Community Corner

Springing Forward — This Week in Martinez Patch

A look at some things taking shape in our town for the next few days.

It's MONDAY, March 21, 2011, the second official day of spring. Can you feel it in the air? Though it seems like there is a lot going on around town — the apparent demise of redevelopment, the upcoming hearings on the Alhambra Highlands project (one of which is Tuesday), the state of the marina loan, the waterfront sports complex proposals, the city's projected $800,000 budget deficit, the school district's potential cuts of millions more if state taxes aren't extended— all of it seems relatively minor next to earthquakes, tsunamis and Tomahawk missile attacks. We can be grateful that so far, at least, Martinez doesn't have anything CNN-worthy going on. But you never know. At any rate, there are plenty of Patch-worthy stories we're planning for you this week:

  1. As mentioned above, the Planning Commission will consider the final environmental impact report for 112 homes in the Alhambra Hills, a project known as the Alhambra Highlands. Part of its controversy is the requirement to remove 625 trees, including native old-growth oaks. The project has been in existence for nearly 20 years, in one form or another, and property owners feel this iteration is a significant compromise. Opponents, including most of the surrounding neighbors, feel the project is too intrusive, too visible and will take away the city's last major expanse of open space. The commission meets at 7 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber.
  2. The very same Planning Commission met with the City Council last week to discuss the general plan update, the city's road map for the future that is being renewed. Look for a story about the various, and sometimes surprising, views about the plan, and the process, in Tuesday's Martinez Patch.
  3. Last week, the Martinez Unified School District Board met and gave the green light to an energy conservation plan that will use an outside contractor, a part-time district employee, and state of the art software to monitor energy use throughout all eight schools and district headquarters. Martinez Patch will have the story later this week. 
  4. In case you missed Saturday's story about the , go back and read it, then pay a visit to this largely overlooked gem of a park. 
  5. Finally, if you know of a Whiz Kid who deserves to be featured on Wednesday, drop a line to jim.caroompas@patch.com. Just give the name, age and school of the kid, and a brief description of why he or she should be recognized, along with a photograph. We'll run the story and picture on Wednesday, as part of our Mom's Day Wednesday.


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