Aptos High School sports inside Page B1
MARCH 2013
Restaurant feature: Red Apple Cafe Page B3
Aptos Life Aptos gets grant for traffic safety
New art supply store opens on Soquel Drive
By ROSEANN HERNANDEZ Of Aptos Life
By ROSEANN HERNANDEZ Of Aptos Life
Photo by Tarmo Hannula/Aptos Life
Affordable Canterbury Park homes near completion
APTOS — Construction continues on the Canterbury Park homes in Aptos. Nineteen affordable two, three and four bedroom homes are slated for completion by late April. A new park adjacent to the homes is also in the works which will include a picnic area, playground and amphitheater. Prices range from $299,000 to $361,500. The site is located on Sea Ridge Road at Canterbury Drive just off the State Park exit from Highway 1 on the ocean side of the highway. “Right now all the homes have reservations,” said Debra Frey of Intero Real Estate. “But you can put your name on a reservation back up list because we have had some cancellations.” The homes are being built by South County Housing. Frey can be reached at 465-8300, or at dfrey@interosantacruz.com.
Orchard School students learn kung fu moves during a celebration of Chinese New Year last month. Photo by Tom Dunlap/Aptos Life
Students celebrate Chinese New Year By TOM DUNLAP
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APTOS — Orchard School rang in the Chinese New Year last month with lessons about Chinese history, the Chinese Zodiac, inventions and traditional dragon dances. In wide-ranging presentations by students and teachers, the students learned about many Chinese inventions, including gunpowder, rockets, kites, the crossbow, the compass, metal detectors and more. The school is located on a sprawling, 14-acre campus on Trout Gulch Road, where dirt pathways lead between buildings and over wooden bridges that span tiny creeks. At times, when
the students are engaged in their lessons, birdsong from the nearby woods is the only sound. Visitors are greeted by students so friendly and outgoing that they introduce themselves with a handshake, eager to tout their school. During the Chinese New Year celebration, sixth-grader Lillian Wayne explained how the year of the black snake fits in the Chinese Zodiac calendar and the meaning behind the snake, which is said to be the most mysterious creature of the Chinese Zodiac. Another boy said that the year of the black snake, which follows the year of the dragon, is meant to be a year of “steady progress and at-
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APTOS — Aptos has a new art supply store on Soquel Drive – Art Supplies, Ink – which is the brainchild of husband and wife artists Rich and Sandy Koslowski. The two have worked as professional artists for the last 20 years. Rich is a writer and artist in animation and comics — his cover for the popular “Adventure Time” comic hit the stands in January — and Sandy is a clay and pottery sculptor whose pieces will be on display in the shop. The store is something the couple have long talked about. “We are both in our 40s so we thought, ‘let’s do this,’” Rich Koslowski said. The Wisconsin native is widely lauded for his award-winning original comic, “The 3 Geeks” and graphic novel “Three Fingers.” Koslowski started working on the Archie comic book series 20 years ago and has done storyboarding for television shows “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy.” Tapping into their wealth of expertise, the new art store will hold art classes for both adults and children. Koslowski said they are teaming up with local artists to develop classes in jewelrymaking, pottery, acrylic and watercolor painting and cartooning and comic book illustration. “A lot of schools have cut their art programs, and we wanted to make somewhere nice for kids to get their art,” he said. They also want the shop to be a place where kids can have special art-themed birthday parties. In addition to stocking traditional art supplies, the shop will feature jewelry made from local artists and unique products sourced from around the world. Spain-based, Milan-brand school accessories and pencil cases encompass comfort, design and functionality to create items that are both beautiful and fun to use. There will also be fine art calligraphy sets and feather quill pens. From Japan, the store will carry a line of tote bags and erasers in a wide variety of fun shapes. “We wanted to set ourselves apart,” Koslowski said, adding they will also stock kid-friendly comics. The store will also provide a space for local artists to display their work. Art Supplies, Ink is at 7960 Soquel Drive, Suite H1, Aptos.
APTOS — The Aptos Village plan got a boost in February with the awarding of $690,000 in grant funding, which will be used to improve pedestrian access, increase traffic flow and improve safety at busy intersections. In particular, funds will go toward installing traffic signals at Soquel Drive and Aptos Creek Road and Soquel Drive and Trout Gulch Road. Railroad crossing modifications will include new crossing arms and concrete panels for vehicle and pedestrian crossings. New pedestrian facilities on the south side of Soquel Drive between Aptos Creek Road and Trout Gulch Road will be constructed, with a new bus pullout and shelter on the north side. On Trout Gulch, from Soquel Drive to Valencia, sidewalks will be replaced with standard sidewalks on the east side and accessibility upgrades made to the west side sidewalks, making it easier for handicap access. Barry Swenson Builder Project Manager Mary Gourlay said the new traffic lights will benefit traffic flow and sidewalk upgrades will improve pedestrian access. “They will be great assets for the neighborhood,” she said. The grant was part of $5.3 million in Regional Surface Transportation Program funds approved by the Santa Cruz County RTC for local transportation projects. Projects funded will be implemented over the next two years. The Aptos Village Plan, originally called the Aptos Village Community Design Framework, was adopted by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors in 1979 and again in 2010, after significant community input spanning almost a decade. The plan serves as a guide for the development project spearheaded by Green Valley Corporation / Barry Swenson Builder, and it outlines everything from design elements to traffic and pedestrian improvements. The development project encompasses more than 11 acres in the heart of Aptos Village and is projected to provide more than 60 residential units and up to 75,000 square feet of commercial space, a village green and a recreational park. The project also includes a number of other benefits, including a new kiosk and signage for The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park and drainage upgrades.