VOLUME L, NUMBER 17 Your Local News Source Since 1963 SERVING DUBLIN • LIVERMORE • PLEASANTON • SUNOL THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013 PPIE Offers Schools Funding Match for Class-size Reduction By Ron McNicoll be $325,000. Under PPIE's ing somewhere else in the and counselors, which are surplus money above its The Pleasanton Unified proposal, the district would budget," said Miller. categories the district said it original funding goal, adds Find Out What's School District has been have to provide $117,000 "We hope you agree that wants for next year. up to $208,000, which could Happening offered a funding match to from its general fund. The class size reduction (CSR) is That left $130,000 of go toward CSR. help meet a goal of reducing remainder, $208,000, would a priority, and ask that this be the original amount avail- If the school board does Check Out Section A next year's first-grade classes come from PPIE. considered as the budget is able for other elementary not approve CSR for first Section A is filled with from 30 to 25 students. PPIE president Bob being developed," continued school spending. Additional grade, PPIE will put that information about arts, Miller told the board at its Miller. money is available, because $78,000 into a donation ac- people, entertainment and The offer comes from special events. There are Pleasanton Partnerships in meeting April 16 that the PPIE raised $330,000 PPIE held a successful ben- count for use in the 2014/15 education stories, a variety Education (PPIE). nonprofit hopes that the to fund programs at the el- efit run earlier this month. school year. The $130,000 of features, and the arts and Total cost for class size district will pursue the offer. ementary school level. It has Combining the sum raised that is still uncommitted entertainment and bulletin reduction (CSR) for the "However, we realize you already committed $200,000 of $78,000, which is still would be available to the board. district's first-graders would may have to reduce fund- to district literacy coaches in the estimated stage, with (See CLASS SIZE, page 12) First Look at Easy Access Local TEDx Library Set Event Tackles An open house will be held on Sat., April 27 at the Livermore Library's Easy Two Major Topics Access Library, located at the Springtown Branch Li- How will schools teach in START Leadership (San brary. the Cloud era? How is inno- Francisco), and Vicki Za- The open house will be vation fostered within com- krzewski, Education Direc- from 1 to 3 p.m. at the cur- munities and what drives tor, Greater Good Science rent branch building, 998 innovation? How will the Center at UC Berkeley: Bluebell Drive, Livermore. workplace evolve? New educational paradigms Library staff will be on Some of anwers will based on current research hand to provide instruction be presented when global that highlight the value of in the use of the state of the thought leaders, entrepre- empathy, altruism and awe art equipment at this self- neurs, authors, artists, in- for success in and beyond service library. Patrons will novators and local educators the workplace. A review of learn how to use the library present their ideas on the projects that teach Resil- and be able to obtain an easy theme, “Creating our Fu- ience, Responsibility and access key card that will al- ture: Innovate + Educate” at Resourcefulness so children low them to enter the library TEDxLivermore. can do well and be well, seven days a week from 8 Photo - Doug Jorgensen The session will be held now and in the future, in the a.m. to 8 p.m. A worker demonstrates how landfills can provide fuel to run trucks. on June 8th at the Mertes classroom, in the community The key works in a simi- Center for the Arts, Las Posi- and at home. tas College, 3000 Campus • Lisa Highfill, a Google- (See LIBRARY, page 12) Hill Drive, Livermore. certified and You Tube Star “TEDxLivermore will teacher, Fairlands Elemen- Pleasanton Landfill Turns Trash to Gas ignite the conversation be- tary School, Pleasanton; By Carol Graham closed-loop system utiliz- renewable natural gas fuel tween innovators and edu- Alex Eckert, Vice Principal, To Host Waste Management of ing a fuel produced from generation and dispens- cators from a variety of Livermore High School; and Transit Fair Alameda County and the the very material Waste ing station means cleaner disciplines,“ said Rosalind Jade Meskilll CEO, Inte- East Bay Clean Cities Coali- Management collects and air for the citizens of the Hamar, TEDxLivermore or- grum (Phoenix), Cofounder, The City of Pleasanton tion held a grand opening on transports to the landfill." Valley. It also brings jobs ganizer and Head of School Gangplank: Time-tested and will host the 8th Annual April 17th for the Altamont A