Leona Heights Neighborhood News

by Gordon Laverty

On Wednesday, April 9, Leona Heights' own Marilyn King was a torchbearer during San Francisco's leg of the 2008 Summer Olympics Torch Relay. The eyes of the world were on the city, the torch, and the specially selected torchbearers. Despite all the political concerns surrounding the Beijing Olympics, what a privilege it was for Marilyn to be selected, and we're sure proud of her. Marilyn, by the way, is no stranger to the Olympics—she qualified to be a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team.

'' In other news, on March 21, a dozen neighbors living near a small lot on Mountain View Ave. attended a hearing to argue that a large home planned for the lot be downsized. Not only is the lot one of the smallest in Leona Heights, but the proposed home is twice the size of all surrounding homes. The Leona Heights Improvement Association hopes that the proposed structure be built so that its size fits better into the neighborhood's character. This kind of inappropriate development has been going on in the Oakland hills for a number of years, and the tide is gradually turning toward more sensitivity about maintaining a neighborhood's character. The two-hour meeting with staff members on March 21 resulted in the filing of an appeal, the results of which will be reported in a future Metro edition.

'' In a nature-related story, one family in the area has had a honeybee hive in its PG&E gas meter enclosure for the past three years. A while back, the meter reader commented about the bees and the potential danger she faced each time she needed to read the meter. The family, concerned about the mysterious nationwide shortage of honeybees, asked what options might be available that wouldn't harm the bees or any humans. The solution is a card with gas meter readings hung on the electric meter. Now the people and the bees can carry on with the business of everyday living. Hurray!

'' On another happy note, residents on the western side of Leona Street in particular have noticed the current work being done by the East Bay Municipal Utility District as it replaces the old water main. EBMUD's got a fairly large crew working on the project.

Once the job is done, the long-awaited resurfacing of Leona Street will begin and is expected to be completed in July.

Gordon Laverty can be reached at lavertyhillmob2\@sbcglobal.net.