department, 91 Ashfi eld Road, Atherton, CA 94027, no later than ten (10) business days before bid opening. RFIs may be emailed to [email protected] or faxed to (650) 688-6539. Responses shall be posted on the Town’s website no later than fi ve (5) days prior to bid opening.

By: Michael Kashiwagi, P.E., City Engineer Date:

Help choose city manager

Caltrain shifts to new rail operator

MENLO BRIEFS

Over the next five months, Caltrain operations will transi-tion from Amtrak to TransitA-merica Services Inc., following the unanimous approval Sept. 1 by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board to contract with the St. Joseph, Missouri, firm. The approval comes after a 15-month bidding process that led to the comparison of five rail operators, Caltrain officials said. The first full year (FY 2013) of the five-year contract is for $59.5 million, within the pro-jected Caltrain operating and capital budgets, according to a

Caltrain statement. Subsequent contract amounts are subject to annual negotiations. It’s likely that the familiar fac-es of those running the trains will remain the same; federal regulations provide job protec-tions for current employees. The major components of Caltrain’s contract include the daily staffing and operations of trains, as well as inspection and maintenance of tracks and other facilities. Amtrak has operated Cal-train for more than 20 years.

— Embarcadero Media


C O M M U N I T Y

Community Meeting

EMERGENCY WATER SUPPLY PROJECT

Reunion de la Comunidad

PROYECTO PARA EL SUMINISTRO DE AGUA EN CASO DE EMERGENCIA

The City plans to construct approximately 2 – 3 emergency water wells that will

provide firefighting and drinking water supply reliability to the Menlo Park Municipal

Water District’s eastern service area after an earthquake or other emergency. We

need your feedback!

Comments or Questions?

www.menlopark.org/projects/wellsproject.htm

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Menlo Park Senior Center

La ciudad planea construir aproximadamente 2 – 3 pozos que suministren agua

de Menlo Park del área oriental después de un terremoto u otra emergencia.

¡Necesitamos sus comentarios!

¿Comentarios o Preguntas?

www.menlopark.org/projects/wellsproject.htm

Jueves, 08 de septiembre 2011

Menlo Park Senior Center

Eshoo reflects on loss ofBelle Haven in redistrictingBy Dave BoyceAlmanac Staff Writer

For a few weeks during the summer of 2011, the Cali-fornia Citizens Redistricting

Commission had redrawn a con-gressional district border such that the house of Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Menlo Park, was about 200 yards outside the district in which she will be running for re-election in 2012. The commission later expanded the map with the result that her house was back in what is now known as the 18th District, but it would not have mattered, she said in a telephone interview from her house. The U.S. Constitution requires that a district representa-tive reside in the state but not in the district itself. But while Ms. Eshoo’s house was back in, those of some of her longtime constituents were not. Menlo Park’s Belle Haven n e i g h b o r -hood and East Palo Alto will henceforth be represented by Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Francisco, assuming she wins election to the new 14th District in 2012. “My concerns don’t stop at the county line,” Ms. Eshoo said. “It was disappointing to me that the commission didn’t reflect some of the voices of the community and keep (Menlo Park) intact. There is deep disappointment in the com-munity.” “I will work just as hard on behalf of these communities, whether they are in my district or not. My roots are in San Mateo County,” she said, referring to her years in the county’s Democratic party and as a county supervisor. “Jackie Speier and I have worked together for almost 30 years,” she added. “These communities are likely to get more, not less, attention. ... They will have two members and they will not be shortchanged, either by me or Jackie.”

A primary opponent? Asked if she expected to have an opponent for the June 2012 pri-mary election, Ms. Eshoo said the competition “remains to be seen” and that she never takes elections or her constituents for granted. “I start from scratch every time I go out there,” she said. And if she is opposed, will she

change her strategy or tactics? It may be hard to believe, she said, but she would not. “I don’t approach it that way. I never have.” Nor will her district’s new outlines change anything; her constituents, new and current, share the same concerns for the environment, education, justice and tolerance, she said.

