Lengths and Breaths

Your Boulevardier is once again hosting the Subcompact Loaner this weekend, and the sun is shining, so this morning was a good one to get out for a long walk on Castro Valley Boulevard. The first stop on our journey was Valley Java, where Your Boulevardier feels safe tying up the SL for a brief moment. (His unease with doing so at busier, more exposed places is explained here.) Our arrival occurred before the church rush, so the shop was quiet, with only a few customers at the tables and soft jazz audible over the hubbub.

Your Boulevardier was tempted to take a peek at the hospital construction site, but opted instead to head east on the Boulevard. It was noted that the ARCO station at Wisteria Street is closed due to an Alcoholic Beverage Control violation. Interesting to note that they're not selling gas during this shutdown; could it be that the Patrón and Pabst brings in more money than the Petrol?



From there the Post Office was visited. Although the sign announced that dogs were not welcome, Your Boulevardier broke the rules and walked the Subcompact Loaner into the building to check his box. Then the Village was passed through; bowlers were already arriving for their morning observances.

Near Peet's, Your Boulevardier had a chance encounter with Paul, the husband of Soeur de Boulevardier. (If there is a colloquial French phrase for "brother-in-law," Your Boulevardier does not know it.) Paul asked if Your Boulevardier was "walking a mop" -- recall that the Subcompact Loaner is a small, white, hairy dog -- and other family news was shared. From there, Your Boulevardier ambulated through the shopping center behind the Wachovia branch that will become Castro Valley's Wells Fargo Bank this coming April. He confirmed that many of the storefronts in the center are vacant, though there is a dentist, a real estate agent, a title company, a hair salon, and a tutoring company in business.

The Boulevard was crossed at Yeandle Avenue -- Rudy's was passed without ducking in, since Your Boulevardier is trying to limit his intake of sweets -- and the under-construction path from Castro Valley Boulevard to the Castro Valley Library was explored. (The work seems to have been stalled by the recent rains.) A book was returned using the Library's nifty self-service electronic scanner, after which the creek was inspected from the footbridge. The streamflow is far calmer than it was just a few days ago, due to the recent dry spell. (Your Boulevardier finds our town's creeks thrilling when they're raging, but much more pleasant when they're just flowing peacefully.)




The rest of the walk to Chez Boulevardier was without incident or observation worthy of reporting. It was a fine morning for a walk, though; the air is clean and smells fresh, the sidewalks and crosswalks are passable (no major flooding or mud traps were encountered) and the sun shone brightly. A fine close to the month of January.

Your Boulevardier's Foolproof Plan for Balancing California's Budget

Step 1: Post a CHP officer at the Redwood Road onramp to westbound I-580.

Step 2: Ticket all motorists who don't yield to pedestrians in in the crosswalk, don't stop for a red light, and/or talk on their phones without using a hands-free device.

Problem solved!

Curbing Your Enthusiasm

Some government money must have broken loose somewhere, because there's a rash of sidewalk ramp installations going on around Castro Valley.

Your Boulevardier noticed the pylons and diggers on Redwood Road north of Castro Valley Boulevard last week. Today, he found several demolitions on The Boulevard. The two photos below were taken at Stanton and Strobridge respectively.

Certainly when the projects are complete the sidewalks and curb cuts will be better for pedestrians -- particularly those in wheelchairs or parents pushing strollers. But for the time being, the work makes getting around quite difficult. The construction at Stanton is particularly disruptive to pedestrians because there is a) no warning that the work is coming; and b) no way around it except to walk in traffic. This at an intersection where motorists rarely bother to look for pedestrians in the first place.


The demolition at Strobridge is curious because the crews have removed only the middle part of an already-existing ramp. Your Boulevardier assumes this is to put down the sort of bumpy rubber surface that many such ramps have.

The strangest ramp installations in Castro Valley occur where there are no sidewalks. (Longtime readers may recall postings in which Your Boulevardier griped about the mysterious pride some Castro Valleyans have in their lack of sidewalks; to some, it's a contributor to our "rural feel." To Yours Truly, lack of sidewalks only contributes to muddy shoes in the winter and impolite, pedestrian-hostile parking year-round.) Your Boulevardier knows he has seen some of these unattached ramps, but has not cataloged them for publication here. Perhaps he will do so in the near future.

Sadness on the Strip

On his walk this morning Your Boulevardier came upon a small group of people gathered around a dead dog in the gutter on Castro Valley Boulevard near Worley's. The animal, which looked to be a Chihuahua mix, black with brown and white markings, was not recently killed; perhaps it had been hit by a car overnight.

