Archive for June, 2010
by John M. Zukoski on June 30, 2010 | 
9 Comments | Topics: Opinions · Public Works
The stretch of Dublin Boulevard between Lockhart Street and Fallon Road is finally open. This portion of Dublin’s main road has been barricaded for the past two years in a stand-off over the controversial future Stoneridge Drive extension between the Cities of Dublin and Pleasanton. The City of Dublin had wanted to hold off on opening the easternmost segment of Dublin Boulevard until Pleasanton builds out Stoneridge Drive, so both cities can equally share the burden of cut-through commute traffic to and from the East Bay.
“Why has the City of Dublin opened up Dublin Boulevard, if the City of Pleasanton is not approving the Stoneridge Drive extension anytime soon?”
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by Around Dublin Team on June 29, 2010 | No Comments | Topics: Announcements · Things To Do
Rabbits make great vegetarian pets. They are easily litter box trained, like to play with toys, and can live peacefully with cats. Many people who are allergic to cats are not allergic to rabbits. East Bay SPCA would like to invite Around Dublin Blog readers to check out the adoptable bunnies this Saturday and learn more about what wonderful pets rabbits can be.
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by Around Dublin Team on June 29, 2010 | 3 Comments | Topics: Announcements · Profiles
Artist Cliff Garten has been approved by the Dublin City Council to create a conceptual design for public art at the BART Station entry within the Dublin Transit Center. The artist will be unveiling his design for the BART location and welcomes the public’s opinion. The design will be on display for two weeks and comment cards will be available.
Garten is the founder of Cliff Garten Studio in Venice, CA. Garten’s practice integrates architecture, landscape and engineering as means of positioning his sculpture in the public realm. By connecting people to places and infrastructure through social history, ecology, and material, Garten’s work locates the latent potential in every public place and situation to become more than the specific functions it appears to perform. Sculpture and landscape, function and form, like public and private experiences are never distinct, but exchange places throughout the day.
Garten received his Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design and his Master of Landscape Architecture with distinction from the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University. Garten is the recipient of two Individual Artist Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bush Foundation Fellowship for Individual Artists, the Bush Foundation Leadership Fellowship, and the Jerome Foundation Travelling Artist Grant. The American Society of Landscape Architects has cited many of his works for design excellence.
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by John M. Zukoski on June 28, 2010 | 14 Comments | Topics: Announcements · Parks · Things To Do
The City of Dublin has designated three parks where “safe and sane” fireworks may be lit from 10AM to 10PM on Fourth of July. The three parks are:
- Alamo Creek Park
- Dublin Sports Grounds
- Emerald Glen Park
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by Around Dublin Team on June 27, 2010 | No Comments | Topics: Announcements · Public Works
Zone 7 Water Agency is planning to repair several bank slides along the Iron Horse Trail in
Dublin. The repairs are located between Amador Valley Boulevard and the County Line are
scheduled to take place in mid-to-late July. In order to keep the trails operational during the
repairs, Zone 7 Water Agency had graded a handful of detours onto the property adjacent to the trail from June 14 to June 17. Please contact Dexter Yee at Zone 7 Water Agency with any questions regarding the slide repairs or the planned trail detours, (925) 454-5080.
Zone 7 Water Agency is committed to providing a reliable supply of high quality water and an effective flood control system to the Livermore-Amador Valley. It supplies treated drinking water to retailers serving nearly 200,000 people in Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin, and, through special agreement with the Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD), to the Dougherty Valley area. It also supplies agricultural water to 3,500 acres, primarily South Livermore Valley vineyards, and provides flood protection to all of eastern Alameda County. In fulfilling present and future commitments to the community, Zone 7 Water Agency strives to develop and manage the water resources in a fiscally responsible, innovative, proactive, and environmentally sensitive way.
