Gayle Vassar

Bio-swale: An Effective Stormwater Treatment Facility

April 5, 2010 by Gayle Vassar

A Plexiglass case filled with plants, soil and “rain on demand” is giving City Hall visitors a fun lesson on how landscaping can stop pollution from getting into creeks and the Bay. Visitors push a button to activate a sprinkler system simulating rain. The water soaks into the ground, seeps through plant roots and layers of soil, and eventually trickles out via a PVC pipe.

In suburban areas such as Walnut Creek, buildings, streets and pavement now cover much of the land. Rainwater runs off these hard surfaces directly into the storm drain systems, taking pollutants with it. The runoff moves rapidly through the system into creeks, causing flooding, destabilized stream banks and destruction of creek habitat.

Effective landscaping can be used to stop this rapid runoff. As the rain soaks into the ground, pollutants from the atmosphere are absorbed through contact with soils and vegetation.

Under the City ’s Clean Water permit, certain development projects are required to incorporate these landscaping “bio-swales” into their plans.

Managing runoff from a single development site may seem inconsequential, but by changing the way most sites are developed, we may be able to preserve and enhance our stream ecosystem in urbanizing areas.

Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Performing Arts:
Tickets: 925-943-SHOW (7469)
04/01 – 05/01: Noises Off Center REPertory Company
Until 04/25: Oklahoma! Contra Costa Musical Theatre
04/23 & 04/24: And an Angel Came Down Don’t Even Tripp Productions
04/26 – 27: Concert Carondelet High School
04/27: Rethinking Wellness: Relieving Stress Health Medicine Forum
04/30 – 05/01: Footloose Youth Theatre Company
05/02 & 05/04: Visions and Dreams California Symphony
05/07 – 05/09: Pinocchio Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble
05/14 – 05/15: Spring Program Company C Contemporary Ballet
05/20 – 06/26: A Marvelous Party Center REPertory Company

Walnut Creek Farmers Market
Every Sunday, 8 AM to 1 PM on Civic Dr. by Civic Park.

Bay Area Single Christians (BASC)
Free online social group for Christian singles, all ages. Many events (social, spiritual, sports) throughout the Bay area. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bascsingles/

04/18, Sunday, 8am – 12noon: Walk MS 2010 at Heather Farm Park. Walk to create a world free of Multiple Sclerosis. Info: 415-230-6678 x2024 www.walkmsconnection.org

4/23 – 47/25, 10am-6pm Fri/Sat · 10am-5pm Sun: 63rd Semi-Annual Sidewalk Pacific Fine Arts and Crafts Festival at North Main, Cypress, and Locust Streets.

05/08, Saturday, 10am – 2pm: Bouquets and Bubbles.
Collect flowers and sip champagne at all participating downtown Walnut Creek stores, the day before Mother’s Day, while supplies last. Cost: $8 in advance, $10 day of the event. Ticket price includes flowers and tasting of champagne throughout the event. Info: 925-933-6778 www.walnutcreekdowntown.com.
05/21, Friday, 11am: Mayor’s Cup Gold Tournament benefiting Walnut Creek Junior Golf at the Boundary Oak golf course. www.playboundaryoak.com

Recycle that Old Cell Phone and Save a Life!

March 5, 2010 by Gayle Vassar

The Walnut Creek Police Department is proud to announce its participation in the 911 Cell Phone Bank Program. This program recycles old cell phones so they can be used again for emergency purposes only, and then gives them to community members who could not otherwise afford a cell phone. The free Emergency Use cell phones have proven especially important in assisting domestic violence victims and vulnerable seniors.

Anyone with a cell phone they no longer want—working or not—is encouraged to bring it to the police counter on the first floor lobby of City Hall, 1666 N. Main St., during business hours.

The donated cell phones are shipped to the 911 Cell Phone Bank. All contents on the phone are deleted, and the phone is reprogrammed so it can only be used to connect with local emergency services via 911.

Hundreds of phone nationwide have been handed out to vulnerable seniors and domestic violence victims since the 911 Cell Phone Bank’s inception in 2007.

Persons who cannot afford a cell phone but would like to have access to emergency services through 911 should contact the Walnut Creek Police Department. 925-943-5844.

Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Performing Arts.
Tickets: 925-943-SHOW (7469)
03/05 – 03/28: Glorious Sunset Onstage Theatre
03/19: George Komsky LIVE in Concert
03/20: Mikado Sing-a-long Lamplighters Music Theatre
03/23: School Performance Concordia School
03/26 – 04/25: Oklahoma! Contra Costa Musical Theatre
03/28: Music That Stands the Test of Time – Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra
03/30: Concert – Diablo Wind Symphony
03/30: Rethinking Wellness: Community, it takes a village; Health Medicine Forum
04/01 – 05/01: Noises Off; Center REPertory Company

Walnut Creek Farmers Market
Every Sunday, 8 AM to 1 PM on Civic Dr. by Civic Park.

