Fourth Street Lofts Web Log

Refresh my failing memory - didn't this unit just sell recently? I'm confused. Meet me downstairs at the "Crow's Nest", and we can discuss...

Posted by Jim Pire at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Tonight I met Raul Pena - the new owner of loft 305. I learned that he's in telecom sales of some sort or another. He seemed excited when we talked about the many great things about living at the Fourth Street Lofts, but what got my attention was when he mentioned that he recently purchased a 50" plasma HDTV! Wow!

Welcome, Raul!

Posted by Jim Pire at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ok, most of the new lights are installed. I guess it's an improvement, although it's much darker than it was where my car sits. That whimpy 2 foot fluorescent fixture is no where near as bright as the sodium vapor fixture it replaced. However, the lighting is more uniform overall, and there is much more light at the entrance to the elevator than there was before.

I have to say though, that in my humble opinion, the new garage lighting does very little to improve our property values. I do hope that the next time we spend this much money, we do something to improve the value of our homes.

Nevertheless, I'd like to extend a sincere thanks to the board for getting this done! It's a change - and change is good.

Posted by Jim Pire at 9:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

When I grabbed my mail today (OK, it's Sunday... I'm slow), I discovered that someone had dropped in a card promoting their Party Poker affiliate program.

I'm curious... who else in the building plays poker?

Posted by at 5:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This weekend I upgraded our web site to run on MovableType version 3.0. This is a significant upgrade and makes it easier to experiment with the design than the previous version.

Now, I just need to find the time to upgrade my site!

Posted by Jim Pire at 5:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I have this light fixture from IKEA that I ended up not using in my loft. I am interested in giving it away to anyone who would like it. It is a fluorescent bathroom light and brand new in the box. E-mail me if you want it.

Posted by at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Today SONIC received an invitation to the "3rd Stakeholder Meeting" for the Jack London BART Feasibility Study that we are distributing to everyone in the Jack London District who may be interested. I plan to attend. If you are a "stakeholder" and are at all interested please RSVP as space may be limited:

WHEN: Wednesday, July 28, 6:00 to 9:00 PM

WHERE: Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th Street, Conference Room #4 (in the Pacific Renaissance Plaza Building in Chinatown)

WHAT: BART and the City of Oakland are studying "ways to improve the transit connection between Jack London Square and the 12th Street BART station area." One of the options is a "surface-level streetcar system" that will be the focus of this meeting, with the goal of "forging greater consensus on a possible alignment (route). The meeting will also consider the possibility of a 'rubber-tire' (bus/shuttle) interim alternative." Five possible alignment options have been identified and much of the meeting will be devoted to evaluating those five options.

RSVP: If you plan to attend, please RSVP to John Nemeth at 510-287-4785 or jnemeth@bart.gov.

I hope to see you there!

Best,
Gary

Gary Knecht, President
South of the Nimitz Improvement Council (SoNiC)
229 Harrison Street
Oakland, CA 94607
510-893-9829; fax: 510-763-8866; cell: 510-502-9829
knechtgary@aol.com

Posted by at 6:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Just thought I'd pass this along - we're showing OutFoxed on the big screen at our place Sunday night.

Hope to see you there!

Joanna Adler

On Sunday evening, July 18th, I'll be getting together with my neighbors to watch a new documentary film that exposes how Fox News Channel distorts the news. You should come!

The movie is called "Outfoxed", and this is one of the first times it will be shown. "Outfoxed" has interviews with seven ex-Fox News employees who describe how, every day, highly partisan talking points are drawn up to influence newscasts. It's supposed to be pretty revealing as to how Fox works.

MoveOn and Common Cause members across the country are planning hundreds of house parties for Sunday, July 18th. After we watch the movie, comedian Al Franken and director Robert Greenwald will join us through a nationwide interactive conference call. It takes place through the internet, so there are live questions and responses. It's a really new technology and this is one of its first uses.

Come see this movie and join the conference call! And, of course, there'll be snacks. Sign up here.

Here are the details:
The Jack London Fox Hunt
255 3rd St #305
Oakland, CA 94607
Sunday, July 18, 06:00 PM

I hope you'll come!

P.S. To see the "Outfoxed" trailer, click here.

