247 4th Street in 3D Studio MAX!
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The Board of Directors has done a lot of research lately into the problem with have with flies in front of the building near the obelisk. I spoke with Terminix and their entimoligist to see if there is a solution for getting rid of them. Unfortunately, we were told that the flies are "Lesser House Flies" and they are congregating there for mating because it is a little more protected from wind and sun in that area. The flies ARE NOT attracted to any smells or substances out there, which means that a "fly trap" type of device will not stop them. The only suggestion we have received so far would be to mount a ceiling fan above the area to create enough downdraft that the flies would go somewhere else. If anyone has any other ideas, please post them on the blog.
I'm sure you all have noticed by now, but we now have a new door mat in front of the door. Its made from "coconut hair."
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
Two Sundays ago the Trash Bash V was held in our neighborhood and 25 people from the Jack London District turned out. While the turnout wasn't as large as last year, a lot was accomplished. It's nice to see a clean neighborhood. Thanks to JOANNA ADLER of Jack London Mail for organizing the Bash. She lives in Tower Lofts.
There were three residents from Fourth Street Lofts - Tres Fontaine and Jack Allen from the first floor, and Wendy Tinsley from the fourth floor. Tower Lofts had six members, the most of any of the buildings. Those who participated included neighbors from Allegro, Brickhouse Lofts, Egghouse Building, Greeno, New Market Lofts, Pocket Lofts, Prime Smoked Meats, Pro Arts, Sierra Condos, Tower Lofts There was no one from Phoenix Lofts or Portico.
Check out www.jacklondondistrict.org for photos and details, as well as a complete list of all who participated in and/or sponsored the event. Thanks to SIMON WADDINGTON who maintains the Jack London District website. He lives in Tower Lofts.
NEIGHBORS
Kelley Cole, who lived on the second floor, recently moved to the Sierra Condos, when her owner put the loft up for sale. MIKE FACKOVEC, who lived on the third floor, recently bought a house in San Leandro, and his loft is now up for sale also.
OAKLAND MUSEUM
Just down the street from us at 1000 Oak Street is the Oakland Museum, which features California Art, History and Natural History. Many may not know that Rosie the Riveter was born right here in the Bay Area, in the Richmond shipyards. The Oakland Museum currently has an exhibition "Henry J. Kaiser: Think Big," which lasts through 29 August 2004.
There also is the special exhibit, "Kaiser-Frazer Automobiles; A Car for Everyone" showing three of the cars which made American history in the 1940s and 1950s. I remember one of the cars had doors which opened backwards instead of forwards.
For further details, 510/238-2200 or www.oaklandmuseum.org.
PEERLESS MUSEUM
Peerless Coffee, down the street at 260 Oak Street at Second Street, has a Museum open to the public the Second Saturday of each month, between 12 noon and 3pm, as well as every other Friday by appointment, between 1-3pm. It has a collection of unique coffee, tea, spice and peanut memorabilia collected over the 38 years Peerless has been in business. The Museum is right next to the retail store.
Peerless is open Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:30pm, and on Saturdays from 9-5pm. Phone 800/310-KONA.
OAKLANDISH
A new shop in the Jack London District recently opened, with the goal of promoting Oakland's hidden gems. It is located at 411-2nd Street, in the Produce District, between Broadway and Franklin. It is open Tuesday-Saturday noon-6pm. The website is www.oaklandish.org. It has hats, T-shirts, posters, magazines and "more original Oakland charm." All proceeds support the art and action of nonchalance.
Among those on exhibit there are the aforementioned Rosie, as well as other locals of disparate backgrounds including SONNY BARGER of the Hells Angels, BOBBY HUTTON of the Black Panther Party, BRUCE LEE of Kung Fu fame, and JULIA MORGAN, who designed Hearst Castle and the Mills College Campanile.
PARAMOUNT MOVIE CLASSICS
There are two shows left in the current round of Movie Classics at the Paramount Theater - The Graduate on Friday 11 June 2004, and The Bad and the Beautiful on Friday 18 June 2004. Check out the details at www.paramounttheater.com.
PERMIT PARKING PLAN IS ALMOST DEAD
SoNIC President GARY KNECHT of the Egg Crate Building puts out the SoNIC newsletter and has spearheaded the Parking Permit fight in our neighborhood. Knecht says it much better than I, so I will quote him verbatim. SoNIC is South of Nimitz Improvement Council.