03/21, Sunday, 3pm: Sierra Chamber Society’s Concert featuring members of the San Francisco Symphony & distinguished guests. Boccherini:String Qunitet Op.30, No.6 “Night
Music of the Streets of Madrid: Gabriel Faure & Henri Duparc: Songs featuring Mezzo-Soprano DONNA BRUNO Cherubini: String Quartet No.6 in A Minor. Grace Presbyterian Church, 2100 Tice Valley Blvd, Tickets: 925-930-8880.www.sierrachamber.com

03/25, Thursday, 5 – 7pm: Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce presents TradeFaire Extraordinaire at the Clubhouse at Boundary Oak, 3800 Valley Vista Road in Walnut Creek. Promote your products and services to hundreds of prospective customers while enjoying a fun-filled evening. This semi-annual event attracts hundreds of local professionals eager to learn about your company. To register call 925-934-2007 or visit www.walnut-creek.com.

04/18, Sunday, 8am – 12noon: Walk MS 2010 at Heather Farm Park. Walk to create a world free of Multiple Sclerosis. Info: 415-230-6678 x2024 www.walkmsconnection.org

4/23 – 47/25, 10am-6pm Fri/Sat—10am – 5pm Sun: 63rd Semi-Annual Sidewalk Pacific Fine Arts and Crafts Festival at North Main, Cypress, and Locust Streets.

E-Lockers in Walnut Creek

January 8, 2010 by Gayle Vassar

Just about everyone’s heard of “e-mail” and “e-commerce.” Walnut Creek is abuzz over “e-lockers.” That’s the name for the electronically controlled bicycle lockers recently installed in front of City Hall.

Each locker has an electronic BikeLink card reader; a user swipes the BikeLink card in the reader to open the locker. Once the locker is shut, it will only unlock with the same card used when the bike was parked. The hourly use fee is automatically deducted from the card; in Walnut Creek, the hourly fee is five cents. “Where else can you park for only five cents an hour?” quipped Mayor Gary Skrel at the e-Locker unveiling.

Because eLockers offer secure storage, they have proven popular, according to 511 Contra Costa. As a result, each eLocker serves seven times the users as conventional bike lockers.

While the eLockers at City Hall are the first to be installed by a Central Contra Costa city, they are part of a growing BikeLink system that extends from Seattle to Los Angeles. In Contra Costa, there are eLockers at the AAA building in Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill BART, Hercules Park and Ride Lot, Richmond City Hall, Richmond BART, El Cerrito City Hall, El Cerrito Community Center, and El Cerrito BART. For eLocker locations, or to buy a BikeLink card, go to www.bikelink.org.

The eLockers at City Hall are part of Walnut Creek’s effort to support alternative modes of transportation. They are made possible through a partnership with 511 Contra Costa, the local commute alternatives program, and funded by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvement projects and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Performing Arts.
Tickets: 925-943-SHOW (7469)
01/12/10: Bob Schieffer Lesher Speaker Series
01/28 – 02/27: The Syringa Tree Center REPertory Company
01/21 – 02/07: A Number Center REPertory Company
01/22 – 01/23: Winter Program Company C Contemporary Ballet
01/24 – 01/26: Freedom Rings California Symphony
01/16: The 31st Annual Shellie Awards Shellie Committee
01/26: Rethinking Wellness: Emotional Wellness, Letting Go Health Medicine Forum
01/29 – 01/31: Gilbert & Sullivan’s Patience Lamplighters Music Theatre
01/29 – 01/30: The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fair(l)y (Stupid) Tales

Arts Education
02/05 – 2/06: Winter Program Smuin Ballet
02/12 – 02/28: Curtains Diablo Theatre Company

Walnut Creek Farmers Market
Every Sunday, 8 AM to 1 PM on Civic Dr. by Civic Park.

Until 01/18, 11 am – 10 pm, Walnut Creek on Ice, Historic Civic Park. Info: (925)935.SNOW (7669), www.iceskatewalnutcreek.com

01/31, Sunday, 3pm: Sierra Chamber Society presents The Afiara String Quartet
Aleksandra Vrebalov: Pannonia Boundless, Mendelssohn: String Quartet Op.44, No.2, Shostakovich: Piano Quintet Op.57.
Grace Presbyterian Church, 2100 Tice Valley Rd. Tickets and info: 925-930-8880

02/06, Saturday, 12pm – 2pm: Go Red, Shop & Stroll.
Grab your walking shoes and get ready to shop and stroll to help fight heart disease! www.broadwayplaza.com/events.asp

Stress Free Holiday Parking

November 8, 2009 by Gayle Vassar

The holidays are hectic enough without searching for that elusive parking place. If you’re headed to downtown Walnut Creek, however, relax—help is on the way. City and business leaders are taming the holiday traffic Grinch with a multi-faceted program they’re calling “Stress Free Holiday Parking.”

