CLAY DAY IS COMING UP

Under the watchful gaze of sons Forrest and Nathan, Nick Arnold puts the finishing touches on a miniature dinosaur (or is it a Tyrannosaurus Rex?) at the last Clay Day at the Port Costa School playground.  Kids and adults are invited by Port Costa artist Clayton Bailey to participate in the next Clay Day on Saturday, July 1, 9:00 a.m. to noon.  Past Clay Days have produced unique art in the form of gargoyles and mugs.  All materials are supplied by Clayton.  "If you want to make something out of clay, come to Clay Day," he says.  For a look at Clayton's ceramic work and robot collection, check his Web page, www.claytonbailey.com.

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PORT COSTA TALENT SHOW SPOTLIGHT ON VARIETY

The Port Costa Talent Show this year asks a hypothetical question: What would have happened if the Blues Brothers had ever met the Andrews Sisters? A re-creation of this speculative moment in show business history will be presented as one of more than 20 acts at the July 23 show. Another historical moment appears at right, where in 1995 Lewis and Diane Stewart reprised the Nelson Eddy - Jeanette Macdonald classic, "Indian Love Call."

The Talent Show is a fund raiser put on by the Port Costa Conservation Society to keep the Port Costa School ground open and to help finance the school restoration project. The July show has already lined up some legendary performers, including the celebrated Ooh-La-La's and Who-La-La's whose 1998 faux aquacade was a choreographic triumph. Also poised in the wings are championship tap dancers, blues singers, piano players and the return of Ginger the Wonder Dog. A raffle will be held during the show with great prizes, including three handmade quilts.

To volunteer to work on the show or to ask for information about the Talent Show, call (510)787-2254.

A show stopper at the 1995 Talent Show

photo by Ovid Holmes

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The continuing quest for funding to rehabilitate the Port Costa School building got a big boost in April with help from two directions. The first came from the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors, which approved an $18,500 construction grant. The amount represents 50% of the $37,103 cost of rebuilding two restrooms on the school's ground floor meet ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements.

The second measure of support came from the Crockett Foundation, which has pledged matching funds of $4,638 to be applied to the Port Costa Conservation Society's half of the construction budget.

Making the restrooms accessible to handicapped and mobility impaired persons is part of the larger plan to use the historic 1911 school building for Community activities.

The Society purchased the school building in 1989 and has worked since then to fix up the old landmark as a community center and local resource facility for visitors to East Bay Regional Park District's Carquinez Shoreline Park, which surrounds Port Costa. 

Volunteer painter Jim Campbell spruces up the swings.

SCHOOL GETS A BRAND NEW ROOF

   After many years of temporary patch jobs and bucket brigades in the dead of winter, the Port Costa School has a brand new roof. The job includes razing the old roof and installing new structural sheathing, drains and downspouts, tarpaper and gravel.  Before that could be done, however, the ceiling trusses in the auditorium and both classrooms had to be repaired and strengthened.  This was partially paid for by the two Community Development Block Grants received from the County.

  Cost of the new 7,500 sq. ft. roof is $35,000 and was paid for by the Conservation Society through your generous support.  In fund raising, the new roof is equivalent to four Talent Shows and two Flea Markets.

PCCS chairman Ridge Greene takes a look at the job near the skylights.

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BIG FIX FOR FLOOD DAMAGE REPAIR

   Five years ago in January, torrential rains caused flooding at the Port Costa School. Rushing water surged under the school, creating hollow spots beneath the floor slabs.

   Today, with funds from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), this damage is being repaired. Work includes new concrete footings for the back wall, which will be reinforced on the inside with a grid of rebar and concrete. Large areas of the downstairs floor slab will be removed and replaced. The existing structure will be tied into the newly reinforced wall with threaded steel rods and anchor bolts.

   This phase of construction should be done by the end of the year. Total project budget is $150,000, of which $113,000 will be funded by FEMA and the $37,000 balance by the Conservation Society.

   The Society has applied for a County grant to upgrade the bathroom plumbing and provide handicapped access required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As the ground floor will be opened up for slab work, it would save labor and money to replace the aging water pipes and sewer connections at the same time.  It may be several months before it is known whether or not the County will approve the grant.

