Neighborhood council's new newsletter just didn't jell
The neighborhood council's effort to adopt a new format for its monthly mailing died a sudden death last Saturday. That's when would-be editor Fred H. Arm pulled out.
I've heard Fred's side of it. With the board's encouragement, he had produced an attractive and readable six-page, illustrated first edition in 24 hours, he says, only to have the board equivocate. That's maddening to someone who's so full of energy. I have not heard much from the board on this, but I imagine that out of respect for Fred's work they pored over his newsletter a long time before giving the collective "hmmmm."
Whatever happened, it was a mismatch from the start. Fred is a crusader, while elected groups tend to step lightly through their constituents' varied opinions.
Board member Jeff Lee described the project as a "well intentioned, good faith experiment that just didn't gel." This newsletter's dead, but you can count on someday, somewhere reading the unbridled Fred Arm.
That's sweet
Pixar's Oscar-winning director John Lasseter, who once roamed Point streets in search of lunch, misses at least one thing since the company moved to Emeryville: Hidden City Cafe's apple or pear crisp. It has become a birthday tradition at his house. Last week Hidden City owner Shellie Bourgault, with Rosamaria's Cafe owner Mike Nova along for the ride, delivered one for Lasseter's dinner with his wife and comedian Tom Smothers.
Clearcut revisited
Early last September, landowner Jay Fenton cleared his Stairley Street lot of its 40 or so monterey pines. Just about all had pitch canker disease, he said, and at least a few were also infested with bark beetles--not surprising, since the two maladies are spreading fast.
Fenton said he feared that all would die eventually and that he would face the enormous expense of cutting down trees year after year. Ultimately, he took an offer from the loggers: $24,000 to clear all the trees then instead of $10,000 for just the current problem. Fenton denied that he did it to make his property easier to sell.
Recently one of Fenton's neighbors, Jeff Lee, responded with two good points.
Two facts are indisputable.
1. At least three of the trees that were cut were located within the 30-foot public street right of way and thus on city property. This is according to a boundary and topographic survey prepared by Dennis Boschetti L. S. on July 10 last year. Independent of who planted the trees, they should not have been cut without city permission.
2. Within two days of the tree removal, a for sale sign appeared on the property. I believe this indicates that Fenton's motive was simply to sell the lot more easily--not, as he says, to avoid greater expense.
Baggage car derailed
Tomorrow morning a Union Pacific baggage car, already sitting on a truck trailer, was scheduled to ease past the Plunge and through the tunnel and down to the Golden State Model Railroad Museum--that is, it was until today.
Someone--museum secretary John Edginton is not sure whether it was PG&E or the crane operator--announced at a meeting this afternoon that the operation required another three feet of clearance past the power line that feeds Brickyard Cove.
This could be an insurmountable problem. "We're very disappointed," says Edginton. They're looking for a solution.
The secret newsletter
Don't tell anyone, but the Point Richmond Neighborhood Council is developing a new format for its newsletter. Robert Kish, president of the board, confirms that there is such a project under way but refuses to say more.
I suppose the newsletter will run comprehensive articles to provide the kind of background people need to discuss issues intelligently. It could also follow up on past discussion and action. If so, it's a good idea!
Fred H. Arm, the newsletter's creator and so far the only candidate for editor, has produced the first edition--but he has been forbidden from showing it to anyone, he says.
Our Lady of Mercy faces the priest shortage
Our Lady of Mercy, the venerable and cherished Catholic church on West Richmond Avenue, has seen attendance dwindle in recent years. Now the Oakland Archdiocese wants to know: What should happen with this church?
Even with the resurgence following the arrival of Father James Pickett, who has briefly come out of retirement, there are simply not enough priests to go around.
Last Sunday, representatives of the archdiocese and several dozen members of the parish met and talked. Everyone broke into groups of eight and noted what they liked about the place. Newly transferred and devout Catholic Amy Jackson was impressed by the old-timers' passion. Many of them were married or baptized here, and many more remember the standing room-only Sunday morning services.