The people were debating what to do about the dog. They had removed its collar and (based on a small bit of eavesdropping) it's presumed they were planning to call a number on the tag. All Your Boulevardier heard was one young woman saying to another, "So put the collar back on it."

It's heartbreaking when a pet is killed, and it's anguishing to see an animal dead in the roadway. The easiest thing to do when one comes upon such a situation is to wince and move along. Your Boulevardier respectfully tips his beret to these people who chose not to just turn their heads and walk on by.

Ramp to Somewhere

Your Boulevardier noticed this recent addition to the onramp to eastbound I-580.



A couple of things strike one as odd about this. First, what's it for? Your Boulevardier's best guess is that it's for Highway Patrol or other emergency vehicles to sit in before they enter the freeway.

Second: the drainage from it. Note, if you can in the photo, the contours of the ramp and the wall behind it. The wall drains into the grate (currently surrounded by sandbags) while the pullout itself drains onto the sidewalk, or maybe into the adjacent gutter.

Thirdly: the tiny fence atop the small retaining wall. What is its purpose? A person can walk twenty feet to get around it, so it can't be to keep someone from what's on the other side. If it's to keep people from above from falling onto the ramp, another question arises: what are they doing up there in the first place?

None of this is earth-shattering news, or even the least bit important. It's just curious. If any readers know about civil engineering, an explanation would be most welcome.

Ramping Up

Progress continues on the Highway 580 / Redwood Road interchange. For a long time the work seemed largely confined to the south side of the freeway, but in the last few weeks crews have taken out trees, built a retaining wall, and carved off a portion of the Spencer Mortuary parking lot for the westbound offramp. (Click the photo for a larger view.)



The pace of the project is to be commended -- especially when compared with the interchange modifications at Strobridge Avenue. Your Boulevardier commented on the problems with this project way back in January; only recently has the vacant lot been cleaned up, but the trash along the fence under the freeway remains, and lanes -- both on Strobridge and on the eastbound onramp -- continue to be inexplicably blocked off. (Your Boulevardier does not refer to the closing of Strobridge at Gary Drive, which he approves of in spite of the fact that it makes access to his own neighborhood more difficult.)

Back to the Redwood Road interchange, a number of questions remain in Your Boulevardier's mind, regarding both the roads and the sidewalks. He will post these questions in the near future. Meanwhile, as a pedestrian, he hopes the walk/don't walk signs and buttons will be connected soon.

Near Misses

Twice on his morning walk today, Your Boulevardier was nearly struck by cars while in a crosswalk. Both episodes happened when drivers were making right turns on red lights; both rolled through the crosswalks and were looking left for cross traffic, not seeing the pedestrian -- yours truly -- approaching from the right. In both circumstances, the drivers did not seem to acknowledge the fact that they endangered a person. And in both circumstances, law enforcement was nowhere nearby.

After the second incident, which was frighteningly close and in which the car was traveling at very high speed, Your Boulevardier started to imagine elaborate revenge fantasies. If only he had had a few pieces of very ripe fruit at the ready to lob at the cars! Better: if only he had had a squirt bottle of garish nail polish to squirt on the passing car! (Best case scenario in this version would be that the driver would not notice the polish until later in the day, when the enamel had hardened to an industrial-strength sheen.) Or maybe this: one could roll a watermelon under the car as it passed, then quickly sit on the ground; the driver would feel a bump, look in his rearview, see a red splat and a person, and have a heart attack.

A deep breath is called for. Two wrongs don't make a right.

Motorists, please remember California Vehicle Code section 21453(b), which includes this language: "A driver making [a right turn on a red light] shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within an adjacent crosswalk".

Worthy Cause in Castro Valley

Your Boulevardier received the following email from two different people, and commenter Greenridge posted it below. The originator is L'avocat de Boulevardier Steven Dimick, who has given permission to republish it here. (Some slight edits have been made, clearly marked.)

Your Boulevardier went by Lee's Donuts this morning and purchased a very nice cinnamon roll. His waistline will not let him do so daily, but he will be making a contribution and encourages readers who are able to do the same.

Friends,

You have probably read that the owner of Lee's Donuts on the corner of Grove Way and Redwood Road was brutally pistol whipped about a couple of weeks ago during an early morning robbery. I'd like to tell you a little more about him.

Sam Nouv came to the U.S. from Cambodia and, in 1987, started working at Lee's Donuts. Before long, he was leasing the business from its owner and, in 1990, bought the business. He and his wife, Lori, go to work every day at 3:30 a.m., open up at 4:00 a.m. and don't close until 6:00 p.m. -- every day, seven days a week. They do close on a very few holidays, but in 19 years have never had a vacation and the most time they have ever had off at any one time is two days.