Debt ceiling and politics After President Barack Obama reached a highly contentious down-to-the-wire deal with con-gressional Republicans to avoid defaulting on the $14.6 trillion the United States owes its credi-tors, several public opinion polls put approval of Congress near 20 percent. “I think it was just sheer hell,”

Ms. Eshoo said when asked to comment. “I think that it said terri-ble things to the Ameri-can people, that (Con-gress) is not a competent organiza-tion.”

Raising the debt ceiling is a high responsibility but Republicans mischaracterized it as giving the president a blank check, she said. The fight damaged the country’s reputation abroad, caused great anxiety at home and left con-stituents angry then disgusted, she said. “It’s a sad situation,” she added. “When the country needs consen-sus the most, the House of Repre-sentatives is deeply divided. It’s not as if (the impact) is contained in the chamber. It’s for the country. This is not a sport. It’s deeply frus-trating to me. I’m not proud of it.” “I try to be the voice of sanity in the midst of all that,” she said. “We can do so much better for this country. We’re the United States of America. We can do anything.” Texas Gov. Rick Perry has vault-ed to the front of the pack of contenders for the 2012 Republi-can presidential nomination. Will President Obama and his party be ready for a folksy, tell-it-like-it-is, Southern, Western, cowboy-boot-wearing, politically agile Repub-lican governor with whom voters may feel that they could sit down and have a beer? “They better be,” Ms. Eshoo said. “(Rick Perry) has been a suc-cessful politician since the 1980s. No one should underestimate him, including Barack Obama.” A

‘It’s a sad situation. When the country needs consensus the most, the House of Representatives is deeply divided.’

REP. ANNA ESHOO, D-MENLO PARK


C O M M U N I T Y

Visit AlmanacNews.com/calendarto see more calendar listings

On Stage‘Sense and Sensibility’ Two charming sisters sail the unpredictable seas of court-ship in this adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel, “Sense and Sensibility.” Tue.-Wed.: 7:30 p.m.; Thu.-Fri.: 8 p.m.; Sat.: 2 p.m., 8 p.m.; Sun: 2 p.m., 7 p.m. Through Sept. 18, $19-$69. Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View. theatreworks.org‘Shout! The Mod Musical’ flips through the 1960s, featuring the fashion and the music with soulful pop anthems and ballads by British stars such as Petula Clark, Lulu, and Dusty Springfield. Through Oct. 1, 8 p.m. $24-32. Bus Barn Theater, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos. Call 650-941-0551. www.busbarn.org

Talks/Authors‘The Leftovers’ Tom Perrotta discusses and signs his new novel “The Leftovers.” Sept. 13, 7 p.m. Free to members. Admis-sion requires purchase of event book or $10 gift card. Kepler’s, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. Call 650-324-4321. www.keplers.com‘The Woman Who Could Not Forget: Iris Chang Before and Beyond the

Rape of Nanking’ A memoir about the life of author and historian, Iris Chang, as told by her mother. Sept. 8, 7:30 p.m. Free to members. Admission requires purchase of event book or $10 gift card. Kepler’s, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. Call 650-324-4321. www.keplers.comJosh Rolnick Josh Rolnick presents his new book, “Pulp and Paper,” Sept. 15, 7 p.m. Free to members. General admission requires purchase of event book or $10 gift card. Kepler’s, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. Call 650-324-4321. www.keplers.comPoetry with Jane Hirshfield Hir-shfield presents her poetry Sept. 12, 7 p.m. Free to members. General admis-sion requires purchase of event book or $10 gift card. Kepler’s, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. Call 650-324-4321. www.keplers.comWilliam Carter William Carter presents a new book of photographs and auto-biographical text. Sept. 14, 7 p.m. Free to members. Admission requires purchase of event book or $10 gift card. Kepler’s, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. Call 650-324-4321. www.keplers.com

Art Galleries‘Peninsula Landmarks’ Peninsula Landmarks, a new exhibit featuring four murals by artist Lois White, will open with a reception as part of Redwood City’s Sec-ond Saturday Art Walk. The murals highlight buildings, parks and businesses of historic significance to San Mateo County. Sept. 10, 6-9 p.m. Free. San Mateo County History

Museum, 2200 Broadway, Redwood City. Call 650-299-0104. www.historysmc.orgThe New Contemporary Gallery European and American art in diverse media from recent decades is on display in the contemporary collection. Exhibits ongo-ing. Free. Cantor Arts Center, 328 Lomita Drive, Stanford.

