front page 09 25.qxp - Clayton Pioneer

Page 4 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com September 25, 2009
The UPS Store
Independently owned and operated
We shred your past to
protect your future.
Stop by and try our new
document shredding service.
Notary, Packaging, Fax and Copy Services are available too!
Celebrating
35 years in
business
Store Hours
M-F 8-7
Sat 9-5
The
� Knives
� Scissors
� Mower Blades
� Garden Tools
� Chipper Blades
� Planer Blades
� Jointer Blades
Encina / Clayton
BICYCLE CENTERS
SWAP
MEET
Located at 5411
Clayton Rd., Clayton, CA
www.encinabicyclecenters.com
Clayton/Concord Location:
Vineyard Shopping Center
5100 Clayton Road
Concord, CA 94523
ph: 925-689-6245
NOW OPEN
Cutting Edge
Knife Works
Custom Sharpening Services
Louie Galvin
Clayton Resident
925 672-2723
1030 Diablo St., Clayton
Behind Cup O’Jo next to the Royal Rooster
Swap Meet to
be held Oct. 4,
from 8:00 a.m.
to 3:30 p.m.
You may reserve
your 12 x 12 space
for $25. Hurry,
space is Limited
Hundreds of
clearance items on
sale from our
warehouse!
You can also take
advantage of our
full service shop.
Free Hot Dog with
purchase of any
in shop item.
For questions and reservations contact Clayton Bikes at
925-672-2522 or email: Claytonbikes@yahoo.com
FREE
DOUBLE UPGRADES on Alaska cruisetours! *
7 – day Caribbean balconies from as low as $939 *
7 – day Alaska balconies from just $1,199 *
11 – day Europe balconies starting at just 1,599 *
10 – day Alaska cruisetour balconies from 1,999 *
For a limited time, you’ll receive a FREE balcony upgrade when you
book an Oceanview stateroom. Or take advantage of FREE double
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Clayton’s Trails and
Landscape Committee
stays on track
VIRGINIA SIEGEL
Special to the Pioneer
Bill Vineyard, a longtime
member of the Trails and
Landscaping Committee (TLC),
formally presented the 2008-’09
annual report at the Sept. 1 City
Council meeting.
The report is a requirement
of the Citizens’ Oversight
Committee to the city’s
Landscape Maintenance District,
established in 2007 by Measure
B. The report can be viewed at
www.cityofclayton.org.
The TLC is a volunteer group
of Clayton residents who have
the privilege of advising managers
of the district as they
implement the services allowed
by Measure B. That includes
semiannual trimming of all
shrubs and weed cutting along
major trails, firebreaks in open
space, tree trimming, and trail
and irrigation inspection and
repairs.
The district’s specialized irrigation
vehicle allows staff to
address irrigation leaks within 72
hours, which was especially helpful
this year considering the
requirement to cut back use of
landscape irrigation by 45 percent.
Because of the required
reduction, some of our thirstier
landscaping, such as turf, was not
watered.
The TLC supported the priority
water use plan for landscaping
to stay within the requirements.
The priorities are to maintain
as many trees as possible, as
they are the more expensive
asset, while not watering lawns
and allowing shrubs to stress.
These last two are the easier and
less costly items to replace.
Things could be worse, but
our district staff went the extra
mile with well water, refurbishing
the old abandoned well by the
post office and adding a new
pump to the one at the library, to
help keep as much of our landscaping
alive as possible. The
wells cover the downtown and
some Clayton Road landscaping
near the library.
The annual report includes a
detailed budget for the landscape
district. Residents of Clayton are
strongly encouraged to view the
information on the district’s
budget. Measure B was approved
by 83 percent of the voters in
Clayton, and the TLC provides
oversight for the tax dollars.
It is important to note that
the special tax revenues and the
savings from the water cutbacks
cannot be “stolen” by any entity,
including the city’s General Fund
or the state.
While the services budgeted
from Measure B do not include
everybody’s wish list, they certainly
have allowed for our city
roadsides and open space to be
maintained as best we can with
the funds available and the water
restrictions. With that in mind, it
is good to see that the district is
managed in a fiscally responsible
manner – as demonstrated by the
annual report.
Volunteers are still the heart
of any healthy city, and ours is no
exception. A key highlight in this
year’s report includes the establishment
and implementation of
an Adopt a Trail program. By the
end of July, there were five trail
segments adopted by volunteers
for quarterly maintenance activities
and three of these segments
had financial donors. Another
financial sponsor and volunteer
group were in process.