system installed at the to the community, while at Valley Montessori. “We new tools (such as flipped Transit Fair at the Pleasanton Landfill's Closed-Loop Bio- Altamont Landfill collects displacing the consumption invite the entire community classrooms) which are shift- Senior Center on Wednes- Methane Fueling Station. gas given off by decompos- of foreign petroleum fuels," to join us for a transforma- ing elementary education day, May 1, from 10:00 a.m. "This isn't your father's ing trash and converts it into said Richard Battersby, Ex- tive day of stimulating think- away from a teacher-centric to 1:00 p.m. in the lobby of landfill," said Waste Man- fuel that powers garbage col- ecutive Director of the East ing.” model to a student-led, self- the center, located at 5353 agement Environmental lection trucks carrying tons Bay Clean Cities Coalition. Las Positas College will directed approach that in- Sunol Boulevard. Protection Manager Tianna of garbage each day between "By constructing a fueling host the event. corporates technology, fos- This free event is open Nourot. "We're transform- the Davis Street Transfer station at the landfill, the Innovators and topics ters creativity and nurtures to all ages. It will feature ing waste into a resource. Station in San Leandro and transfer of bio-methane to planned for TEDxLivermore children’s innate curiosity. representatives from agen- The onsite fueling station the landfill in Livermore. an off-site fueling station is include: • Dustin Haisler, Pres- cies such as AARP, BART, provides a fully contained, "The Altamont Landfill (See ALTAMONT, page 12) • Laurie Bodine, Founder, (See TEDx EVENT, page 10) WHEELS, the Alameda County Transportation Commission, Pleasanton Paratransit Service, Senior Council Support of the Tri-Valley Zone 7 OKs Arroyo Transportation Services, Disappointed Senior Support Program of Changes, Hears About the Tri-Valley Transporta- with Level of tion Services, and the ACE Train to share information East Pleasanton Plan Affordability in on transportation options in Zone 7 Water Agency fication as well as good fish Apartments Pleasanton and beyond. directors voted 5-2 to spend habitat with cooler water. In addition, a special lec- $1.3 million to hire Applied More importantly, con- The Pleasanton City ture on Bicycle and Road Water Resources Corpora- crete barriers in the channel Council approved 305 apart- Safety is scheduled from tion to install trees and land- will be removed, thus creat- ments units along with a 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. ing a natural stream flow. retail component for an 8.4 An ombudsman from the scaping and complete other work on the Stanley Reach The work will serve as a acre site in Hacienda Busi- California Department of ness Park. Motor Vehicles will also of the Arroyo Mocho. pilot project so that Zone 7 and other flood control It is one of the sites re- be in attendance. A BART The vote came at the di- zoned under a lawsuit settle- representative will also be on rectors' meeting April 17. agencies can see whether ment that requires the city site to issue Senior Clipper When the arroyo work is a natural riparian habitat is to provide land in order to Cards to adults 65 years of finished, the currently barren the best way to approach meet the city's share of the age and older. Please bring a stretch next to Stanley Bou- the control of flood channel regional housing need. photo identification to have levard near Isabel Avenue in arroyos. The vote was unani- a Clipper card issued. Livermore will have grass The project also counts as mous. For more information, and trees alongside. The mitigation for any projects The development, to be please contact the Pleasan- project will provide beauti- (See ZONE 7, page 4) built by developer Mark ton Senior Center at (925) English and Pleasant Part- 931-5365. ners, LLC, consists of two three and four story build- Rotary Given OK to Build ings and a two building retail center. The site is adjacent to California Center (formerly Gazebo in Carnegie Park CarrAmerica) at Rosewood A new master plan was of the park, on the Fourth Drive and Owens Drive. approved for the Carnegie Street side. To make way for the Park in downtown Liver- The city council vote apartment and retail com- more. The proposal includes was unanimous with one Photo - Doug Jorgensen plex, 1,242 of California a gazebo, which will be paid provision added. Council- The City of Dublin hosted a grand opening of Positano Center's current 3,915 park- for and built by Livermore member Doug Horner asked ing spaces will be removed. Rotary organizations. that the design of the gazebo Hills Park last Saturday. The park is located at 2301 There will be 1,459 new The Carnegie Building undergo further review.