Berryessa--Tidbits of Interesting Info. Secret Structure??

[Caudawg]

This is the most recent Newsletter from Peter Kilkus at Berryessa. There are some very interesting nuggets of information in his newsletters regarding the lake and some of the structures that exist below the surface.

Plus there are some updates regarding the Pensus Group and the Bureau of Reclamation's ongoing debacle regarding development of resorts/facilities at Berryessa.

From Peter Kilkus at http://www.LakeBerryessanews.com:
NOTE: FOR FULL STORIES GO THE THE SITE ABOVE

Welcome to Summer! The theme of this issue is history and memory. It has been posted to my web site: http://www.LakeBerryessaNews.com.

Memorial Day 2012: History and Memory at Lake Berryessa.

A big history event is coming to the Spanish Flat Village Center and Berryessa Senior Center on Sunday, May 27. First comes the Monticello History Event at Spanish Flat Village Center.


Old timers and their families from the Town of Monticello will meet at the cemetery around 11 AM. to visit and talk about old times and pay respects to friends and families that have gone before them. I’ve printed a couple more of those great Murray Clark stories about life befor the lake on Pg. 7.

At about 2 PM there will be an open house event at the Monticello History Exhibit. New pictures and items will be on display. There will be a chicken poker game for $5 a card - chance to win $100 dollars. Ice Cream Cones for all visitors...meet with old timers....

Around 2:30 PM the scuba divers of the Berryessa Bridges Project (see story on Page 7 and below) will put on a presentation with photos and video about their search for the Putah Creek Stone Bridge and their actual adventure dive to the bridge itself. See story link below.

Then in the Senior Center parking lot from 5PM - 10 PM. there will be a Barn Dance with hay bales and a cowboy theme. There will be music to match the crowd and a BBQ. Proceeds will be divided evenly between the Senior Center and the Monticello Veterans Memorial Wall at the Monticello Cemetery next to the Senior Center. (See Cemetery story and photos on Page 8.)

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Lake Berryessa Level Update as of Monday, 5/14/12

The elevation of Glory Hole spillway at Monticello Dam is 440' above mean sea level (msl). Lake level has dropped 7” during the last two weeks and is now at 430.85’ or 9.15’ below Glory Hole. Lake Berryessa has had 19.46” of rain since July 1, 2011. As of May 7 water temperature was 68 degrees from 1 to 10 feet deep; 62 at 40 feet, and 53 at 70 feet.

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Better Late Than Never! Congressman Mike Thompson and Supervisor Diane Dillon send letters to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar strongly criticizing the mismanagement of Lake Berryessa by the Bureau of Reclamation. Read their combined letters here...

Thompson's statements (partial): I am writing to express my utter displeasure with the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) at Lake Berryessa in Napa County, California. This public access lake has been mismanaged by BOR for years and it has become increasingly evident that the process for bidding concessions, providing oversight of third party contractors, and taking corrective actions is completely broken.....Not only has this process been grossly mismanaged and has been an embarrassment to the federal agency, it has negatively impacted the residents of my district. Recreational use of a federal resource has been stifled, local businesses have been smothered, and local water district decisions regarding water and sewage treatment are being impacted. Small, local businesses have paid the price for the mistakes of BOR and will continue to feel the effects for many years to come.

Download Mike Thompson's original letter on my web site.

Dillon's statements (partial): I am writing this letter to formally request that you take whatever actions are necessary to immediately implement a change in the management of visitor services at the Lake Berryessa reservoir, the largest federally managed body of water in California....It is high time that things change. I concur with the statements made by Congressman Thompson in his letter to you of even date. It is appalling that local government has not been kept any better informed and included in Lake decisions that directly affect us, than a member of Congress. Please accept this letter as a formal request to expedite development activities at Lake Berryessa, take whatever actions are necessary to immediately assure the residents that their best interests will remain at the core of any future decisions, and include the County as a partner in future endeavors.

Download Diane Dillon's original letter on my web site



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Pensus responds to contract termination action by the BOR:

“Pensus would like to confirm that, without warning, Reclamation delivered a “Notice of Termination” on May 7th 2012.

The stated reasons for termination are either unsubstantiated or blatantly false. For reasons unknown to Pensus Reclamation has made it almost impossible to make any progress over the last two years which has resulted in substantial financial losses.

Be assured that we do not intend to acquiesce and we will continue to move forward. Materials to build slips have been ordered and will arrive on site on Monday next May 21st. We will build slips and have them ready for installation with the expectation that Reclamation provides an approval to do so in the very near future.”

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Relative to the story of Pensus’ financial problems with their Park Central Mall property in Phoenix, Pensus just sent out this press release:

Pensus Group Signs District Medical Group to an 11-Year, $13.5 Million Office Lease for 56,530 SF at Park Central in Phoenix, Ariz. District Medical Group Will Operate Children’s Rehabilitative Service Clinic

May 16, 2012, Phoenix – Colliers International in Greater Phoenix announced that the Pensus Group signed District Medical Group to an 11-year, $13.5 million office lease for 56,530 square feet at Park Central at 3141 North 3rd Avenue in Phoenix, Ariz.