The annual funds raised by
the Adopt a Trail program will be
able to be used to supplement
the financing of Measure B and
be used specifically for trails. In
these difficult economic times,
the TLC’s Adopt-a-Trail program
has been remarkably successful.
The conclusion of the
Citizens’ Oversight Committee is
that the landscape district is efficient
and well-managed, but this
city’s trail system is outstanding.
This is due to a combination of
good management, the hearts of
volunteers and effective civic
partnerships.
Another highlight of the district
was the completion of a
trails inventory and evaluation
report that documented and prioritized
trail maintenance and
repair needs. From this report,
two popular trails were identified
and repaved by combining the
project with planned street
repaving projects.
In October, the TLC will
start to look at design plans for
re-landscaping the median noses
surrounding signal intersections
in the city and other areas that
were selectively allowed to die
because of mandated water
reductions. The recommendations
will be for landscaping that
is more suitable for the locations
and conditions. They will consider
appropriate areas and uses of
decorative hardscape.
The committee meets at least
quarterly and encourages input
from the community at meetings.
The next meeting is 7 p.m. Nov.
16.
Virginia Siegel is the chairperson
of the Trails and Landscape
Committee.
One of the major complaints
when traveling internationally
is the dreaded jet lag. It
is the curse of modern jet travel,
resulting in loss of working
efficiency and vacation enjoyment
– often for days after
arrival.
Jet lag happens when the
body’s inner clock falls out of
sync with daily cycles of light,
meals and rest. The most common
symptoms include tiredness
during the day, disorientation,
lack of concentration and
motivation, inability to sleep at
night, loss of appetite, irritability,
dehydration and discomfort
of legs and feet. It can take your
body up to 24 hours to adjust
for each time zone you cross in
upgrades on Summer 2010 Alaska, Europe & Caribbean cruises! *
Obituary
Stan Abernathy
1938 – 2009
Stan Abernathy, 71, of
Concord died peacefully on
September 16.
He was born July 10, 1938
in Vallejo to Earl and Sophie
Abernathy. A 1957
graduate of Vallejo
Senior High School,
Mr. Abernathy
was drafted into
the Army during
the Cuban crisis
and received an
Honorable
Discharge.
He and his
wife Pat moved
to Concord in
1967. They
developed a passion
for traveling
and boating, including
day trips to the
Delta, waterskiing and cruises
to Mexico, the Caribbean, the
East Coast, Panama Canal,
Hawaii and Alaska.
Mr. Abernathy retired after
35 years with Foster & Kleiser
and was a member of the
Teamsters Union. In retirement,
he discovered golf and
enjoyed meeting with his good
buddies at the Buchanan Golf
Club.
Mr. Abernathy was often
found on the sidelines of his
grandchildrens’ school
and sporting events.
He was also a 25year
member of
Walnut Creek
Elks Lodge
#1811.
He was preceded
in death
by his parents
and brothers,
Darrell and
Gary.
A beloved
husband, father
and grandfather,
Mr. Abernathy is survived
by Pat, his best
friend and wife of 45 years,
daughters Leslie Linderman,
and Danielle Bartolomei and
three grandchildren.
A Memorial Service will be
held at 11 a.m. on Sept. 26 at
Ouimet Brothers Chapel in
Concord at 4125 Clayton Road,
682-4242.
Avoiding jet lag
eases travel stress
PEGGY BIDONDO
TIME TO GO
your travels. Most travelers
experience at least a couple of
these symptoms.
To minimize the effects of
jet lag, try changing your behavior
before, during and after you
travel. In the days before your
flight, adjust your sleeping and
eating times an hour or two
toward your destination (east
forward, west backward).
Change your watch to your
destination time zone as soon as
you board your plane. Try to eat
and sleep according to the time
of your destination. Don’t drink
alcohol or sugary, caffeinated
beverages on your flight, but do
drink plenty of fluids such as
water and juices.
Sleep as much as you can
during a long flight, even if you
don’t feel tired. Eight hours of
cinema might sound tempting,
but sleep will undoubtedly
prove more rewarding. Use
earplugs and eye shades to help
you sleep. You’ll feel refreshed
and ready to slip into a new time
zone.
Using a sleep medication
such as Ambien or Lunesta can
help, but on a trip less than five
For reservations or
information call
(925) 672-9840
Clayton Station Shopping Ctr.
5439 Clayton Rd., Ste. F
Experience the difference!
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See Jet Lag, page 9
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