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Vol. 12, No. 27
DB community Happy campers floats buoy project by Heather Brewer Correspondent The bays and channels in Discovery Bay will be getting new signs and lighted buoys before the end of the year as part of a two-phase project being led by local business owner, Frank Morgan. Morgan owns and runs Captain Morgan’s Delta Adventures, which provides houseboat adventures, including private parties, corporate events and dinner cruises on the Delta. During the 2013 Christmas Lighted Boat Parade, he noticed the buoys in the channels were too few and barely visible in low-light conditions. “There were about 20 boats in that parade, and it was dark,” said Morgan. “Boats don’t have headlights, so in those conditions, you can’t see the buoys until you are right on top of them.”
To help solve this problem, Morgan started a sponsorship program to purchase new buoys, complete with solarpowered lights. The program invites individuals and businesses to purchase a buoy for $450 and dedicate it with their name, their business name, or in someone’s memory or honor. “I am calling this part of the project the buoy legacy,” said Morgan. “Of the 42 buoys we are putting up on both the east and west sides of the bay, 24 of them have already been sponsored. Once they have all been spoken for, we will let people select which buoy to sponsor from the map in order of who signed up first.” Having the buoys fitted with lights will not only keep the bay safer at night, they will also remind boaters to be more discreet during the day, according to Morgan. see Buoy page 18A
13 ing 1913-20
July 4, 2014
Delightfully delectable
Get the scoop on East County’s latest culinary masterpieces in The Dish. Page 1B
Brown is the new green Photo by Heather Brewer
L
ocal campers greet the National Wildlife Federation’s mascot Ranger Rick during the Discovery Bay Community Campout at Cornell Park last Saturday. The campout was held as part of the federation’s Great American Backyard Campout, where thousands of people across the nation gather in their backyards, neighborhoods and parks to take part in an annual event that encourages people to get outside and connect with nature. Nearly 2,000 residents participated in this year’s event.
A local golf course is taking on a unique strategy to save water during the drought. Page 5A
Olympic potential
Measure E dollars fund LMC makeover by Kellie McCown Correspondent
Press file photo
Facilities at Los Medanos College (LMC) will be getting a makeover thanks to Measure E, a $450 million bond measure Contra Costa County voters passed in the primary election earlier this month.
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Facilities at Los Medanos College (LMC) will be getting a makeover thanks to Measure E, a $450 million bond measure Contra Costa County voters passed in the primary election earlier this month. The bond raises Contra Costa Community College District’s (CCCCD) annual fee on property owners from $13 per $100,000 assessed value to $26. CCCCD is one of the largest multi-college community college districts in California. Alongside LMC and its satellite campus in Brentwood, the dis-
trict also includes Diablo Valley College (DVC) in Pleasant Hill and its satellite campus in San Ramon, and Contra Costa Community College (CCCC) in San Pablo. Currently, 55,000 students attend colleges within the CCCCD in core academic classrooms that are deteriorating and are stocked with outdated equipment and laboratory technology. Nursing, fire science and technical programs are also being held in facilities that lack the modern equipment needed to properly train students. “In the past, LMC has had see Measure E page 18A
A young gymnast hopes to represent the U.S. in an international competition. Page 15A Artist Block ......................... 7A Calendar ............................ 11B Classifieds ........................... 7B Cop Logs ............................ 10B Food ...................................... 4B Milestones ........................13A Opinion ..............................14A Outdoors ............................. 8A Sports .................................15A The Dish ............................... 1B
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Delta weeds public forum Tuesday Assemblymember Jim Frazier is inviting Discovery Bay residents to attend a community meeting Tuesday, July 8, to discuss invasive aquatic plant management. "Invasive aquatic weeds impact the well-being of our wonderful natural resources and threaten our Delta way of life," Frazier said. "I want to ensure that my constituents in the Discovery Bay community have a seat at the table and an opportunity to be informed about invasive aquatic weed abatement efforts." The meeting, which will be held from 6:30 to 8:30p.m. at Discovery Bay Elementary School, will be attended by Frazier, various elected officials, and representatives from the California Division of Boating and Waterways, which has announced that it would not concentrate its efforts to combat the invasive Delta weed Egeria densa in Discovery Bay this summer.
