NEVER FORGET
9/11
IN HONOR OF THOSE WHO WE HAVE LOST
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM 20 YEARS THIS SATURDAY
A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CASTRO VALLEY SINCE 1989
YEAR 33
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021
Creekside Sports Fields Upgrade To Begin Soon
INSIDE YOUR
FORUM
NEWS
By Michael Singer
Utility Scams
Be vigilant as utility scams continue to peak during the pandemic
Page 2
OUR TOWN PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT
Above and below: Smoke fills the air as Alameda County fire crews extinguish a building that had caught fire in the 30000 block of Palomares Road.
What’s the Buzz? Honey harvest spotlights local bees atop Castro Valley Marketplace
Page 3 NEWS
Fires, Smoke Stifle Holiday Weekend By Mike McGuire
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
Do Your Part
Volunteer to take part in the annual California Coastal Cleanup Day
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INDEX Classified Ads ............ 8 Crosswords ............... 9 Homes ....................... 6 Horoscope ................. 2 Legal Notices ........... 10 Merchants ................. 4 Obituaries ................ 11 Opinions .................. 11 Our Town .................... 3 Weather ....................... 2 PHONE: (510) 614-1560
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Castro Valley is seemingly a long way from the Sierra Nevada, but wildfires there have a local impact as air quality here worsened and Alameda County firefighters raced to assist there. Some two dozen Alameda County firefighters joined crews from all over the state in the fight to save South Lake Tahoe from the Caldor fire, and a fresh crew of
firefighters relieved the original crew this past Saturday. “We stand ready to help not only our immediate community stay safe, but to protect the larger community as well,” said Alameda County Fire Department spokesperson Brian Centoni. “We already see lots of support from the families of the fire area, but we have to applaud our own firefighters’ families for the support and love they give us that makes see FIRES on page 4
New to the upper field will be a new flag football and CASTRO VALLEY FORUM practice soccer fields within a 28-feet wide, 400-meter The $5.7 million facelift track. A new, four-foot-wide of two sports fields behind Creekside Middle School is set paved pathway will form the perimeter of the track. The to begin as early as Monday, upgrades will also include a officials said. long jump and landing zone fa The project includes cility installed on the currently upgrades to the upper track unimproved turf area immedifield of the campus, parallel ately west of the existing field, to Paradise Knolls and the paved storage and loading area lower baseball fields parallel sized for three 20-foot-long to Gem Avenue. The project containers located between the will also extend the eastern border of Creekside’s property field and Paradise Knolls, and from about 500 feet by about bleachers to seat 100 people 630 feet long to accommodate installed on a concrete slab on the south side of the field. Exnew features, walkways, and maintenance areas. The exist- tending the width of the upper ing parking areas will remain field to accommodate a regular unchanged, and no new spaces football field would have added $300,000 to the price tag, are planned. Trieu-Quince said. Construction crews are expected to begin fencing off areas around the perimeter including public access gates. ARTIST’S RENDERING The projected finish date OF THE PROJECT ON would be July 2022, according OUR NEW WEBSITE: to Sharon Trieu-Quince, direcMYCVFORUM.COM tor of Facilities Construction at CVUSD. “We started the planning process on this project back “During the planning in October 2017 so to see it process, the biggest ask from start breaking ground is really the Athletic directors was that exciting,” Trieu-Quince told 400-meter competition-sized the Forum. track,” Trieu-Quince said. “We The dog park, play structure, also got input from Castro Valand restrooms at Earl Warren ley Independent Sports League Park will remain open. Howev- and Castro Valley Soccer Club er, the construction will impact to make sure we included their the picnic area southwest of the needs.” play structure and restrooms, The lower field improveTrieu-Quince said. ments will include a new 360foot long, 225-foot-wide soccer “We will be leveling the grounds of the area, which will field, as well as a new baseball require removing the non-na- field with a diamond on the tive eucalyptus trees near the east side of the facility. Two fields,” Trieu-Quince said. “But new batting cages would be installed within the footprint this will give people better of the new field, east of the prowalking access into the area and extend the recreation space posed baseball diamond. In see FIELDS on page 4 by about 170 feet.”
9/7/21 6:44 PM