Palo 6°Ê888]Ê ÕLiÀÊ£ÊUÊ"VÌLiÀÊn]ÊÓä£äÊN xäZ Alto Palo Alto considers airport takeover Page 3 www.PaloAltoOnline.com Veterinary innovations LOCAL ANIMAL DOCTORS USE EVOLVING TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES TO CARE FOR THEIR PATIENTS PAGE 17 Inside this issue AN ALMANAC, MOUNTAIN VIEW VOICE AND PALO ALTO WEEKLY PUBLICATION FALL 2010 1ST PLACE GENERAL EXCELLENCE California Newspaper Publishers Association East meets West in Spectrum 14 Movies 28 Eating Out 30 ShopTalk 31 Title PagesMountain 34View I Page 4 Puzzles 59 Second-story addition fi A RECIPE FOR Menlo Park streetscape Page 10 ts N Arts Peninsula ukulele jams drawCreating a really singing green crowds Page 23 home I Page 22 IN PALO ALTO PAGE 16 NSports Another Stanford football showdown Page 36 NHome Backyard chickens thrive in town Pages 41 * Ì}À>« ÞÊLÞÊ>ÀÊ/ÕÃV >Ê* Ì}À>« ÞÆÊ-ÕÀ}iÊ>`Ê-ViÌÃÌ\Ê Ê °Ê-ÕÜ]Ê ÆÊ iiv>VÌÀ\Ê>Ì ÞÊÕ`Ãi STAND FOR STANFORD MEDICINE ARRANGING YOUR RETIREMENT TO REFLECT YOUR VALUES, YOUR NEEDS AND THE IMPACT YOU SEEK TO HAVE IN THE WORLD IN THESE ECONOMIC TIMES, CONSIDER THE BENEFITS OF STANFORD GIFT ANNUITIES A STANFORD MEDICINE GIFT ANNUITY: ÕÀÀiÌÊ-}iviÊ,>Ìià }iÊÊ ,>ÌiÊ­¯® UÊÊÊ7Ì Ê>Ê}vÌÊ>ÕÌÞÊvÊfÓä]äääÊÀÊÀi]Ê-Ì>vÀ`Ê>iÃÊwÝi`Ê>Õ>Ê Èä x°Ó «>ÞiÌÃÊÌÊÞÕÊÀÊ>ÊÛi`ÊÊvÀÊvi Çä x°n UÊÊÊ,iViÛiÊ>ÊÌ>ÝÊ`i`ÕVÌÊ>`Ê«ÃÃLiÊvÕÌÕÀiÊÌ>ÝÊÃ>Û}à nä Ç°Ó UÊÊÊ̽ÃÊi>ÃÞÊÌÊÃiÌÊÕ« ä °x UÊÊÊ-Õ««ÀÌÊ-Ì>vÀ`Ê1ÛiÀÃÌÞÊ-V ÊvÊi`Vi½ÃÊÜÀ`V>ÃÃÊ i`V>ÊÀiÃi>ÀV Ê>`Êi`ÕV>Ì TO LEARN MORE, * - Ê " / /Ê1-° -Ì>vÀ`Ê1ÛiÀÃÌÞÊ-V ÊvÊi`Vi "vwViÊvÊ*>i`ÊÛ} Carol J. Kersten, JD (650) 725-5524 [email protected] http://pgmed.stanford.edu Page 2ÊUÊ"VÌLiÀÊn]ÊÓä£äÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞ 1ST PLACE BEST LOCAL NEWS COVERAGE California Newspaper Publishers Association UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis Palo Alto to consider early airport takeover New report claims city could profit by taking airport But county officials have been city-run airport could bring a long- backs up persistent claims from operations from Santa Clara County looking to lessen their role in the term windfall to the city. airport proponents that the busy municipal airport since at least The analysis by the Kentucky- facility could be a robust revenue by Gennady Sheyner 2006, when they approved a busi- based firm R.A. Wiedemann & generator. But it also stresses that ness plan limiting the county’s in- Associates estimates the city could any profits the city makes from the fter a brief layover, Palo Alto’s has split the local community in re- vestment in the facility to only the realize a profit of $13.5 million airport would have to stay in the divisive debate about the fu- cent years, with some residents and most essential projects. The county from Palo Alto Airport by 2037 if it airport. Federal Aviation Adminis- Ature of the municipal airport council members calling for abolish- estimated the costs of running the were to take over operations before tration regulations prohibit transfer is scheduled to take off later this ment of the aged 102-acre facility and airport exceeded the facility’s rev- 2012. But to get to this point, the of airport revenues to other munici- month, when city officials debate others urging more investment in the enues by about $600,000 between city would have to endure a deficit pal uses. what to do with the small and bus- airport. Santa Clara County has been 1967 and 2009. of $129,200 for the years 2012-17. “In short, the City of Palo Alto tling Baylands facility. managing the airport since 1967 un- A new study, however, suggests The report, which the council The future of the Palo Alto Airport der a 50-year lease. that with a modest investment, a commissioned last year, largely (continued on page 6) ENVIRONMENT Superfund: Pollution spikes despite cleanup Palo Alto site cleanup due to leaky tank has generally lowered toxic contamination except for some areas by Sue Dremann espite nearly three decades a toxic leak from a 1,000-gallon of clean-up efforts at a cen- underground solvent-storage tank Dtral Palo Alto Superfund site, at 620-640 Page Mill Road in 1981 groundwater contamination from a and began remediation to remove leaky underground chemical tank the contamination from soil and has dramatically concentrated in groundwater. The company left the some small areas, according to a site in 1986 but continued its lease Veronica Weber Veronica new water-quality report. until 2007. None of the contamination is HP has reported a cumulative threatening homes, but it is causing cost of $6,788,253 through October some concern about vapors pen- 2009 to clean up the contamina- etrating commercial buildings. tion. The underground contamination According to the report — which STRIKING UP THE BAND from the “Hewlett-Packard 620-640 