Archive for December, 2008
by John M. Zukoski on December 30, 2008 | 
9 Comments | Topics: Schools
Dublin’s residents and school district are fully committed to providing the best education possible for our students. As part of this commitment to improving the overall educational experience for students, residents passed the $184M Measure C bond program back in 2004 so that the Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) could upgrade its school facilities and IT hardware and software in the classrooms. Tremendous progress has already been made on many of the Measure C infrastructure improvement projects – a recent example includes the completion of the Dublin High School Math & Science buildings.
Here are updates on some of the exciting Dublin school facility projects that are in planning, in process, or recently completed:
Dublin High School New Administration, New Humanities, and Modernized Library Buildings (Phase 2A)
- The new Humanities building will include 5 visual arts, 11 social studies, 3 computer, and 17 english classrooms.
- This project is estimated to be completed by the winter of 2010 and cost $43.5M.
Dublin High School New Sports Complex (Phase 2B)
- 27,772 sq. ft. gym with bleacher and floor capacity for 2,200 fans. The locker room will be able to accommodate 240 coaches, athletes, etc.
- This project is estimated to be completed by spring of 2010.
Dublin High School New Cafeteria Building (Phase 3A)
- New food prep kitchen, cafeteria food service area, adjacent outdoor dining area, and a new culinary academy / home economics classroom.
- This project is estimated to be completed by spring or summer of 2010 and cost $7.1M.
Dougherty Elementary Outdoor Lunch Shade Structure
- This will be a feature that many other campuses already have to help protect our students from the outdoor elements.
- This project is estimated to be completed by winter 2009 and cost $213K.
Frederiksen Elementary School Kindergarten Classroom Buildings
- Construction of five new kindergarten classrooms and outdoor play spaces.
- This project (including a separate roof replacement project at Frederiksen) is estimated to cost a total of $9.4M.
In addition to the fantastic projects noted above, there are also projects to replace and construct energy-efficient roofs at the Frederiksen, Murray, and Nielsen Elementary School buildings.
Please check out the DUSD’s website for more information about all of the ongoing school building projects (by clicking here) or please contact our DUSD Board Trustees (by clicking here) to provide feedback or follow-up questions.
by John M. Zukoski on December 29, 2008 | 14 Comments | Topics: Schools
The Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) Board of Trustees will be meeting 3 times during the month of January. All 3 meetings will be held at the District office (7471 Larkdale Aveneue). The School Board will be discussing critical issues such as operating budget reductions and the future of Kolb Elementary School:
- January 6th – a work study session starting at 6:30pm to formulate a DUSD operating budget reduction plan. The Kolb Elementary School strategy will be discussed as part of this study session since the opening of a new school would have an impact on the DUSD’s operating budget.
- January 15th – this is the standard “2nd Tuesday” Board meeting except that it has been pushed back to Thursday. Residents are encouraged to attend and comment on the Kolb Elementary School proposals. The meeting will start at 6:30pm.
- January 27th – there will be two parts to this meeting. The first will be a work study session to discuss the “Single Plan for Student Achievement” from 4-6pm. After that, the Board will hold their regularly scheduled meeting starting at 6:30pm. The Board will make their decision on the Kolb Elementary School opening during this meeting. Residents are highly encouraged to be present for comment.
Please feel free to contact the Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) office at 925-828-2551 for more information.
by John M. Zukoski on December 26, 2008 | 66 Comments | Topics: Retail
With their recent financial challenges and stock price down around $10/share, there has been a concern that Whole Foods may be postponing their plans to open at The Green on Park Place during the First Quarter of 2010. Whole Foods reported cash on hand of $31M as of their last 10-Q filing on September 28, 2008 and have been noted to have about $22M in cash as they head into the new year.
Given that the cost of improvements (e.g., flooring, refrigeration units, display shelves) to open new stores has been estimated to range somewhere between $7M-$8M, it may be difficult for Whole Foods to invest the required funds and working capital to open their new store at The Green on Park Place by the First Quarter of 2010.
If the opening of The Green on Park Place is pushed back, then the project’s developer (Blake Hunt) will likely continue to tear out the infrastructure that had been put in place as part of the IKEA project and then sit tight until the economy turns around.
While Whole Foods’ opening may be pushed back a bit, The Green on Park Place will be a huge success and a shopping experience that Dublin can be proud of once it opens.
Please note that the project’s developer did not respond to an email request for confirmation of this speculation.
by John M. Zukoski on December 23, 2008 | 2 Comments | Topics: Schools
Starting in fall 2009, Las Positas College will start to provide a few core general education classes at their new Dublin Educational Hub facility in Downtown Dublin. While the Dublin Educational Hub was initially scheduled for a January 2009 opening, Las Positas College President DeRionne Pollard noted that the opening was pushed back to the fall so that the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District and Las Positas College could spend ample time and energy planning for the launch of the Dublin Educational Hub. The location will be in the upper floors of the Washington Mutual building on Dublin Boulevard across from the Mervyn’s building.
