Wednesday, February 26, 2014 • Vol. 7 Issue 26 BridalBRIDAL FAIR Fair Sunday, March 3 Lafayette11am rd Lafayette Park - 4pm Hotel Park Hotel Independent, locally owned and operated! Sunday March 2nd *A portion11am-4pm of the proceeds benefits www.lamorindaweekly.com • 925.377.0977 Whole Planet Foundation Tickets: www.EastBayBridal.comEastBayBridal.comTickets visit: High Schools Prep for Stellar Spring Productions By Clare Varellas Photos Ohlen Alexander or many of us, the word “musical” conjures up images from schools during one of their March musical performances, you to perform some relatively new and groundbreaking productions Fthe most classic Broadway productions: Curly beaming might be surprised to find onstage an ogre singing in his swamp, this year, or to take new, interesting spins on old ones. while belting out “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” in “Okla- or a man loudly expressing his opinion that people have the right Acalanes High School cast members will be performing the homa” or Fantine executing a tear-jerking rendition of “I to use the restroom without taxation. well-known musical “Guys and Dolls” March 6-8 in the Dreamed a Dream” in “Les Mis.” So when you venture into the Armed with deep talent pools and hard-working directors Acalanes Performing Arts Center. auditoriums of Acalanes, Miramonte, or Campolindo high and musicians, Lamorinda high school musical casts have chosen ... continued on page A14 Advertising Quote of the Week: COMING SOON! Beautiful Moraga home—updated inside and out! “Technology is not the Designer kitchen & baths. New siding, roof & gutters, dual panes & more. silver bullet. It doesn’t Call Sue or Ben for more info or visit www.TheOlsenTeam.com. replace teaching and learning.” Read Technology and Education - page B6. CALBRE 00616156 24 Carr Drive, Moraga 4BR/3BA 2084 SQFT Sue Olsen, (925) 200-6000 Ben Olsen, (925) 381-2151 [email protected] A Bridge to the Future: Improving Orinda’s Aging Town News A2 - A14 Infrastructure Piece by Piece Business A10 Life in Lamorinda B1 - B12 By Laurie Snyder Classified B8 “Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom from Mother Nature’s mutability. In its Food B9 rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the place now stands a concrete super-struc- Not to be Missed B10-B11 river slipping slowly away beneath you, ture that is wider, longer and elevated 5 HOW TO CONTACT US B11 you will suddenly know everything there feet higher above the flood zone – engi- Love Lafayette B12 is to be known.” – Winnie the Pooh neered to improve water flow as well as Sports C1 - C6 t began with the removal of trees in public safety with structural, hydraulic Service Directory C3 IJanuary 2013, and ended with a rainy and alignment deficiencies mitigated Our Homes D1 -D12 day ribbon cutting Feb. 10 that was and a new sidewalk in place to separate This Week Read About: brightened by smiles and feelings of civic pedestrians from cars. Condos with TJ View? A2 pride and genuine relief. Along the way, Carolyn Elsberry, an Orindan who has Bridge Bump A4 blustery days were endured, creek waters been walking the Manzanita area for 69 Dollars and Sense A6 were diverted and a one-lane bridge was years, was one among the crowd who wit- Union Blasts Board A9 installed temporarily to facilitate demoli- nessed the ribbon cutting.“It’s really a Walking for Henry B1 tion of aging structure near an important love story with the bridge … For me, the Coping in Middle School B2 East Bay Municipal Utility District water bridge was a central part of my life and Big scissors for a big project. After years of planning and a fast- Climbing Gamlang Razi B3 treatment plant in Orinda. my social life,” she said of her time grow- tracked year of construction work, the ribbon was officially cut Local Author B8 Built in 1937 over the San Pablo ing up nearby. “To me, it looked brand Feb.10 on Orinda’s new, safer Manzanita Bridge. Shown here Mats, Cougs Win DFAL C1 Creek, the Manzanita Bridge was seis- new when I came here as a child.” (from left): Orinda City Council member Amy Worth, Mayor mically unsafe and increasingly at risk ... continued on page A11 Sue Severson, Carolyn Elsberry, former Orinda mayor Joyce Hawkins, city manager Janet Keeter. Photo Ohlen Alexander Life in Lamorinda B1-B12 Sports C1-C6 Our Homes D1-D12 Family Soccer Disaster Preparedness Feud? Semifinals Canyon "God of hopes for the Carnage" Tonight best and comes to Town Two Campo squads and the plans for the Hall Theatre - Miramonte girls set their sights worst - page page B5. on the goal - pages C2, C3. D1. Page: A2 LAMORINDA WEEKLY www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 Wednesday, February 26, 2014 STILLSTILL #1 FOR A REASON 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011,2011, 2012, 2013 Once in a Lifetime Lafayette’sLafayette’s BestBest Opportunity in Lafayette! 