Niles Canyon Railway Offers a Ride O
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Pleasanton INSIDE Sustainability: Stimulus dollars to help Pleasanton improve energy efficiency, create more jobs PAGE 5 Second chance: High school sweethearts find love again Weekly after nearly 50 years apartr PAGE 14 6/,8 .5-"%2s/#4/"%2 7770,%!3!.4/.7%%+,9#/- IVING HISTORY L Niles Canyon Railway offers a ride of a lifetime aboard its historic trains PAGE 16 With over 40 years of combined ,OTUS&LOWER-ASSAGE experience in financial services and asset management, Summit Financial Group Advisors Don Ledoux, Steve Wilcox, ,/453&,/7%24(%2!0%54)#-!33!'% Vanessa Staley and Nathan Bennett Relax in a peaceful retreat in downtown Pleasanton. specialize in retirement strategies, wealth &%!452%3 management and estate planning for Grand Opening families and business owners. s$EEP4ISSUE-ASSAGE Massage Special s3HIATSU"ODYWORK 7th Annual Summit Financial s3WEDISH-ASSAGE Group Charity Golf $50 ANHOUR s4UI.UA/RIENTAL Tournament "ODYWORK October 12, 2009 Crow Canyon Country Club 988-0188 All proceeds benefit 915 Main Street, Ste. C The Troy and Alana Pack Pleasanton Walk-ins welcome Foundation (next to Gimanelli’s Deli) Open 10am-10pm everyday For more information visit www.summitadvisors.com ComprehensiveC Financial Services 22010 Crow Canyon Place, Suite 120 2009 SSan Ramon, CA 94583 sWWWSUMMITADVISORSCOM 925-866-78009 SecuritiesSecurities and Investment Advisory ServicesServices offeredoffe through Securian Financial Services Inc. Securities Dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Summit Financial Group LLC is independently owned and operated. TR#42633 DOFU 01/2009 Th e Perf ect Blend THE INDEPENDENCE YOU WANT, THE ASSISTANCE YOU NEED. iscover private apartment living in DPleasanton with views of the surround- ing hills…Freedom from the time and ex- I AM A STICKLER FOR pense of housekeeping, home maintenance, FRESHNESS. AND I FANCY menu planning, grocery shopping, cooking MYSELF A PRETTY GOOD and clean-up…Neighbors and staff who COOK. WHEN I FOUND become friends before too long. THAT THE PARKVIEW OFFERS A MENU THAT Discover assisted living and memory care HAS MORE THAN ONE services as comforting and energizing as your ENTRÉE, FRESH FRUITS fi rst cup of coffee in the morning. Call today to AND VEGETABLES AND schedule a tour. CHANGES EVERY DAY —MY DECISION ON WHERE TO LIVE WAS EASY. 100 VALLEY AVENUE (FORMERLY JUNIPERO ST.) PLEASANTON 925-461-3042 License #015601283 WWW.ESKATON.ORG MANAGED BY ESKATON Page 2ÊUÊOctober 2, 2009ÊUÊPleasanton Weekly Trusted Name Brands Since 1976 AROUND Tri Valley’s Full Service Rebate Realtor! Sidewalk Homes rebates buyers up to 50% of PLEASANTON DECKING our commissions.* Combined with our full service, BY JEB BING professional representation, it’s the best deal in town. s TREX sREDWOOD Here’s a Realtor sTIMBER TECH On a $500,000 home, that could be who can laugh s)2/.7//$ $7500 back in your pocket!* through a tough s!:%+ (Across from Raley’s Market) market Will Bateson Broker n the current depressed real 925-455-0845; license #01396959 estate market, it’s good to have Realtor friends who are never- LUMBER & HARDWARE I 5505 Sunol Blvd, Pleasanton 925 846 5040 * For Details visit SidewalkHomes.com theless upbeat and humorous. I’ve known Hometown GMAC Realtor Pat Griffin for years, although not nearly as long as her 30 years of selling homes, townhouses and mobile homes in Pleasanton, an an- Pat Griffin 560 Main St., niversary that she is celebrating this month. During that time, she has since both mobile home parks are Downtown Pleasanton sold hundreds of homes here and restricted to seniors. A buyer must Monday through Saturday in the Tri-Valley and even beyond. be at least 55 years old, although Many of you no doubt have been a spouse can be younger, but no 10-6, and Sunday 11-5 her clients. Still more may have children are allowed. When she 846.6600 484.kids (5437) www.shopsavvyseconds.com seen her on stage at Tommy T’s or first started handling mobile home 2009 the open mic sessions at Bunjo’s park sales, they were adult-only Take an Comedy Club in Dublin on Friday communities. She remembers sell- additional nights. She does stand-up comedy ing a mobile home to a 24-year-old 10% OFF Special Event! that keeps audiences laughing — man who was tired of living in an exp 11-1-09 good, clean comedy that can be apartment. When the parks were “Shop and Sip” Girls Night Out! hard to find these days. She’s also converted to seniors only, a few of Live the resident comedian at meetings the nonconforming owners were Friday, October 2nd from 6:30-10pm Join the fun! Music by of the Valley Marketing Association grandfathered in and allowed to Nail Care by Polished Offerings Ken of Realtors on