MAY 2017 EVERYTHING APTOS, CAPITOLA & SOQUEL Vol. 5 No. 10
Boardwalk’s ‘Main Entrance’ project
APTOS
SOQUEL
pg. 3
Aptos History Museum’s 11th Anniversary on May 7 -pg. 2
CAPITOLA
Garden opening marks rebirth of Aptos Library By BEK SABEDRA APTOS — The Friends of the Aptos Library opened a freshly designed landscape and garden to the public with a dedication ceremony April 13. The combined efforts of the Soquel Creek Water District, Cabrillo College, Supervisor Zach Friend and others allowed the Friends to replace a barren patch of land that once made up the green lawn. “It was awful,” said Debby Peronto of the Friends of the Aptos Library. “It was uneven, dead, no one could walk on it or do anything.” The thought then was to replace it with a walk-through garden created with water-wise plants that make sense for the pollinators and environment. And while the inception of the idea began in mid-2015, it was not until 2016 that work could move forward. “The goal of the library is to be a center for the community and attract different types of people,” Peronto said. “Gardens help people get interested and stay involved.” Now, almost a year later, the project is complete, with Please turn to Page 9
HISTORY CORNER By John Hibble Call: 688-1467 Visit us online: aptoshistory.org Visit the museum: 7605-B Old Dominion Court Aptos, CA
Something in the water New stories, begging to be told, come to the Aptos History Museum on a regular basis. Last August, a man named Norm Reich emailed us asking for information about Leo Monroe. Norm’s grandmother, Geraldine Beem, was the nanny for Leo Monroe’s daughter in 1939. Also, a distant set of Norm’s relatives were the Monroes’ butler and cook for a number of years. Norm sent us some amazing photographs as well. This is what my research turned up. The “Roaring Twenties” were crazy times. It was a backlash against “No you can’t” (Prohibition) and the response was, “I will if I want to.” People did crazy things (and still do). In 1925, the San Francisco real estate firm of Monroe, Please turn to Page 7
The men work the green at the Seascape Golf Club on an overcast morning. Photo by Tarmo Hannula
Aptos/La Selva firefighters take historic step Issue vote of no confidence against fire chief By TODD GUILD APTOS — Aptos/La Selva Firefighters on April 3 said they have issued a vote of no confidence against Chief Jon Jones, marking the first such move in the department’s 87-year history. Every member of Aptos/La Selva
Firefighters Local 3535 signed the vote of no confidence. Jones began with the Aptos/La Selva Fire District in October 2014. His three-year contract expires in October 2017, but he is eligible to request a two-year extension on his contract as early as April 13. Please turn to Page 6
Spring signals hope for struggling shops
Capitola Village counts on summer boom By BEK SABEDRA CAPITOLA — As schools take turn releasing their students into the world for spring break, many businesses in the Capitola Village are hoping this will bring the reprieve they need to keep their doors open. The unusually wet winter, complete with multiple road
closures, has hampered businesses whose main source of revenue comes from tourists. “It was very slow,” Rainbow City Limit shop owner Babette Arrowsmith Fenton said. “A slower than usual winter — we don’t get many visitors when we have weather like that. We haven’t had that kind of Please turn to Page 6
Inside ...
Briefs................................4-5 Castro Adobe......................8 Guest column......................9 Calendar............................11 PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID WATSONVILLE, CA PERMIT NO. 23 ******ECRWSSEDDM****** POSTAL CUSTOMER APTOS, CA 95003 CAPITOLA. CA 95010