One of two spacious classrooms at the Port Costa School.

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1911 Port Costa School building

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Talkin’ Trash with Tim:           By Tim Crane

GREEN WASTE PICKUP MAY GO MONTHLY

   California generates more solid waste than any industrial nation in the world other than the United States. This fact was highlighted by the state legislature in adopting Assembly Bill 939, which required reducing landfill waste by 50% by the year 2000. The numbers aren’t in yet, but the Port Costa-Crockett area seems to be well on the way toward meeting this requirement. Thank you for your commendable effort.

   To further slow the flow of waste to landfill, Crockett Garbage Co. may soon increase its green waste pickup to one or two per month, instead of twice a year. Details for the new program have not been finalized, according to the Crockett Area Interim Solid Waste Committee. A “green fee” of something under $2.00 per month is proposed for this service. On the other hand, if your weekly garbage will fit into a 20-gallon “mini-can” you can reduce your garbage bill by $3.00 per month.

   Other plans in the works include garbage billing every three months instead of two to cut down processing and mailing costs. Also, the permanent transfer facility for hazardous toxic waste in West County is scheduled to open this month at the Richmond Transfer Facility off of Richmond Parkway. I will have more information at a later date on business hours, phone numbers and methods of drop-off.

Composting kitchen scraps and yard trimmings reduces garbage.

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   For more information about waste prevention and recycling, check out the County’s web site, www.recyclemore.com.

   Meetings of the Crockett Area Interim Solid Waste and Recycling Committee are held at the Crockett Community Center, and citizen input is encouraged. Thanks for readin’ Trash with Tim. Please send me your comments and recommendations. I’m at (510) 787-3036, P.O. Box 4, Port Costa, CA 94569.  

   The event is the annual fundraiser for the Port Costa Conservation Society, a group of town volunteers working to rehabilitate the historic Port Costa School building. Proceeds from the Talent Show and other fundraisers go directly to the school’s maintenance and building fund. The Society’s members are all unpaid volunteers.

   Port Costa Talent Show 2000 is in its formative stage, and we will be gratefully accepting volunteers to work on the day of the show. Preparations take about six months, and this year’s show will coincide with major construction work on the school building. For information about the show, please call (510) 787-2254.

The Port Costa Drill Team won a First Place Trophy at the 1996 Port Costa Talent Show.

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CHURCH, THEATRE OF DREAMS

FEATURED IN TIMES' ARTICLES

   Two recent articles in the Contra Costa Times prominently feature Port Costa’s St. Patrick Church and Wendy Addison’s Theatre of Dreams.

   “The white church conjures visions of small-town New England, rising from a cluster of houses, afloat in a sea of autumn-hued trees,” wrote reporter Tom Lochner in a story on St. Patrick Church on Sunday, January 2. Lochner’s story covered the history of the 102-year-old church and included interviews with Keith Olsen of Crockett, author of “History of St. Patrick Church,” and Frank Jurik and Angelo Tacconi, parishioners of the church. Vignettes of Port Costa’s “rough and tumble world” as a shipping port, railroad hub and ferry terminal were included in the story.

Port Costa artist Wendy Addison’s Theatre of Dreams received front-page play in the Times’ Home and Garden section on Friday, February 11.

   “At the end of the freeway, past the blur of suburban commerce, the road meanders down to the bay, where a little shop holds bits and pieces of a bygone era,” reports Times’ writer Kathryn Loosli Pritchett. Her story captures Addison’s art, one-of-a-kind treasures handmade of vintage crepe paper, wallpaper, sheet music, Victorian die-cuts and other memorabilia.

   Wendy’s art, featured recently in four national magazines and the subject of a Martha Stewart filming, can be seen at Petit Marche, 117 Hartz Ave., Danville, (925) 743-9928; Summer House, 1833 Fourth Street, Berkeley, (510) 549-9914; Tancredi and Morgan, 7174 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel, (831) 625-4477. Wendy’s Port Costa studio is open by appointment only. She can be reached at (510) 787-2164.  

   Both Port Costa stories can be viewed on the Internet by clicking to the “archives” section of the Contra Costa Times’ website, www.hotcoco.com. (Jan 2 for St. Patrick Church and Feb. 11 for Theatre of Dreams).