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To learn more, contact Frazier's office at 925-778-5790 or visit www.asmdc.org/ members/a 11.
group of 31 Excelsio r 8t h grade stud ents vi sited Washingt o n DC and New York City on an activity-packed tour last month. In Washi ngton DC, the group saw ma ny sig hts impo rtant to our country, t he Constit ution and Declarat ion of Independence at t he National Archives and t he orig inal Star Spangled Banner at t he Sm ithsonian. In New York City, t he students saw t he new Freedo m Tow er and visited the public 9/11 Memorial. The student s even travelled t o Brooklyn and w alked back across th e Brooklyn Bridge after posing fo r thi s picture w ith their favorite Hometow n Weekly Newspaper.
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JULY 4, 2014
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Have a safe Fourth
Soroptimist turns 30 Soroptimist International of the Delta recently held its officer installation dinner at Abby’s Gourmet Studio at Trilogy. The Founder Region Governor Dona Gaddis-Wolf presided over the event, installing Jan Schults as president, Kathi Regan as vice president, Leanne Sarmento as secretary and Mary Morris as treasurer for the 2014-15 year. Soroptimist International is a global women’s nonprofit organization whose 80,000 members volunteer to improve the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social and economic empowerment. Soroptimist International of the Delta was chartered in 1984. The club is celebrating 30 years in the community thanks to the Soroptimist International of East Contra Costa County, which sponsored the charter. Soroptimist International of the Delta meets on the first Tuesday of the month (except
in June, July, August and November) at Dad’s Café in Brentwood at 6 p.m. The East Contra Costa County club meets at Dad’s Café on the first Thursday of the month for dinner meetings as well as the third Thursday of the month for lunch meetings. Soroptimist International is hosting a clothes collection drive for Dress For Success, a nonprofit that provides business attire to disadvantaged women so that they can be successful in job interviews. Clean and ready-to-wear business attire in all sizes as well as handbags and new, unopened make-up are accepted. Donations may be dropped off at The Brentwood Press office, 248 Oak St. in Brentwood, through July 21. Women interested in finding out more may e-mail Soroptimist International of the Delta at siofthedelta@yahoo.com or Soroptimist International of East Contra Costa County at sieastcontracostaco@soroptimist.net.
Many Californians will be celebrating our nation’s independence with fireworks, but CAL FIRE urges extreme caution during California’s drought emergency. It can take hundreds of thousands of gallons of water to control a large wildfire. Effective July 1, CAL FIRE Chief Ken Pimlott ordered a ban on open burning throughout the 31 million acres of responsibility protected by CAL FIRE due to the elevated threat of wildfire caused by the drought emergency. “We are urging the public to celebrate our nation’s independence by attending a professional fireworks display,” said Chief Pimlott, director of CAL FIRE. “For those who choose to use fireworks to celebrate, make sure fireworks are allowed in the area of use and follow all safety precautions. You don’t want to ruin your celebration by becoming financially responsible for a fire caused by your activities.” California has a zero tolerance policy for the sale and use of illegal fireworks. Illegal fireworks include sky rockets, bottle rockets, roman candles, aerial shells, firecrackers and other types that explode, fly into the air or move on the ground in an uncontrollable manner. It is illegal to sell, transport or use fireworks that do not carry the “Safe and Sane” seal, as well as pos-
sess or use any fireworks in a community where they are prohibited. If convicted, a violator could be fined up to $50,000 as well as sent to jail for up to one year. There are nearly 300 communities within California that allow Safe and Sane fireworks. CAL FIRE is asking the public to take the following precautions: • Check that fireworks are allowed in the area of use. • Make sure the firework has the State Fire Marshal “Safe and Sane” seal. • Purchase fireworks only from legitimate organizations authorized to sell. • Have a bucket of water or sand, or a garden hose available at firing site. • Read all instructions before use. • Never alter, modify or enhance fireworks – use only in the manner intended. • Make sure fireworks have proper clearance from flammable materials including dry grass and brush. CAL FIRE has already responded to more than 2,500 wildland fires this year – a large increase in the average number of fires for the same time period. Residents are urged to visit www.ReadyforWildfire.org for tips on how to prepare their homes and family for wildfire. The website also links to important water saving tips, a resource critical to the control of wildfires.