Our grandparents or great-grandparents worked like this when they first came to America, but no native-born American that I know would do so.

In addition to working these brutal hours, they are raising three sons, a 21-year-old currently at Chabot College, a 15-year-old at Castro Valley High School and a 10-year-old at Independent Elementary.

And Sam and Lori are two of the friendliest people you could ever hope to meet.

Sam has been back to work -- briefly -- for the last couple of days, but the burden of keeping the shop open for the last two weeks has fallen on Lori, the kids and a few friends.

I asked Lori if they had adequate medical insurance and she said they did, but their deductible and co-pay were killing them, when nearly all of their income goes for basic living expenses. Lori said their share of the medical expenses was $15,000. Sam later told me it might not be that high, but is at least $7,000 (Kaiser told them they don't have a final figure yet.)

Some community members are [planning] a series of fundraisers for the family. Ken Martin is planning a charity bocce ball tournament and other ideas that have been kicked around include a car wash. If you'd like to participate, [contact Steve Dimick via the link above].

In the meantime, if any of you can see your way to making a donation, however small, the family can sure use it. $100 would be great, but $5 or $10 will be equally appreciated. (I merely slipped them some cash.) Please look in your wallets for old, unused bills or consider writing a check to "Sam Nouv." You can deliver your donations to my office (20880 Redwood Rd., Castro Valley) or directly to the Nouv family at their store.

You could also pass this story on to your neighbors or other friends in Castro Valley. They just might see fit to give you a donation to pass on, or to visit Lee's and slip a few dollars into Lori's hand. And maybe they'll pass the story along even further.

Thank you in advance for any help you might be able to give. Despite our occasional differences, Castro Valley is a real community.

Steve Dimick

Anita Bit of Sunshine

Your Boulevardier sallied forth in the late morning to take advantage of the dry weather. Insects were swarming, but creeks had dropped. No major destruction was found, but the walk was admittedly short. The new bocce courts on San Miguel Avenue seem to have drained well -- better, in fact, than the walkways around them.



Three bits of action went on near the intersection of Castro Valley Boulevard and Anita Avenue. A car had hit one of the stoplights, and a one-person crew (perhaps that's a nonsense phrase) from Alameda County was dealing with the damage. A few minutes later, an ambulance, fire truck, and two CHP cruisers were summoned to the Boulevard entrance to the Blockbuster/Wells Fargo parking lot; it appeared to Your Boulevardier, but cannot be confirmed, as if, perhaps, heaven forbid, a pedestrian had been struck by a motorist. (No, Your Boulevardier does not get paid by the comma.) A few minutes after that, a large group of well-dressed folks emerged from the Chabot Cinema; they had attended a sales meeting for their company. "We got free popcorn," one friendly attendee told Your Boulevardier.

Zig-Zagging Into BART

Perhaps they've been up a while, but just today Your Boulevardier noticed that a zigzag of railings has been constructed at the bottom of the wheelchair ramp at the Castro Valley BART station.


Logic leads one to suspect that too many people had ridden bicycles or skateboards down the ramp at too-high speeds; those people then collided with pedestrians coming out of the station. It could also be that pedestrians and wheeled passengers going appropriate speeds from both directions had been colliding at the corner. Either way, this new slalom prevents unintended meetings from happening, which is a good thing. And it matches the stainless steel railings in other areas of the station.

Measure for Measure

Your Boulevardier walked down Redwood Road yesterday, passing under I-580 near BART on the new sidewalk. He noticed that this:



The railing for the new faux-stone retaining wall seems to have been manufactured dramatically off-the-mark. It's assumed that the railing was supposed to match the curve of the wall and fit neatly into the hole provided. No such luck. Somebody didn't measure.

One wonders where the SNAFU entered the project, and how it will be resolved. Certainly it would be easier to re-weld the railing to match the wall than to reconstruct the wall to match the rail.

Related: the westbound onramp to I-580 at Redwood Road is a strange thing. A turnout has been constructed partway up the ramp on the left. (Perhaps Your Boulevardier will snap a photo next time he's in the area to illustrate.) If anybody can figure out what that's for, please share.

Stylish Sidewalk

Your Boulevardier notes that the Redwood Road sidewalk under I-580 -- the one on the west side, closest to the BART station -- has reopened. The new wall of faux stone in various golden hues is quite attractive. Let us hope it does not receive the attention of taggers.