The idea is to make it easier for people to get out of their cars as quickly as possible so they can enjoy all the area has to offer. Want to know where the parking is before you leave home? Check out the colorful Holiday Parking Guide at www.walnut-creek.org.

New easy-to-read signs point the way to parking, and extra valets are being hired to ferry cars to nearby lots. There will even be special “crossing guards” during peak shopping hours at the intersection between Il Fornaio and PF Chang on Mt. Diablo Boulevard.

Once the car is parked, hop onto the Free Downtown Trolley (Route 4) that circles past shops and restaurants, the Lesher Center for the Arts and Walnut Creek BART (hint: the Trolley’s route is on the Holiday Parking Guide.) To make it easier for evening outings, the Free Trolley’s hours are being extended until 10 p.m. Nov. 27 – Dec. 12; until 11 p.m. Dec. 14 – Dec. 23, and until 10 p.m. Dec. 26 – Dec. 31. Sunday service ends around 7 p.m. And don’t forget! Many shops and restaurants offer free validation for City-owned garages.

To plan where to go and what to do before hitting the road, check out www.thinkcontracosta.com. In addition to Walnut Creek, the jazzy new website highlights amenities and activities throughout the San Ramon Valley and central Contra Costa.

For those who dream of Winter Wonderland, “Walnut Creek on Ice” returns to Civic Park through Jan. 18. Back for its fifth year, the ice rink offers a bevy of special programs and classes, as well as everyday fun for all ages. It will remain open through Jan. 18. For hours and other information, go to at www.iceskatewalnutcreek.com or call (915) 935-7669.

And what holiday season would be complete without the Tiny Tim reminding us of the importance of appreciating every day? Tiny Tim, along with Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Future, return to Walnut Creek when Center REPertory Co. presents Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” at the Lesher Center for the Arts Dec. 10-20. Call (925) 943-7469 or go to www.centerREP.org.

Here’s to a “Stress Free” season!

Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets: 925-943-SHOW (7469)
Thru 11/21: Witness for the Prosecution Center REPertory Company
11/20 – 11/21: Apollo, Fete for Three, Coppelia Diablo Ballet
11/27 – 11/28: The Christmas Ballet, 2009 Edition Smuin Ballet
Thru 11/28: Bad Girls of Broadway Nile Company, Inc.
11/15: All-Russian Delights Diablo Symphony
11/15: East-West Musical Bonanza Bay Area Performing Arts
11/17: Rethinking Wellness: Sleep Heals, Health Medicine Forum
11/29: Michael Essington’s Broadway: A Tribute to the Superstars of Broadway Broadway Dreams Productions
12/01: Celebrate the Holidays with the Walnut Creek Concert Band
12/03 – 12/05: Story of the Nutcracker Contra Costa Ballet
12/05: Suhaila Belly Dance Certification Performance Level 4 Suhaila International
12/10 – 12/20: A Christmas Carol Center REPertory Company
12/11 – 12/19: Whiskers! Galatean Players Ensemble Theatre
12/12 – 12/20: Singalong Down Memory Lane, Hero Theatrical Productions
12/18 – 12/20: The Biggest Gift Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble
12/20: Voices of the Season…A Multi-Ethnic Celebration Voena

Walnut Creek Farmers Market
Every Sunday, 8 AM to 1 PM on Civic Dr. by Civic Park.

Walnut Creek Tennis Club (WCTC) for Adult Singles:
Tue/Thur nights. Sat/Sun AM. Free club and “drop-in” tennis.
2.5 – 3.5 level players. Rusty OK. Coed. All ages. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wctc/

Bay Area Single Christians (BASC)
Free online social group for Christian singles, all ages. Many events (social, spiritual, sports) throughout the Bay area.
Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bascsingles/

11/12 – 01/18, 11 am – 10pm: Walnut Creek on Ice will return to historic Civic Park. Info: (925)935.SNOW (7669) www.iceskatewalnutcreek.com

11/21, Saturday, & 11/22, Sunday 10am -6pm: Semi-Annual Sidewalk Sale in downtown Walnut Creek (925)933-6778

11/27, Friday 6pm: Holiday Tree Lighting at Civic Park Sing carols and meet Santa Claus! Info: (925) 933-6778.

12/13, Sunday, 3pm: Sierra Chamber Society’s Concert featuring members of the San Francisco Symphony (C.P.E Bach: Trio Sonata in G Major, Ravel: Rhapsodie Espagnole, Beethoven: String Quartet Op. 18, No.6). Grace Presbyterian Church, 2100 Tice Valley Blvd. Info: 925-930-8880 www.sierrachamber.com

ALIVE IN WALNUT CREEK
GAYLE VASSAR, Community Relations Manager