Classes/Workshops‘Celebrating the Peace Corp’s 50th’ The World Affairs Council - Peninsula will hold a fall kick-off event on Sun., Sept. 11, with a panel on “The Peace Corps at 50 - Making a Difference.” 3-5 p.m. Council members $10, nonmembers, $15, Students $5. Private home, 75 Tuscaloosa Ave., Atherton. Call 415-293-4600. www.ItsYour-World.org‘Giving Blood May Get You a Job’ Donate at any Stanford Blood Center Sept. 1-13 and be eligible to attend a networking workshop and job fair on Sept. 13. Meet with career experts, recruiters. 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Free. Stanford Blood Center, 3373 Hillview Ave., Palo Alto. Call 650-725-2540. bloodcenter.stanford.edu/Project Read Menlo Park will train and prepare tutoars to provide one-on-one tutoring in adult literacy. Sept. 7, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Free. Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma St., Menlo Park. Call 650-330-2525.

Kids & Families Doug Nolan of Rock Steady will present his show, “Eco-tainment,” an envi-

ronmental educational library program. Learn about protecting the environment with music, magic and juggling. Sept. 8, 4:30-5 p.m. Portola Valley Library, 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley. Call 650-851-0560.Book Swap and Ice Cream Social The Friends of the Portola Valley Library will be hosting a book swap and ice-cream social. Bring a book to swap and get a treat. This event will be held outdoors, weather permitting. Sept. 14, 3-4:30 p.m. Portola Valley, 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley. Call 650-851-0560.Happy Birds Show Trained parrots will perform Sept. 12, 4-5 p.m. Free. Atherton Library, 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane, Ather-ton. Call 650-328-2422. www.smcl.org

Pajama Story Time with Judy Schachner Kids are invited to wear pajamas and hear Judy Schachner read from her sixth book in the Skippyjon Jones series. Sept. 9, 6 p.m. Free. Kepler’s, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. Call 650-324-4321. www.keplers.com

Et Alia‘Commemorate 9/11’ Messiah Lutheran Church will commemorate the 10th anni-versary of the terrorist attacks and the 60th anniversary of the founding of the congrega-tion during a special service. Lunch follows in fellowship hall. Sept. 11, 10-11:30 a.m. Messiah Lutheran Church, 1835 Valota Road, Redwood City. Call 650-365-6565.

Atherton focuses on new library Community members can learn the latest information about Atherton’s plans for a new library at a meeting to be held Thursday, Sept. 8, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Pavilion at Holbrook-Palmer Park. The park is the favored loca-tion for the planned facili-ty, which would replace the cramped existing library in the Town Center. The meeting will include “brief informational presenta-tions of findings by a number of experts,” according to a press release from the Atherton Library Building Steering Com-mittee, a volunteer committee studying options for building a new facility. There will be tables dedicated to different project topics, and participants will have the opportunity to ask questions at each station.

A library needs assessment analysis done two years ago is the basis for much of the drive to build a new library of about 11,000 square feet to replace the 4,790-square-foot existing facility. The new library would have greatly expanded materials collections and far more area devoted to computers. Most of the project’s financing would come from an existing fund dedicated exclusively to the library. Although there is considerable support for the idea of building the library in the town’s only park, it has been a tough pill for some to swallow. A number of residents question whether locating the library there will conflict with existing park uses, and whether the traffic gener-ated will be too disruptive for the now generally tranquil setting.

Talk: Robots as benign workmates With robots vacuuming rugs at home, competing in feats of dexterity in high schools, and helping surgeons in heart and prostate operations, views of robots as demon machines are misplaced, says SRI Interna-tional engineer and robotics scholar Rich Mahoney. Mr. Mahoney will give a talk on the state of robotics at the Sep-tember Cafe Scientifique set for Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 6 p.m. at SRI International headquarters at

Middlefield Road and Ringwood Avenue in Menlo Park. Mr. Mahoney’s talk, “Robots and the Democratization of Quality,” will sketch SRI’s activi-ties in developing tele-manipula-tion robotics as well as a view of how robots are likely to evolve and “enable broad access to high quality in everyday services,” according to a Cafe statement. Go to cafescisv.org for direc-tions, information on parking, and other details.

