YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa
Vol. 9, No. 39
Including Surrounding Communities
Residents rally against project by Samie Hartley Staff Writer Representatives from Discovery Builders were greeted with another mass of concerned citizens at the Oakley City Council meeting this week as they presented their proposal for a new development off of Laurel Road. Hot on the heels of the organized protest at the Sept. 8 session on Discovery Buildersā proposed Cedarwood Estates development, more than 80 Oakley residents submitted comments or spoke before the Council regarding the proposed Rosewood Estates development, voicing concerns about traffic, crime, environmental impacts and public safety. While the city council voted 4-1 (Councilman Jim Frazier opposed) to approve the rezoning of the land from a general agriculture district to a planned development district, the Council couldnāt decide whether or
not to approve the 76 high-density homes proposed on the 13.9 acre parcel. The Council voted to continue the public hearing to Oct. 27 with hopes that a compromise can be reached with a reduced number of houses. āThis is a tough position to be in and I think most of you respect that,ā Councilwoman Pat Anderson said. āThereās going to be a lot of people either happy or sad.ā Most of the residents shared the same concerns. Dozens of residents told the Council that they moved to Oakley to enjoy a rural, country lifestyle, but projects such as the proposed Rosewoods Estates are endangering that quality of life. However, Anderson was quick to point out that many of the homes those speakers were living in were probably protested at one time as well. While some speakers
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September 25, 2009
THIS WEEK
Extreme fundraising Home and Garden
If youāve got a home or a garden, or hope to have a home or a garden, or just like to read about them, this is your lucky day.
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Photo by Stacey Chance
ater skiingās most renowned athletes, including the worldās fastest female barefoot skier, Teresa Wallace; six-time national barefoot skiing champion Jerry Kanawyer; and Discovery Bayās own world record holder for tandem speed barefoot skiing, Mike Temby, showed off their best skills during the Extreme Water and Air Show at Orwood Resort last Saturday. Visit the Multimedia page on our Web site, thepress.net, for video highlights of the event, which raised money for Royal Family Kidsā Camps.
W
More woes for Tanners
Aaron Tanner needs a rare heart and kidney transplant while his parents need a loan modification.
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Freedom loves tennis
see Rally page 21A
Mistrust remains over conservation plan by Dave Roberts Staff Writer Local advocates for the Delta are wary of a plan whose purpose is to save the Delta, based on the questions and concerns voiced by many of the hundred people in the Brentwood Senior Center Saturday morning for a workshop on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). Among the planās chief critics is a group called Restore the Delta (RTD). Oakley City Councilman Bruce Connelley and RTD Board Member Roger Mammon stood outside of the center passing out a flier that argues that the BDCP is āa tool for ensuring reliable water supplies for export ā¦ (and) a tool for the Schwarzenegger peripheral canal strategy.ā Among its many recommendations, the BDCP calls for the construction of a canal along the eastern edge of the Delta to convey fresh water from the Sacramento River and ship it south, bypassing much of the rest of the Delta. Lo-
Photo by Dave Roberts
Many local boaters are concerned that construction of a peripheral canal in the east Delta will harm water quality in the south and west Delta. cal advocates are concerned that this would result in decreased water quality in the southwest Delta where East County is located.
The flier criticizes the representation on the BDCP steering committee, arguing that the membership is skewed toward those favoring the
canal plan. And it slams the BDCP workshops (the meeting in Brentwood was the first of four scheduled over 10 days in Delta communities), calling them āanother exercise in futilityā because the steering committee and particularly āthe water export agencies have final say on the BDCPās outcome.ā That skeptical attitude was on display inside the centerās large meeting room as one person after another questioned workshop coordinator Karla Nemeth. āHow do we get the experts we have that live on the Delta into the front end part (of the planning)?ā asked one man. āBecause the things we see coming out are not logical.ā Several people asked about the status of the 2-Gate Fish Protection Demonstration Project, which is planned north of Discovery Bay, raising concerns from boaters that their Delta access will be blocked for part of the year. A representative of the Bureau of Reclamation said see Plan page 21A
Freedom High tennis player Sarah Osborn, last yearās BVAL singles champion, made short work of her Liberty opponent.
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INSIDE Calendar ..........................27B Classifieds ........................19B Education ..........................8A Entertainment ................16B Food .................................14B Health & Beauty .............10B Home & Garden ............... 1B Milestones ......................... 9B Opinion ...........................14A Sports ...............................17A
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A