Spring has sprung!

This invigorating season blossoms with freshness and produces numerous "honey do" lists, gardening projects, and outdoor activities. It also initiates the Paint-Your-House-Number-on-the-Curb-for-a-Donation enterprise.

As Board Member Stacey Kennington indicated in the November/December, 2005, G.C.C.A. Newsletter, the non-profit representation is usually not legitimate, a valid business license is required for this venture, and residents are not expected to pay for non-contracted work. Furthermore, Vallejo does not require a curbside address at residential properties. City employee Betty Ching, 648-4310, answers business license inquiries and has already responded to some neighborhood complaints. Any problem encounter with an address painter should be reported to Vallejo Police Department at 648-4321.

Be on the lookout in the weeks ahead for installation of a Cell Phone Antenna Tower at the Glen Cove Center. According to Assistant Planner Marcus Adams, the City has approved a T-Mobile project application. The anticipated 42' tall structure will be prominently displayed on the western edge of the parking lot (next to the recycling bins).

Spring-like weather conditions prevailed for the year's first G.C.C.A. General Meeting held March 15th at Glen Cove Elementary School. The Thursday evening presentations focused on planned improvements for Glen Cove Waterfront Park, Downtown Vallejo, Mare Island, and the neighboring California Highway Patrol Dispatch Center. The informational updates on Glen Cove Waterfront Park were provided by G.C.C.A. Board Member Dennis Albright. City staffers Annette Taylor and Susan McCue, respectively, highlighted details for the Downtown District's rejuvenation and Mare Island's conversion. Mary Pat Marshall, C.H.P. Communications Manager, related 911 service call expansions. Appreciation goes out to the guest speakers and interested residents for their participation. Hopefully, all attendees enjoyed the Safeway refreshment donations, too.

Happy Spring Spruce Up!

It is encouraging that some residents have already responded to the request in our last Glen Cove Community Association Newsletter to demonstrate support for the park plan by writing letters to the Times-Herald opinions column and the Greater Vallejo Recreation District Board of Directors (G.V.R.D. B.O.D.), as well as posting comments on our G.C.C.A. website message boards.

There was a park plan update presented to the attendees at our March 15th G.C.C.A. General Meeting held at the elementary school that included a question-and-answer period. Attendees were provided with handouts summarizing the park plan, and petitions demonstrating support for the park were available for signature. Plans are being developed for the distribution of these fliers throughout our neighborhoods.

The G.V.R.D. B.O.D. is currently evaluating comments submitted regarding certain features of the master plan and Environmental Impact Report (E.I.R.) during the public comment period. Theirs is a difficult task. Their mission is to represent all of the citizens of Vallejo relative to our needs for parks and recreation facilities. They have to balance the needs of the entire City, to which the park will be available for use, with the needs and concerns expressed by surrounding residents, home owner associations and interest groups. Clearly, there will have to be some compromises made on the part of some stakeholders, as with any project of this magnitude. It is anticipated that G.V.R.D. will approve the final master plan and E.I.R. in early May.

The major milestones to completion after approval are development of applications for permits, construction and bid documents. These documents will be formally issued, responded to and evaluated. When all necessary requirements have been met, the contractor(s) will be selected and formal schedules developed. It is anticipated that the basic park structure should begin and complete in 2008, with refinements extending into the following year depending on grants that are received. Because there are a number of variables involved with all these steps, there is necessarily some uncertainty as to completion dates.

We will keep you apprised of any critical events where community attendance and support are needed by posting notices on our Glen Cove Parkway median banner signs and on the www.glencovevallejo.com website which we are currently reconfiguring to address this issue more effectively.

Thanks for your support and keep up the effort. And above all, please visit the park site, enjoy it and envision what it will be when finished!

A 19 year-old murder suspect was arrested March 8th in Lodi where he'd been residing. Vallejo Police Department authorities have charged him for the double murders that occurred January 17th in a Neptune's Court residence.

He has also been charged with the murder of his alleged companion in the Wednesday night Glen Cove incident. Additionally, his parents were arrested for suspicion of aiding him in his flight. It is believed that the two victims and the two murder suspects were teamed in a marijuana operation.

Vallejo Garbage Service (V.G.S.) will remove your old bins if you leave them out with a note requesting that they be removed. The new toters may look better, but they are not meant for permanent display in front yards or driveways.

The City of Vallejo mandates that trash containers should be visible from roadways only on collection days. Proper storage requires that residential trash containers be placed behind side yard fences or inside garages.

Additional V.G.S. information is available at 551-2628 or the www.vallejogarbage.com website.

It Could Happen Here . . .
By Pat Johnson, The Crest Alternate

You left a neighborhood where the houses needed painting,
the weeds needed cutting, and old broken down cars needed to be towed away.

It was fifteen years ago you moved to beautiful Glen Cove.
But now, the houses on your block are beginning to look a lot like the ones you
moved to get away from.

The broken cars are back in the driveways, the lawns (or weeds) need to be cut.
Garbage bins are next to broken fences, and the twenty year-old houses need
painting.

Never mind how your neighbor takes care of his/her property, just make sure
you don't let yours turn into what you moved to get away from.

C.H.P. DISPATCH CENTER
Employment & Volunteer Opportunities

The California Highway Patrol (C.H.P.) Dispatch Center, located nearby at 1551 Benicia Road, (directly across the street from St. Patrick - St. Vincent High School) provides a tremendous service to citizens in the nine counties throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

The dispatch center, one of the largest in the entire state of California, staffs 198 employees, and answers up to 124,000 calls each month. Most of those calls include Wireless 911 calls, allied agency service calls, incoming calls from roadside call boxes, and public information calls.

In an effort to improve regional services, applications for the dispatcher job examination are currently being accepted on an on-going basis. Glen Cove residents are also advised that a proposed Senior Volunteer Program is planned for implementation in the near future. If you are interested in learning more about these C.H.P. assignments, please visit the www.chp.ca.gov website or contact the C.H.P. recruitment line at 551-4115.

Vallejo City Council Addresses

Mayor Anthony Intintoli mayor@ci.vallejo.ca.us

Vice-Mayor Gary Cloutier garycloutier@sbcglobal.net

Council Member Tom Bartee tbartee@ci.vallejo.ca.us

Council Member Gerald Davis jdavis@ci.vallejo.ca.us

Council Member Stephanie Gomes sgomes@ci.vallejo.ca.us

Council Member Tony Pearsall tpearsall@ci.vallejo.ca.us

Council Member Hermie Sunga hsunga@ci.vallejo.ca.us

Vallejo City Hall, 555 Santa Clara St., Vallejo, CA 94590