‘Orphaned Elephants’Marsha Heimbecker’s oil painting “Showers” (12x24”, 2011) is part of her September exhibit, “Memories of Youth, Orphaned Elephants of Tsavo,” at the Portola Art Gallery in Menlo Park. Her series is inspired by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a refuge for the protection and preservation of Africa’s wilderness, particularly for endangered species such as elephants. A reception will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at the gallery in Allied Arts Guild at 75 Arbor Road. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CALENDAR

This information is from the Atherton and Menlo Park police departments and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. Under the law, people charged with offenses are considered innocent until convicted.

ATHERTON

Burglary report: Desktop computers and keys to school buses stolen, office of Menlo Park City School District at 195 Encinal Ave., Aug. 30.Auto burglary reports: ■ Window smashed and piece of lug-gage stolen, Valley Road, Aug. 30.■ Window smashed and clothes, laptop computer and purse stolen from trunk of vehicle, Surrey Lane, Aug. 30.

WOODSIDE

Commercial burglary report: Loss estimated at $840 in break-in and theft of eight pressure-treated boards and five or six lengths of steel rebar, 400 block of Las Pulgas Drive, Aug. 27.

MENLO PARK

Embezzlement report: Possible loss of $5,000 in sale of illegally obtained

music synthesizer, 900 block of O’Brien Drive, Aug. 20.Grand theft report: Loss estimated at $3,000 in theft of laptop computer from office desk, 300 block of Middlefield Road, Aug. 29.Residential burglary reports:

■ Loss estimated at $947 in break-in and theft of two locked bicycles from secured underground parking garage, 1600 block of El Camino Real, Aug. 22.■ Loss estimated at $850 in break-in through bedroom window and theft of three Apple iPods, Henderson Ave., Aug. 19.Auto burglary reports: ■ Window smashed but nothing taken, 600 block of Sharon Park Drive, Aug. 13.■ Window smashed and purse stolen, 200 block of Blackburn Ave., Aug. 31.Fraud reports: ■ Unauthorized use of credit card, 700 block of Hermosa Way, Aug. 20.■ Foiled attempt to cash forged check, Bank of America office at 633 Santa Cruz Ave., Aug. 23.■ Unauthorized use of credit card, 400 block of Encinal Ave., Sept. 1.Stolen vehicle report: White 1993 Ford F150, 100 block of Willow Road, Aug. 16.Spousal abuse report: 1100 block of Willow Road, Aug. 13.


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NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

AND

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

CITY OF MENLO PARK

PLANNING COMMISSION

MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Planning Commission of the City of Menlo Park, California, is scheduled to review the following items:

PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS

Use Permit/Erin M. Dolinko/827 Hobart Street: Request for a use permit for the construction of a new two-story, single-family residence with a basement located on a substandard lot with regard to lot width in the R-1-S (Single Family Suburban) zoning district.

STUDY SESSION ITEMS

Study Session/Kenneth Rodrigues and Partners/4085 Campbell Avenue: Request for a study session to demolish two existing build-ings, totaling 55,637 square feet, located at 40 Scott Drive and 4085 Campbell Avenue. The existing private recreation facility and general office/manufacturing buildings would be replaced with a 55,630-square foot, two-story office building. Associated site improvements would include new site access, parking configuration and landscaping plan. The entire property would be readdressed to 4085 Campbell Avenue.

Study Session/Pacific Peninsula Architecture/702 Oak Grove: Request for a study session to demolish an existing four-unit residential building and construct a mixed-use development, consisting of ground floor parking, three residential units on the second floor, and 3,142 square feet of gross floor area of commercial uses on the third floor, located in the R-C (Mixed Use) zoning district.