The sidewalk on the opposite side of the street -- that is, next to Spencer's Mortuary -- is now closed, and Your Boulevardier assumes it will get the same stylish treatment as part of the road widening. Your Boulevardier found out about this closure the hard way last night while walking from downtown to Trader Joe's. Fortunately, the temporary barricades were easy to hop.

Sunday Buzz

Your Boulevardier and the Subcompact Loaner walked to Valley Java this morning. We have three observations:

1) The construction of the 238-Strobridge interchange seems to have stopped at about 90 percent of completion. Though the ramps themselves are finished, cones (or whatever one calls those upright orange pylons with the black bases that are glued to the pavement) and striping are all that, to this layman's eyes, remain to be completed. Along with regular trash removal, of course.

2) The congregants of the Neighborhood Church may be fine people, but they really don't seem to care much about pedestrians and small dogs who are trying to cross Castro Valley Boulevard. A little more observation and courtesy would be appreciated. Please, friends: at least pretend to stop at the limit line -- that's the first line of the crosswalk -- before turning right onto John Drive.

3) The activity level at Valley Java was, at least at this visit, considerably lower than it used to be. Maybe Peet's has siphoned off some of the business, or perhaps the decamping of Judge Peggy Hora to parts east has caused her klatsch to find another place to gather.

The Apartment Formerly Known As The Pines

Your Boulevardier noticed that the sole pine tree in front of The Pines Apartments on Wisteria Street is dead. Time for a name change?

On The Button

It would appear that crosswalk buttons around town are being replaced. This past weekend Your Boulevardier walked on the west side of town, north of Castro Valley Boulevard, and noticed a new-style button in place. This one was photographed at Lake Chabot Road and Somerset Avenue.


As you can see in the photo, the new buttons fit into the existing fixtures. They have a red light-emitting diode (LED) in the center, and emit a sharp beep sound when pressed.

Your Boulevardier believes that the new buttons are accompanied by crosswalk signals that count down as the time to cross the street runs out.

Strobridge Interchange Questions

The new interchange from Eastbound I-580 to Strobridge Avenue appears to be nearing completion. Most barricades have been removed, and crews appear to be in cleanup mode. Still, four questions remain in Your Boulevardier's mind about the project. They are, in no particular order:

How will the odd patch of earth between the freeway and the onramp be maintained? One finds it hard to believe that a crew will get way up there regularly with a lawnmower to tend the narrow strip. Your Boulevardier is no fan of pavement, but it would make sense in this case to not make the area a haven for unwanted vegation.

Will CalTrans remove the fences that run along both sides of Strobridge Avenue under the freeway? It can't be argued that the fence on the west side keeps anyone out, since it stops abruptly on the south side of the underpass with no gate or structure to close the end. For now, all the fence does is collect trash, and it's very rarely cleaned out.

What will happen to the CalTrans corporation yard on the north side of the underpass? Like the aforementioned fence, the yard is an unmaintained haven for trash. Illegal dumping occurs regularly, and many piles of construction materials and debris remain there as well.

What is the purpose of the metal box at the top of the onramp? Will it be relocated, and if so will the temporary barricades and sand barrels around it be removed?

Maintenance of this offramp has long been neglected by CalTrans. Indeed, one of Your Boulevardier's neighbors left the Baywood District because (among other things) he felt the area gave a slumlike first impression, what with the litter and ill-kept homes along Strobridge Avenue. (And, perhaps ironically, this person drove a garbage truck.)

Scammer at work in Castro Valley?

Your Boulevardier received the following email from a neighbor. Names have been obscured for privacy reasons.

Yesterday, around 4:00 p.m., a woman came to Julia Roberts's door, said she was Ann Margaret's daughter, and had locked herself out of her mother's house. Julia asked questions and found out that this woman was referring to Ann Bancroft. The woman said she grew up in this neighborhood and the reason she hasn't been around is that she was in the military. Julia knew that Ann Bancroft's daughter lives over the hill and the Roberts children went to school with the daughter. Lots didn't make sense to Julia. The woman wanted to use Julia's phone to call her sister and a locksmith. Julia let her. When she called the locksmith, she found out the cost for coming out was $69 and then she said she would drive to the locksmith?????

Julia has a older woman friend in CV that recently got the same scenerio from a different woman .. but she cried and ended up with $100 from the older woman!

So...heads up! Julia is calling Ann Bancroft to check the story and she will call the Sheriff and report the incident.

There you go ... another very good reason to have our neighborhood group on watch!!

Please be alert to similar scams in your neighborhood.

