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July/August
2004 GCCA Newsletter
CHAIR’S CHIT-CHAT R...F...P... Those three letters represent the next big step in the future development of the Glen Cove Waterfront Park. Defined as “Request for Proposals,” the detailed packet outlines the basic scope of a project and elicits responses from qualified businesses. Once the contract negotiations with Greater Vallejo Recreation District (G.V.R.D.) have been completed, the Benicia-based landscaping architectural firm LandPeople is expected to compile an R.F.P. for the aging Stremmel Mansion. The 1988 Master Plan for the Glen Cove Waterfront
Park site can not be updated until LandPeople determines whether it is
financially feasible to restore or condemn the two-story Stremmel building.
That critical component is likely to be finalized within six months. Completion
of any approved plans for the 15-acre project is expected to take two
years. Within recent weeks, numerous Glen Cove households and businesses have been subjected to the repetitive noises emanating from the Marina Estates construction site. Situated between the Glen Cove Marina and the Quiet Harbor development, the residential project features seven single-family homes. It appears that most of the new house foundations are being reinforced by long steel rods that are mechanically driven into the soil, resulting in the loud, pounding noises. The saga of whether the Glen Cove Parkway bus stops will be equipped with trash containers lingers; however, the City’s Transportation Superintendent, Pam Belchamber, has agreed to research the matter—final determination is expected in the next issue. Anyone who’s new to Glen Cove, along with other
neighborhood residents, are reminded that the next G.C.C.A. General Meeting
is scheduled September 9th, 7-9 p.m., in the Glen Cove School’s Multi-purpose
Room. Presentations will be made by keynote speakers, updates will be
given by G.C.C.A. Committee heads, refreshments will be provided by Safeway,
and a silent auction will be held to benefit the elementary school.
CITY’S WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT vs. DOWNTOWN
REVIVAL Vallejo’s Waterfront Development Plan has been in place for almost a decade yet the recently-formed Waterfront Coalition contends that the downtown revitalization effort is far more important and should precede it. The DeSilva and Callahan Group, City-appointed contractors, continue to weather a constant barrage of criticism from citizen groups although numerous changes have been made in response to the public outcry. Both the downtown and waterfront developments will have a major impact on the future of our fair City and warrant intense citizen interest and involvement. To learn more about these critical issues, the G.C.C.A. has invited Council Member Gary Cloutier to speak at the September 9th General Meeting. As usual, the Glen Cove Parkway median banner will be posted announcing the event. Please plan on turning out for what should be an enlightening presentation from Council Member Cloutier. Of course, there will also be other topics of interest on the agenda for the Thursday night session. CONTACT CODE ENFORCEMENT Have a complaint about unsightly trash or safety concerns on a Glen Cove property? You can request Vallejo Code Enforcement to investigate potential violations from a simple form on the City of Vallejo’s website at www.ci.vallejo.ca.gov. You will receive an e-mail from the office director confirming receipt of your complaint. GLEN COVE PARKWAY LANDSCAPING IMPROVEMENTS Rehabilitation work continues in our Glen Cove Landscape Maintenance District (G.C.L.M.D.) areas, and some projects have been recently completed. The finished project areas include the Glen Cove Parkway/South Regatta corners and median, the southern corner of the Glen Cove Parkway/Bermuda Lane intersection extending approximately 100 feet, and the Glen Cove Parkway/Sea Lion Drive corners. Currently underway is the renovation and replanting of the Glen Cove Parkway corners across from the elementary school intersection which will extend up both sides of North Regatta Drive. This area should offer an attractive color contrast as the plants mature. Neighborhood residents are asked to help control one negative aspect of the G.C.L.M.D. planting work. Culprits have been stealing some of the new plants as soon as they are placed into the ground. Please be alert to this problem and immediately report to the Vallejo Police Department, 648-4321, any such observed instances, including descriptions of the person(s) and the