REGULAR BUSINESS ITEMS

Below Market Rate Housing In-Lieu Fee Agreement CA 1460 O’Brien, LLC/1460 O’Brien Drive: Request to approve a Below Market Rate Housing In-Lieu Fee Agreement for the conversion of an existing 36,604-square-foot building consisting of office, warehousing and manufacturing uses (Group B) to a 33,600 square foot building for office uses (Group A) that would be conforming with regard to parking. No discretionary action is required for the change of use.

Architectural Control/David Bouquillon/2400-2498 Sand Hill Road: Request for architectural control review to modify the exte-rior paint colors of eight existing and one approved (but not yet con-structed) office buildings at the Quadrus campus located in the C-1-C (Administrative, Professional and Research District, Restrictive).

NOTICE IS HEREBY FURTHER GIVEN that said Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on public hearing items in the Council Chambers of the City of Menlo Park, located at 701 Laurel Street, Menlo Park, on Monday, September 19, 2011, 7:00 p.m. or as near as possible thereafter, at which time and place interested persons may appear and be heard thereon. If you challenge this item in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written cor-respondence delivered to the City of Menlo Park at, or prior to, the public hearing. The project file may be viewed by the public on weekdays between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, with alternate Fridays closed, at the Department of Community Development, 701 Laurel Street, Menlo Park. Please call the Planning Division if there are any questions and/or for complete agenda information (650) 330-6702.

Si usted necesita más información sobre este proyecto, por favor llame al 650-330-6702, y pregunte por un asistente que hable español.

DATED: August 31, 2011 Deanna Chow, Senior Planner

PUBLISHED: September 7, 2011 Menlo Park Planning Commission

Visit our Web site for Planning Commission public hearing, agenda, and staff report information: www.menlopark.org

Bob Peterson, 79, known by friends and family as “Big Pete”, passed away at his home in San Jose following a long battle with cancer.

He was born January 25, 1932 in Menlo Park, where he resided until college. A gifted athlete, Bob played basketball at Sequoia High School and later Oregon University. After graduation, Bob served in the U.S. Army and then had a professional career with the New York Knicks from 1954 to 1956. He is honored in the San Mateo County Sports Hall of Fame as the first San Mateo County resident to play in the NBA.

Injuries forced his early retirement from professional basketball, and he returned to Redwood City to embark on a 40-year career in the finance and mortgage business. After retirement, Bob’s love of backyard barbecuing inspired the start-up of the BBQ Boys, a successful catering business, with his son Robert. Bob and his wife Jo were actively involved until his illness.

Bob was a big man with a personality to

match. A gentle giant, people of all ages, particularly children, were drawn to his warm and kind-hearted personality. He loved all sports, loved to travel, taking trips with his wife and family in their RV. He was greatly loved and will be greatly missed.

He was preceded in death by his daughter, Andrea; sister, Betty; and mother, Corinne.

Bob is survived by Jo, his high school sweetheart and wife of 58 years; his son, Robert of San Jose; daughters and sons-in-law, Ginny and Gary Piazza of Menlo Park; Jan and Joe Miller of Roseville, and his beloved grandchildren, Joseph and Sara Miller.

Friends and family are invited to a celebration of Bob’s life on October 1st at his childhood home in Menlo Park. Online condolences and information contact Jan Miller at [email protected].

Bob Peterson

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POLICE CALLS


Stop high-speed railEditor: Lynn Schenk, vice chairman of the High-Speed Rail Author-ity board, admitted recently that the authority’s previous business plans were really nothing more than sales tools. “That first business plan was more of a sales and marketing piece than it was in the nature of a proxy,” she said in a video that can be viewed on YouTube. Indeed the voters of California were convinced to vote for the Proposition 1A’s $9.95 billion bond measure in 2008 based on a whole series of fraudulent claims. Construction costs were to be $33 billion, but have now doubled to around $65 billion.

The plan recently unveiled by the city of Menlo Park to drill into the aquifer at Nealon Park and pipe the water to the Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club apparently will save money for

the city and the country club, but it remains to be seen if the deal would run afoul of numerous regulations that govern such taking of water. Nealon Park neighbors object to the potential noise generated by drilling the well, which would last about a month. Other concerns include the city’s prior commitments for water and whether the Cali-fornia Environmental Quality Act would come into play.

