Feature_Story_062310

Mtn. View on the Move

Your Health ADHD affects adults as well as children.

Shoreline Park plays host to exotic birds.

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www.losaltosonline.com Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Blach traffic study yields suggestions, but no solutions

By Elliott Burr

Town Crier Staff Writer

O

f the 52 local residents voicing their opinions on how to mitigate traffic around Blach Junior High School, one who attended the June 15 public forum summarized it succinctly: “You’ve got a problem,” said Hank Nagao, who has lived near Blach for 40 years, “and I can’t tell you how to solve it. ” Right now, that’s what the Los Altos School District, the city council and the Police and Engineering departments face – a problem without a solution.

Traffic has been a problem for years in and around Blach, located at 1120 Covington Road in Los Altos. School days bring long queues of cars at the stop-signed intersection of Miramonte Avenue and Covington Road.

The consequent backup has led many parents to take an alternate route, dropping off their children at the back of the See BLACH, Page 7

Community news for Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View since 1947

Vol. 64 No. 25 • 50 cents

In the ‘Lyme’ light Local residents struggle with symptoms of debilitating disease

above photo by Elliott Burr/Town Crier; left photo Courtesy of www.the-lyme-disease-symptoms.com

Los Altos Hills resident Tracey Stewart contracted Lyme disease 17 years ago. The Western black-legged tick, left, is a common carrier of the disease.

By Jana Seshadri Town Crier Staff Writer

T

he scenic hillsides of the area beckon local residents to partake in myriad outdoor activities, but an adventure in the woodlands can be devastating if precautions are not taken to prevent tick bites,

Poll of the Week Infrastructure improvements around downtown Los Altos are: (a) Not necessary, because it’s new business that will improve things. 18 votes (69 percent) (b) Welcome, and needed to stimulate revitalization. 8 votes (31 percent) (c) Unwelcome, because they will hurt businesses already hurting. 0 votes (0 percent) Total votes: 26 Be sure to visit the Town Crier’s Web site at www.losaltosonline.com for more online Polls of the Week.

which can cause Lyme disease. If not treated immediately and adequately, Lyme disease can cripple its victims’ lifestyles and rob them of their energy and passions.

Los Altos Hills resident Tracey Stewart, 57, awoke one morning 17 years ago with a tick on her neck but no rash. Her symptoms started soon afterward and became progres-

sively worse.

“I was struck with chronic fatigue a year later,” Stewart said.

Although she continued to work in hightech through the 1990s, Stewart said she suffered from short-term memory loss, brain fog and heart palpitations.

See LYME, Page 6

City purchases land to connect Shoup Park, Redwood Grove

By Nicholas Luther Special to the Town Crier

F

or years, Delbert and Marlene Beumer endured the nuisance of trespassers using the backyard on their Los Altos property to travel between Redwood Grove and Shoup Park.

But rather than block the area, the Beumers have agreed to sell the land to the city.

The Los Altos City Council June 16 approved the purchase of more than 10,000 square feet of land from the University Av-

enue residents to build an official, city-sanctioned pathway between Shoup Park and Redwood Grove.

Assistant City Manager James Walgren oversaw the negotiations, which included $115,000 paid to the Beumers in exchange for more than a quarter of their 37,026-square-foot parcel.

The Beumers, who moved to Los Altos more than 40 years ago, have always had access to the city parks. Although they never intended the path for public use, visitors to Shoup Park often used it to access See PATHWAY, Page 16

Elliott Burr/Town Crier

Los Altos resident Del Beumer traverses his backyard, 10,000 square feet of which the city purchased to build a pathway linking Redwood Grove and Shoup Park.

Cover Story LYME

From Page 1 Currently in her third year of treatment for Lyme disease, Stewart advises tick-bite victims to “take immediate action, go to the nearest Lyme-literate doctor and get a six-week antibiotic treatment to start with.”

Lyme disease basics The complex bacterial multisystem illness is transmitted by the Western blacklegged tick found throughout California – including Los Altos and Los Altos Hills – and carried by deer, gray squirrels, wood rats and other rodents, birds and family pets.

The immature nymphal ticks – as small as poppy seeds and hard to spot – are often found in leaves and at the base of trees, while adult ticks are found on the tips of grasses and shrubs.

