BY DANIEL MCGLYNN //

The one-two punch of the turbulent economy and the holiday financial squeeze leaves families across America looking for ways to save money. Well, look no further than your own backyard. With the kids out of school and holiday vacation time, El Cerrito offers plenty of opportunities for outings, fun, and maybe a little adventure.

The following is a list of family-oriented places and activities for the upcoming holiday season:

Parks – El Cerrito is dotted with neighborhood parks.

Arlington Park, 1120 Arlington Ave – Tennis courts, barbecue and picnic area, a playground, a pond, basketball courts, and a grass playing field.

Playground at Arlington Park

Canyon Trail Park & Art Center, 6757 Gatto – In addition to tennis courts, a picnic area, and a playground, the park also has a walking trails and some woods to explore.
Castro Park,1420 Norvell – A large playground and grassy field with basketball courts and a kickball diamond at the adjacent school. The park also has tennis courts and barbecues.
Cerrito Vista Park 950 Pomona – A big playground and a jogging track.  There are tennis courts and a picnic area adjacent to the park.

Restored wetland in Canyon Trail Park

Fairmount Park 715 Lexington – Playground equipment.
Harding Park 7115 “C” Street – Basketball courts and a kickball diamond at adjacent Harding School. The park has play equipment, tennis courts and a field.
Huber Park 7711 Sea View – Large cement slide, a climbing area and basketball court.
Tassajara Park & Pottery Studio – A playground, field, basketball court, tennis courts and a picnic area.

Further afield & other adventures.

Try out shiny new bicycles on the 2.5 miles of the Ohlone Greenway, while pedaling along a new frog habitat and wetland restoration project. Or trek further up in the hills to Wildcat Canyon Regional Park for miles of trails, fire roads and ancient oak trees.

The Swim Center in the El Cerrito Community Center, 7007 Moeser Lane, will be open for lap swim, but not open rec swim due to the season. Check the website for holiday hours. The cost is $5.50 per person.

Swim Center

The El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave, will stick to its normal schedule, but will be closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Day. Regular hours are Monday and Tuesday 12-8 p.m., Thursday 10-6 p.m., Friday 1-5 p.m., Saturday 10-5 p.m. For more information call 1-800-984-INFO, or (510) 526-7512, on the web at www.ccclib.org.

El Cerrito library

The Recreation Department is also holding two holiday camps. The camps are for kids ages 5-12 and will run in two sessions on December 22-23, or December 29-30. The times are 7:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or 12:30 to 6:00 p.m. The cost is $25.00 for El Cerrito residents and $29.50 for non-residents.

Find all places mentioned in this on the map below.

View Larger Map

Fire as seen from Albany Bulb

BY DANIEL MCGLYNN //

A small blaze, producing a big plume of smoke and flames visible from Interstate 80, broke out Friday afternoon on the west side of Albany Hill. Fortunately, due to a quick response, crews were able to prevent any serious damage.

Initially, the fire came close to threatening the high-rise Gate View apartment building at 555 Pierce Street in Albany, that is nestled between I-80 and the hill.

Albany police officer Steve Foss said, that at its climax the fire stretched from north to south about the width of the apartment complex and seemed to be moving down the hill.  ”It was going pretty good, but it’s well under control now,” he said.

Since most of the hill is a park, there were no other structures immediately in danger, according to Foss.

The Albany Fire Department, with assistance from El Cerrito and Richmond, were able to use fire roads in the heavily forested park to access the blaze and get control quickly.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Albany Hill, with an elevation of 338 feet above sea level, is a local landmark for both Albany and El Cerrito.

The upper portion of the hill, Albany Hill Park, is a Eucalyptus clad public open space.

(Photo by Deane Little/Courtesy of East Bay Parks)

BY ALEXIA UNDERWOOD //

On November 4, voters in Alameda and Contra Costa counties passed Measure WW with 71 percent approval. The measure extended an existing regional park bond measure to the tune of $500 million, to be distributed over the next 20 years.

“I think that it’s a tribute to the people [for] recognizing the value of the park district and wanting to have more parks and more opportunities in the future,” said Jack Kenny, chief of parks for the East Bay Regional Park District.

The bond money will uphold ongoing park district projects including urban creek restoration, wildlife protection and additional land purchases according to park district officials.

The money will also be used to acquire, develop, and improve local and regional parks, trails, and recreational facilities for East Bay residents.

Measure WW is an extension of original bond Measure AA, passed in 1988, which imposed a maximum $10 tax per year on every $100,000 of assessed property valuation, according to the park district website. For the owner of a $300,000 house, this would translate into paying about $30 a year.

Seventy-five percent of the new money will go towards buying new parkland and funding projects, and 25 percent will go to cities and local park districts, like El Cerrito’s.

Kenny explained that the measure allotted for a series of bond sales that take place over 20 years. The property tax begins soon, with the first installment due in December, he said.

Some people were surprised to see the widespread support the measure received, said Kenny. “Especially in really tough economic times, I think that [percentage] is surprising,” he said.

Rosemary Cameron, assistant general manager of public affairs with the park district said cities still had some time to put together their proposals for the bond money.

“We’ll be rolling out all the formal procedural guides on how the local grant program will work – right at the beginning of 2009,” said Cameron. “This isn’t something that cities will have to apply for immediately. They will have several years in which to do this.”