October 2015
What are you doing the morning of Saturday, Oct. 10? I will
be handing out T-shirts at the Community Service Day breakfast, and then
heading over to Sugarloaf Open Space to help refurbish the picnic area and amphitheater.
If you haven’t signed up for Community
Service Day, please do! Of particular need are volunteers to help with school
campus clean-ups, book cleaning at public and school libraries, and
turf-replacement projects (spreading wood chips) at Arbolado, Heather Farm and
Rudgear parks. Learn more by clicking here.
Questions, comments about this Update or anything else? Email me at CMUpdates@walnut-creek.org.
 Oct. 6 meeting on future of aquatics at Heather Farm Park
Two organizations, each interested in partnering with the
City on a new swim center at Heather Farm Park, will present their proposals to
the City Council on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The existing Clarke Swim Center is more
than 40 years old and in need of replacement; due to limited financial
resources, the City is seeking a partner to finance, construct, operate and
maintain a new aquatic center.
The meeting begins at 4 p.m. on Oct. 6 in the 3rd
floor conference room at City Hall. It will be aired live on Walnut Creek TV,
and archived for viewing on demand. For the agenda and background materials,
click here.
Walnut Creek School District Board & City Council to meet
The City Council and Walnut Creek School District Board members will hold a joint meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5 to provide updates on items of mutual interest. The meeting takes place in the 3rd floor conference room. Click for agenda.
A conversation with the Mayor
Come share what's on your mind with Mayor Bob Simmons at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27 at the Civic Park Assembly Hall (across from the Senior Center). The informal "Conversation with the Mayor" has no set presentation or agenda, but instead is an opportunity for the mayor to hear from community members about topics they care about, and to answer questions as well. No pre-registration is required. Questions? Email community@walnut-creek.org.
Winter nights homeless shelter update
Trinity Center, a Walnut Creek-based nonprofit that provides
services to homeless and working poor, is seeking to operate a nighttime
homeless shelter this winter in the National Guard armory at 1800 Carmel Drive. Shelter occupants would be pre-screened Trinity Center
clients. They would check in at the Trinity Center at 5:30 p.m., and then be
transported by van to the Armory each evening, and transported back to the
Center in the morning. There would be no “in and out” privileges.
While Trinity Center would manage the shelter, the State
Military Department requires that governmental body (in this case, the City), hold the
license for use of the armory. The City Council unanimously agreed to enter
into the licensing agreement at a special Sept. 8 meeting, following nearly 4
hours of public testimony for and against the proposal. For
meeting materials and video of the meeting, click here.
Before a shelter can be opened, Trinity Center must request
a Conditional Use Permit from the Planning Commission and present a Management Plan. This would be a public
hearing. At this time, such a hearing has not been scheduled. To subscribe to
Planning Commission agenda notices, click
here.
 Meet street sweeper operator Robert Chavez
At a time when most of us are still snug in our beds, Public
Works employee Robert Chavez is hitting the road. By 4 a.m., he is behind the
wheel of a street sweeper; before his day is done, he will have cleaned about
35 miles of street, gutters, curbs and medians. Residential streets are cleaned
at least once a month; each side of Ygnacio Valley Road gets a weekly cleaning,
and downtown streets are cleaned Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
For nine months a year, it’s a predictable schedule. Then
along comes winter. “In the winter, the dynamics of sweeping completely
change,” says Robert, who joined the City 10 years ago.
Fallen leaves and
winter rains are bad partners; leaves clog storm drains, and flooding can
ensue. As a preventative measure, Robert and other team members strive to keep
gutters cleared before the rain falls, and are on call to respond if flooding
occurs.
“My day is constantly evolving come winter,” says Robert. “I just have
to go with it.”
|
 |
|
Last walk for the year with Mayor Bob
Mayor Bob Simmons wraps up his Walnut Creek Walks series with a walk in Shell Ridge Open Space on Saturday, Oct. 17. Meet at 9 a.m. at the Marshall Drive entrance to Shell Ridge for a 3.25 mile walk. Click here for additional information.
|
 |
|
Lindsay Wildlife's Birthday Bash
Come "Fall into the Wild" at Lindsay Wildlife's 60th Birthday Bash and Community Festival on Oct. 11 at Larkey Park. Free fun for all ages inside the Lindsay and throughout the park. Don't miss the Owl Parade! Visit the Lindsay Wildlife website for details.
|
 |
|
Oktoberfest in the downtown
Walnut Creek Downtown launches Oktoberfest 2015 on Saturday, Oct. 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Locust Street between Civic and Cypress. Come enjoy live music, a kids zone, food and vendor booths, and, of course, beer gardens!
|
 |
|
Bedford Gallery presents 'The Art of the Brick'
Check out this intriguing exhibition at the Bedford Gallery, in which artist Nathan Sawaya uses thousands of LEGO bricks to create sculptures. Through Dec. 20.
|
|