The city did not cover CEQA in its first discussion of drilling the Nealon Park well. If the City Council ultimately approves the plan, it could produce significant

savings for the country club, which presumably is paying market rate now for 60 million gallons of Hetch Hetchy water a year from the city’s water district. And the city would benefit, too, by being able to substan-tially reduce its purchase of Hetch Hetchy water, and continue to meet the country club’s high demand for irrigation water. Since the proposal is in the preliminary stages, no financial details have been made public. The city says the country club will pay for all costs associated with design and construction of piping infrastructure. If the project moves forward, the city would negotiate a price for the well water with the country club. A preliminary feasibility study found that there “appears to be significant potential savings to both the city and the country club under several scenarios.” Nealon Park neighbors, however, see very little upside in placing the well near their homes, raising concerns of ground subsidence in addi-tion to construction impact and noise. And there is the obvious ques-tion: Why drill a well on city property to serve a private country club several miles away? Acting Public Works Director Chip Taylor has explained that due to the bedrock layers under its property, the country club cannot drill for water on its own. And he added that city studies show withdrawing 60 million gallons of water a year would remove only a tiny percentage of the aquifer, which is constantly refreshed, contrary to some thinking that it is a finite pool of water that could be tapped out by a large well. The city says the Nealon Park site was selected because it could pro-

duce a flow of 500 gallons per minute, or 720,000 gallons a day, more than adequate to serve the country club and the three parks (Nealon, Jack Lyle and Sharon, and La Entrada Middle School), which are locat-ed along the proposed pipeline route to Sharon Heights. By using its own well, the city could significantly reduce its purchase of Hetch Hetchy water, which it buys now to serve the country club and its own parks. The city’s water business serves 14,000 residents who live east of El Camino Real and in Sharon Heights. Other parts of the city are customers of California Water Service Company. Water from the proposed “groundwater irrigation well” would not be treated, so it could only be used for irrigation. The city would continue to deliver potable Hetch Hetchy water to the club for drinking and other inside uses. From the city’s perspective, the Nealon Park well would reduce its consumption of Hetch Hetchy water by 60 million gallons per year, a substantial savings. The city adds that by reducing its water purchase, it would help the water district stay within its supply assurance from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which operates the Hetch Hetchy system. At least at first glance, it appears that the city could reduce its pur-chase of increasingly expensive Hetch Hetchy water and continue to deliver irrigation water to the Sharon Heights club, one of its biggest customers. We remain concerned, however, about the lack of attention paid to potential conservation in the city’s studies so far. Any agreement with the country club should set an upper limit for water deliveries and contain incentives for conservation. Whether it comes from the Hetch Hetchy system or a well at Nealon Park, water is not an unlimited resource. Nowhere in the city’s prelimi-nary analysis is there any mention of how the Nealon Park well would impact the long-term health of the aquifer. And even if the aquifer can sustain long-term withdrawals, we doubt if Menlo Park residents would want to see this water pumped out to simply save the city money, but mostly for the benefit of a private club. In addition, in light of our recent droughts, it is hardly prudent to believe that Hetch Hetchy will run strong forever. There are going to be some bad years and Menlo Park’s allocation could be cut. If we begin pumping out our aquifer now, it might not be there if our primary source runs dry some day.

Ideas, thoughts and opinions about local issues from people in our community. Edited by Tom Gibboney.

EDITORIALThe opinion of The Almanac

LETTERSOur readers write

Jacque Audiffred Collection

Our Regional HeritageFireman Vern Kelly, Chief Volpiano, Emmett O’Neill and Robert Nahmens with a fire truck outside the main station of the Woodside Fire Protection District in 1934.

Make conservation part of any water deal

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WHAT’S YOUR VIEW?


Projected ridership of 117 mil-lion passengers per year has now fallen to around 40 million and may well go much lower. The price of a ticket was expected to be $55 and has now jumped to $105. Just equate these sales pitches used by authority board mem-bers to the same level as Bernie Madoff used for his $50 bil-lion Ponzi scheme. The only difference is really that right now Madoff lives in prison, but previous and present board members continue to pitch this scheme. Gov. Jerry Brown and the Leg-islature could stop this right now, but they simply refuse to listen.

