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tricityvoice.com
January 28, 2025
Union City approves additional funding for bike lanes project
Fremont Creates prepares for upcoming arts month STEERING ORGANIZATION OUTLINES SOCIAL MEDIA PLANS AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPANTS
IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDE PAVEMENT REPAIR, TRAFFIC SIGNAL UPGRADES, UPDATED STREETLIGHTS AND MORE
By STEPHANIE UCHIDA Artists and art-enthusiasts from around the Tri-City Area are already working hard to create a packed Arts, Culture and Creativity Month (ACCM) in April. A resolution from the California Senate designated a month for supporting the arts back in 2019, and Fremont acknowledged ACCM via a city proclamation in 2022. However, due to COVID, the Fremont edition of ACCM, Fremont Creates, didn’t really get started until 2023. Organized by local arts leaders, the event series got enough traction and raised enough funds to expand in 2024, including a free Grand Finale at Fremont’s Downtown Event Center. On Jan. 21, 2025, the Fremont Creates team held an informational meeting at Artist Walk Common in Centerville, highlighting the goals for 2025. The five members of the steering committee are: Susan Longini, Julie Gilson, Phyllis Wood, Lisa Stambaugh and Janine Pitta. Other members of local
By PANASHE MATEMBA-
MUTASA
Union City’s efforts to improve its bicycle infrastructure advanced with the city council’s approval of an additional $25,000 for the Union City Boulevard Bike Lanes Project. During the Jan. 14 meeting, the council authorized the city manager to update the agreement with PGA Design Inc., bringing the total project budget to $206,658. The project, known as City Project No. 17-29, will deliver over two miles of buffered Class II bike lanes—or striped lanes that separate bikes from traffic—along Union City Boulevard, stretching from the Alameda County Flood Control Channel at the Fremont boundary to Smith Street in Union City. It will also serve as a segment of the San Francisco Bay Trail. Key features include pavement repair, traffic signal upgrades and a new multi-purpose trail adjacent to Delaine Eastin Elementary School, designed to provide safer access for students. Additional improvements include a dedicated right-turn lane into the school, updated streetlights, enhanced drainage and landscaping upgrades at intersections such as Lowry Drive and Dyer Street. The council’s decision builds on previous amendments to the PGA Design Inc. contract, which have provided critical services like arborist reports, landscape design and construction support. The newly approved funding will cover tree replacement design and additional support for ongoing construction efforts.
City Project No. 17-29, will deliver over two miles of buffered Class II bike lanes—or striped lanes that separate bikes from traffic. Photo by staff
INDEX Arts & Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . 13 Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Vol. 24 No. 5
Bay Area shelters assist San Diego Humane Society by welcoming pups from overcrowded shelter. Photo by Panashe Matemba-Mutasa
Bay Area steps up as San Diego shelter fills AN INFLUX OF PETS DISPLACED BY LA FIRES LAND AT HAYWARD AIRPORT EN ROUTE TO LOCAL SHELTERS By PANASHE MATEMBA-
MUTASA
On the morning of Jan. 17, a plane transporting 48 animals from the San Diego Humane Society landed at Hayward Executive Airport, as part of an effort to address overcrowding as the San Diego shelter prepares for an influx of pets displaced by the Los Angeles wildfires. The relocated animals were transferred to shelters in the Bay Area and Pacific Northwest. “This emergency flight is an important part of our larger response to provide critically needed aid to those affected,” said Liz Baker, CEO of Greater Good Charities, the organization that coordinated the flight. As the fires continue to ravage LA, more pets are being abandoned during rapid evacuations. The San Diego Humane Society is providing temporary shelter but urgently calls for community support. They were already grappling with an
overcapacity crisis of their own; in October, they reported an influx of over 180 puppies daily. SD Humane Society CEO Gary Weitzman thanked volunteering shelters, including Oregon Humane Society, East Bay SPCA, Marin Humane, Humane Society of Sonoma County, and Pets in Need, for stepping up to help. “This transport lets us step up and give our friends in Los Angeles Phyllis Wood (L) presents a glass sculpture raffle prize to Al Minard. Photo by Stephanie Uchida
Local organization helps transport arriving animals. Photo by Panashe Matemba-Mutasa
arts groups attended, including Tetiana Teganskaya of Imaginook Studio and Al Minard of Fremont Cultural Arts Council. This April, the Arts Mosaic in Mission San Jose (Apr. 26) and Fremont Open Studios (Apr. 12, 13 and 26) will join the event lineup. In fact, Stambaugh encourages arts organizations to try to schedule their events to coincide with ACCM so that they can join the Fremont Creates calendar and get added publicity. However, she emphasized the benefits are to the community as well. “Benefits to people everywhere in the community include exposure
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