Susie Dove of Delta 2000 with Dow's donated bikes

As the saying goes “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”  A recent decision to ban bicycles on the Dow Pittsburg site has resulted in a boon for a local nonprofit.

For decades, old bikes have been used to traverse Dow’s 500-acre property, allowing employees to easily move from plant to plant without using their cars.  Maintained annually to ensure safety and functionality, a recent injury at Dow Pittsburg when a worker fell off his bike and broke his arm while commuting prompted leadership to take a close look at bicycle usage at the manufacturing site.  It was decided to eliminate all bicycles and, instead, purchase new tricycles that provide better stability.

What to do with more than 100 old bikes?  Dow put out an announcement early this year to see if any local non-profits were interested.  The response was overwhelming.

Susie Dove, Executive Director for Delta 2000 responded quickly with the idea for a new program – providing second-hand bikes to low-income and disadvantaged youth who need a way to get to school or work.  Focused on creating a community of volunteers, youth will learn how to maintain and build their own bicycles.  “Working with their hands on something of their very own will create pride in their work and what they have learned in owning a bike,” said Dove.

“Our mission with this program,” Dove explained, “ is to promote bicycles as a fun, safe and accessible form of transportation, to foster a healthy community and to provide a welcome space for youth to learn about building, maintaining and riding bicycles.”  Her hope is that the youth will also choose to spend their community service time – something all high school students are required to have before graduating – teaching other students about bike repair or fixing up bikes for other youth to use.

Though Dow is happily donating the bikes, there are other needs associated with this program.  According to Dove, the program will need all sorts of tools and equipment including bike stands.  “We’ve got lots of interest, just not lots of capital.  Anyone who wants to be involved can donate money, tools – we’ll even take old tool kits gathering cobwebs in your basement or garage.”

Dow chose Delta 2000 from dozens of interested organizations for several reasons.  They had a plan to use all the bikes, even the ones that might not be in the best of shape – or look great.  “This is a win-win situation by Dow’s standards,” said Dow spokesperson Patty Deutsche.  “We love the idea that the bikes are going to kids who need to go to school or work.  But we especially like the idea that the kids will be learning at the same time – not just maintenance but responsibility and maybe even the skill of teaching others.  The fact that this is all right in our backyard was a bonus.”

Bikes were delivered to Delta 2000 on Thursday, May 24, 2012.

About Dow’s Pittsburg Operations

The Dow Chemical Company purchased the Pittsburg facility in 1939 from the Great Western Electrochemical Company. It is one of more than 150 manufacturing sites located in 37 countries around the world and supports two of Dow’s eight global businesses – Dow AgroSciences and Performance Chemicals.  The Pittsburg facility produces a variety of products used in personal care products as well as a variety of crop protection products and intermediates. www.dowpittsburg.com

About Delta 2000

For more than 26 years, Delta 2000 Rivertown Resource Center has provided service to residents of Contra Costa County.  With 28 non-profits and social service organizations under one roof, help can be found for everything from prenatal care to senior services.  For more information about Delta 2000 contact Susie Dove at 925-779-1404 or Susie.dove@yahoo.com.

Antioch Auto Center Tom Nokes presents a check for $100,000 to Mayor Jim Davis and Councilmembers

By James T. Ott

Tom Nokes, owner of the Antioch Auto Center presented the City Council with a $100,000 check at the Tuesday, May 22, 2012 council meeting as part of a promise to match the city’s fundraising efforts.

Although the city did not raise quite the $100,000 that Nokes and his son Brian Nokes pledged to match – Tom said they would support the city any way they could and presented the full $100,000 anyway.

City Council Members were heavy in praise for all that Nokes and the Auto Center had done for the city.

Kalinowski said he thought the Auto Center single handedly kept Antioch out of bankruptcy during the last few troubled years and said that the best way for residences to support the city was to shop at the Auto Center.

Mayor Davis said “we appreciate everything you do,” and Council Member Mary Rocha said Nokes “represents the spirit of Antioch.”

Body and Foot Massages by Trained Staff

By Teresa A. Klein

You’re driving home on Highway 4, which is once again moving so slowly you could get out and walk home faster. You discover your hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly they begin to ache. As the minutes tick by your neck begins to knot and your shoulders raise up until you feel that dreaded tension headache develop. If you are a parent, add a couple complaining or crying kids and the commute is pretty unbearable.