Visitors to oak woodland areas – such as Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve – between March and July, if not sufficiently protected, are at risk of being bitten by a deer tick, according to Dr. Christine Green of Los Altos.

“I’ve treated thousands of Lyme cases since 1989,” Green said. “Most people who get Lyme get well if treated immediately.”

Green said early signs of infection may include a bull’s-eye rash around the bite and flulike symptoms, including fever, muscle aches, headaches and extreme fatigue. If left untreated, she warned, Lyme disease could invade multiple organs of the body, including the brain and nervous system.

It’s crucial to check for ticks after spending time outdoors. The tick should be pulled from the skin gently using tweezers and taken to a county clinic for testing.

“Symptoms and the treatment depend on the amount of time the tick remains on the person,” Green said.

Not much was known about the disease when it was discovered in the town after which it was named, Lyme, Conn., a few decades ago. Many local victims and doctors are still in the dark about the importance of prompt medical attention and treatment methods, mistakenly believing that Lyme disease isn’t a problem in California.

Lyme disease treatment Doctors who treat Lyme disease are trained to listen to patients’ stories, assess their symptoms and monitor the disease through periodic blood tests.

“I have my good and my bad days,” Stewart said. “The treatment’s pretty good but very tricky, as everyone’s immune system is different.”

Stewart said the disease can completely tear a person apart.

Los Altos resident Miriam Daiss-Fechner, 19, can attest to that. Instead of stressing over teenage woes such as school and dating, Daiss-Fechner can barely make it out of bed and struggles with daily tasks like eating and sleeping. Her decade-long Page 6 / Los Altos Town Crier / June 23, 2010

Above photo by Elliott Burr/Town Crier; below photo by jana seshadri/town crier

Los Altos Hills resident Tracey Stewart, above, displays many of the medications she takes every month to control her Lyme disease. Los Altos residents Miriam Daiss-Fechner, below left, and her mother, Annegret Daiss, survey the various medications prescribed for the treatment of Daiss-Fenchner’s Lyme disease.

struggle with Lyme disease took her out of school for three years and keeps her from accomplishing daily chores.

“Getting out of bed is a challenge for me,” Daiss-Fechner said. “Every single day is different.”

The problems started approximately nine years ago with a tick bite to the back of Daiss-Fechner’s head, according to her mother, Annegret Daiss.

“The tick was engorged in her scalp for three or four days,” Daiss said of her daughter. “But at that time, the doctor said California does not have Lyme and so wouldn’t treat for Lyme.”

Inadequate treatment of the bite resulted in sapped energy, brain fog and memory loss through eighth grade, Daiss-Fechner said. Her will and determination compelled her to keep up with schoolwork and activities.

“I pushed myself really, really hard,” Daiss-Fechner said. “I worked 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. days with schoolwork and playing volleyball.”

With a slow immune system caused

by Lyme disease, Daiss-Fechner fell seriously ill with a bad case of salmonella her freshman year of high school. She has been home-schooled since then, her mother said.

Daiss-Fechner gave up the activities that she loved – having fun outdoors and playing volleyball.

Daiss-Fechner’s family continues to cope with her struggle to combat the disease, managing many medications and treatment methods. In addition to the conventional antibiotic treatment, the teenager undergoes acupuncture sessions and a BioPhoton procedure – recommended by a German doctor – which helps rejuvenate her good cells and keep her energy level up.

“I have three different doctors on my team who help me,” Daiss-Fechner said.

Assistance from doctors and her family has encouraged Daiss-Fechner to look forward to her future. Enrolling in an adult education center allowed her the flexibility she needed to complete her high school requirements and graduate. She hopes to matriculate to Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz in the fall.

Controversy surrounding Lyme disease After a flulike illness spread among children in and around the town of Lyme, Conn., the mysterious symptoms and accompanying disease became known as Lyme disease. Although it has been identified since the 1970s, the disease remains controversial as far as diagnosis and treatment are concerned, based on the experiences of Lyme disease sufferers, especially those on the West Coast.

Cathy Swang, 57, now a student at Foothill College, used to be a high-tech consultant, but she began experiencing splitting headaches and severe joint pain seven years ago that affected her ability to function in the workplace.

