High Street Neighborhood News

by Adelle Foley

Cast Your Vote for NCPC Leaders Come to the Melrose/High Hopes NCPC meeting on Thursday, January 15, and vote for the 2004 officers of your choice. Nominations will be open until the vote takes place, so you can still add names to the ballot. The 7 p.m. meeting will be at Horace Mann School. Bowling for Columbine at Melrose Branch Teenagers are invited to a special showing of "Bowling for Columbine" in the auditorium of the Melrose Branch Library (48th Street and Foothill Blvd.) at 4 p.m. on Monday, January 12. After the movie, there will be a facilitated discussion of the issues raised by the film. The Friends of Melrose Branch will be finalizing the plans for the event at their meeting on Monday, December 1, at 6 p.m. Kids of all ages are welcome to enjoy a young Latino magician on Monday, December 15, at 5 p.m., and participate in the magic. For information on other holiday events, drop in, or call the library at 535-5623. Beauty Near the Highway It was raining at 9 a.m. on a mid-November morning as an intrepid crew of volunteers gathered to plant up a storm on Redding Street, from High almost to Birdsall, and begin work on the strip of land between Walgreens and Courtland. By late morning the rain had stopped, the sun peeked through, workers were shedding their rain gear, and reinforcements kept coming. Organizer Jan Hetherington, a member of the Keep Oakland Beautiful Board, combined a Caltrans-sponsored Adopt-a-Highway with an Oakland City Adopt-a-Spot in the Maxwell Park NCPC's project to build community while fighting crime through beautification. The planting was designed by Anthony Garza, Suzanne Du Pont, and Jan. From time to time, the three of them stood across Redding planning where to put the plants. Under Anthony's supervision he's a botanist the crew wielded shovels and pick axes to create holes in the rocky soil for a variety of California natives and Mediterranean plants. Anthony pointed out deer grass, Tuscan blue rosemary, lily of the Nile (agapanthus), and Italian cypress framed by the highway wall. Later, Euphorbia, an evergreen perennial, will be added. The volunteers included Berkeley High School students who belong to Building with Books, a club that raises funds for schools in third-world nations and helps out closer to home. Despite the weather, Suzanne described the work accomplished by over 30 participants as "a dream come true." Others joined the community effort. A secret gardener, who had been planting along the highway wall for some time, brought over a box of naked-lady bulbs. The Oakland Public Works Agency had cleared trash and weeds from the strip between Walgreens and Courtland. City Councilmembers Desley Brooks and Jean Quan donated snacks, and Razzo's donated pizza for the hard-working crew. And neighbors honked and cheered to see the busy entrance to Maxwell Park taking on a new look. For more information or to help out, contact Jan at 534-4978. Adelle Foley can be reached at jasfoley\@aol.com.