was created from monitoring done Drum major Garret Schlesinger (left) leads the Stanford Band as it practices songs and formations on campus Page Mill Road Superfund Site” is by Stantec, a company hired by HP in advance of Saturday’s home game against USC. “Cal may be the rival, but ‘SC is the enemy,” he said. detailed in a five-year review re- and Varian — an area just south of leased Sept. 30 by the California the 620-640 Page Mill Road build- Regional Water Quality Control ings showed trichloroethene (TCE) board,” Kamanger said. Board San Francisco Bay Region. levels in groundwater increased by LAND USE “In terms of what their intent is, It is the third five-year study of 75 percent. it’s not clear, but it’s out there.” the site. Trichloroethene concentra- A member of the Shaw family In addition to the increased con- tions increased by 20 percent in a said they have not been contacted centration in a few areas, inspectors monitoring well near El Camino Peninsula Day Care site eyed by the district. have also noted a slow decrease in Real and Page Mill Road between “We are pleased to consum- contamination in other areas of the 2005 to 2009. But trichloroethene by developer, school district mate a contract with SummerHill site, the report states. levels have increased nearly 800 Homes,” family member Victor The contaminated plume ema- percent in the water collected from SummerHill plans to build 26 homes on Martindale said. nates from the former HP site and two bore holes near the well site at 3-acre San Antonio Road parcel “They are a Palo Alto-based combines with contamination from 2875 and 2865 El Camino Real (the home builder with a great reputation two other locations: the former Var- northeast corner of El Camino Real by Chris Kenrick for infill development and working ian Medical Systems, Inc., facility and Page Mill Road), according to constructively with neighbors.” at 601 California Ave. and the for- the report. housing developer and the on the developer, the privately held The San Antonio parcel backs up mer HP facility at 395 Page Mill The groundwater is not used for Palo Alto school district have SummerHill Homes, obtaining a to the district’s Greendell School Road. drinking or bathing and so does not A competing designs on a rare rezoning allowing greater density site, which is now accessible The plume, which contains heavy pose a risk of off-gassing vapors 3-acre parcel that will be available from the city. through the Middlefield Road en- metals and toxic chemicals known from showers and baths, but inspec- for development next summer. Meanwhile, Palo Alto School Su- trance to the Cubberley Commu- as volatile organic compounds tors expressed concern about air va- The property, at 525 San Anto- perintendent Kevin Skelly confirmed nity Center. (VOCs), has affected groundwater pors that could seep into buildings. nio Road, has for decades been oc- the school district also is interested The Greendell campus currently under parts of Stanford Research Rising groundwater levels in some cupied by the Peninsula Day Care in acquiring the property. houses the district’s PreSchool Fam- Park, the Palo Alto Mayfield soc- areas have re-saturated soils. Center. But the center’s owner, “We’re discussing it internally and ily and Young Fives programs. cer complex, Palo Alto Square, In some areas, contaminated wa- Herman Shaw of Palo Alto, plans have had preliminary discussions With booming enrollment, par- Fry’s Electronics and the Palo Alto ter close to the soil’s surface has to close his 35-year-old establish- with SummerHill,” Skelly said. ticularly at the elementary level, the Courthouse, among numerous other brought toxic vapors into buildings, ment in June and retire. SummerHill Senior Vice-Presi- district has been scouting broadly businesses. according to the report. The parcel is under contract to dent Katia Kamangar said the firm for more classroom space. Contamination has not spread The plume extends 1,500 feet be sold to a developer, who wants knows of the district’s interest. “A piece of infill property in into the adjacent residential areas northeast under Oregon Expressway to build 26 single-family 3- and “We’ve heard they have a poten- this community is of interest,” outside of the site, the report said. and runs from the HP 620-640 Page 4-bedroom homes. tial interest in this land, and they Skelly said. The clean up has been ongo- Mill Road site northward in a finger Completion of the sale depends took it to a closed session of their ing since 1982, after HP detected (continued on page 5) (continued on page 6) *>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊ"VÌLiÀÊn]ÊÓä£äÊU Page 3 Upfront QUOTE OF THE WEEK 450 CAMBRIDGE AVE, PALO ALTO, CA 94306 (650) 326-8210 ‘‘ PUBLISHER William S.