If you've ever tried to park on the street in our neighborhood or had guests or clients trying to visit you, the problem is readily apparent. We are woefully undersupplied in the parking place department. This is could be our last chance for the time being to make one last pitch for relief in the form of a Parking Permit Program. I attended the Parking Permit meetings and a whole lot of work went into a carefully thought out plan to alleviate the problem of commuters using our neighborhood using our neighborhood as their own personal private free parking lot. Commuters use our streets to park all day while they take public transportation such as AC Transit, Amtrak, BART or the Ferry off to their jobs or errands. While I applaud their use of public transportation, it shouldn't be at our expense. We live and work here. It's our neighborhood and we are the disadvantaged. And it's only going to get worse. The city continues to approve developments which don't include or provide adequate parking.
Which leads me up to the second plug I'm giving, on the upcoming Oakland City Council meeting on Tuesday 15 June 2004, which will consider the nine-building, one million square foot Jack London Square Redevelopment Project. There are two pending appeals, one filed by Gary Knecht. This is our last chance to voice our opinion on the mega project. Watch this space for further details on the time and place of the meeting.
Knecht says "On Tuesday, May 25, the City Council's Public Works Committee recommended creating 4-hour parking zones throughout the Jack London District, but failed to approve a mixed-use permit parking district (proposal #6). If approved at City Council next Tuesday (6/1), this means the permit parking program we have worked on for more than a year and a half is dead; however, staff will be directed to prepare a resolution to install signs limiting on-street parking to no more than 4-hours between the hours of 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Nancy Nadel and Jean Quan supported the permit parking program while Henry Chang and Desley Brooks opposed it.
For the permit parking program to have any chance, you need to change the City Manager's mind (she wants more money for permits) and/or get 3 additional votes on City Council. Ignatio de la Fuente, Jane Brunner, Larry Reid, and Danny Wan are the other 4 Council members; we need 3 of their votes by next Tuesday to keep the permit parking program idea alive. It's a long shot, but if you want a permit parking district in the Jack London District, you should tell the 4 other members of the City Council how you feel:
TIME TO PUT OUR MOUTH WHERE THEIR MONEY IS.
Lynne
Hello all, I wanted to alert you all to a few strange occurrences in and around our building over the last week.
Twice last week the stairwell door (the one near the bicycles) has been propped open, once with our doormat and once with a small rubber doorstopper. This was found late at night. (we've twice "rescued" a small asian woman who had trouble with her key and was trapped in the stairwell and thought perhaps it could be her?)
Yesterday (Wednesday) a young (30 or so) blonde man with short hair and around 5'10" wearing a track-suit was seen walking around the ground floor garden space and looked in our window at around 6pm (we were home to see this) He arrived and left promptly in a black jeep wrangler (we have the license plate number if necessary)
Best regards,
Tres Fontaine - unit 105
SALMON SEASON
Salmon season started last weekend, so this weekend at the Jack London Farmer's Market there will be the first of San Francisco area fresh salmon.
ARTISANS
Every Sunday as part of the Farmer's Market there are local artisans. I recently learned that the vendors are not always there every week, because there is a monthly lottery to determine who and when the artisans can be on site. So, the lesson is to buy what you like now because it might not be there next Sunday. Some also turn up on Saturday, but in much smaller numbers.
ELEVENTH ANNUAL MG EXHIBIT
For those who want to see the sports car which started it all in the United States back in 1948, come to Jack London Square Saturday 15 May 2004 for the eleventh annual MG Exhibition.
PARAMOUNT MOVIE CLASSICS
There are three movies left in the current round of Paramount Movie Classics. They run Friday nights, starting at 8pm at the restored historic Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland 94612 for only $5. Doors open an hour earlier, and at 7:30pm, early arrivals are serenaded with a half hour of live organ music by Jim Riggs at the Mighty Wurlitzer. The old time movie comes after a vintage cartoon, an old newsreel, often depicting something relating to Oakland or the Bay Area, trailers of coming attractions, and Dec-O-Win, where you can win local restaurant meals. With good weather, it makes a nice stroll.
