’21 to-do list, a K9 outcry
HAPPY New Year!--2021 could be our finest hour, so to speak. No thanks to political chaos, the economy and COVID-19, local projects on hold will defy them all, and move up to be finished this year.
To all the neighbors who have had to detour around the Buck Ave. Bridge over Alamo Creek since last April, join me in a Hallelujah! Its reopening is projected for Mar. 31. On a city to-do list for years, it happened on city Mayor Ron Rowlett’s watch. “It’s good to get it done,” he said. Amen, I said. The new bridge is a beaut, designed for current standards for lane widths. Low bid was $3.6 million. Fed funds and matching gas and water taxes paid for it. Not a big job, just a pain in the neck when you have to go around it 10 times a day. It was worth it; you can’t have too many bridges. A ribbon will be cut in Alamo Park. Why not a walkover before it opens? It can’t take 20 seconds.
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A wunderpark for wunderkind, the all-new Play4All Park at Leisure Town and Elmira Roads is powering through all material obstacles to complete their innovative playground for kids, disabled and not. Its 7.5-acre site was donated, as is much of the labor, materials and cash. Of the $5 million project estimate “We’ve raised $800,000, cash and in-kind,” said Vacaville engineer Tom Phillippi, whose vision started Play4All in the first place. He visited such a park in Texas and dedicated himself to building one here. “The basic infrastructure is done,” he told me Monday. Picnic area and restrooms are next. “We still need about $200,000 to finish Phase One.” He hopes to open it by late Spring. A veritable garden of playful equipment is standing by, designed for kids with and without challenges: A mini Fenway Park; dog park; rides, and more, all wheelchair accessible. Virus-hindered fundraisers slowed the flow, but donating is easy via Play4AllVacaville.org. Put your name on it by buying a Plaza brick, $100. The kids will love it if you buy 10.
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IT’S amazing. Ask A2R architect Rob Sesar, What’s new? and he turns on his projects tape: A 22-unit apartment project with multiple bedrooms--“Village at Butcher Rd.” A mural art-centered hotel at Mason and Depot. A rebuild of a Best Western hotel on Monte Vista; a trucker project in the north business park, and completion of the 70-foot pyramid tower and restaurant in Alamo Plaza. “That’s proceeding,” Rob told me, with an eye on March 1. The eatery is designed. Owners are seeking an operator. It all hinges on when restaurants can reopen. The tower makes a statement. It will remain open inside. “When you’re at the bar, you can look up to the very top. If you fall off the stool, you’ve had enough,” Rob chuckled. A glass tip will sit atop a 10 X 10-ft. level. A little small for a penthouse, but imagine: on a clear day you might see Fiji.
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AN act that can ignite a flame deep in our visceral core is human abuse of animals. From there it can erupt into a firestorm of shock, anger, and sadness. A video of a Vacaville PD officer in handler training, apparently disciplining his K9 partner (both relatively new), brought that and more down Tuesday. The video went viral. By Friday, VPD Facebook had 9,000-plus comments. It’s under investigation on several levels. Chief John Carli, once a K9 handler himself, takes it a step further: “There is no time when a trainer should ever strike a dog.” K9 training has been suspended; the dog and its handler have been separated. Carli added, “A vet has evaluated the dog, and assured that it is uninjured. A third-party trainer was retained to ensure an objective review. Once complete, we will take appropriate action, including any discipline, training or policy changes.” Carli added: “This is being investigated thoroughly and is of great concern to us. Trust is difficult to achieve and easy to lose.” Public opinion is loud and clear. Judgments are being rendered. Said Mayor Ron Rowlett at the end of a long day: “With hard work and dedication of our PD, I believe citizens will trust the city to do the right thing.” The author is former publisher of The Reporter.