So how do you handle this or similar situations when the stress of human life seems to suffocate you like a blanket on a hot Antioch day?

Of way is to de-stress yourself with a massage at Southeast Antioch’s The Relaxing Station, located in Raley’s shopping center at 3712A Lone Tree Way. Calming music, dim lights, fragrant oils, and a licensed massage therapist working the daily-life knots out of your tense muscles. After an hour, you feel like – and you are – a new person.

“It is a very good idea to come in for a massage,” says Chen Xia, spokesperson for The Relaxing Station. “Massage boosts circulation and helps to improve your mood by making you relaxed. Long term, massage will make your body more healthy.”

As the daughter of The Relaxing Station co-owner Xueliang Xia, Chen says The Relaxing Station is strictly a therapeutic massage spa, unlike some spas that offer haircuts, baths, facials, and other services. Mr. Xia opened The Relaxing Station in late spring 2011 with business partner Kelly Lu because they felt Southeast Antioch needed a quality massage spa.

Massages available include foot, acupressure, deep tissue and Swedish massages. Each one targeting your specific body’s needs by either a male or female masseuse who is licensed and certified. Deep tissue is harder massage using thumbs to hit pressure points.

Swedish offers a softer touch for all-over body relaxation. With acupressure, masseuse hits pressure points to relax certain muscles or target specific ailments, similar to acupuncture, but with no needles. And the foot massage is herbal reflexology.

Currently, The Relaxation Station is offering special pricing, so if you have never had a massage, now is the perfect time to try one. Chen recommends an hour massage, which is $40, a $5 savings, but says if you are unsure of how you will enjoy a massage, first-timers can opt for a 30-minute massage for $30. The Foot massage special is $20, also a $5 savings.

To fin out what massage is right for your tired, aching body, call The Relaxation Station at 925-778-1398 to speak with a therapist and set up your appointment. The spa is open from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. every day and recommends appointments but says walk-ins are welcome.

With Mother’s Day fast approaching, Chen says The Relaxation Station offers gift certificates for that special woman in your life.

Each one of us has uncountable stressors in our life. How you deal with the stress outcome is your choice, but massage is a proven method that is relaxing for the mind and the body.

Speaker: Tim Forrester

Associate Superintendent Business and Operations, Antioch Unified School District

Join us for our Coffee with the Chamber networking and educational event featuring AUSD Associate Superintendent of Business and Operations – Tim Forerster.

Tim will be discussing Measure J, a $59.5 million dollar school bond which will allow the district to rebuild Antioch High School as well as cover the success of Measure C improvements and financing.

Details

Date: Tuesday May 8, 2012

Time: 8:30am – 10am

Location: Antioch Chamber Offices

101 H Street, Suite 4, Antioch

Brought to you by the Antioch Chamber of Commerce

The late Victor Reyes, with regulars Farrell and Marty Holderman and Bill Baker enjoy a beer at Schooner's.

Yes believe it, or not, April 29th marked Schooner’s 11th year of brewing, on site, it’s award winning beers. For those that have yet to visit us, we are a family-owned and locally-operated restaurant and on site brewery. When you do come to visit, look behind the bar and you can check out our stainless steel brewing system. Those aren’t washing machines back there, folks.

Our Master Brewer, Craig Cauwels actually uses those huge vats to produce our tasty, micro-brewed beers. We have five house favorites: an American Cream Ale, Pale Ale, Irish Red, a delicious Stout and an India Pale Ale that was rated number one, over 50 other brewery’s at the IPA Festival at the Bistro in Hayward.

We also offer rotating seasonal specials as well. Check out our website for the latest brews. Once you tried our brews, you may consider joining our Mug Club, where you can enjoy our beers in a 25oz Mug at discount prices. Ask for details.

Be sure to say hello to our friendly kitchen staff as you can watch them prepare each meal in Antioch’s first exhibition kitchen. We offer a variety of burgers, sandwiches, wraps and pasta dishes, Pizzas from our wood burning pizza oven, fresh Salads, house made soups and a kid’s menu.

Whether its menu specials, a popular Hoppy Hour or holiday events, we’re always brewing up something at Schooner’s Grille & Brewery. Don’t forget, Mother’s Day just around the corner, now is the time to make your reservation. Located at 4250 Lone Tree Way in front of the AMC theatre.

By Allen Payton, Publisher

The low-cost, ultra-light rail, electric transit system known as CyberTran, currently in it’s final stage of development at the U.C. Berkeley Field Station in Richmond, has been proposed as a green alternative to the diesel multiple unit trains planned for eBART in East County.

