Dimond Neighborhood News

by Hoang Le Banh

Sweetheart Breakfast

Neighbors are invited to Fruitvale Presbyterian Church, 2735 MacArthur Blvd., for the Annual Sweetheart Breakfast, along with entertainment, at 9 a.m. on Saturday, February 12. Ladies are free; men pay only $5. Donations are gladly accepted. RSVP by February 9 at 530-0915, or e-mail Pastor Monte McClain at mcclainmonte\@sbcglobal.net.

Book Clubs and More at Dimond Library

The Friends of Dimond Library will hold their first book club meeting on Tuesday, February 7, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Also, the Friends will have their regular monthly meeting on Saturday, February 26, at 11:30 a.m. Everyone is welcome to both meetings. For more Dimond Library activities, including for young readers, see the Metro calendar.

Second Fruitvale Alive! Community Meeting

Dimond and Fruitvale residents who want to plan for pedestrian safety and other transportation improvements are encouraged to attend the second of four Fruitvale Alive! community meetings on Wednesday, February 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., once again at the Patten University Student Center, 2433 Coolidge Ave. The study area includes the following:

Fruitvale Ave., from Dimond Library to the Oakland Estuary

MacArthur Blvd., from the Altenheim to Coolidge Ave.

Coolidge Ave., from MacArthur Blvd. to Foothill Blvd.

For more information, see www.dimondnews.org, or contact Hoang at hbanh\@lmi.net or 333-8022.

Lincoln Court Senior Housing Application Mailing List

Construction of the units at Lincoln and MacArthur is expected to be completed in January 2006. Applications will be available in fall 2005. If you would like to be added to a mailing list or know a senior (age 55 or older) who is interested, e-mail Sirena McCart at sirena\@domusd.com, or call (415) 558-9500 ext. 2. Please leave your full name, address, and telephone number.

Altenheim Senior Housing

On January 5, the City of Oakland Planning Commission unanimously approved the planning and environmental applications for the Altenheim. After two years of planning and meeting to reach this stage, neighbors and Citizens Housing will now meet on design development for Phase I. If all goes as projected, construction on that phase should start in fall 2005.

A Brighter Business District

Thanks to the Dimond Merchants Association, some of you may have noticed the beautiful holiday banners. However, did you notice that the street lamps are brighter? Public Works has increased the lighting to the required voltage thanks to the work of Carolyn Vallerga of DIA's Business Development Committee.

Also, for those awaiting Farmer Joe's #2 in the old Albertsons space, they may open as soon as this spring.

Dimond Public Safety Council

Beat 22X Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council is now officially the Dimond Public Safety Council, a committee of the Dimond Improvement Association. The focus will be to map existing neighborhood groups and form new block groups (block alerts, home alerts, CORE Citizens of Oakland Respond to Emergencies). Meetings will take place the fourth Monday of every month at Dimond Library, from 7 to 9 p.m. The next meeting will beFebruary 28.

Dimond Improvement Association Elections Meeting

DIA will meet Wednesday, March 2, from 7:30 to 9 p.m., at Dimond Library, to hear neighborhood announcements, make committee updates, and elect members for the 2005 Board.

Hoang can be reached at hbanh\@lmi.net, and more updates are available at www.dimondnews.org.