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by Around Dublin Team on June 26, 2010 | 10 Comments | Topics: Announcements · Public Works
Northern California’s first Express Lane, covering 14 miles of I-680 southbound from Pleasanton to Milpitas, will open Monday, September 20 at 5AM. The opening will launch a new era in Bay Area transportation and congestion management. For the first time, solo drivers can choose to use the carpool lane by paying a toll electronically via a FasTrak® toll tag. Carpools, transit vehicles, and motorcycles, as well as hybrid vehicles with a valid sticker, may continue to use the lane for free.
“The new Express Lane will be a great step forward for drivers who want a reliable trip without risking a backup,” said Scott Haggerty, chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and of the joint powers authority overseeing the I-680 Express Lane. “Things will soon be easier for everyone driving south over the Sunol Grade because the I-680 project is on schedule to open on September 20.”
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by John M. Zukoski on June 25, 2010 | 1 Comment | Topics: Local Issues
Dublin had one prostitution arrest made next to the Dougherty Hills Dog Park at the 6200 Block of North Lake Drive. A rape was also reported on May 14th. The location of the alleged rape is not known. The number of reported crimes in Dublin inched up to a preliminary count of 192, which is an increase of four reported incidents compared to the 188 cases in April 2010. The mix of crimes is similar to the previous month’s breakdown with 44% involving theft, 43% related to traffic and quality of life, and the remaining 13% involving violence.
Eight breaking & entering crimes were reported in May with six in west Dublin and one just off Dougherty Road in central Dublin. Residents on the 5300 block of Blairmore Place in Dublin Ranch were hit with a home invasion and burglary. Many home burglary attempts in May were thwarted thanks to the vigilance of residents in their own neighborhoods.
Not all crimes are reported by Dublin Police Services. Police officers in Dublin will sometimes choose not to report a crime in order to protect the victim or nearby residents. Unfortunately, victims and community members have become increasingly concerned with the seemingly arbitrary reasons for not filing official reports by Police Services in some recent crimes.
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by John M. Zukoski on June 24, 2010 | 22 Comments | Topics: Development
Jordan Ranch is 189 acres of mostly residential development that will be located in Fallon Village next to the Positano community in Dublin, CA. Jordan Ranch will include 780 residential units spread over six neighborhoods with parks, an elementary school, and some retail space. The developer and the City Council expressed their reservations about the proposed location of the retail component. The currently proposed retail site may be relocated closer to Fallon Road to ensure the viability of the businesses.
The Jordan Ranch homes will reflect an earlier time when simple farmhouses, cottages, and barns dotted the countryside. Some of the architectural styles will include Farmhouse, Cottage, Folk Victorian, and Rural Contemporary. Of the 780 total residential units, 457 will be single-family detached homes in Neighborhoods 1-3 with private yards of around 400 square feet. These neighborhoods will feature traditional, cluster, and small lot/alley loaded home designs. The other 323 units in Neighborhoods 4-6 will be a mix of townhomes and lofts. The lofts will be built above the retail units in the mixed-use area. The homes located directly off Positano Parkway in Neighborhood 1 will most likely be built first, because much of the necessary traffic infrastructure is already in place.
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by John M. Zukoski on June 23, 2010 | 41 Comments | Topics: Schools
Every year Newsweek picks the best high schools in the country based on the “Challenge Index,” a ratio calculated by dividing the total number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or Cambridge (AICE) tests given with the number of graduating seniors at a particular school in the previous year. The cutoff ratio for 2010 is 1.000. According to Newsweek, a ratio of at least 1.000 means that the schools had as many tests in 2009 as they had graduates. A total of 1,623 schools, or roughly six percent of all the public high schools in the United States, made the 2010 Newsweek list. This number is an increase of 66 compared to 2009, which had a total of 1,557 schools on the list.
The Tri-Valley made a strong showing on the 2010 Newsweek list with over half of our schools in the top 6%. Foothill High School and Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton ranked the highest among the Tri-Valley high schools at 404 and 603, respectively. San Ramon Valley High School in Danville placed 1,035 on the list. Rounding out the Tri-Valley entries were Monte Vista High School in Danville at 1,439 and California High School in San Ramon at 1,469. Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon should become eligible for consideration in 2011.
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