vehicle(s) involved. GLEN COVE WATERFRONT PARK COMMITTEE UPDATE May 13, 2004 May 25, 2004 June 10,2004 The Stremmel Structure GLEN COVE PARKWAY SIGN POSTINGS Last year the G.C.C.A. attempted to discourage the posting of garage sales and other notices on our Landscaping Maintenance District (L.M.D.) trees, streetlight poles, and traffic signs by cleaning and repainting and encouraging the use of the obsolete development directory signs located alongside the Glen Cove Parkway sidewalk. This initiative was unsuccessful; it became apparent that residents prefer to post notices elsewhere. Accordingly, the remaining five signs located along the right side of the Parkway as traffic enters Glen Cove were removed in early July. Neighborhood residents who post notices along the Glen Cove Parkway are encouraged to remove them as soon as they are no longer current. Placement of any notices in the median strips is discouraged because of the potential damage to the common area landscaping and the risk of pedestrian injury from crossing the street at unmarked locations. Realty signs are restricted to the portable styles for placement near the walkways. Please thoroughly remove all tape, string, other attached materials to prevent the trashy appearance that otherwise occurs. The G.C.C.A. also expresses its appreciation for those conscientious residents who take the initiative to remove such debris while out enjoying their walks. They are helping to keep Glen Cove a clean, safe, and beautiful Vallejo neighborhood. IS BIG BROTHER WATCHING YOU? A few weeks ago while my wife and I were having windows replaced on the front of our house, a City building inspector happened to be driving by and stopped to ask the workers if they had a building permit. Since the need for a permit didn’t come up when we met with the contractor, the answer to the inspector was, “NO!” So, while the workers continued with the installation I got on the phone and contacted the window company’s coordinator and was informed that he would go to City Hall and acquire the permit. When he got there, he was greeted by a “CLOSED 12-2:30” sign. Days later, another window company person went to the Vallejo Permit Department, met with one of the City inspectors who declared, “I know that area…that’s in the County.” She was sent to Fairfield where she was rerouted back to Vallejo by the Solano County’s Permit Department personnel who identified my address as a City property. She finally obtained the permit at Vallejo City Hall. I wonder if you have a broken window if you need a permit before replacing it. But that’s another story. I’ll try to find out the answer. I’ve already found that you need a tree permit before trimming trees and also a permit is required for replacing water heaters. Therefore, if you’re planning any building or maintenance projects, it would be wise to check with the City of Vallejo’s Building Inspection Division, 648-4387, before starting the work. SPRING GARAGE SALE The Glen Cove Community Association’s Spring Garage Sale was one of the most successful in Glen Cove history. We had 64 homes signed up and handed out nearly 400 maps to eager shoppers. Fliers went up along First Street in Benicia. Promotional half sheets were on the Glen Cove Safeway check-out counters the week of the sale. We took out a large ad in the Times-Herald and had signs and balloons directing shoppers to the drive-up maps. Our next community Garage Sale is currently scheduled for Saturday, October l6th. Look for a sign-up form in the August/September issue of the G.C.C.A. Newsletter. SUMMER SPRUCE UP TIPS FOR GLEN COVE The Community Beautification Committee is seeking ways to make Glen Cove a more beautiful place to live. Provided by area realtors, the following tips are offered to improve curb appeal and to tidy up the look of our Vallejo neighborhood. Neatly mow/edge lawns, trim shrubs, and weed garden