Posted by Jim Pire at 5:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

OfficeDepot will recycle one electronic item per customer per day for free all summer long. Click here for the full story.

Posted by Jim Pire at 1:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A lovely wedding for a lovely couple! Cheers!

Posted by Jim Pire at 10:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Please attend the FOURTH STREET LOFTS HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION Board of Directors Meeting in Loft #402 on Monday July 12th. The time will be 7:35 PM.

As you can see, there are some important issues to discuss. All are welcome.

247 FOURTH STREET LOFTS HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION
Board of Directors Meeting
Loft #402
July 12, 2004

AGENDA

1. Call to Order - 7:35 p.m.

2. 2. Agenda and Minutes
   
   1. Agenda
      
   2. Minutes: July 5th

3. Maintenance Report
   
   1. Work Order Summary
      
   2. Entry fan update
      
   3. Garage lighting update
      
   4. Rainbow waterproofing update

4. Correspondence
   
   1. 247 Partners/Cuckoo's Nest Door installation

5. Other Business
   
   1. Financing waterproofing/painting/restoration project
      
   2. Trash room discussion

6. Homeowner Forum

7. Adjourn
   

Posted by at 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEIGHBOR NEWS
Comings and Goings: JULIA OGRYDZIAK and JEFF KRAUSE in #301 will be moving this summer, and selling their loft. Julia is going back to college at Cambridge to get her Masters Degree in Design at the School of Architecture. Jeff will move their business, Blacksquare, as Jeff says it can be done from anywhere. They hope to move back to the area after the year of matriculation is completed.

TRES FONTAINE and JACK ALLEN in #105 are the new owners of their loft, having bought it from MARK RIVARD. Double Congratulations are in order, as they are getting married this Saturday afternoon at 3pm. After the wedding, they will be 'driven' back here in a Rickshaw built by Jack. There is a reception in their Loft around 6-7pm and you all are invited to celebrate.

FSL BOD/HOME OWNERS MEETING
We have an important meeting next Monday night, 12 July 2004, to discuss, among other things, financing for the water leaks/window repairs/exterior painting tasks. Watch for the notice in the Mail Room, and/or your email box.

STREETS AND ROADS
Block by block, Fourth Street is getting repaved. Our turn was this week and is all done. The blocks between Jackson and Oak Streets are next.

The cross streets could be next, starting with Alice. The markings are all over the intersection, and since construction is due in the neighborhood, the street repaving needs to be done quickly, so the streets can be torn up. Third Street could be do for some water main repairs. At least so said the surveyors I met. But it will come after the repaving. That's how it works, said the surveyors.

And how about that new Stop Sign at Third and Alice? Now there are some who want one at Fourth and Alice.

WEBSTER TUBE CLOSING
Here we go again. The Broadway entrance to the Alameda Tube is being closed again. There are two conflicting signs at the entrance, which would indicate that the closings don't start until Saturday and then in August....but it was closed Thursday night.

PARAMOUNT MOVIE CLASSICS
Starting tonight, there is another round of Friday nights with old movies are scheduled for this summer at the art deco historical landmark movie palace, the Paramount Theater on Broadway. After umpteen years, the price has gone up rom $5 to $6. You still get a live organ concert, a cartoon, newsreel, trailers and Deco-Win for valuable prizes, such as dinner at a Jack London Square restaurant. They all start at 8pm and there is a cocktail bar on the second floor.

• JULY 9 The Producers/1968 - Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder
• JULY 16 The Wiz/1978-Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross and Lena Horn
• JULY 23 The Asphalt Jungle/1950-Sam Jaffe
• JULY 30 Jailhouse Rock/1957-Elvis Presley
• AUGUST 6 Somewhere in Time/1980-Christopher Reeve
• AUGUST 20 Shaft/1971-Richard Roundtree
• AUGUST 27 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea/1954 (Studio Print - Paul Lukas, Peter Lorre, Kirk Douglas, and James Mason
• SEPT 17 The Candidate/1971 (new print)-Robert Redford

CITY CENTER SUMMER SOUNDS CONCERT SERIES
Every Wednesday noon at City Center Plaza are free lunchtime concerts, with a variety of music including cocktail swing, reggae, Latin Jazz, Cajun/Zydeco, Marimba and blues. The next one is Wednesday 14 July 2004 with Pure Ecstasy doing Motown, gospel and Capella selections. They go through the month of August. Go to www.