This will be a great addition for Dublin – truly a step in the right direction. The Dublin Educational Hub will be in close proximity for most Dublin High School students that are planning to attend Las Positas College in the fall. Furthermore, Las Positas College will be a stable and long-term tenant that will provide the diversification of office space use that is sure to benefit all of Dublin.
Please check back on Around Dublin for more details about the new Las Positas College Dublin Educational Hub in Downtown Dublin.
by John M. Zukoski on December 21, 2008 | 1 Comment | Topics: Profiles
Dublin is a fantastic city. When many Around Dublin readers think about Dublin, they might think about our stores, restaurants, housing options, schools, incredible growth, etc. However, we may not always think about what truly makes Dublin great – our people. In an effort to provide a view to some of the residents that contribute to the character of our city, the Around Dublin Team will be showcasing various members of our community as part of our “Portraits” series.
Many Around Dublin readers may have met or followed the work of recently re-appointed Planning Commissioner Bill Schaub over the years. What you may not have known is that Bill has played guitar since he was 16 years old. What’s more intriguing is that Bill makes guitars and has a blog that follows the crafting of his latest creations.
When asked about what inspired his Luthier hobby, the publishing of his blog, what he does with all of his completed works, and many other questions, Bill noted:
I love to share my passion for guitars with my neighbors. The blog was really started for just my friends and family who wanted to stay abreast of “Archie’s” progress (Bill’s latest creation). This is a relatively new hobby for me and I started a few years back after I had learned to do a little woodworking. I had outfitted my shop and made a few pieces of furniture that my wife, family, and neighbors liked. One thing led to another and I decided to make a solid body guitar much like those made by Fender.
Aside from finding out that I was terribly allergic to the Rosewood used in this first guitar, I found that it looked great and played well – though I looked awful during those three weeks of Cortisone shots (think Poison Oak!). To date I have made 15 guitars of all types which I talk about somewhere in the middle of my blog. Most of my guitars reside with family and friends and I donated that infamous Rosewood guitar to the Valley Children’s Museum fundraiser a while back. It sold for much more than I anticipated and I expect that my future guitars will also be donated to non-profits.
It’s a good deal for me, as I get to keep making “gitters” and maybe I can help a few of the many great causes out there. I hope those visiting the blog will enjoy my journey into the previously unknown world of making carved Archtop guitars. They are quite different and not found in many music stores these days as companies find pressing plywood into an arch shape is much cheaper and quicker to make.
For more information, please check out Bill’s blog at http://billsguitars.blogspot.com.
by John M. Zukoski on December 18, 2008 | 12 Comments | Topics: Schools
Starting with the class of 2012 and 2013, Dublin High School has the most rigorous standards of all Tri-Valley high schools. These standards parallel the University of California and California State University “A-G” requirements. Here are a few of the new graduation requirements as noted on the Dublin Unified School District website:
- Increase the mathematics course requirement to three years including the completion of Algebra II.
- Increase the science course requirement to three years with two years of lab sciences (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics).
- Two years of a language other than English (effective with the class of 2013). One year can be completed in middle school.
Dublin High School will be able to help students meet these higher expectations by shifting 30 credits from elective courses to academic courses. The recent passage of Measure L will assist the Dublin Unified School District in funding the incremental costs associated with requiring additional academic coursework.
As Superintendent Dr. Stephen Hanke notes on the Dublin Unified School District website, “Parents can partner with the school district in helping all students meet these new challenges by: ensuring that their children attend school everyday; checking to see that homework is completed; noting any problems early and asking for assistance at school; supporting Dublin PRIDE Integrity in Action (character education program); and getting involved in their children’s school.”
Dublin has joined other cities such as San Francisco and San Jose in a bold effort to prepare our students to become the leaders of tomorrow.
by John M. Zukoski on December 16, 2008 | 44 Comments | Topics: City Hall
The Dublin City Council met for a regular meeting tonight to cover a litany of topics. The key items achieved tonight were the:
- Appointment of a Councilmember to the seat vacated by Mayor Sbranti.
- Review and approval of Toyota of Dublin’s request for signage improvements.
- Acquisition of property for a Maintenance Yard Facility.
The Council started a process two weeks ago to seek applicants for the City Council seat vacated by recently elected Mayor Sbranti. Out of the 14 applicants, 12 were present at tonight’s meeting to provide a summary of their qualifications and why they should be on the City Council. From the 12 applicants speaking tonight, the Council selected 3 finalists to be interviewed for the vacant seat. In the end, the Council voted unanimously to appoint Planning Commissioner Don Biddle for the vacant seat on the Dublin City Council.