Among the options are to have a retired priest come in for weekend services while a layman runs things turning the week, says Father Picket. At worst, the parish could be closed. He foresees no decision before Easter.
The talk continues about the new Annie's polish. The food's good, people seem to agree, and those lights! Incurable Collector Bill Vallivero says, "It's so bright and clean I feel like I'm going in for surgery."
Zoom goes London, zoom Paree
What's going on here? London and Amsterdam have web cams, those cameras that beam nearly real-time images into browsers. See the nice people on the sidewalk, see the nice trams. Paris has one, too, inside a cafe and in live action. See the nice people turn pages of French newspapers. When I stop work late, late at night, I like to take a moment to enjoy the noon-time sun. I have found other web cams in Florence, Palermo, Yosemite, New York, San Francisco...just about everywhere but Point Richmond.
Correspondent Andrew Butt is looking into setting one up in a downstairs window at Interactive Resources.
Webcams
New Year's Eve casualty at Hotel Mac
Does something look different in front of Hotel Mac? The tree was knocked over on New Year's Eve by a Sysco restaurant supply semi, which backed up into it. Owner Griff Brazil seethed. He called Sysco. They promised to take care of it, but he still hasn't heard what that means.
The Point's farewell to Little Louie's big guy
Few parties around the Point could rival last night's going-away bash for Little Louie's owner Tony Beckerley, who has sold out to rejoin his wife and kids in Ohio. Most of the time the Hotel Mac Banquet Room was full of drinking and eating and lively talk. No one even seemed to care much when one of Tony's many friends, Martin McNair, stood in front of everyone and divulged that Tony was a Republican.
Tony has been in the restaurant business 23 years, nearly all of his working life, and he says he decided to get out now while he can. He'll be around for a few more weeks until he takes his last order and takes off on the long drive east.
Changes at Little Louie's? Watch for dinner before summer.
The Plunge video will show on Channel 9
The Plunge video, "The Plunge: Time Laps Through History," long used in fundraising for restoration, will be shown on KQED TV sometime this spring. First it must be edited down from about 29 minutes from the "director's cut" length of 42 minutes. Originally it was to be shown this month, says Plunge leader Ellie Strauss, who suspects that clearing the music rights took longer than expected.
The video sparkles with Point history, inside views of the Plunge and numerous comments from people who knew the place way back in its prime.
Stay tuned for the broadcast date and time.
(Originally published 1/7/03)
Little Louie's owner goes east
Tony Beckerley, who owned or co-owned Little Louie's for 22 years, has sold out to a silent partner so that he can rejoin his wife and kids in Ohio. Besides being a nice guy, he was one of the Point's master espresso makers.
He is also the third well-known Point character to be leaving. (Bernadette Ayers at Santa Fe Market has left and Sophia Warith at Mo's market will leave next week. See TOTP's post from last month.)
There's a going away party for Tony this Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Hotel Mac in the Banquet Room. Drop your $10 at the door and enjoy food, cake and the presentation of a gift. For more information, email Terry Wynne at terrylwynne@hotmail.com. Please come.
(Originally posted 1/7/03)
DSL reaches farther into the Point
News to me: A Pacbell/SBC technician tells me that a year or two ago his company installed fiber-optics into the Point to enable DSL--the high-speed Internet connection, Internet cable's main competitor--to reach more customers. If you tried to get it once and couldn't, you might want to try again. I've had it since 1999 and I love it.
DSL emerged in the last few years as an easy and cheap way to get a fast Internet signal down "the last mile" to homes and businesses. It's cheap because there's no need to install new copper wires. DSL puts an Internet signal on the very same copper wire as a telephone signal.
The trouble is that the Internet signal's technical characteristics makes it lose its juice faster than the voice signal. It's a hare, not a tortoise. It can travel only about 18,000 feet---not as the crow flies but as the wire goes. Wires often follow circuitous routes on their way to the customer. The fiber optic cable helps by pushing the starting point farther out, letting the phone company set up outposts that are closer to customers.
All this benefits you, dear reader, because with DSL you can get Talk of the Point so much faster!
(Originally posted 1/7/03)