Brentwood Press 06.17.16

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Happy Father’s Day East County!

YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

Vol. 18, No. 25

City plans for future

A little help for some friends

June 17, 2016

Planning Your Special Day

by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer

The Brentwood City Council recently finalized the document that outlines the city’s five-year infrastructure needs and serves as a plan for city and development projects. “The capital-improvement program contains the city’s infrastructure needs and the five-year capital plan for 87 city projects and 38 development projects,” said Sonia Agostini, city accountant. The expenditure budget for city projects in the five-year plan is about $279 million, but the council is expected to approve annual budgets each year. In addition, all individual contracts for projects over $50,000 will be submitted separately to the council for approval. Key plans in the document will push the city’s planned police dispatch center project forward; see City page 30A

See this week’s special edition for everything you need to make your wedding perfect. Page 1B

Sizzling At BaconFest Photo by Steve Nosanchuk

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ssemblyman Jim Frazier made a recent stop in Brentwood to congratulate members of Brentwood’s Odyssey of the Mind teams on their successes at the recent 2016 Odyssey of the Mind World Finals. Frazier donated $2,000 toward the travel and registration costs for the participants.

BART seeking tax to fix rail system “ The system right now is (more than) 40

by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system could stay on track to accomplish a long list of projects if voters approve a $3.5 billion bond in November. The money would be used to improve safety, increase train reliability and reduce traffic on the 107-mile, decades-old system. “Right now, the system is 40-plus years old, ridership is growing and everything about the system is aging, so this is an effort to modernize the system,” said BART Board Director Joel Keller, who represents East County residents. The measure will appear on Contra Costa, Alameda and San Francisco county bal-

years old … so this is an effort to modernize the system.

BART Board Director Joel Keller lots, the only three over which BART has taxing authority. If approved by a combined twothirds majority, property-tax bills will increase in Contra Costa County by an average of $37 a year for 30 years. The exact amount would depend on the assessed value of property. The proposed measure is being described by transit officials as a ‘fix-it first plan,’ with 90 percent of funds slated to repair and replace critical safety infrastructure and 10 percent aimed at relieving crowding and

increasing access to stations. The aging railway averages 129 million trips annually and various physical parts of it are coming to the end of their useful lives, often causing mechanical failures that lead to delays, BART officials said. If approved, officials say there would be 40 percent fewer delays caused by mechanical issues than occur today. “This bond measure is practical; it’s dedicated to fixing what we have,” said BART Board President Tom Radulo-

vich. “We have a responsibility to keep our system safe and reliable, while getting the maximum value out of taxpayers’ investment.” Keller said the agency and its riders are doing their part to fix the aging system, but more funds are needed. A bi-annual fare increase adopted in 2013 is slated to generate a total of $325 million for capital improvement projects by 2020, and the agency has put half a billion dollars in operating funds into its capital improvement budget over the last decade, according to Keller. “We are trying to reduce the need of taxpayers, but at the end of the day, we have things that are not very glamorous,” he said. “The power, track and stations are 40-plus years old. Our see BART page 30A

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Contra Costa County Women’s Commission adds three new commissioners.

Owner of Byron Inn Cafe has been selected to compete in first area Baconfest. Page 8A

New Heights In Motocross

Anthony Belt receives American Motorcyclist Association honors for the winter series. Page 21A Calendar............................. 11B Classifieds..........................26A Cop Logs............................. 10B Entertainment..................10A Food.....................................11A Health & Beauty...............14A Milestones.........................18A Opinion...............................20A Pets......................................13A Sports..................................21A

Field Day

go to news/press releases Mount Diablo Amateur Radio Club hosts free annual Field Day event.


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