The Council also unanimously approved Toyota of Dublin’s request to add 78′, 42′, and 24′ signs near their new site at the former Ford of Dublin site.
Another important item approved tonight by the Council was to execute an agreement to purchase the former 84 Lumber site to host a Maintenance Yard Facility. The good news is that the City of Dublin will be able to purchase the land and make the necessary improvements for less than a third of the originally estimated amount. City Staff now estimates with the 84 Lumber site purchase that the Maintenance Yard Facility will cost a total of $5M vs. the initial estimate of $16.5M! The City used their savvy and the recent slump in the commercial real estate market to save the City of Dublin $11.5M.
by John M. Zukoski on December 14, 2008 | 14 Comments | Topics: City Hall
The Dublin City Council will be meeting on Tuesday night at 7pm (12/16/08) in the City Council Chambers at 100 Civic Plaza. Tuesday night’s agenda is not as chock-full as most meetings; however, there will be many important items discussed.
Commission and Council Appointments
The Council will be discussing Mayor Sbranti’s recommended appointments for the various open commission seats:
- Planning – Don Biddle, Eric Swalwell, Bill Schaub, Doreen Wehrenberg
- Parks and Recreation – Steven Jones and Anthony Totaro
- Heritage and Cultural Arts – Kim Halket, Dayna Tutino, and Steve Minniear
- Senior Advisory – Albert Edge (2 remaining seats to be filled by 1/7/09).
The Council will also be reviewing the applications submitted for the vacant City Council seat, interviewing applicants, and most likely appointing an applicant to the vacant seat.
Toyota of Dublin Signage at New Site
The Council will be reviewing Toyota of Dublin’s proposal to add 3 new signs near their new site next to Hacienda Crossings (the former Ford of Dublin site):
- 24 foot sign at the corner of Dublin Blvd. and Toyota Drive (formerly Myrtle Drive).
- 42 foot internal sign within the Toyota of Dublin site.
- 78 foot sign along the I-580 freeway (where the former Ford of Dublin sign structure is located). For Comparison, the Hacienda Crossings sign along I-580 is 75 feet tall.
Toyota of Dublin has stated that they will not move into the former Ford of Dublin site until the proposed signage has been approved and installed because it is vital to the visibility and success of the auto center. Former Dublin mayor (and California State Assemblyman) Guy Houston is representing Toyota of Dublin.
by John M. Zukoski on December 13, 2008 | 11 Comments | Topics: Polls
The Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) School Board met on December 1st to discuss potentially pushing out the opening of Kolb Elementary School (located adjacent to the Sorrento East residential development near Gleason Drive) to at least the 2011-2012 school year due to the unexpected drop in developer impact fees to pay for new school construction.
While funding may not be available to build Kolb Elementary School, east Dublin is expected to have 126 more elementary school students than seats in our classrooms by 2010-2011 and 360 more students than our schools can handle in the 2011-2012 school year if Kolb Elementary School is not built.
The DUSD School Board discussed three potential solutions:
- Borrow $6M to build Kolb Elementary School in time for the 2010-2011 school year.
- Delay building Kolb Elementary School until additional developer impact fees are available.
- Build a smaller-capacity Kolb Elementary School with the current available funds (capacity 350), then expand the site in several years as developer impact fees become available.
In addition to maintaining Fallon Middle School as an “overflow” school for K-5 students, the following short-term solutions were discussed as a way to address the projected over-capacity at east Dublin elementary schools:
- Build portables at John Green Elementary School and add several more portables at Dougherty Elementary School. This option would result in schools with larger student populations than the DUSD approved optimum and reduce the amount of available blacktop space for athletic activities.
- Make a permanent boundary change for Dougherty Elementary School to send all kids living west of Arnold Road or Hacienda Drive to west side elementary schools.
- Divert ‘excess’ students to west Dublin schools (150-200 in 2010-2011 and 350-450 in 2011-2012). This approach would most likely impact new students.
DUSD School Board member John Ledahl made a proposal to discuss these options in more detail during an early January 2009 closed session to reduce the number of options before the Board makes a formal presentation to the public. The DUSD School Board will most likely hold an open session/workshop in mid-January 2009 before meeting on January 27, 2009 to make a final decision on the future of Kolb Elementary School.
Parents are encouraged to attend and speak at the January meetings and workshop. The School Board decision on January 27, 2009 could potentially impact every parent and student living in Dublin.
Special thanks to DUSD School Board candidate Dan Cherrier for contributing to this article. Please feel free to email Dan Cherrier at dan@dublindan.com for more information.
