Leona Heights Neighborhood News

by Gordon Laverty

Big news in Leona Heights: Leona Street, the northern section, at the time this went to press, was finally in the process of being repaved. Hooray! And by the time you read this, you may be one of the lucky ones who enjoy this improvement to our neighborhood on a daily basis. Now, we have a brand-new main water line, courtesy of East Bay Municipal Utility District, and another brand-new street surface to join other streets that have been redone in recent years. This new street surface benefits drivers as well as everybody in our neighborhood who takes walks or rides bicycles. Even the many local dogs who take their owners out for regular walks must be appreciating the smooth surface. Our thanks to our Councilwoman Desley Brooks and the leaders of our City of Oakland Engineering/Street Department.

In other big news, October came and went, and that means that we had another outstanding neighborhood get-together coordinated by Marilyn King, with the help of many other neighbors, including the great Pedro. This is such a valuable event for our neighborhood as it brings so many people together who might not otherwise have the time to even see each other. Grateful thanks go to Marilyn and her committee.

And finally, though we all live adjacent to an interstate freeway and a state highway, we're not far removed from our natural world. If you take a walk on any given evening over by Leona Park, you're more than likely to see at least one deer and possibly other critters who call our area home, like raccoons, skunks, and opossums.

Please keep your eyes peeled as you drive Mountain Blvd. past the dip in the road that goes through the park. Deer cross that road on a regular basis. And if you haven't gotten out for a walk in our neighborhood lately, now might be a good time to do so. There sure is a lot to see.

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