Morris BrownStone Pine Lane, Menlo Park

Downtown plan ill-advisedEditor: Like many residents, I am opposed to the proposed down-town renovation plan. As a down-town resident of long standing, I regard the plan as extremely ill-advised for a number of reasons. First, in our current unforgiv-ing economy, to do anything that would take business away from our mainstays — Draeger’s, Trad-er Joe’s, and our beloved farmers’ market — would be shooting ourselves not only in the foot, but also in the solar plexus. We’d risk destroying our biggest draws, plus our city cannot sustain a year-round open air market like those in Boston or Seattle. We are not a large metropolis, nor do we residents want to be one. Small is beautiful. Furthermore, in view of current economic realities, this should be

a time for hunkering down, not a time for funding luxury projects with large budgets and limited appeal. If we do have money to spend, let’s attend to the funda-mentals we’ve been neglecting, such as the largely cracked and buckling sidewalks throughout our neighborhoods, which are both an eyesore and a hazard. And let’s consider our emergen-

cy preparedness. What would we do in the event of an earthquake, tsunami, or major extended pow-er outage? Does the city have independent generators in place? Do we have an emergency police phone system in place like Palo Alto does, to automatically call all residents to let everyone know of hazardous conditions and what to do? I’ve had such calls from Palo

Alto several times, but never from my own city of Menlo Park. Let’s take care of necessities before we even consider luxuries and superfluous projects — those are for the boom times. In addi-tion, if the dollar continues to depreciate and prices rise, as many are predicting, now is not the time to undertake this expen-sive, poorly conceived down-

town project. No doubt the costs will dramatically rise halfway through, so we could easily be left with a torn-apart downtown and not enough money left to cover the out-of-control price increases. In short, the downtown project is a disaster waiting to happen.

Cherie ZaslawskyDowntown Menlo Park

V I E W P O I N T

By Jerry Carlson

Decision time for the proposed new Atherton library is fast approaching. The final scheduled community meet-

ing will be held Sept. 8 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Holbrook-Palmer Park Pavilion. People have asked why the town is planning to spend $5 million on a new library at a time when it is cutting the size of its staff. The answer: a portion of our property taxes go directly into a library fund administered by the San Mateo County Library Joint Powers Board (JPB). Atherton’s library is one of the 12 libraries administered by the JPB. Library funding from Atherton taxpayers is identified separately and used to pay for local library expenses. Each year the Atherton account has been accumulating an additional surplus, which at the end of June amounted to $5.566 million. These funds can only be used for library-related use and cannot be transferred to the town’s general fund. The library fund can only be used for construction and maintenance of the library. The current library is housed in a converted house with about 4,790 square feet of space. It is in need of a seismic upgrade, which would cost around $400,000. The City Council appointed an Atherton Library Steering Committee (ALSC) to consider the alternative of building a new facility rather than trying to upgrade the present structure. The library committee is considering a much

larger structure of 11,000 to 13,000 square feet to be built on the present library site or in Holbrook-Palmer Park. At the previous two community outreach meetings, the committee estimates approximately 80 residents showed up to voice their ideas about the project. The library committee is expected to pres-

ent its site recommendations to the town’s Park and Recreation Com-mittee on Oct. 5, and on Oct. 18, the library committee plans to ask the council to approve the proposed site. Some have questioned why the proposed library needs to be 2.3 to 2.5 times the size of the present library. The larger size is necessary because the JPB assigns the territory each library is intended to serve, and the territory assigned to the Atherton

library includes other areas besides Atherton. In assessing the needed size of the Atherton library, the 9,200 residents of West Menlo Park, Green Acres, Sequoia Tract and Menlo Oaks neighborhoods have been added to the 7,300 Atherton residents. The library taxes from these additional areas do not, however, wind up in the Atherton library account, and, unfor-tunately, no statistics are kept by the Atherton library that would indicate where current users reside. Questions have been raised about the future function of a library in light of the information technology changes rapidly taking place. The advent of e-books and the ease of access to on-line library materials and documents will have