The District Medical Group is an award-winning, not-for-profit entity consisting of over 350 providers representing all the major medical and surgical specialties as well as subspecialties. The group will be operating a Children’s Rehabilitative Service Clinic in the 56,530-square-foot ground floor of Building 7 at Park Central. Occupancy of the premises will take place on September 1, 2012.

Pensus has contracted with D.R. Mattson, Inc., to provide program management of the budgeted $3.5 million of building improvements that will create a modern customized facility. The building improvements are being funded by Artemis Realty Capital.

Pensus Group thanks Charles Miscio and Greg McMillan of Colliers International for their representation of Pensus Group, as well as Paul Blum of Kasten Long Commercial Group for his representation of District Medical Group.

Pensus is proud to welcome a group so committed to excellence in patient care, education, research and community service, and is looking forward to a long and rewarding relationship.


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If you’ve been following my stories about the Bureau of Reclamation, and especially after you read this issue and the letters on Page 2, you may want to express your own opinions to the BOR:

Mr. Donald Glaser, Regional Director -USBR
2800 Cottage Way
Sacramento, CA 95825

Mike Finnegan, Area Manager
916-989-7200, mfinnegan@usbr.gov

Peggi Brooks, Chief, Recreation Resources,
916-989-7128, PBrooks@usbr.gov



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When History Does Not Exist, We Must Use Memory!

Perhaps sometimes people don’t believe me when I express frustration with the Bureau of Reclamation. My latest encounter is a real life example. For a history article I planned to write I simply asked for the names of all the Lake Berryessa Park Managers and Concession Managers since the lake was formed. They said I had to write a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) letter to formally request this information. Silly me - I thought they could just access a personnel file and send me the data. Excerpts from their response follow:

“The FOIA and 43 CFR § Subpart A provides procedures by which the public may obtain copies of Reclamation records. The request asked for records of the names and tenure dates for Lake Berryessa Park Managers and Concession Managers since 1958. No such records exist.

The request asked for records that identify the previous job held and the next job held by each of the managers. No such records exist.

The Central California Area Office, the Mid-Pacific Regional Library, the Mid-Pacific Regional Public Affairs Office, the Reclamation Historian in Denver, and the Lake Berryessa Resources Branch confirmed that no such records exist.”

I still intend to write this story, but I must appeal to all of you to send me (pkilkus@gmail.com) any information and anecdotes about the Lake Berryessa Park Managers and Concession Managers that you may remember. Thanks.



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Scuba Diving To and Through the Putah Creek Stone Bridge
By Sharon Eckroth, Berryessa Bridges Project

Our team has made yet another terrific SCUBA dive to the Big Stone Bridge. My partner and I performed the dive on May 12. It was in a word; amazing. The day offered the best in-water visibility we’ve had in the lake to date. The surface conditions were fabulous with the warm, nearly tropical sun falling on the placid teal water. A refreshing northerly breeze kept the boat deck conditions comfortable. We quickly descended to the bridge carefully arresting our decent above the road bed at about 120 feet so as not to disturb 55 years of baby powder fine silt. I tied off a safety line and we swam over the side of the BSB to locate an arch. This was truly a sight to behold, the BSB in all of her architectural splendor. The beautiful soft hues of the stone had an almost calming effect.


With lights ablaze and video camera rolling, we collected ourselves and executed the dive plan, a swim through the arch to the other side. The roadbed is roughly 27 feet in width so it was a short jaunt as underwater swims go. Although the visibility was an amazing twenty feet, the water was dark akin to a coal mine after midnight. Without artificial light the conditions could rapidly turn into one’s worst nightmare. The water temperature was a comfortable 52 degrees, if you’re an Eskimo! Read full story here...



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Pope Valley Store: A Cultural Time Capsule of Local History

Standing at the crossroads of Pope Valley, the Pope Valley Store was the center of activities for the area's residents for nearly a century, and served as a stopover for people traveling to the mines in Lake County. It was built about 1875. In 1913 a second gable roofed building was attached. The "store" housed a post office, a saloon, hotel, and sold food and hardware. An adjacent barn served as a garage that was one of the first AAA stations in the state. Storeowner Brad Kirkpatrick also reveals that there is a Prohibition-era brewery beneath the floor of the store he has operated since the 1950s. Read full story with photos here...

Inside the Pope Valley Store Photo Album



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Pope Valley and George Washington: A Historical Connection?

Bill Eaton is a retired statistician turned screenwriter. He has been connected to Pope Valley for years since his spouse, Florence Eaton, is the Superintendent of and teacher at the Pope Valley School.
Granddad and George Washington
by Bill Eaton

Warton is not the sort of place you’ll find on a tourist map. It’s just a one street village with a pub and a post office about 10 rural miles north of Lancaster, itself remotely located in North West England. I was bred (and buttered) in Lancaster, some 60 years ago and left, in my youth, to seek fame and fortune in the colonies, eventually arriving in the largest and most successful one – the USA. Despite its insignificant size Warton has a unique claim to fame. The main street houses the ancestral home of the Washington family. Lawrence Washington arrived in Warton around 1300 and his great grandson Robert helped build St. Oswald’s church at the end of the village. The church flies The Stars and Stripes every July Fourth using a flag donated from the Capitol Building in Washington DC. More with photos...