Friday mornings, stay, but all are now gone. >ÀÊLÞÊ>ÀÞÊ*>ÌÀVÊ->ÊUÊ-«À>ÞÊ/>ÃÊLÞÊ,>ViiÊvÊ i>Ê Àâi Maffeo where she’s served as president Griffin said the first mobile home twice and held other offices. One she sold was a small, but well fur- Debbie Lopes Call to book your beauty service of her favorite lines at these Friday nished unit in Hayward for $16,000. morning meetings, after her col- Prices have climbed since then and leagues have talked about their list- some manufactured homes, deliv- ings of $700,000 and $1-million- ered in sections by trucks, go for plus homes is to offer an alternative $200,000 and more. Most, though, DIABLO FLOORING, INC two-bedroom, one bath, fully-car- are in the $89,000-$129,000 range, peted unit for $99,000, or even less with many occupied by couples well ... in one of the two mobile home into their 80s, widows and parents parks on Vineyard Avenue just east who have relocated from back east of Bernal Avenue. to be near their children in Pleasan- And, she has takers. She sells ton but prefer to live independently. more mobile homes (she calls them Griffin says she spends many eve- manufactured homes since most ning talking with out-of-towners of them aren’t mobile anymore) and walking them through Internet in Vineyard Villa and Hacienda photos of the units that are avail- CARPET • HARDWOOD • LAMINATE • TILE • VINYL mobile home parks than any other able here. Many look for upgrades, Diablo Flooring Inc. is here to bring the best possible pricing with the most beautiful and complete installation Realtor. In fact, few want to bother which Griffin can describe, includ- to the Bay Area. We are a small store which lets us give you the attention needed for a more professional experience. We cater to residential & commercial customers, designer, contractors, and developers. since selling these homes requires a ing “Universal design” features that 2009 lot of work and, even at 6 percent include lower wall switches, sup- NOW 2 LOCATIONS! FREE ESTIMATES commission, which these days is port rails and larger bathrooms to (925) 988-WOOD (9663) (925) 426-RUGS (7847) often negotiable, selling a $99,000 accommodate wheelchairs and the Best Carpet Store property is hardly rewarding com- handicapped. £nÓÊÌ°Ê >LÊ Û`°]Ê7>ÕÌÊ Àii]Ê 5600-D Sunol Blvd, Pleasanton, CA 94566 Best Flooring Store pared to what a Realtor might earn Griffin and her husband Hal, who from a six-or-seven-digit sale. Still, is on the staff at Ohlone College, VISIT OUR SHOWROOM OR Shop@Home WWW.DIABLOFLOORING.COM she finds the buyers and sellers moved here in 1978. She earned License #898787ÊUÊ `i`ÊUÊÃÕÀi`ÊÕ«ÊÌÊfÓÊ of these manufactured homes a her teaching credential that year thoroughly enjoyable, friendly and in French and history, but couldn’t usually older group who are less find a high school position in that pretentious and demanding of her time of an inflationary-economy. ii«}ÊVÌÛiÊ*i«iÊVÌÛi services. She generally holds no She started selling men’s suits in a open houses in these mobile home Hayward store, found she liked and UÊ-«ÀÌÃÊÕÀÞÊÊ parks and often has potential buy- was good in sales, and the rest is ers and sellers calling her for advice history. Pat and Hal Griffin raised Ê Ã«iV>ÃÌ on quality, maintenance and fi- their three children in Pleasanton, UÊ->i`>ÞÊÊ nancing issues whether they’re her all graduates of Amador Valley High Ê >««ÌiÌà clients or not. It’s a smaller list of School. They are sons David in David M. Bell, MD buyers than she has with the typi- San Ramon; Scott in Wisconsin and UÊ>ÞÊÛ>ÃÛiÊ cal Pleasanton houses she also sells daughter Ann Jordan in Denver. N Ê «ÀVi`ÕÀià About the Cover UÊ"ÃÌiÊ* ÞÃV>ÊÊ Ê / iÀ>«ÃÌÊ>`ÊÊ Henry Luna, left, president and founder of the Pacific Locomotive Association, and Dexter Day, general manager of the Niles Canon Railway, pose with one Ê -«ÀÌÃÊ ÕÌÀÌÃÌ of the most beautiful rail cars in their fleet at the Brightside maintenance yard. The railway offers train rides year-round, and tickets for one of its most popular 5000 Pleasanton Ave., events, the holiday Train of Lights, will go on sale Oct. 12. Photo by Janet Pel- Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery Suite 200 925-600-7020 Fellowship Trained in Sports Medicine Pleasanton, CA 94566 letier. Cover design by Manuel Valenzuela. www.BellSportMed.com Vol. X, Number 38 Pleasanton WeeklyÊUÊOctober 2, 2009ÊU Page 3 Streetwise ASKED AT THE POST OFFICE .be healthy. How would an end to Saturday mail deliveries affect you? Sue Gerder Dental Hygienist I could care less. They could end mail on Saturdays. It wouldn’t affect me. It would make the postman happy. It’s one less day Join ClubSport, Shape® and The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® for to go to the mailbox! Pilates for Pink.