OLD OAKLAND HOME GROWN BLUES SERIES
During the summer in Old Oakland, at Ninth and Broadway - within walking distance - are free dusk concerts. The next one is Wednesday 14 July 2004 featuring Bobby Webb & Smooth Blues.

OLD OAKLAND OUTDOOR CINEMA
The next film is Friday 16 July 2004 in Old Oakland, on Washington Street between Ninth and Tenth streets. It will be Kevin Costner in "Field of Dreams. Admission is free. They're once a month, and the first one was in June drawing 350 visitors. In August it will be "Tootsie" and "Singing In The Rain" will show in September. You can bring your own chairs. Preceding each movie will be Bay area short films. There are many good restaurants around if you want to eat before the 8pm showing.

WOODMINSTER SUMMER MUSICALS
The summer season for outdoor musicals at Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park on Redwood Road has opened. This weekend is "Annie," which runs for -- weekends in the classic open-air performance facility which was a 1940 WPA project and dedicated to California writers.

The first two weekends in August will be "The Will Rogers Follies, A Life in Revue." It will start Friday 6 August 2004 and run that weekend, and on Thursday-Sunday the following weekend.

The September offering is "Flower Drum Song," starting Friday 3 September 2004 for three nights, and then Thursday-Sunday the following weekend.

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS
It appears that we are in for another round of neighborhood construction, this time in the empty lot facing our Alice Street side. Signature Properties bought the lot, and plan to build a 91-unit condominium project starting early next year. It's a done deal, so there is no further public review unless significant changes are proposed for the project which is already approved.

MIKE GHIELMETTI of Signature will meet with neighbors for a Project show and tell next Tuesday at 6:30pm for an hour or so. It will be held at The Egghouse at 229 Harrison, which is the corner of Third and Harrison. Dial 30 for
entry. RSVP to GARY KNECHT so he knows how many chairs. 510/893-9829. He's the President of SoNIC - South of the Nimitz Improvement Council, and the one who arranged this meeting.

The project will have 91 units, as originally proposed, and 117 off-street parking stalls. The only concessions gained so far is that the building will be about three feet shorter - 65 feet instead of 68 feet.

The Good News? There will be no need for pile-driving.

DRAGON BOAT RACES
It's almost time again for the annual International Dragon Boat Races right here in Jack London Square. They will happen the weekend of 7-8 August 2004.

CIRCUS
The circus is coming to town in August. Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus will be at the Oakland Arena 18-22 August 2003.

HAVE A NICE WEEKEND!

Lynne

Posted by at 9:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

From Gary Knecht and SoNiC...

Signature Properties has just purchased the vacant lot at 300 Harrison (north side of 3rd Street between Harrison and Alice) at the heart of the Waterfront Warehouse District. They are planning to construct a 91-unit condominium project on the lot, starting early next year (2005). The site has already been approved for 91 condos, so there will be no further public review of the project (unless significant changes from the approved project are proposed).

Signature Properties' Mike Ghielmetti has offered to meet with SoNiC and show us drawings of the proposed building. Although there will be the same number of units (91) and the same number of off-street parking stalls (117), the building will be a few feet shorter (about 65' rather than 68') and there will be no need for pile-driving.

Please come to the Egghouse to meet our new neighbor:
WHEN: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 from 6:30 to 7:30 (or 8:00)
WHERE: The Egghouse, 229 Harrison (southwest corner of 3rd) -- dial 30 for entry
WHO: Mike Ghielmetti, Signature Properties

Please RSVP so we can make sure there are enough seats for everyone.

Thanks,
Gary

Gary Knecht, President
South of the Nimitz Improvement Council (SoNiC)
229 Harrison Street
Oakland, CA 94607
510-893-9829; fax: 510-763-8866; cell: 510-502-9829
knechtgary@aol.com

Posted by Jim Pire at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Jim Pire at 10:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Now known as Tower Lofts. By the way, I added the Waterfront Warehouse District logo to the end of the PDF file. I figured that since it was based on an image I shot - and used without my persmission - I can probably get away with it. :-)

Posted by Jim Pire at 6:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)