It is now being pursued as a possible alternative to the high-cost, heavy-rail system planned for the California High Speed Rail by a consortium of cities, businesses and two of the national labs in the Bay Area, known as i-GATE.

On March 20, 2012, i-GATE officials visited the future site of the CyberTran International low speed test track in Richmond, CA. The meeting was attended by representatives from the cities of Richmond and Davis and the three East Bay U.S. Department of Energy national labs – Lawrence Livermore, Sandia, and Lawrence Berkeley.

The primary focus of the meeting was to discuss requirements of a high speed test track location for CyberTran’s ultra-lightweight high-speed rail technology. CyberTran is considering both Lathrop and Davis as potential locations for the track.

“We are pleased to see i-GATE and its partners embrace the discussion of new applications of rail transit technology,” said Jeff Ritterman, Richmond City Council Member.

The high-speed test track is proposed as a five-mile continuous figure eight loop that will allow CyberTran to validate the application of their rail technology at speeds in excess of 150 miles per hour. The CyberTran vehicle and rail technology have already been tested in low speed environments of up to 60 mile per hour on closed loop tracks and on a 1/32nd scale test track at their Richmond facility with speeds modeled in excess of 160 miles per hour.

With a full-scale high-speed test facility, CyberTran will be able to demonstrate that the technology is appropriate for use in urban and rural transit environments.

“Davis is committed to being a leader in sustainability and alternative modes of transportation. I am intrigued by the CyberTran technology,” explained Davis Mayor Pro Tem Rochelle Swanson.

CyberTran’s plan for the high-speed test track includes almost $100 million dollars of investment and will result in local and regional construction and manufacturing jobs in design and assembly of the track and vehicles. By demonstrating the ability of the system to operate across the spectrum of low to high speed environments, CyberTran hopes to demonstrate the potential for use of the technology as a connector between current mass transit systems across California, the US, and internationally.

At a projected cost of just 20% per rail mile of traditional rail technologies, and due to the designed ability to operate in built-out urban centers with minimal impact, CyberTran is currently working with several congressional members to identify funding for the high-speed test track from existing transportation appropriations.

The technology provides a passenger rail system that can allow the passenger to plan their destinations around their personal schedule. The proposed 20-passenger vehicle has the flexibility and comfort of current rail vehicles while making personalized service levels a reality. The raised track includes an electric third-rail for vehicle power similar to many urban mass transit technologies, but the track is light enough that it can be incorporated into buildings and structures so that stations can serve passengers with the greatest amount of flexibility. The computer-controlled and light weight rail cars are powered by solar panels that line the track. Stations are aligned as off-track sidings to allow the system to continue to move cars through the systems while unloading and loading.

“Rail transit is an important part of the transportation picture,” explains Neil Sinclair, CEO and President of CyberTran. “We have developed the CyberTran technology as an application of all of the best attributes that rail technology has to offer, including ease of use, seamless operation in urban and rural environments, connection between regional centers, and stations that are adjacent to the mainline so that the vehicles can bypass stations where no stop is necessary.”

This last point is a major distinction for the CyberTran rail technology. By using a station layout that allows stopping vehicles to get off of the mainline, travel times for passengers are dramatically decreased with the elimination of unnecessary station stops.

With a primary focus on connecting appropriate sectors together in collaboration, i-GATE partners have focused on identifying and quickly deploying new technologies and innovations to have a positive effect on the economy and assist in creating thousands of new job opportunities in the region.

For more information on CyberTran visit www.CyberTran.com.

Representatives of Western Dental and the Antioch Chamber of Commerce cut the ribbon on the chain's new clinic.

Western Dental officially opened their new location at 4518 Lone Tree Way in the Deer Valley Plaza, at the corner of Deer Valley Road in Antioch, with a ribbon cutting with the Antioch Chamber of Commerce on Friday, March 30, 2012.  The facility has 14 stations to treat dental patients. This is the second location for the chain of over 220 clinics in California, Arizona and Nevada offering general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, and affordable orthodontics. Their other location is 2590 Sycamore Drive, off Auto Center Drive. They’re open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call 925-526-8300 for dentistry, 925-529-8533 for orthodontics or visit www.westerndental.com for more information.

The event will be held Thursday, April 5, 2012 at Los Medanos College. To register and for more information visit http://techpalooza.org/