Snowman Avalanche brings three days of winter-themed activities to this year’s winter break day camp offered by the Antioch Recreation Department. It’s the perfect cure for cabin fever. Winter camp will feature glacier games – a take on the coming Winter Olympics, marshmallow pie tournaments, and oversized snowman relays. Campers will also get to create hot cocoa bar creations – so much fun the kids will never want to return to school. Camp will run January 3-5, 2018 from 8:30 am-3:30 pm at the Antioch Community Center. Parents can sign up kids for half day also, morning or afternoon.

Registration is open online at activenet.active.com/antiochrecreation, or in person at the Antioch Community Center, 4703 Lone Tree Way, Monday through Friday during regular business hours. Let Antioch’s outstanding camp staff entertain, engage, and excite your kids during winter break this year.  For additional help please call the Recreation Department at (925)-776-3050, ext. 0.

Example of a Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry instrument. Photo by Polimerek – Own work, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=425348

By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office

The Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Forensic Services Division Crime Laboratory has received a state grant for “Improved Technology for Identification of Impairing Substances in DUID Cases”.

This $207,100 grant will fund the purchase of two new Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) instruments. These instruments will have the ability to routinely identify and quantitate compounds that are commonly encountered in driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) and drug facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) cases.

The two new GCMS instruments offer increased sensitivity and will be replacing older instrumentation within the Crime Lab. The new instruments will enable the Forensic Services Division to provide analysis in alignment with recommendations set by national organizations for DUID cases.

“The new GCMS instruments will allow the Sheriff’s Office Crime Lab to provide more comprehensive and timely results for the investigation and prosecution of DUID cases in Contra Costa County,” said Forensic Services Chief Pam Hofsass.

On January 1, 2014, changes to driving under the influence laws (Sections 23152 and 23153 of the Vehicle Code) went into effect making it unlawful for a person who is under the influence of any drug to drive a motor vehicle; this not only includes illegal narcotics and stimulants, but also some legal prescriptions, herbs, marijuana and over-the-counter drugs.

The purchase of these instruments and method validation is anticipated to take approximately one year. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Voting continues in this year’s Rivertown Holiday Store and Window Décor contest. See all the wonderfully decorated stores and windows in Antioch’s historic, downtown through Saturday, Dec. 23. Ballots are available at participating merchants (or below)and are due by 5:00 p.m. on the 23rd. Those who submit ballots will be entered to win prizes from Rivertown merchants and other businesses. Shop local. Shop Antioch. Shop Rivertown for Christmas! 2017 Holiday Window Decor Contest Ballot rev 12-4-17

Efforts to pass ordinance since 2011

By Daniel Borsuk

After years of foot-dragging by the county officials and Contra Costa’s two major solid waste haulers – Republic Service and Mt. Diablo Resource Recovery – county supervisors voted 4-0 to pass an ordinance aimed at cracking down on illegal solid waste hauling activities in unincorporated parts of the East Bay County.

Supervisor Candace Andersen of Danville left the board meeting before the vote because she had a medical appointment.

With “dozens” of unsanctioned truck drivers illegally hauling trash and, in most cases, illegally dumping their loads in unincorporated East or West county locations at public expense for appropriate removal and disposal, supervisors finally took the bold step to crack down on the illegal activity.

For obvious reasons no one spoke in opposition to the ordinance up for consideration at Tuesday’s supervisors meeting and, for that matter other than representatives for the two major waster haulers, no one from the general public spoke in favor of the ordinance too.

Even then the ordinance’s passage did not come easily.  Attorneys for Republic Service and Mt. Diablo Resource Recovery insisted on five last minute wording changes that supervisors agreed to in order to move forward the law that has been on the drawing boards for at least six years.

“This ordinance will be a tool for county code enforcement officers to use to clean up this illegal activity,” said Sal Evola, representing Mt. Diablo Resource Recovery.  “We’ve been attempting to put a stop to this illegal activity since 2011.”

“It’s been a long time coming,” concurred board vice chair Karen Mitchoff of Pleasant Hill, who played a key role in finally getting the ordinance passed.  “We’re basically telling illegal haulers that they will have to play by the same rules as the legal haulers.  We view this as an economic development issue.”

“East County is definitely affected by illegal dumping,” said District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis of Brentwood. “This ordinance means the county is taking the appropriate steps to hold these people accountable.”

Beginning March 2018, the ordinance will be enforced mainly by the Contra Costa County Health Service Department.  The county Sheriff-Coroner Office and local police departments will play law enforcement roles.

The county ordinance spells out what is considered to be a solid waste hauler under terms of the law.  The ordinance establishes vehicle inspection procedures, annual permit renewal will be required every December, revocation procedures, setting liability insurance requirements with policy limits of $1 million per occurrence and $1 million aggregate, and requiring drivers to hold performance bonds.

The county ordinance requires permit holders to transport solid waste load and recycled waste to properly licensed solid waste and recycling facilities.

It is too early to tell how much revenue the county will generate from the new ordinance.

$2 Million Waste Clean-up Contract Approved

In other action, supervisors approved as a consent item a $2 million contract with Pacheco-based Debri-Tech Inc. to do trash and abandoned waste cleanup and removal for the Contra Costa County Watershed Program.  The contract with Debri-Tech has been doubled from $1 million because the contract has been extended two years rather than one year.

Supervisors gave the District Attorney’s Office the green light to apply for $1.2 million in state funding for the county’s Victim/Witness Assistance Program.  The funding will be spent from Oct. 1, 2017 to Sept. 30, 2018.

In addition, supervisors approved the issuance of an additional $1.6 million in Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds from the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee for the completion of the 58-family unit apartment development at 1515 and 1735 Riviera Ave. in Walnut Creek.  In March 2016, supervisors approved the $19.2 million development, but learned additional tax-exempt funds were needed to complete the construction.

The dancers from Melody’s Dance Studio were the Overall Winners of the 2017 Antioch Lighted Holiday Parade. Herald file photo

Celebrate Antioch would like to say “Thank you” to the community and the City! We had a wonderful turnout for the Lighted Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting ceremony. You could feel the holiday cheer and the excitement of the children as they visited with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The parade was well attended by our residents both with entries and people watching the performers. Seeing the community gather in such a positive manner is what makes the planning of the Holiday Parade and 4th of July festivities seem like play instead of work.

A special thank you to the City, they did a wonderful job of decorating the tree and setting up for the tree lighting. Having the Music Masters singing Christmas carols before the lighting was a nice addition, this year.

Following is our list of winners for the parade in the various categories, as well as our overall winner.

OVERALL WINNER: Melody’s Dance Studio

Scouts: Delta Gateway Girl Scouts of America

Civic Community Service Clubs: Antioch Rotary Club, YWCA of Contra Costa

Commercial for Profit:  Antioch Delta Skimmers

Entertainment Performance: Golden State Soul Line Dancers, El Pinto Ranch

Cultural Costumed: Rancho Los Centenarios

Musical Instrumental: Antioch High School Marching Band and Deer Valley Marching Band

Clubs: Antioch Lapidary Club

Youth Children non-scouts: El Campanil Children’s Theater

Dance/Gymnastics: Elite Dance/Special Haven

Public Officials: Mayor Sean Wright making three laps

The Celebrate Antioch Foundation is looking forward to another year of bringing celebration to our City with the 4^th of July Parade, fireworks all the festivities down out the Fairgrounds on the 4th of July and of course the Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting.

To everyone once again, Thank You!!!! We wish you Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas!!!!!!!

Celebrate Antioch Foundation

See photos of the parade on the Herald website by clicking, here.