May 14 - Viva Las Vegas with Elvis and Ann Margaret and race cars. 1964
June 11 - The Graduate with Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. 1967
December 26 - The Bad and the Beautiful with Kirk Douglas. 1952
ART EXHIBIT
Last Friday night the second Jack London Art Invitational opened with a Preview Party. The art, from local artists from our Jack London District, will be on display at 240 Third Street, around the corner from our building. The days/hours are Saturdays and Sundays 10am-5pm, and Tuesdays & Thursdays 2pm-8pm, as well as by appointment. Check out www.jacklondondistrict.org/art for details.
The exhibitors are ROSEMARY ALLEN, ANDY BLACK, MARY ANN HAYDEN, KATHLEEN KING, and CARIN REHBINDER. Already five of the pieces have been sold and two more have offers.
This is the second of what hopefully will be an ongoing series of exhibits. The exhibit was organized by JOANNA ADLER, who runs Jack London Mail. She spent a lot of time, energy, and money out of her own pocket to put this together. The upper management of Allegro is providing the space.
RECYCLING TONER AND INKJET CARTRIDGES
Joanna accepts used laser toner and inkjet cartridges for recycling at no charge. This is a much better solution than throwing it in the trash headed for landfill.
STAMP OUT HUNGER
Saturday 8 May 2004 the National Association of Letter Carriers/United States Postal Service has its annual Stamp Out Hunger campaign. Nonperishable Food Donations can be left in the mailroom, near the mail boxes, for pickup by the USPS, who will take it to the local food bank.
TRASH BASH V
The fifth Trash Bash will take place Sunday 23 May 2004, starting at 9am. Meet for assignments in front of the Egghouse at 229 Harrison, at Third Street. Bring gloves, and the rest will be provided.
This is a neighborhood project in which we clean up our neighborhood area, with trash bags and pickup provided by the City of Oakland. Afterwards there will be a BBQ, which is why organizers would like a RSVP by sending an email to trashbash@jacklondondistrict.org or calling 510/893-4100.
Something which has helped keep at least part of our neighborhood clean since last year's Bash are the containers for plastic bags, hanging on the fence along the 'Dog Walk' path by the empty lot. This helps pet owners be more responsible.
WHAT'S GOING ON ACROSS THE STREET?
For those who are curious about the goings on across the street, wonder no more. The Chinese market on the corner of Fourth and Alice Streets - S. Super King Food Wholesale, Inc. - has a Grand Opening sign, and is open for business. Really. There's not yet much for sale yet, as the remodeling is an ongoing project, a work in progress. But it is cleaner, lighter, and eventually, there will be dairy products and eggs. The owner with whom I spoke said it is a cash and carry and wholesale store, open seven days a week.
The Computer recycling center across the street at 426 Alice - West Oakland Technology Exchange - has relocated to 1680 14th Street. The phone numbers remain the same - 510/893-4822 and 835-0484. It provides Tech Support Tuesdays 3-6pm, accepts Donations Tuesdays 2-6pm, and the Volunteer hours are 2:30-4:30pm. It accepts computers and refurbishes them for educational institutions. Its website is www.otxwest.org. The email address is otxwest@yahoo.com.
The OTX building has a For Sale sign. The owner had planned to build a new big and tall building, but plans have changed. That proposed development could still happen, but the former owner is no longer part of the equation. Thursday surveyors were out doing what surveyors do. I was told that Poulty Homes bought the building. I don't know if that is the same firm which formerly was Del Web, which builds large developments.
Where there are surveyors, can the developers be far behind?
And speaking of developers, I'm told that the Moore Meat Market on Second Street, at Jackson, is due for demolition in August. Here we go again.
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
The SFBCDC (San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission) is holding a Third Pre-Application Review hearing on the Jack London Square Redevelopment Project. This concerns the $250 million redevelopment of Jack London Square.
The meeting is 6:30pm Monday 10 May 2004 in the BCDC Conference Room on the 26th Floor at 50 California Street in San Francisco. We are the only agenda item other than minutes approval.
This meeting will focus on review of the public shoreline open spaces, Water Street plazas, East Green, area adjacent to the proposed hotel, and the shoreline trail. This could be the final review of the Design Review Board before formal action by the Commission. Speak now or forever hold your peace.
ENERGY CONSERVATION
We can help keep our energy bills down by doing laundry and dish washing after 7pm. It's already fire season and this takes a big toll in many ways, including power.
Have a nice weekend!
The garage door leading into the elevator and the trash room door were finally painted.