Whac-a-Pole

The bright yellow posts between Pet Food Express and Chipotle are built to be hit by cars and trucks that do not quite make the turn into the adjacent driveway. They seem to have done their job once again. Your Boulevardier noticed that the canary columns were all akimbo this afternoon, the asphalt at their bases cracking and lifting. Closer inspection showed that the poles, rooted in and filled with concrete, are set in position to protect the pipes hidden in the shrubbery behind them (and visible near the leftmost pillar in the picture; remember, readers, that you can click on any photo for a larger view). The sacrificial stakes served this purpose ably, and now resemble a Roman Numeral IX. Better nine than eighty-six.

That Seeping Feeling

The strange little building at 2659 Castro Valley Boulevard has long mystified Your Boulevardier. For a while it seemed to be a construction firm that built decks and fences of plastic, but as of late it seems to just be another un- or under-utilized business shack. (Castro Valley has many, a fact that will be documented someday when time permits.)

Yesterday on a stroll along the West End, it was noticed that the ground on either side of the building seems to be oozing water. It's not known if there's a broken pipe underground, or if the water is simply natural percolation or seepage from the hill to the site's south. But regardless of the source, it looks somewhat unsafe for the structure -- and the sidewalk, with a bit of algae building up, is becoming slippery. Below are two views of the property, from the east and west respectively.


Is there a geologist in the house? Can anyone tell what's going on here?

Remodeling McDonald's

Your Boulevardier notes that the McDonald's on Castro Valley's Fast Food Island is closed for remodeling. This event has been in the planning stages for years, it seems. This morning a cold steel fence kept all but the birds from visiting the Golden Arches. And because the restaurant was not being patronized, and the fries and burger buns on which the pigeons and seagulls had, in the past, feasted were not forthcoming, so the avian scavengers had precious little to do. One telling note as to the abruptness of the property's fencing: copies of USA Today remain in the newsrack by the restaurant's door.

Deep in the recesses of Your Boulevardier's memory, he can recall eating at this restaurant when it was brand new. The building was covered with white tile, and sported several red concrete outdoor tables in lieu of indoor dining then. The structure was spanned by the trademark aureate arcs. The hamburgers cost, if memory serves, twenty-nine cents.

Over the years, the building expanded as its real estate morphed. The playplace was added, and a section of the dining area was segregated as a party room. (Neveau de Boulevardier celebrated at least one birthday there.) The establishment's parking lot grew dramatically, even as the freeway and its offramps encroached.

Automobiles have always been the preferred mode of access to McDonald's, it seems, and pedestrians such as Your Boulevardier took some risks in attempting to walk to the place -- what with motorists juggling too-hot coffee, filing their change, shushing the youngsters, and, oh yes, driving their cars from the drive-through.

But one can say what one will about McDonald's -- Your Boulevardier has concerns about its business practices and the health value of its products -- but the company has maintained its Castro Valley property well through all the changes. On a survey mission this morning, Your Boulevardier noted the lush green lawns, carefully trimmed shrubbery, and crimson Pistache trees along the property's perimeter. Let us hope that the new structure adds some architectural interest and other thoughtful touches, since this site is, for better or worse, one of the gateways to our town.




Postscript, unrelated: On a walk to Valley Java this morning, Your Boulevardier noted that gasoline at the Shop 'N' Save on Stanton Avenue has dipped one tenth of a cent below $2 per gallon.

And Speaking Of Things On The Move

Here's a startling bit of video of the aftermath of a car crashing into a dentist's office on Redwood Road. Video is from the Castro Valley Forum.

That Ought to Keep the Kids in School

Construction continues on the security fence surrounding Creekside Middle School. The chain-link portion on Paradise Knolls is complete, and its tall zinc-clad poles and mesh gleam. Heavy, rectangular black posts now line the Center Street frontage, awaiting some sort of connectors; judging by the height of the posts and their color and construction, Your Boulevardier suspects that an eight- to ten-foot-tall wrought-iron-style barrier is on its way.

One wonders if there isn't a better use for the CVUSD's capital improvement budget. Your Boulevardier cannot claim to be a student of the district's finances or a close scrutinizer of its operations, so he will not judge. He will just wonder.

One is reminded of the new roadsigns going up along Interstate 580 through Ashland, San Leandro, and Oakland, just west of Castro Valley. Soeur de Boulevardier first noticed and mentioned that these monumental new signposts seem to be replacing perfectly adequate existing signage. One sometimes wishes that the dollars had been spent on the road surface, rather than on the directional placards that dangle above it.