Google streeview includes most of Alameda!

Finally! Google street view has expanded to include all (well most of) Alameda!

World’s largest chalk drawing … in Alameda!

A 10-day project (May 27 - June 6) to create the world’s largest chalk drawing is underway at Alameda Point.

The Kid’s Chalk Art Project is a community event that celebrates and supports the creative spirit of our children. The Project’s goal is to collaboratively create the World’s Largest Chalk Drawing with the kids of Alameda (K-12), their families, friends, and neighbors, as well as the greater community of the San Francisco Bay Area.

We are attempting to break the Guinness World Record and plan on obtaining a satellite photograph of the artwork to promote our mission. The chalk drawing will be created over a two-week period, culminating on June 7, 2008. The event is open to the public, on the decommissioned Naval Air Base of Alameda Point.

A blog and photo gallery track the daily progress.

Benefit concert for local family

As reported in the Alameda Sun:

What are the chances that cancer would hit 50 percent of everyone in one family? Three members of one Alameda family of six: baby Porter (now age 4), Jim Pixton (the dad) and Jen Pixton (the mom) have all been diagnosed with cancer. Jen Pixton has just finished her chemotherapy treatments and now it is time to help raise some much needed money for this self-employed family to help them pay for ever-escalating medical expenses.

A Benefit Concert featuring the Music of Bluegrass Bands Dark Hollow, The Backyard Party Boys, The Kentucky Twisters and The Bay Island Ramblers will be held at Michaan’s Auctions by the Bay Theatre on Saturday 17th May.

What is your WalkScore?

In the Sunday NYT Magazine:

Last summer, a trio of Seattle software developers started walkscore.com, which calculates the number of potential destinations within walking distance of any given address and then produces a rating. If your neighborhood scores 90 or above, you can easily live there without a car; if it scores under 25, you’ll be driving to the backyard.

I entered a couple of random addresses in Alameda. As expected, neighborhoods in the vicinity of Webster and Park St have high walkscores (85 and 94, respectively), while it was significantly lower (40-50s) for Bay Farm.

Go ahead, lookup your Walk Scores!

Alameda Theater … almost there!

Or is that Alameda Theatre? (not sure I understand the fascination for the British versions; first Alameda Towne Centre and now Alameda Theatre!)

But I digress and snark aside … after years of back and forth, the theatre is finally nearing completion. A black tie event (tickets are $100) is scheduled for the 21st May to mark the opening.

Join us Wednesday, May 21, 2008 for the grand reopening of the historic Alameda Theatre. The City and its partner, Alameda Entertainment Associates, will host a Grand Opening Black Tie Gala event to raise funds to restore the original Art Deco mural in the mezzanine lobby of the Theatre and completely refurbish the original hand-painted curtain.

There is also a free “grand opening” event scheduled for the 24th May.

Alameda Power sans Telecom?

Looks like AP&T could soon be shedding (pun unintended) the “T” aspect of the business!

As reported in the Chronicle:

In a presentation to the city’s public utilities board, officials from the city-owned Alameda Power & Telecom last week laid out the options for the public - none of which is likely to recover the $85 million the city has spent to launch and operate the service.

If that weren’t enough, Alameda, which has a general fund budget of $80 million this year, is due to make a $33 million balloon payment next year on the original construction bond.

Atleast it’s not all gloom and doom

Alameda is a place that’s always taken great pride in its ability to fend for itself, and it’s evident in city ownership of its hospital and power plant and school system - and it’s something other municipalities can strive for.

Alameda Borders a.k.a Barnes & Noble?

Now that we are (were?) on the verge of having a Borders in town at the Alameda Towne Center, comes this report that they might be sold to Barnes and Noble (among other options).

Struggling against both online and big-box retailers, the Borders Group, the bookseller, said Thursday that it had hired two investment banks to advise it on a potential sale and had turned to its largest shareholder for additional money.

Borders said it earned $84.7 million for its fourth quarter, down slightly from $87.7 million in the period a year ago. It is also pursuing “strategic alternatives,” a phrase that often includes a potential sale of parts or all of a company. Borders has hired JPMorgan Chase and Merrill Lynch as its advisers.

Wall Street has speculated for more than a year that Borders might sell itself to its larger rival, Barnes & Noble.

Webster, Clay and Calhoun: The scoop

Nah, not that kinda scoop

Came across an article that had some interesting background on these names.

Webster, Clay and Calhoun. One is a main thoroughfare in the West End, the other two are narrower streets east of Broadway. Do you know how important Daniel Webster, Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun were to America’s history in the 19th century?

Documentary on Alameda West End

The 73-minute documentary “Civic Unity: Five Years in the West End of Alameda” will be screened on March 1 (4-6PM) at the College of Alameda, F Building, Student lounge. This will be followed by a discussion with filmmakers Gary Weimberg and Catherine Ryan as well as residents spotlighted in the film.

Perhaps this documentary might be a good opportunity to catch up on recent developments in the West End. As reported in the Journal:

… documents the mass eviction of more than 400 residents at the nearby Harbor Island Apartments, a process that began July 22 of that year.

The film offers short, compelling biographies of several of the participants, as well as numerous scenes of familiar West End life, from bicycle riders at Alameda Point, to residents picking up bags of groceries at the Alameda Food Bank.

The producers have this to say:

After 5 years of filming and editing, the result is moving beyond what any of us expected, and sure to provide a model of community engagement for other neighborhoods across the country.

Shop local!

A recent report highlights the City’s budget shortfall. Whilst it is certainly heartening to see the Towne Center report healthy sales, perhaps we could collectively help out by making more of our purchases locally.

Taxable sales transactions in Alameda during that period decreased .4 percent, or $5,542, from the same quarter of the previous fiscal year. Gains in sales of food (14.7 percent) and general retail (2 percent, which includes sales from new stores at Alameda Towne Centre) were offset by declines in all other categories, according to the report.

That includes a decline of 7 percent in the transportation category, 7.2 percent in business-to-business, 6.8 percent in construction and 36.3 percent in “miscellaneous,” which in part reflects purchases made by the city. Sales taxes contribute about $1.3 million in revenues to the city budget, making it the fourth-highest contributor to city revenues.