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Diablo Blvd. By Cathy Tyson Design Review Monday, March 10, 7 p.m. ooking to get feedback from the project while being sensitive to the stakeholders again and consider the Fellow commissioner Ken Her- Lafayette Library & Learning Center, LDesign Review Commission, neighborhood. whole project in response to com- tel commented that the current de- Arts & Science Discovery Center, local developer Lenox Homes, LLC Dan Freeman, president of ments received from design review sign needs to be pared down and 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. heard constructive suggestions at the Lenox Homes, is looking forward to commissioners. pushed further back on the site. Check online for agendas, meeting second study session for its proposed working locally after having focused Suggestions from commissioners Neighbors chimed in about the notes and announcements eight-unit multi-family in-fill project on projects in Alamo, Danville and focused on the overall size of the overall mass of the building and City of Lafayette: that would be located at 945 Moun- Walnut Creek. He calls the project project; vice chair Gordon Chong de- shared their concern about lack of www.ci.lafayette.ca.us tain View Dr. directly behind Trader unique, very pedestrian friendly and scribed it as “edge to edge on prop- space for emergency vehicles or de- Phone: (925) 284-1968 Joe’s. Two levels of four units each geared toward active move-down erty line, with no breathing room.” A livery trucks on the street. Also with Chamber of Commerce: would rest atop a slightly lowered buyers. Research by the company common refrain suggested reducing an overall height of over 34 feet, just parking area, 2 feet below grade.The indicated a growing market exists for the building footprint by adjusting the below a maximum height of 35 feet, www.lafayettechamber.org roughly 0.3-acre site currently has a current residents who don’t want to number of parking spaces and per- the current version towers over neigh- School Board Meetings vintage bungalow style home with leave Lafayette, but are seeking a haps shrinking the overall number of bors directly south of the building – at Acalanes Union High School District lots of asphalt. Bordered by the one-level home that’s convenient to units or the size of the generous two- a previous study session it had been Wednesday, March 5, 7:30 p.m. Trader Joe’s loading dock on one shops and BART, but with less main- bedroom plus den units from around described as an aircraft carrier. Wednesday, March 19, 7:30 p.m. side, an apartment complex to the tenance than what’s required to take 1,825 square feet to something “This is a journey,” said Free- AUHSD Board Room at 1212 east, and a driveway that serves the care of an aging single family home. smaller. The city parking require- man, “an organic process.” He ex- Pleasant Hill Road, Lafayette apartments directly to the south, it’s “We’re exploring concepts at this ment for an eight-unit building is 12 plained that changes are part of the www.acalanes.k12.ca.us a challenging site for the developer point and gathering input,” said spaces, the current version of the journey and the structure is still a to balance an economically viable Freeman who plans to reach out to project includes 19 parking spots. work in progress at this point. Lafayette School District Wednesday, March 12, 7 p.m. Regular Board Meeting Regulating Massage Parlors Successful Stanley Library 3477 School St., Lafayette By Cathy Tyson www.lafsd.k12.ca.us t’s been over a year and a half operating within Lafayette to be plication for certification, and po- submit new employee names and Isince the city of Lafayette state-certified and forces all mas- lice have verified every business are required to re-apply on an an- adopted an ordinance that regu- sage businesses to register with the license applicant and their employ- nual basis and their certification is lated massage establishments, in city and post their certificates of ees. reverified, said Surges-Moscato. response to some arrests, suspi- registration in visible locations. The ordinance calls for each Additionally, certain minimum cious behavior and citizens’ con- Existing businesses that are li- employee to have a California health and safety standards are cerns.