This form needs Javascript to display, which your browser doesn't support. Sign up here instead
Greenbelt Alliance In the News
December 29, 2006
2006 marked new faces and growth for cities
Subheading
Paula King
This year brought many monumental changes to East County communities. Whether it was a change in leadership or a controversial issue that sparked community interest, 2006 was a time of change for each of the cities and unincorporated areas.
Antioch
City attorney retires: After 26 years as Antioch's city attorney, Bill Galstan retired this year. Over his career, he witnessed Antioch transform from a small, tight-knit community into a growing suburb.
Antioch native wins second Oscar: Former Antioch resident Michael Semanick was honored with a second Oscar this year for sound mixing the newest version of "King Kong" with three others. He also won an Oscar for his work on the 2003 film "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King."
Moore makes history: Reggie Moore recently became the newest member of the Antioch City Council and the city's first African-American council member. Incumbent Jim Davis was re-elected to the council.
Combating blight: A newly approved Neighborhood Improvement Program is scheduled to be up and running early in 2007. Its aim is to target blight in both commercial and residential areas of the city, including dismantled and abandoned vehicles around homes.
Rental housing sparks controversy: Rental and Section 8 housing issues were hot-button issues in 2006, prompting a group of residents to form United Citizens for Better Neighborhoods and civic leaders to host a series of Quality of Life forums.
Hall of famers: A group of long-time residents began organizing an Antioch sports hall of fame to honor the community's great athletes. The local sports museum movement has been evolving all year.
Creek clean-up: City leaders allocated funds to clean up an old landfill that contaminated Markley Creek. The former landfill site was located off Somersville Road near the creek.
Oakley Beloved priest leaves parish: After more than 11 years at St. Anthony Catholic Church, Bernardino Andrade said good-bye to his Oakley parish community to return to his native Portugal. There, he is serving a rural parish.
Orphans get a home: The "Oakley orphans" were delighted to see the recent ground breaking of the Orchard Park School. The new Oakley campus is being built by the Antioch school district for Oakley students who live west of Empire Avenue and fall within Antioch's school boundaries.
New campus opens: Iron House Elementary School opened along the bustling East Cypress corridor in October. The state-of-the-art campus next to Delta Vista Middle School will serve the hundreds of new families moving into the growing community.
YMCA expansion: Oakley's Delta Family YMCA launched a community fund-raising initiative to collect $400,000 for a permanent YMCA facility. The total expansion project will cost $4.9 million and result in a 25,000-square-foot facility that will serve as a needed community center for the entire area.
Annexation approved: The Contra Costa Local Agency Formation Commission gave the green light to Oakley's plan to annex 2,050 acres of relatively undeveloped and uninhabited land around East Cypress Road. The city has plans to convert the primarily agricultural land into 4,500 residential units.
Civic Center takes shape: The next phase of the Oakley Civic Center Plaza was kicked into high gear when the Oakley City Council approved plans for council chambers, a downtown park and other future city buildings.
Councilman deemed top citizen: Councilman and local volunteer Bruce Connelley was voted Oakley Citizen of the Year and honored at the annual banquet.
City is sued: The Greenbelt Alliance is suing the city of Oakley and several developers over plans to build 4,300 homes along Hotchkiss Tract. The lawsuit is ongoing and will likely be determined in court.
Brentwood Dog park opens: King Park opened last summer to the delight of dog owners and canines themselves. The quarter-acre dog park off Sand Creek Road offered dogs much-needed outdoor play space and opportunities to socialize. The park was named after the beloved German shepherd of the former editor/owner of the Brentwood News, Edgar Allen.
Demographics bring change: Brentwood residents saw concrete evidence that the demographics of their community had changed drastically. Brentwood's average annual household income is now $97,058, which means that national chains and retailers are willing to locate in the growing city. Specialty grocer Trader Joe's arrived this year, along with plans for an upscale steak house called Vic Stewart's and a high-end shopping center named The Streets of Brentwood.
Rotarian gains top honor: Long-time community volunteer Greg Robinson was honored as Brentwood Citizen of the Year for his service to the Brentwood Rotary and Police Activities League.
Local poet awarded title: Diane Lando was deemed Brentwood's second poet laureate. Mary Jane Barnes was the city's first poet laureate who retired in 2004 and later died.
Council changes: Brentwood City Councilman Bob Taylor was elected as mayor in the November election. Also, former planning commissioner Chris Becnel and Concord police officer Brandon Richey were elected to council seats.
New chief in town: Former Seattle police captain Mark Evenson become Brentwood's newest police chief after Mike Davies retired. Davies had been with the department for 26 years.
Road rehabilitation: Work began on a $8 million project to repair a 10-mile stretch of Highway 4 between Brentwood and Antioch. The road is full of bumps and pot holes and runs through Brentwood, Antioch and Oakley.
Discovery Bay Beautification project: Discovery Bay has launched a major landscaping project that renovates the community's main entrance with new lighting, plants and irrigation.
Bethel Island
Escape plan updated, sirens considered: The Bethel Island Municipal Improvement District updated its federally mandated evacuation plan and included some of the island's marinas as meeting grounds in case of a flood or levee failure.
Levee maintenance officials also moved ahead with plans to establish warning sirens on the island.
Directors of Bethel Island Municipal Improvement District recently heard the details of a proposal to install three or four sirens around the island that would alert residents if serious flooding or some other emergency occurs.
Shoring up a levee: In May, approximately 85 feet of sheet piles were hammered into a failing Bethel Island levee on Stone Road in Bethel Island because a house in that area was experiencing a leak.
Byron Bond passes: After several failed attempts at passing a school facilities bond, the Byron Union School District celebrated the victory of Measure C, a $19.7 million bond that will pay for the modernization of all three campuses in Byron and Discovery Bay.
Upgraded facility: Byron water officials continued to struggle with the task of upgrading its outdated wastewater treatment and disposal plant. They hope to start making the improvements in 2007 with the help of state and federal funding.