Although she tested positive for three of the Lyme markers, according to Centers See LYME, Page 7

Cover Story BLACH From Page 1

school near the footbridge on Altamead Drive, where some teachers park their cars. That has drawn the ire of Altamead residents, who convinced the city to establish a “No Drop Off” zone on their street last year.

Commuters also must contend with restricted right turns on Eastwood Drive, a cut-through between Miramonte and Covington.

Several residents at the meeting offered ideas to alleviate traffic jams.

“We heard a bunch of suggestions,” Los Altos Police Officer Paul Arguelles said. “But there’s no one project or one idea that’s going to solve these issues.”

The city established a traffic experiment last year, according to Police Chief Tuck Younis, erecting “No Blach School Drop Off” signs along Altamead in response to residents’ complaints about traffic and the dangers of U-turns on the street.

But Blach teachers who park on the street said the restriction creates a hardship.

“Two of us are getting knee replacements,” said Blach teacher Sharon Moerner of her colleagues.

“The extra 100 paces are a killer. … I strongly advocate terminating the experiment sooner than later.”

Younis pointed out, however, that motorists displaying handi-

Elliott Burr/Town Crier

Los Altos officials installed “No Blach School Drop Off” signs near the rear entrance of Blach Junior High on Altamead Drive. capped placards are exempt from the restrictions.

Fehr & Peers Transportation Consultants Robert Eckols and Nikki Hervol presented traffic data at last week’s forum that showed vehicle numbers spiking during morning school and commute hours, at the end of school and during evening work commutes.

The intersection at Miramonte and Covington creates the largest bottleneck at nearly 10 minutes, according to the report, especially during morning and afternoon school commutes.

The report also recorded 85 percent of motorists drive approximately 32 mph on average in the 25 mph zones around Blach.

“The main goal is safety of children going to and from schools,” Younis said. “Traffic flow and con-

LYME

From Page 6 for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, her doctor told her she did not have Lyme disease.

Swang spent nearly $200,000 of her own money on uncovered medical bills for treatment but still suffers from brain fog and memory loss. Unable to work full time for the past seven years, she said she decided to return to school and take art classes at Foothill.

Often the diagnoses are based on inaccurate blood tests and an outdated list of symptoms, according to Kris Newby, a Lyme disease victim and producer of a documentary film, “Under Our Skin,” screened at Foothill College last month. The film offers a compelling look not only at the science and politics of the disease, but also tells the personal stories of those whose lives have been affected and nearly destroyed.

Newby said the CDC authorized the Infectious Diseases Society of America – a group of academic researchers – to set guidelines for diagnosing Lyme disease. The Review Panel’s Final Report main-

gestion follows suit.”

Before taking action, the Los Altos City Council will consider any and all solutions to the problem that the Los Altos School District offers. School board member Mark Goines said the district hopes to propose recommendations near the end of summer.

But because traffic-calming projects implemented in one area could merely divert the problem elsewhere – “It’s like redirecting water from a river; it’s going to flow some place else,” Arguelles said – Councilman Ron Packard said the city plans to consider a “global approach.”

“How do we allocate the burden in an equitable way, with the criteria being the safety of our children?” Packard said.

Contact Elliott Burr at elliottb@latc.com.

tains that the disease is easy to cure with two to four weeks of antibiotics, and chronic infection and symptoms are rare or nonexistent. It cost Newby nearly $60,000 and consultations with 10 doctors to secure treatment.

The California Lyme Disease Association Web site states that out of the approximately 900 labpositive Lyme disease cases reported to the California Department of Public Health in 2006, only 129 “official” cases, according to CDC criteria, were recorded by the state.

Prevention is the best cure Education and research are ongoing, but “we’re still scratching the surface,” said Dorothy Leland, a member of the California Lyme Disease Association Board of Directors.

Leland said her daughter, 18, fell sick five years ago with Lyme disease and is recovering with continued treatment.

“The best scenario is not to get bitten by a tick,” Leland said.

For more information, visit www.lymedisease. org.

Contact Jana Seshadri at janas@latc.com.

Visit us online at www.losaltosonline.com for up-to-date news, photos, archived items and upcoming community events.

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