areas CARING FOR OUR DOGS, CATS, AND OTHER PETS The article, SERIES OF DOG MISHAPS, in the last issue of the G.C.C.A. Newsletter has generated quite a few phone calls from residents who are experiencing dog-related issues. The most common complaints are dogs off leash, barking, and (guess what?) doo-doo left for others to clean up. Most Glen Cove residents are willing to accept the four major responsibilities of animal ownership. Care, feeding, housing, and veterinary care The first item should be considered very seriously before making the decision to take ownership of a pet. It can be no small item if health problems happen; they frequently do. As an example, my eldest cat has diabetes which led to an eye problem. My husband and I have spent well over $5,000 in the last three years on veterinary services and medication costs. In addition, we must be available twice a day to give required injections and eye medications. Although we’ve been able to prevent the need for eye surgery, it has been a tremendous commitment of time. We now drive on our vacations, and this cat goes along with us. Animal health insurance is available and can be very helpful. Spaying, neutering, and vaccinations are absolutely essential. Feeding and housing should be indoors. Outside feeding attracts local wildlife, some of which don’t smell too pleasant! A dog left to live outdoors is usually more of a problem barker. Dogs do not do well when they’re left alone and receive little attention; they do get lonely, depressed, and frightened so they tend to bark on and on and on. Interestingly, an inside dog can be a better watchdog than one left outdoors. Training and control mean just that. Some dogs train easily, but others don’t. Obedience school is always a good idea for both the dog and the owner. A pet dog is safer under the owner’s complete control. So is everyone else who comes into contact with the animal. Consideration of the community and neighbors shouldn’t even have to be mentioned; but, sadly, it does need to be addressed. The G.C.C.A. just received a letter about a couple that faithfully, daily walks a dog on leash; in spite of that, the couple routinely allows the dog to walk (and void) on residential lawns instead of the sidewalk. The letter’s author resents having her front lawn designated as the local doggie comfort station. The odor is now attracting other dogs to make a beeline for her yard, too! I’m sure the dog-owning couple wouldn’t like it very much the neighbor allowed her children to use their front lawn for the same purpose! And, the barking and the barking and the barking! Nobody minds a little barking. But the folks who leave a poor dog outside when they leave the house for up to 10 or 12 hours while at work or worse still, for the weekend, are showing no love, no concern, no respect for their dog—certainly, total disregard for their neighbors who have to listen to the constant barking. Lastly, the ownership responsibility of love may be the most crucial. A well-loved pet is a joy to be around. Well-cared for pets are wonderful, faithful, loyal, and affectionate companions. They feel free to share their full, wonderful personalities with us. They never leave us of their own free will. They accept our human idiosyncrasies; and best of all, they love us unconditionally. They try to comfort us when we are ill or unhappy. Pets are worth every penny and every minute spent on their care. They become true, valued members of our families. CHECK OUT THE GLEN COVE WEBSITE Hey Glen Cove - Did you know that we have a website? Go to www.glencovevallejo.com to check it out. The site is still under construction, but already you will find information about Glen Cove, helpful web links, current and recent newsletters, and best of all, a message board. On the message boards, you can post questions, answer other people's questions, list something for sale, and more. Keep checking the website, as we will be adding new features, including longer articles with pictures, information about dealing with various issues in Glen Cove, and more. The more we utilize the website, the more powerful a resource it becomes, and the stronger our community becomes. Take a look, and let us know what you think on the message boards. GLEN COVE’S LINK IN THE BAY AREA RIDGE TRAIL The Bay Area Ridge Trail is a 400-mile loop that enters Vallejo at the edge of the Benicia State Park. It currently maps through the Glen Cove Waterfront Park site and extends into the neighborhood. The Solano County Ridge Trail Committee oversees the
local efforts of the Bay Area project. For twelve years, the Committee
has been Co-Chaired by Kathy Hoffman, who also serves as Field Representative
for Congressman George Miller. In anticipation of an active Glen Cove website, www.glencovevallejo.com, what would you like to see on a bumper sticker promoting our Vallejo neighborhood? Please submit your ideas to the G.C.C.A. Newsletter Committee, 164 Robles Drive, #254, Vallejo, CA 9459l. Please include your name, address, and phone number. Entries for consideration must be received by Tuesday, August 31st.
WHO: GLEN COVE RESIDENTS WHAT: G.C.C.A. GENERAL MEETING WHEN: SEPTEMBER 9TH, 7-9 PM WHERE: THE GLEN COVE SCHOOL
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