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There’s another Bill Scholer cartoon about life in Japan.

Japanese Adventure Continues!
Bill had another chance to appear in a Japanese commercial as a Viking. But he had a hard time doing the big glowing Japanese smile. He had to say a still-secret word (until the commercial airs in Japan), once with a serious expression, then smiling, then with a big smile. Unfortunately he didn’t get the part. Bill and Karla return to Lake Berryessa for a visit at the end of June. Then we can all hear him sing and play again at Cucina Italiana.

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Dufer Point Visitor Center: A Sad Case of Revisionist History



In a stealth move that has already upset many local residents and visitors, the Bureau of Reclamation recently resurrected a sign that has been in storage for the last four years. The problem with this story is how do you oppose something without seeming mean or petty. I knew Cleve Dufer. He was a pleasant fellow who raised dogs and fell off a ladder. Although Mr. Dufer was Concession Manager for many years and was generally well-liked as a person, but many local residents and resort mobile homeowners considered him instrumental in the deterioration of the lake resorts which led to the present disaster at Lake Berryessa. I reprinted a story from 2009 that gives more details of the issue. Read the full story here...

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Fishing with Sid - or my wife is a fish magnet!

Unbelievable fishing this past weekend and my wife was a fish magnet. On Friday I went out for a few hours with Kevin. The lake was calm what a difference from last weekend. We saw boils in the water and threw our lines into it with great success. The trout were all over the lake in deep water as well as shallow and seemed to be biting anything we threw out. We ended up with full limits. Read full story here...

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Napa County has Openings on Committees & Commissions for citizens in Napa County
· Mental Health Board
· Commission on Aging
· City-County Library Commission
· Napa Berryessa Resort Improvement District Transition Committee
· Child Care Planning Council
· Advisory Board on Alcohol and Drug Programs
· Area Agency on Aging Serving Napa and Solano
· Measure A Financial Oversight Committee
Visit us on the web at http://www.countyofnapa.org/ceo/committ ... ommissions

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Calendar

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May 19 - Saturday: Senior Center Pancake and Sausage Breakfast. 8:30 - 11 AM. Included bacon, eggs and pancakes. $5 - Adults, $3 - Children. Bingo after (if sufficient people). Cards 3 for $6 or 6 for $12 Horseshoes also available. 707-966-0206




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May 27 - Sunday: Monticello History Day at the Spanish Flat Village Center at 2 PM. Monticello Old-Timers Reunion, Fun & Games. Hopefully a video presentation by the Scuba Divers of the Berryessa Bridges Project of the discovery and video recording the Putah Creek Stone Bridge at 125 feet below Lake Berryessa.




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May 27 - Sunday: BBQ & Barn Dance Fund Raiser, Beryessa Senior Center, 5 - 10 PM.




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June 2 - Saturday: Lake Berryessa Open Water Swim 2012 at Oak Shores Park at Lake Berryessa. http://www.damfast.org/berrywelcome.htm. E-mail: plprice@ucdavis-alumni.com




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June 3 - Sunday: World Environment Day at Markley Cove Resort

Lake Berryessa will celebrate World Environment Day June 3 with a group clean-up of the lakeshore followed by a picnic lunch complete with cake and a raffle for all participants. The event begins at 9:30 a.m., with the clean-up event slated to run from 10 a.m. until noon.

The event is sponsored by the Lake Berryessa Watershed Partnership with funding from Anheuser Busch/The River Network. Joining efforts by the Anheuser Busch Brewery in Fairfield, the Bureau of Reclamation and Solano Resource Conservation District are organizing this year's event. Lake Berryessa Boat and Jet Ski Rental will participate by hauling the collected trash and Markley Cove Resort will provide space for the picnic with cake and a raffle. All participants need to wear sturdy shoes or hiking boots and bring work gloves if possible. Everyone who pre-registers by May 27 will get a free World Environment Day shirt.

For more information or to sign up, contact Marianne.Butler@Solanorcd.org or 301-5778.




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June 16 - Saturday: Senior Center Wine, Cheese, and Olive Oil Tasting. 4 - 7 PM. 707-966-0206




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June 30 - Saturday: ALS Association’s 8th Annual Napa Valley Ride to Defeat ALS and Walk, Yountville Veteran’s Home, 6 AM to 2 PM. Diane Viodes, Dviodes@alssac.org (916) 979-9265. http://www.ridetodefeatals.org or http://www.alssac.org

The 8th Annual Napa Valley Ride to Defeat ALS and Walk is a one-day, fully-supported cycling event that raises funds to support the mission and vision The California Chapters of The ALS Association

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Peter Kilkus
pkilkus@lakeberryessa.net
1515 Headlands Drive
Napa, CA 94558
415-307-6906