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JULY 4, 2014
Seen in Italy
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raig Leighty and Brenda Wallace were married during a cozy backyard wedding at their Oakley home in the Summer Lakes division. For their honeymoon, the couple enjoyed a two-week trip to Italy and they let the Oakley Press tag along. The couple posed with their Hometown Weekly Newspaper in Venice, Florence, Pisa and Rome. Thank you for sharing your magical vacation with us, and we at The Press wish you a long and happy marriage. Congratulations!
Buoy from page 1A “The buoys will all say ‘idle speed’ on them, and having more in the area will bring it to the attention of boaters more often,” he added. “Hopefully this will keep the wake down throughout Discovery Bay as much as possible.” While Morgan has been the driving force behind the effort, he has had help from, among others, fellow community leader Jim Mattison, who gives a lot of credit to the local community for the quick progression of the project. “These are the types of things we are always looking to improve around here,” said Mattison, a past president
Measure E from page 1A a significant portion of the prior bonds,” said LMC Workforce and Programs Director David Wahl. “That’s how we have a brand new library, math, and science building.” Despite getting priority in past bond funds, facilities at LMC Pittsburg and the Brentwood Campus are still out of date. Measure E will provide approximately $85 million in additional funds. “We will be able to retrofit and update the College Core Complex as well as begin construction on buildings for
and current board member of the Discovery Bay Lion’s Club. “I’ve been getting several calls every day from people wanting to sponsor the buoys. We’re a small, close-knit community, and when the call goes out, people recognize that and reach out to help.” In addition to the buoys, the project will also oversee the replacement of 67 signs throughout the bay. “What I call phase two of this project will be replacing the bay’s signs and installing more of them,” Morgan said. “The current signs are hard to see and in rough shape. After completion, each bay will have two signs bearing its name.” Reclamation District 800 has also
gotten on board with the joint venture and will be overseeing the placement, installation and maintenance of the new buoys and signs. “We will be installing and maintaining the new buoys and signs in the bays,” said Jeff Conway, the manager for Reclamation District 800. “The solar lights that will be attached on these buoys last a really long time. As long as there are no damages from vandalism or collisions, they should last at least 10 years.” In a display of the continued cooperation that comes from the residents of Discovery Bay, community backing for this project has been commendable, according to Morgan.
“We’ve had such a great outpouring of support that people want to sponsor more than one buoy,” he said. “While we are only allowing one buoy per sponsor at this time so more people can get involved and make this a larger community effort, we sincerely appreciate everyone’s enthusiasm.” For more information on how to sponsor this project, call Morgan at 925-383-5346, e-mail deltagman@yahoo.com or visit www.CaptainMorgansDeltaAdventures.com. Specs and information on the buoys can be found at www.krmfg.com/krm. nsf/Products/Regulatory. To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
student life and performing arts as well as modernize our gym and aquatic facilities,” said Wahl. “But something we are very happy about is that we will be able to begin construction on the Brentwood Center. That is something we’ve been waiting for.” Currently, the LMC Brentwood campus is housed inside of a former grocery store on Sand Creek Road. The location caters to students in far East County, but the facility is no longer large enough to meet the student population. Measure E funds will cover the
planning, design and construction costs for the new $34 million Brentwood Center, which will be located on districtowned land off of Marsh Creek Road. LMC Vice President Kevin Horan says beginning construction on the new campus that will span 17.5 acres is something the district is hoping to start as soon as possible. “The Brentwood Center is our No. 1 priority project,” said Horan. “We have allocated approximately $42 million from Measure E to go towards the center.”
Other district upgrades include seismic retrofitting at CCCC as well as a new science and health building for the San Pablo campus and new engineering and performing arts buildings at DVC. The passing of Measure E comes on the tails of two wins for similar bond measures in 2000 and 2006 that provided funding for the updating of facilities at all district campuses. Residents can prepare to see the property fee increases in 2015. To comment, visit www.thepress.net.