a major influence on the role of a library. New roles for the Atherton library are expected to include archiving the town’s docu-ments and artifacts now housed in the Heritage Room. The library committee also envisions the library becoming a “community center” with space for community meetings and activi-ties. One of the complications is the council does not know what exactly is in the future for a new town center. That future will be dependent on raising private funding to cover most of the cost. The town center planning is being done separately from the library project. On Oct. 12 the three finalists will present architectural design concepts, at the Pavilion, between 6 to 9 p.m. Finally, a philosophical question has been raised about spending money on “bricks and mortar” or directing some of the library funds to help out local school libraries. Certainly, there is a great need for such help as schools are forced to cut back their own funding for librar-ies. The JBP has indicated assisting both public and private school libraries would be a valid use of taxpayer library funds. Library decisions are about to be made. In terms of taxpayer dollars, this will be the larg-est civic project in the town’s history. The size and location of the library will be inherited by future generations. We still have the opportu-nity to help shape what the library’s future in Atherton.

Jerry Carlson is a member of the Atherton City Council.

Atherton setting course for new library LETTERS

Continued from previous page

GUEST OPINION

By David L. Maggard and Sheldon Gilbert

Minutes before one of the World Trade Center towers collapsed around

them, two firefighters from the initial wave to arrive on the scene exchanged the following over their walkie-talkies: “Chief, what stair you in?” “South stairway Adam, South Tower.” “Floor 78?” “Ten-four, numerous civilians, we’re gonna need two engines up here.” “All right, ten-four, we’re on our way.” “We’re on our way.” Simple, direct, powerful. Those four little words speak volumes about the extraordinary heroism, bravery

and determination demonstrated by the hundreds of police officers and firefighters who rushed into the chaos on Sept. 11, 2001. Know-ing the situation was bad — but amidst the panic and confusion, not fully aware of its enormity — they did what they were sworn to do: Get on their way as quickly as possible to reach those who needed their help. That they did so without hesita-tion — and that firefighters and police officers in cities across our nation continue to do so every day — at tremendous personal risk, commands our unending respect, admiration and gratitude. While it has been 10 years since “the day that changed everything,” the raw emotions that images and transcripts of 9-11 still bring to the

surface make it seem like it was just yesterday. For those of us in public safety, it might as well have been, because we will never forget the enormous personal sacrifices our colleagues made that terrible morning. New York City lost many, many lives that day: more than 2,800 in total, including 343 firefighters and 72 peace officers. A few days ago, as we reflected on their courage in the face of the worst terrorist attack ever on American soil, we came across a quote from the widow of Battalion Chief Orio J. Palmer. Up until the very moment the tower came crashing down around him, Chief Palmer was organizing the evacuation of those injured by the airplane’s devastating impact. After listening to an audiotape of her husband’s heroic efforts that was released in 2002, Mrs. Palmer said: “I didn’t hear fear, I didn’t hear panic. When the tape is

made public to the world, people will hear that they all went about their jobs with-out fear, and selflessly.” In the decade since 9-11, police d e p a r t -

ments, fire departments and other public-safety agencies throughout America have worked closely with county, state and federal departments, locally implement-ing policies and procedures that were enacted following creation of the Department of Homeland Security. Guided by our goal of enhanc-ing public safety, we’ve focused our efforts on preventing terrorist attacks against vulnerable targets,

and prepared rapid, coordinated, effective responses if and when an attack occurs. While the terrorist attacks ush-ered in changes in the way pub-lic safety agencies operate, those changes were all based on some-thing that will never change: our steadfast commitment to ensuring the safety of the citizens we are sworn to serve and protect. As we observe the 10th anniver-sary of 9-11, it is with solemn rev-erence and gratitude to the fallen heroes who gave everything that September morning. Inspired by their sacrifices, we will echo their promise when called to duty: “We’re on our way.”

David L. Maggard is president of the board of the California Police Chiefs Association and Sheldon Gilbert is president of the board, California Fire Chiefs Association.

‘We’re On Our Way’

GUEST OPINION

the almanac 09.07.2011 - section 1

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